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A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands [F/SN / Infinite Stratos / ???]

[X] Bring up Isamu to Houki, along with the address you have.
- - [X] Tell her about Madoka as to how you know and what she wants.

Hopefully Houki will be bright enough to give her something more thorough than a cyanide pill. The last thing you want to happen is Phyrexians getting ahold of your corpse.
 
Oh, god. We're going to be fighting Dio Brando, aren't we? ???

At least I guess we know who the Yawgmoth reincarnation was now.
 
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nick012000 said:
Oh, god. We're going to be fighting Dio Brando, aren't we? ???

At least I guess we know who the Yawgmoth reincarnation was now.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No, the JJBA reference is purely there for laughs; the kinda laugh that watching an ancient clan realize that some random ass mangaka managed to come up with the exact same idea as they did, and call it the exact same thing.
 
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[X] Tell her about Madoka
[X] Bring up Isamu to Houki, along with the address you have

You decide to get right down to it and tell Houki about Madoka; about her being your twin sister, about how she flipped her lid the moment Chifuyu's name left her lips, and the reason she wanted to meet you was to see what the last family member she had was like and whether or not she hated you or not. You then hand her the napkin with the name and address Madoka wrote on it, that of Isamu Orimura, mentioning to Houki how she called him 'gramps' and how he's apparently the closest thing she had to a parent.

After hearing everything, Houki gives a low whistle, "Damn, and I though Kana had sister issues. At least she doesn't feel suicidal and on the verge of a complete breakdown. Not that I can really blame her; being measured up and never meeting expectations, while looking exactly like the person you're being measured to is definitely something that would drive a person insane. Maybe arranging some therapy sessions would be a good idea..."

You shake your head, "I doubt she'd agree, it might even make things worse; another flaw that makes her worse in comparison to nee-san."

"Hrmn, good point. As for this," Houki lifts the napkin, "Isamu Orimura is the top geneticist in the world; renown for trying to 'build the blueprint for a better human'. He's been off the radar for years though, people desperately trying to scrounge for what notes and assistants he didn't take with him. Laura was based off of reversed engineered notes from an assistant of his; apparently they had a falling out and went their separate ways. He went to Germany, got funding, began the project; then died halfway through with his notes ruined. The military had the rest of R&D try to finish the project with what little they had and to improvise the rest; hence the mental and physical problems I had to fix."

"I though there was a connection between him and your family, but after seeing he was sterile, old enough to be your grandfather, and completely off the radar I dropped it and thought it was just coincidence. Guess I should've looked harder."

"It's not your fault; there wasn't enough evidence to make a connection without really stretching," you tell her, "Now that we know, we can look into it after dealing with this task. Oh, there was something else Madoka wanted; in case Phantom Task was starting to-"

"Catch onto her? I'm already working on something, I'll let her know once it's finished." Houki says, interrupting you and finishing your train of thought.

You then mull over what Houki told you about Isamu, "'Build a better human' huh? You think that all of us; Chifuyu, Madoka, myself, that we're..."

Houki goes into a thinker's pose, taking several seconds before answering, "Designer children to make that dream of his a reality? It's a very solid possibility, from what you've told me and from what I've seen both Chifuyu and Madoka are capable of peak human feats; if not moreso. You're the exception because of the whole 'reincarnation' mumbo-jumbo, though it could explain how your body was able to easily reach the capabilities you had as a grown man. It's something we'll have to confront him about when we find him."

You take note of what Houki said, smirking, "We? I don't recall inviting you along for this."

She scoffs, "Oh please, as if you'd say no or I'd even let you; where you go, I go. Besides, you need me to understand all the complex scientific terms he'll be throwing around."

You just smile and nod, not seeing any point to disagreeing; she's more or less hit the nail on the head. You hear the front door unlock and open; Kanzashi coming in with groceries and more takeout. She greets the two of you as she puts everything away, "Hey; just went shopping to restock the kitchen. Also have some leftovers from lunch; we can either have those and what's left of yesterday's dinner or one of us can cook something."

You get up from the couch and tell her, "I'll cook; it's been awhile and I need to get used to being in a kitchen again. I don't want to end up being as bad as nee-san when it comes to cooking."

Everyone chuckles a little at that jab at your sister and you start working on cooking up dinner for the four of you, wondering just when would Hikari finally wake up because it's been over a day since she's crashed while bathing. It's honestly starting to get a little worrying...


As it turns out, right when you finish cooking and are ready to serve everyone is when Hikari finally drags herself up; her hair in complete disarray and still bleary eyed, yet looking completely content and at peace with herself. She enters the living room and stretches, yawning and saying, "Ah, that was the best sleep I've had in...years actually. Finally got more than an hour of-"

She doesn't finish before her nose twitches and she starts sniffing around, "Is that food I smell? As in, actual food and not flavorless blocks of tofu?"

Hearing that really made you want to go back and teach those elders a lesson. However, there were more important things to deal with for now. You enter the room, carrying all the food you've cooked and tell Hikari, "Yup, just finished cooking. Here," You set the food on the table, along with plates, bowls and chopsticks, "Help yourself."

It was like watching a starving dog rush at a fresh steak; right when you finish setting everything Hikari dashed at the table and immediately gorged herself at all the food. It was almost too disgusting to watch; food was disappearing down her gullet as if she were a garbage disposal. Kanzashi actually leaves to reheat the leftovers, under the assumption that you're going to need them before Hikari eats everything. Meanwhile, you and Houki just watched in awe as all the food vanished into the black hole that was apparently your friend's stomach. Where did it even go?

Finally, Hikari leans back and lets lose a satisfying sigh; having eaten around three quarters of the food you've cooked. That was enough servings for three people. She looks towards you and compliments you for the food, practically purring in satisfaction, "That was amazing; I've missed taste almost as much as I've missed sleep. I almost forgot what food even was. You're a great cook, by the way."

Still in shock, you can't help but blurt out, "What did they do to you? Did those bastards actually starve you, their own flesh and blood?!"

Hikari's eyes widen and she loudly disputes your accusation, "Wha-NO! No, they didn't starve me; the elders are dicks, not evil." She sighs and tells you and Houki, "They just...piled on a lot of work; I didn't have time to eat regular meals, so they sent up tasteless tofu blocks. I didn't have time to get in eight hours of sleep, so I settled for one. They had high expectations, and I had to meet them or face eternal shame in the clan."

"What they did was still wrong though. Karōshi is an actual thing," Houki tells her, unwilling to let what they did slide. You nod your head in agreement; people had their limits, and those limits had to be respected. Breaking them so harshly can and will lead to death.

Hikari just shurgs, "It's not like I could say no; I had obligations to the clan to uphold. I just had to deal with it and use what little free time I had for the best. Typically by rading their sake stores and ordering doujins online. Something I kinda regret, given my taste and them finding my stash..."

Houki speaks up at this point, "Yeah, that would probably offend them. By the way," She smirks, "Thanks for the compliment; it's nice to know that I'm your type."

Hikari's eyes widen and she nearly falls over. She points to Houki in shock and exclaims, "You...you heard that?!"

"She hears everything; you get used to it," That was from Kanzashi of all people, as she walks in and brings the leftovers for the rest of you to eat. She then politely bows and introduces herself to Hikari, "I'm Kanzashi Sarashiki; assistant to Dr. Shinonono. I've heard a lot about you, Hinamizawa-san."

"Ah, just Hikari is fine; I get enough of the pomp and circumstance back home. I've gotten sick of it years ago, even if I can't show it." Hikari says, smiling at Kanzashi.

Houki claps her hands to get everyone's attention and says, "Alright; now that we're all here, it's time to figure out just what we're supposed to do. Hikari, the scroll please."

Hikari nods and pulls out the scroll, opening it and reading it's contents. She then closes it and tells everyone, "What the elders want me to obtain is something made during World War II, back when Italy and Japan were a part of the Axis Powers. My clan and a family of magicians in Italy united together, both of us revering deities of the sun; us Amaterasu, them Apollo and Helios. Using our unified knowledge, we created a style of magical combat that-"

"That takes in the rays of the sun and uses it to empower the user's body, their weapons, and utilize secret techniques using the power of the sun and life energy?" Kanzashi says, raising an eyebrow and interrupting Hikari's explanation.

Hikari goes pale and immediately looks at Kana, "How do you know the basics of Hamon?! It's been lost for decades, nobody knowing how it works; how can someone not affiliated with magicians know of it?!"

Houki closes her eyes and facepalms, rubbing her temples, "Oh my god you actually call it Hamon. Moving on," She says, stopping Kanzashi from pulling out a manga and explaining herself, "We have a lead; the person who committed the theft typically spends their time in several casinos. According to their movement patters, they should be in Egypt. I've booked us a jet; we'll head out tomorrow afternoon. Everyone, get some sleep; it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

You and Houki finish eating, heading off to sleep as Kana begins introducing Hikari to the popular manga known as Jojo's Bizzare Adventure. Just as you enter your room, you hear Hikari loudly yell, "What?! How did he-? But that's-? Wha-wha-wha?"

Oh dear, this is just like the magic incident all over again; at least this time it's nowhere near as dangerous or world shattering. Plus, Hikari's definitely handling it much better than said incident; there being no more outbursts after that one. Confident that everything's fine, you finally head to sleep so you're ready for tomorrow.


You've been on the jet for hours, finally landing in Egypt; all four of you getting off the jet and heading out to the hotel room Houki booked for you. Now that you're here, it's time to get to work.

[X] Casino; might as well face the person down ASAP
[X] Rest, you've just got here and you all could use some rest
[X] Scout around, make sure nobody's spying on you
[X] Write-in
 
[X] Scout around, make sure nobody's spying on you

Before you even get off the plane, you use For Someone's Glory to hide your identity; shifting into a very familiar form. Hair lengthens; its color along with your eyes' changes. You become taller, older; putting on several years to look like a man in his prime. Your facial features change from Asian to European, chin broadening and face becoming slightly less angular. Finally, where Ichika Orimura once stood was instead the form of Lancelot du Lac.

As the four of you leave the private plane and head to the hotel; you keep a vigilant watch for any spies or other observers, wary that Phantom Task may be around to keep an eye on either your group or your target. Both have worth to the evil organization, and it's very likely that they'll try to use the person you're hunting down to try to attack Houki if they find out she's here and the opportunity presents itself.

So far, you've found nothing; nobody trying to observe you or try anything suspicious as you're driven to the hotel you're staying in and enter the room. Houki decided to shell out for the penthouse suite, so comfort is definitely not lacking here. However, you're more focused on still keeping watch; looking for any spies trying to evade detection and trying to pull an ambush or any other surprise on your group.

You cautiously peer through the window, doing your best to avoid being seen; nothing...nothing...nothing...there! On one of the rooftops of a nearby building; you see the slightest glimmer of light, sunlight reflecting off of the lens of a scope. A sniper; and by the apparent angle of where the lens flare came from, they don't have a clean shot yet. Nor have they realized that you've found them out.

You give a slight not to Houki and she responds with a nod of her own; grabbing a remote and pushing a button to make the blinds close, stopping the sniper from having a clean shot. You then leave the room and take the elevator to the lobby, exiting the hotel and heading towards the building that you saw the sniper in. As you walk to the building, you keep an eye on where you saw the sniper, making sure they didn't leave before you got there. So far, it seems they have yet to realize that they've been discovered.

You finally reach the roof, only to silently swear to yourself at seeing the gravel floor; the gravel making it near impossible to sneak up on your target. Still, you try nonetheless; stepping as gently as possible to reach the sniper before your presence is discovered.

Unfortunately, the slightest misstep causes enough sound to alert the sniper; who turns around and sees you. The sniper, a woman by the looks of it; her face covered by a high tech visor, quickly levels and unloads an entire clip at you before rolling away and sprinting off and jumping onto the roof of another building. You quickly dodge the bullets and begin pursuit.

It was like a scene in an action movie; both of you leaping from rooftop to rooftop, jumping and ducking under any obstacles in your way without losing your stride, putting many parkour practitioners to shame. Whoever this sniper was, they were good; able to keep the lead against you for so long, you guessed that there had to be enhancements of some sort involved. Taking a closer look at her, you notice that she's wearing what looked like a jumpsuit of some sort, lined with glowing lines and other technological armor. So, an exoskeleton of some sort that enhances the human body; impressive.

But not enough, as you quickly catch up to her and tackle into her on the next leap onto another rooftop. As the two of you crash, she manages to break free and quickly attacks you with a flurry of kicks and punches; all of which you easily block and counter. You easily grab her latest punch, moving into an armbar and slamming her into the ground. As she struggles to break free from your grip, you begin interrogating her, "Who sent you, Phantom Task?"

"Piss off," You grab her by the head and slam her face into the ground as hard as you can without killing her. If she wanted to play hardball that you were all to willing to go along.

"Let's try this again," You tell her, "Who. Sent. You?"

The sniper takes a deep breath to reorient herself, "Your mother."

You slam her head in again, then lift her up; elbowing her kidneys and kneeing her in the stomach, then flip and slam her on her back. Then you cover her, punching her several more times in the stomach and face before lifting her up so she's face to face with you, "That's two; one more and I'm done. I'm asking you one last time; who sent you?"

She coughs up blood, before weakly asking, "Who sent you?"

You decide to indulge your enemy, seeing as she's not being as standoffish as she was earlier and this could only help at this point. You check for any wires before saying, "I work for Houki Shinonono as her bodyguard."

"Heh, funny; her sister sent me to do the same thing. I was going to meet up with her after scoping out the area; didn't expect her to be bringing along any friends, or bodyguards for that matter." She then chuckles and mutters under her breath, "Didn't ever recognize Hikari..."

Wait; sent by Tabane, recognizes Hikari of all people...you take a closer look at your enemy; long black hair, around the same age as your current alias, visor covering the eyes and upper half of her face. No...it could't be...

You rip the visor off, and your suspicions are unfortunately proven right; Tabane had sent your sister of all people to keep an eye on Houki, and you've just beaten her ass seven ways to Sunday. You ask her, "Why did Shinonono send you of all people to watch her sister? Doesn't she know about the Black Knight?"

"Of course she knows," Chifuyu retorts, "But this part of Egypt is Phantom Task territory; the moment she heard Houki was heading her, she sent me to make sure nothing happened. Then I got ambushed by you, and here we are."

You get off of your sister and help her up, apologizing for beating the tar out of her, "Sorry; I saw the lens glare from the room and assumed you were an assassin. I'll take you to the hotel so you can explain yourself to Dr. Shinonono. Something you probably should've done in the first place."

Leaning on your shoulder to regain her balance, Chifuyu scowls and tells you, "Shut up; I was planning on doing that after I had scoped out the area. And before you say anything, the rifle was there to snipe out anyone I found that was PT; I didn't expect Houki to bring on a bodyguard, she didn't seem the type."

You just shrug, "What can I say; I impressed her and got the job" You decide to introduce your alias to her, manners after all, "Name's Lance Dulac; soldier for hire."

You sister barks out a laugh, "Chifuyu Orimura, but I bet you already knew that. Now hurry up, I think you gave me a damn concussion..."


The two of you make it back to the penthouse suite without incident and Chifuyu explains herself to Houki, who takes it all in stride. She smiles at Chifuyu, who's being bandaged up by Kanzashi, and says, "Well; I should've guessed nee-san was going to pull something like this. I really should've told her I had hired Lance, that way she would've have bothered you with all of this, sorry."

Chifuyu just waves her off, "It's nothing; I didn't have much to do at the academy and could've used the break. Dealing with the brainless twits that call themselves 'fans' is a good enough reason to find a way to avoid them at all costs."

Houki shakes her head and tells her, "Regardless, the fact of the matter is that you're here now and we as a group need to figure out what to do with you. No offense, but this was meant to be a private trip, for something really personal to one of us," Houki shifts her eyes subtly to Hikari as a hint to Chifuyu, "So, it'd probably be better if you headed back and told nee-san that everything's ok."

"However," Houki continues before Chifuyu can protest, "There is a reason I have a bodyguard on payroll, so I'll leave the final decision to him."

Houki turns to you and asks, "So Lance, what'll it be? Does she stay, or does she go?"

[X] Keep her
[X] Tell her to leave

And once you decide, do you head to the casino and begin the hunt?
[X] Yes
[X] No, do it tomorrow
 
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[X] Keep her
[X] Yes

After thinking it over, you've made your decision. You sigh and turn to Houki, telling her your verdict, "Let her stay; regardless of whether or not your sister will give in to your request, Orimura-san doesn't seem to be the type that would follow that kind of order. Better to just have her on board willingly than have her tagging along under our nose."

You sister speaks up right after you say that, "He has a point Houki," she then turns to you and says, "You also speak Japanese really well, I barely hear an accent."

You shrug, "I'm a freelance soldier for hire; needing to speak with my clients and not sound like an idiot is a requirement. Needless to say, I've gotten plenty of practice in recent years; not to mention I haven't been in my homeland for twice that."

Chifuyu nods in understanding and Houki speaks up about your decision, "Alright Lance, I'll keep Chifuyu here. But if she's going to be a part of our group, she's going to have to blend in. And since we heading over to the hotel and casino at The Semiramis in..." She looks at the clock, "...four hours, she has to dress properly."

She looks at Chifuyu and jokingly asks her, "I doubt you have an evening dress tucked in there, do you?"

Chifuyu just gives Houki a look that says 'seriously?', to which Houki just shakes her head and chuckles. She looks your sister over, then takes out a piece of paper and writes something down on it, handing the paper to Kanzashi, "Kana, go and see where the nearest tailor is; tell them to make a nice evening dress to these measurements, something black. Or white, or maybe black with white highlights. I leave the design and everything else to you and the tailor. Give them as much money as you can to get it done ASAP."

"Got it," Kanzashi takes the note and leave the room to do exactly as Houki asked. As she leaves, your sister turns to Houki and asks her, "How do you know my measurements?"

Houki nonchalantly answers, "We have the same body type; I used myself as reference and eyeballed it from there."

"Now, just to straighten things out here," Houki announces, getting everyone's attention, "We are not entering a fight here, much less a warzone; that means play nice with the target, so we can interrogate her and get this all over with. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared, just that I don't want any broken noses if we can avoid it. Got it?"

You all nod and Houki smiles, "Good; now then, it's time to hit the slots."


Several hours and a clothing change later, the five of you head over to The Semiramis; all dressed in formalwear fitting for the high class hotel and casino. Sure enough, Kanzashi managed to find a tailor to get a dress ready in time, albeit at an ungodly cost. The dress fit your sister perfectly; a white cocktail dress with black detail and highlights that accentuated her figure without exposing it, which you considered a good thing. You were her brother after all, and there are certain instincts and traditions that come with the position.

As for the rest of your party; Hikari was wearing an elaborate yet ancient kimono, a traditional one meant for the head of the clan to wear. The reason she was wearing it wasn't for tradition however, but for the endless enchantments on it that improved her magic capabilities tenfold. Kana was wearing a blue and gold chenogasm and Houki a red and white evening gown. You yourself are wearing a silk suit tailored such that it wouldn't restrict movement in the event a fight took place.

All in all, you all blended in perfectly with the crowd; fitting in without attracting any attention.

You navigate your way through the lines of slot machines, the islands of blackjack and poker tables, the rows of craps and roulette until you reach the end of the casino; where two guards were in front of a barely noticeable door. Houki walks up to one of them and hands him an envelope, "We have an appointment with the boss; if you can just open the door..."

The guard takes the envelope and opens it, peering at what was inside. He nods and tucks it into his coat, opening the door and motioning for you all to enter, "The boss will see you now, ma'am."

You all enter the room and look around; it was nondescript and filled with various gambling machines, with a table in the center. Sitting behind the table, was a brunette woman; very attractive looking, dressed to entice lust in anyone who got a glimpse at her, but not in a desperate fashion. No, she wasn't dressed as a concubine of any kind, but rather as a classy woman who just liked to indulge in...baser desires from time to time.

She looks up and greets you all, Houki specifically; "Well, well, well; what can I do for the illustrious Dr. Shinonono?"

Houki cuts right to the chase as usual, "Adriana Abbadelli; fifty or so years ago you took something from two families who's names don't need to be spoken. Regardless to say, they want it back; the price isn't an issue: name what you want and you'll get it, in exchange for what we're looking for."

"You're talking about that little style, right?" Adriana just grins smugly, leaning forward on the table, "Well, money would be nice, but I don't feel comfortable taking a handout. We're in a casino right now, so how about we act like it? I put the Hamon up for bid, and you put up something of equal value. We choose a game, you choose a player; and we see where Lady Luck takes us."

"So, how about it?" She asks, leaning back and taking in the frustration on your sister and Hikari's faces, all while Houki thinks on whether or not to take the offer.

Before she can answer her though, Chifuyu acts; leaping forward and lifting Adriana up to her face. She growls at her and tells her, "How about a counteroffer; give us what we want, and I won't leave you a shattered husk begging for death. So, how about it? "

Your target just smiles and replies jovially to your sister, "Do that, and you'll alert Phantom Task to my location. Dead Man's Switch; if I'm physically harmed to a certain point or dead, I'll send a signal that'll alert all members in a hundred mile radius as to where I died. So, still want to leave me as a shattered husk? Or are you willing to play?"

"We'll play your game," Houki tells her, face devoid of emotion; almost soulless and robotic in appearance, "Just name the game and we'll choose a player."

The gambler just smirks, "A wise decision; as for the game, how about blackjack? I always like to start an evening with it."

"Now, who's gonna play against me?"

[X] Chifuyu
[X] Kanzashi
[X] You
 
[X] You

"I'll be playing you," You announce, taking a seat at the table, "Gimme the chips and deal the cards. Are we playing regular blackjack or a variant?"

"We'll be playing good ol' fashion Blackjack; single deck," Adriana then pushes over a stack of chips towards you, "Since you folks seem to be in a bit of a rush, I'll make it a quick game: eight chips; no more, no less. When you run out, I win and vice versa. Sound good to you?"

You nod and she smiles, "Very well, let the luckiest gambler win."

With that, she shuffles the deck and deals the cards; two to each of you, her face-up card the jack of spades. In your hand was a par of tens. You put another chip next to your starting bid and flip over your cards. You put your hand down in a fist with two fingers splitting apart in a v and tell the dealer, "Split".

"My my, aren't we lucky," the dealer says with an eyebrow raised. Regardless, she splits the hand and waits for your next call; which you oblige by tapping the table, "Hit."

The dealer flips; another ten. Again you make the bet and tell her, "Split."

She splits the hand and you motion for another hit: another ten, the last one in the deck. You make the call once more, "Split."

"Real lucky; I don't think I've ever seen a man get all four tens right off the bat," Adriana says while splitting the hand again, "Still, playing with four hands; smart move. Means you're practically guaranteed to win at least one of them, more considering what you've got."

You don't say anything, merely motioning for her to hit you. She flips the card and reveals a six of hearts. You put another chip besides the bet for that hand and put your hand down with only your pointer finger out; a double down. She nods and deals the last card for that hand: a five of diamonds, giving you 21.

You move onto the next hand, motioning for the hit and getting a seven of spades. Again you call for a double down and get a four of hearts, a second 21. You ignore the shock of everyone around you, both the dealer and your friends and family. Again, Adriana comments on your luck, "Damn son, you've got the devil's luck on your side."

You almost scoff, more like luck of the fae to be honest; while the blessing of your guardian isn't in effect here, some of her otherworldly luck did rub off on you. It pissed Gawain off to no end whenever you managed to get him drunk enough to agree to gamble with you and the rest of the Round Table. You think he was peeved that his blessing didn't rope him extra cash on demand.

Regardless, your luck was only going to help you here; you move onto your third hand and ask for a hit, getting a queen of clubs. Again you go for a double down, making everyone flinch at the seemingly foolhardy decision. But you know your luck will hold, and you get an ace of diamonds. Another 21.

Final hand; second verse, same as the first: hit, king of hearts; double down, ace of clubs. Last 21.

Adriana actually looks a little worried, unnerved at your unnatural and ungodly luck. She laughs nervously and says, "Well now, four hands; all 21. Gonna need a blackjack to win this round, but with you holding two of the aces; my chances look real slim right about now..."

She then smirks as she's about to flip the face down card, "But no matter how good your luck is; mine is better."

The card flips, and you immediately go pale; ace of clubs: blackjack. The odds were astronomical, stacked against her so much that you doubted that even the luck of the fae would've gotten her out of it, yet here she was. She won, beating out all four of your hands. There's no way this was natural, she practically knew she was going to beat you the moment you were done with your turn; her nervousness and unease at your luck a simple act. But how?

You were paying attention the whole time, you'd have noticed her dealing dirty or pulling any other card tricks. Counting cards? No, that doesn't work for the dealer, only for the player. Was it during the shuffle? No, you were watching her shuffle; she didn't pull anything then either. So how?!

The gambler just smiles, and reaches under the table, "Don't worry pal, it happens to the best of us. Now, seeing as you lost; it's time to pay up."

She pulls out an seemingly old fashioned scale, along with a weight for one side. However; with parts of the scale covered in tubes, wires, and circuitry; it looked more steampunk than anything else. She then puts the weight on one end, tipping the scale on that end, "Now...it's time to get something of equal value."

The scale starts to even out, and as it does so; you feel your heart clenching as if you were suffering a stroke. Your vision starts to fade and you try to steady yourself on the table, trying desperately to maintain consciousness. Unfortunately, despite your efforts; you can't fight whatever's afflicting you and drop to the floor, fading out and feeling yourself being pulled away and compressed into...something.

The last thing you hear is Houki calling out your name...


The moment Ichika drops to the floor, you and Chifuyu rush into action; you rushing to his side, almost calling out his real name, "I-LANCE!"

Chifuyu, however, grabs that bitch Adriana and slams her into the table; yelling at her for answers, "Ok, what the hell is going on here?! What did you do to Lance?"

The cruel gambler simply laughs off the threat and tells the irate sister, "Temper temper; remember the dead man's switch, not to mention I can't fix things if I'm dead."

"As for him," she motions at Lance, while you cradle his unconscious body while Hikari and Kana move right besides you, "Well; I said we're playing for something of equal value, and gambling is all about walking the razor's edge. Putting your life on the line is the purest expression of what gambling is, considering what Hamon is worth to the Hinamizawa clan; a life as the bid is a fair price. A single person for lost knowledge of power; sounds fair, don't you agree?"

Chifuyu slams her into the table again and grits out, "Fix him. Now."

"Uh uh uh; you wanna get his live back, you gotta win it back; put your soul on the line and win against me for it," Adriana tells the already furious IS representative. She then looks over at you and Ichika's soulless body, still in its disguise, "Huh, could've sworn I felt him under some disguise magic of some sort; guess I was wrong."

You look at Hikari, who's holding a glowing hand over Ichika's body. You look her right in the eye, asking for confirmation of the bitch's words. Hikari shakes her head, "She's right; the flesh may still be intact but the spirit is gone. This is...incredibly complex magic, not to mention forbidden. I can't undo it; we have to play by her rules."

As she explains this, she glares at the gambler; still in Chifuyu's grasp. The trickster bitch simply laughs it all off, "Ha! What, you think that the gods are going to do anything about it? Please, the gods are dead; and in their passing something greater is coming. I was just lucky enough to find the winning side just in time."

Chifuyu speaks up before Adriana can say any more, "Gods, magic; I have no idea what the hell you're talking about with that bullshit, but if I have to beat your sorry ass at your own game than fine!"

She tosses the gambler back into her seat and hops over to the opposite end of the table, "Gimme some chips; I'll play along, and win back Lance's soul and what we came for."

"No, I'll do it;" It was Kanzashi of all people who spoke up, walking up to the table and slamming her hand on it, "It's going to take real intellect to beat her, and that's something I've got in spades. Plus, we need you to stay alive just in case we need to resort to a more...violent approach."

"You're both wrong," Hikari says, walking up to the table besides them, "She had to have used magic to have gotten that blackjack; I felt a subtle trace just before she flipped the cards. I had though it was just a shiver from nerves; that a sign of an experienced magic user. Magic must defeat magic after all."

All three of them want to win back Ichika's soul, but only one can play. You wanted to as well, but you know that you couldn't act; not yet. You had both intellect and magic, along with cunning brutality to match this gambler's own. It was up to you to figure out how she ticked, so you could take her apart and make the ticking stop. As much as you wanted to rage at her taking away Ichika's soul, as much as you wanted to show you own hatred as everyone else was; you couldn't. As much as you would've loved to have been where Chifuyu was; with that bitch under you as you held her own soul in your hands, begging and crying for mercy and the swift release of death, as you pushed her to that 'razor's edge' she seemed to love so goddamned much; you couldn't show it. Now wasn't the time to let yourself be ruled by your emotions.

But that didn't mean that you didn't feel that rage, that hatred and anger. Oh no, you let it simmer inside; becoming a cold and heartless chill beneath your skin and eyes. This petty gambler's time will come, and she will regret trying to fuck with you and your own. She'll wish that the gods or whatever 'higher power' she served had punished her instead once you were though with her...

Because you are Houki Shinonono; and you were officially pissed the fuck off.

Choose the next person:
[X] Chifuyu
[X] Kanzashi
[X] Hikari
 
[x] Kanzashi

"Before we even decide to continue playing along," You ask Adriana, "Answer me this: What's stopping me from calling in every country allied to me and having their armies destroy whatever paltry forces Phantom Task sends in when that Dead Man's Switch triggers from me ripping what I want out of your sorry carcass?"

The gambler just smirks and says, "I wouldn't use 'paltry' to describe whatever Phantom Task sends in for one; with two high priority targets here they'll send everything they can. You know that; it won't be some 'small scuffle', it'll be all out war. Do you think the world's ready to take on Phantom Task for real?"

"Do you think Phantom Task is ready to take me on?" You retort back, before smiling viciously, "Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of ways of making you squeal without triggering that switch of yours. So, still think we have to play your little game?"

"Yes," she answers bluntly; mocking you, "Because Phantom Task tech is damn good at what it does, and you won't risk things devolving into all out war. If you beam me out, the alarm triggers. If I'm shown to be in agony beyond the threshold; a threshold you have no idea about, the alarm triggers. Even if you do manage to get me to nark, you'll still have to unravel how the scale works. It took me twenty years to get the Scales of Osiris to function properly and work with the...modifications made to them by Phantom Task, and that was with having researched the things inside and out with every available resource about them on hand. Twenty years of near-nonstop work synchronizing with them; only four hours out of every day for eating and taking care of bodily functions. I don't think you have that kind of time on hand, do you?"

You ignore her taunting, filing away the information on the scales. You try to push further, "And the trigger? How does it work? How do we know you won't try to weasel your way out of payment?"

Adriana simply points at herself and gives you a 'Who, me?' expression, "Darlin' I'm a gambler; I live for the bettin' and the cheatin'. I'll only welsh out of a deal the moment you do. You play the game, I play the game; but if you call down the thunder, I'll bring in the lightning."

"As for the trigger, I don't exactly know the fine details," She tells you, shrugging, "All I know is that if things go wrong, they pick up the call and answer. Oh, and it's tied to my winning streak; the moment I lose, the whole thing turns off and I lose my protection. Even more incentive for you to win, eh?"

Damn, there went the chances of trying to work around the switch; if you don't know the limitations, then trying to find them and avoid them will only trigger it regardless. You could risk it and try anyways; and you're somewhat surprised at how easy it is for you to make that kind of call. You'd be condemning thousands to their deaths this day if you did, millions more in the fallout afterwards; and yet, you can't bring yourself to care, not really anyways. Not when it means saving Ichika and making this bitch suffer.

But...if you did that, the moment Ichika would be brought back, he'd put the blame on himself; for failing to win. Or worse, he'd look at you, angry at all the lives lost for just his sake; disappointed and ashamed at what his failure had wrought. You...you couldn't do that to him, couldn't do that to yourself; having to face Ichika after condemning millions without a second thought, seeing all the emotions roiling in his mind and reflected in his eyes.

No, you won't do that to him; besides, you don't need to resort to those extremes. You ask Adriana one last question, "You cheated in that last game, according to Hikari you used magic to change your card. How do we know you won't cheat again."

The bitch laughs heartily at this, before answering you, "Oh darlin', gambling is all about working the odds to your advantage. It's not cheating if you're not caught; at least, not caught when it matters. Your little friend only found out after I won, right? If you can do the same, then by all means be my guest. It's all a part of the game; all a part of walking the razor's edge."

So, both sides are free to cheat, eh? You turn to Hikari and ask, "Can you make something to monitor her using magic? Or nullify it outright?"

Hikari nods and says, "I can make a magic detector that'll be able to trace and monitor any magic use. I'll set it up now." She then pulls out several charms and ofuda concealed in her kimono and sets them around the room, chanting for several seconds. As she does, the ofuda begin to glow and a magic circle appears; fading away the moment she finishes. Hikari then holds out her hand, a ball of flame appearing in it. As she does so, the ofuda light up and the circle returns; glowing so brightly that it's impossible for anyone to miss it.

She then dismisses the flame, causing the detector to fade away; looks at Adriana and ask, "If you could..."

"But of course," Adriana answers cordially and lifts her own hand, a glowing sphere appears in her hand. Once again, the detector lights up and alerts everyone to the magic at work.

Hikari then turns to you and says, "The detector is up and fully functional; she won't be using magic to cheat anymore."

You nod, and curiously try drawing on magic using your methods; subtly setting up an illusion on the gambler. The array doesn't light up, and your spell is laid on her. Interesting; you suppose that since normal magic draws upon the self, the arrays are homing in on internal energies being used. Since you draw from a different source, the array isn't alerted.

You then turn to Adriana and ask, "So, how exactly do you use magic? Being a scientist, I'm rather curious about what I've been certain has been impossible for the longest time."

The bitch snorts and says, "You draw upon internal energies; maybe using external ones to supplement the internal pool of power. Not that it matters for you, you don't have magic. I though that little miss heiress over that would've told you, but I guess her 'traditions' forbid her from doing so."

Your face reveals nothing, but you internally smirk; a plan formulating in your mind on how to win. You turn to Kanzashi and ask her, "Do you think you can win?"

She adjusts her glasses and says, "I know I can win; I have several scenarios planned out that'll all lead to victory. Besides, I've also read Stardust Crusades; I know how to deal with D'arby."

You nod and tell her, "Then by all means, win Lance's soul back. I'll play the game after."

Adriana hears all of this and raises an eyebrow, "Oh? Gonna send someone else to play in your stead? Well, I don't blame you; I'd be scared of losing my soul as well."

Before you can say anything, Kanzashi speaks up; "As Dr. Shinonono's assistant and majordomo, it's my duty in dealing with those who are beneath her notice and not worth her time. So shut up and get ready to play, D'arby."

The gambler twitches at that and tells her, "My name's not D'arby. And it's your choice for the game; so pick your poison."


You smirk; good, you're getting to the bitch. The more unsettled and unfocused she is, the harder it'll be for her to cheat. You just have to play it cool like Joseph and Jotaro; be smooth as ice and play to your advantages, cheating like crazy all the while. Because today, you were going to save the soul of your hero.

As for the game, you pick...
[X] Roulette; you can calculate the spin of the wheel and the momentum of the ball to calculate exactly what the result will be.
[X] Blackjack; you can count cards in your sleep, and she's outta magic
[X] Craps; like with Roulette, you can calculate the roll and get the best results
[X] Write-in
 
[X] You are Houki Shinonono, science was your forte... why are you allowing chance to determine anything especially cheating? When you could rig up something to read thoughts? Such as that D'arby?

[X] Chess
 
[X] Blackjack; you can count cards in your sleep, and she's outta magic

Actually, reading the SB thread, I'm changing my vote, because this shit is hilarious.

[X] Mondo Grosso: The Trading Card Game, you have been keeping up with the metagame to know every degenerate combo in existence, and have a playset collection of every card ever printed. Hell, Houki even gave you that Ultra-Super-Secret-Parallel-Mythic-Foil-Rare Limited Edition Black Knight that you didn't even know existed, there is no way in hell your deck could lose.
 
[X] Roulette; you can calculate the spin of the wheel and the momentum of the ball to calculate exactly what the result will be.

"Alright; I"ve decided," You take a deep breath and prepare a dramatic pose, letting it all loose when you make your announcement; "We'll be playing Mondo Grosso: The Trading Card Game! The fate of our souls hanging on a children's card game, pull out your deck because it's time to D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel!"

As you made your prolcamation, you waved your arms out dramatically; posing like in all the anime and manga you've read that had moments like this. With an arm outstretched and pointing right at this Adriana and the other slamming your MG:TCG deck onto the table, you just bask in the look of surprise, disbelief, and exasperation on the gambler's face. Obviously she wasn't prepared for anything like this and you knew it, this was all another ploy to get her further unbalanced and off her game.

"What." The professional gambler blurts out; eye twitching and still in shock at what you pulled. You only smirk; mission accomplished.

"Nah, I'm just kidding; we're gonna play roulette. A nice, fair game that's based solely on luck and nothing else." You continue your show of bravado, a complete contrast to your normal personality, but it was necessary. Being timid and introverted would only be a show of weakness, an opening for this bitch to go in and attack you psychologically; trying to put you off your game like you're trying to put her off her's. Just have to keep it cool, like Jotaro and Joseph and all those other protagonists.

After all, the hero always win when he's truly needed; unflinching in the face of danger or defeat. You turn to Chifuyu and ask her, "Can you go and get a roulette ball from the casino staff? I'm sure you can get one easily; considering your fame as well as the fact that Dr. Shinonono is with us as well."

"As for you," You address Adriana, "I'd like to examine the table and roulette wheel; make sure that we're playing a nice, fair game. If that's alright with you, of course."

"It's fine," She says, frowning, "By all means; examine to your heart's content."

With that, you look at the table and wheel; finding and disabling several mechanisms built into the table that would tamper with the spin of the wheel. The wheel itself was clean; other than that you didn't find a thing. Dr. Shinonono double checked and Hikari checked after for...magic, you guess. Yeah, that reveal was still something you were getting used to; it was one thing to hear about it, and another to see it in person.

After you finish making sure that nobody can cheat, Chifuyu returns with a ball. She tosses it to you and says, "It's clean, I made sure it was one en route to being switched in. Had the staff check it again to be sure."

You smile and say, "Good; now we can play," You take a seat at the table across from Adriana and state the rules, "We'll play with three chips each; three spins each. It lands on your number, you win a chip from me and vice versa. If it lands on neither number; then whichever bet is closer to the result wins it. Sounds fair?"

"Fine by me, let the wheel of fate decide our own." With that, the gambler spins the wheel and you toss in the ball. Immediately she announces her number, "27"

You look at the spinning wheel and the ball rolling on it; calculating where exactly it'll land once it looses momentum, taking into account friction, drag resistance, and every possible factor that determines the motion of the ball. Compared to the sort of simulations and test you had to run for IS designs, it was child's play; "5"

The ball stops on five, and you win a chip. Adriana scowls and you spin the wheel and she tosses in the ball.

Only for Chifuyu to stop it and grab the ball, then choke the gambler, "You think you can pull more cheating bullshit? I saw you rubbing something on the ball."

Indeed, looking at the ball you can see something glistening on it; oil, or something similar. It would've set your calculations off had you not caught it in time, truly leaving the game to chance. Chifuyu continues choking her for a few more seconds, before dropping her on her ass and telling her, "Next time, you don't get a warning."

Adriana rubs her bruised throat and says, "Noted."

After having the ball and wheel cleaned, Chifuyu takes a seat at the table and says, "I'll be the one spinning the wheel and rolling the ball. Any objections?"

Both of you shake your head and the game continues; you being able to calculate your way to victory as Adriana's luck isn't up to par. You did it; you've won back Ichika's soul. Just as the game ends, the chips you've been playing with glow, along with Ichika's body. Once the stop glowing, Ichika immediately sits up and gasps for air. He looks around and asks, "What happened?"

As you and everyone else dashes over to see if he's ok; your boss continues to stare down at the gambler, looking ready to kill her where she stood. Or worse...


Note to self; give Kana a pay raise, or a gift of some sort. She's earned it for winning back Ichika's soul. Now it was you, and her. You look your prey right in the eye and ask her, "You still feeling lucky? You did say the dead man's switch was liked to your winning streak, and you just lost."

The woman just laughs nervously and tells you, "Well...I suppose you can say that, but; I got something you might be interested in..."

She pulls out a small case, opening it to reveal twelve chips, "When I took that prize from the Hinamizawa clan, I had to deal with some...interference on their end. With some help, I beat them and held them prisoner until I got the scales working; then took their souls in games. Now, well, I'm sure your little friend there would like her family back in good hands; wouldn't you agree?"

She was right, Hikari would throw a fit and try to win them back herself, but you were going to end this bitch here and now. The only question was how...

[X] Play the game; win back Hikari's family members and shatter this gambler's world in the process
[X] No more games; time to handle things the way you know best...
[X] Write-in
 
[X] No more games; time to handle things the way you know best...

It was times like this that made you glad you looked into nanotechnology for crafting purposes; as you slowly stalk towards the poor, desperate, pathetic little gambler before you. You reached under your dress and grabbed the container you had for said nanomachines strapped on your thigh. No, you don't think that everyone would quite...approve of what you were about to do, so discretion would be needed. You let the machines lose and have them construct what you needed; a device to keep you and your prey out of sight and out of sound.

As they fulfill their duty, you look your victim right in the eye, telling her in a cold, restrained fury, "No, I believe we're done with playing games. I'm going to do what I should've done the moment I found you."

And she starts backing away from you, sumbling and crashing into the ground as she does so. How precious, "B-b-but what about your little friends over there? S-surely they don't agree with such...such..."

"Brutality? Cruelty? Inhumanity? Well, look at them," You nod at their direction, the gambler paling as she realizes that they don't notice a thing; seeing the device on the floor and realizing the truth, "As you can see; I already have that taken care of."

She's frantic now, scared of you; you don't have a mirror on hand but you can imagine what you look like to her: soulless eyes, a cruel and vindictive smile, and the glimmer of what is to come lurking beneath your every move. Immediately she blurts out, "You wanted the Hamon right? It's in a warehouse in Cairo; Number 12, by the pier! Held in a oak chest, you can't miss it!"

You don't stop, your grin only widening; this makes her even more scared. She starts begging, "Is it the old bastards you want? Fine, take them!" She tosses the chips she had just used earlier to try and tempt you into playing her game. You still don't stop.

She starts pleading, "Please, whatever you want I'll give it to you. Money? Information? What, just name it and it's yours!"

"The names and descriptions of Phantom Task's inner circle," You tell her, her face going pale at your demand, "I know they helped you out in your heist; by my records indicate that their organization was only recently made at that time. Meaning they didn't have the sort of resources back then; the inner circle in those times had to take matters into their own hands. People saw their faces, knew their names; but now most of those people are dead or a part of their organization. Except you."

"I...I made it clear that I could help them, that they needed someone outside the organization to do recruitment drives, rally people to their cause, things like that. Because people were starting to hear things about them, even back then. Horrible things. Things they couldn't deny. But...but I can't rat them out; do you know what they'll do to me?!"

"Oh absolutely," You tell her, before looking her right in the eye and giving her a toothy grin, "But trust me, what I'm about to do is a thousand times worse...."

Oh you are savoring the terror on her face like a fine wine, her begging and pleading just garnishes for the main course. Amidst it all, you can only continue smiling; lifting your hand as it begins to overflow with dark, corroding, vile energy...


You were awake; conscious and soul back in your body. You had both Hikari and Kanzashi explain just what had happened and how the latter had won your soul back. Hikari was checking up on you, making sure that the magic did as the gambler said it would. With a final sweep of a glowing hand, she sighs and says, "Everything seems to check out. Your soul is properly bound to your body, as it is meant to be."

You flex your hand out of instinct, making sure Hikari is right and that there was nothing else wrong with you. Seeing nothing amiss, you turn to her and give her a nod. She smiles back in comfort and stands up, as do you. Once standing, you turn to Kanzashi and ask her, "How did you win?"

She shrugs, "Eh, played it cool; checked for traps both magical and mundane, then played roulette. I just calculated where the ball would land every time, actual results beats blind luck every time."

You smile and stifle a giggle; it's obvious that Kana's trying to play it 'cool' in the face of saving her hero, doing her best to not gush and rave about what she just did. You raise a hand and ruffle her hair, "Thanks; if you didn't save me, I'd be stuck as a gambling chip. Wouldn't know what to do with myself."

Kanzashi preens at the praise and attention, as expected all things considered. You then frown and ask everyone, "Don't we still have something to win from the gambler? Where is she anyways?"

Immediately, everyone looks around and realizes that Adriana was gone. Chifuyu immediately swears, "Shit, she fled. How fitting for a rodent like her."

You notice that Houki isn't around either, "Dr. Shinonono isn't here either, she must have seen her escaping and followed. Chifuyu," You address your sister, "Check the casino floors with Kanzashi. Hikari, use your magic; see if you can get a trace on her or something. I'll try checking the hotel, she can't have gone far."

With that, you all split up and search for the sole reason you were here in the first place...


Torture; good and proper torture, was a craft. It was something that took artisans of pain and agony years upon years to master and refine to perfection. Any two-bit thug or vindictive whore can dole out pain and make a man scream, but it takes more to make the experience more than just pain. To make it the art of sowing despair and hopelessness, agony and horror; of watching the very soul of your victim quiver and break at your caress. It was something that you knew you were intimately familiar with; despite this being your first real try at it.

Oh, you've doled out pain before and taken your pound of flesh in your school days; the incident with the taser coming to mind, but that was to this what a love tap is to a ruthless beatdown.

The key was making sure that you pushed your victim just right; too far and they break and become worthless, to little and they start getting uppity and have ideas. Ideas like 'hope' and 'freedom' and being able to outlast you. You had to push them to the razor's edge that your current victim was oh so eager to brag about living on; not knowing what it was like to live on the real deal.

Your hand was currently pressed onto her chest, vitriolic and dark energies doing their work on her body as she jerks in agony; trying to move away from the pain, yet bound on the table in such a way that her moving about only made it all worse. All the while you smiled gleefully, basking in her agony and torment; a part of you that was once dormant taking it all in. A part that you didn't know was there, yet paradoxically knew was there all along; waiting to be remembered.

Then, you let up on the torture; the difference between a good torturer and a great torture was this: a good torturer prevents their victims from ever feeling any hope and relief, a great one gives them just enough hope for it to feel genuine; only to take it all away with ease. False hope always stings worse than no hope after all, that was something you knew intimately...

...Wait, you knew intimately? How? You were never tortured; and yet a part of you rebels and urges at you that, yes, you were. You're snapped out of you reprieve for a moment, wondering how and why you knew all of this; why this sadism and torture came as easy to you as building your machines or working out magic did, as easily as breathing and eating was.

"P-please," the begging snaps you out of your thoughts and back to your victim, "No more, please; I'm begging you. I'll give you whatever you want, just...just let it end. By the gods let it end; either by letting me free or pass on, just end it."

She's begging, tears flowing from her eyes and sobbing her heart out; her eyes showing her desperation at trying to take the opening of your 'mercy'. You look at her and tell her, "You know what I want, Adriana. Phantom Task; tell me their names, give me their faces."

Her breath hitches for a brief moment, before she stutters out, I-I...I...I ca-"

Oh dear, she still fears them more than you; time to fix that. You crank up the energies while speaking aloud, "How long do you think you've been here, under my...generous hospitality, hm? Hours? Days? It must feel that long doesn't it?"

You let up, and she barely nods; body wracked with so much pain she can barely control it. You smirk evilly as you shatter her perceptions on reality, "Try seconds. It was going to be a little trick I would pull when I took my turn in your little games; turns out the way I do magic is different from how normal people do it. This was something I never got to put into real practice, just a lot of theoretical work really. But hey, if fiction has taught me anything; it's that time magic really is broken as all hell."

Now for the kicker, "Assuming that my friends are looking for the two of us, as well as the little toy I made to keep this all secret; I'd say we have...several hours to ourselves. Going by how long I managed to stretch these past couple of seconds, well..." You look her right in the eye, bringing your face right up to hers, "I think you're smart enough to know where I'm going with this, aren't you?"

Another whimper; filled with more fear and despair. You just smile gleefully and lift your hand, letting the mana flow once more, "Now..where were we?"


You had returned to the gambler's room, finding no trace of Houki or your target. Your sister and Kana had no better luck than you did either; the casino was completely empty of either one, not even their security cameras had hide nor hair of the two. Hikari was also stumped; she performed a ritual of some kind and upon seeing the results, shook her head. She turned to you and said, "I don't understand what's wrong; the spell says that they're here but they clearly aren't. I thought that maybe Abbadelli was using magic to cover her tracks, but that'd be detected by what I set up earlier. It just makes no sense..."

You frown and begin to think; Hikari was right, it did make no sense. There's no sign of them leaving, yet they're gone; magic is saying they're right here but they aren't. None of it adds up, unless...

-I made a sound dampener so they wouldn't hear.

Unless magic wasn't involved and they didn't leave to begin with. You immediately look around the room and see nothing; alright, that was a given but it was good to be sure. Then you start walking around the room itself, taking careful steps and trying to prod the floor for anything hidden. Finally, you brush up against something.

You decide to:
[X] Break it
[X] Examine it
[X] Call everybody over and decide as a group
[X] Go back to the torture
[X] Write-in
 
[X] Dodge it, have a little fun; it's been too long since you've had some fun with her
 
[X] Accept, the faster you're outta here the better
 
[X] EnderofWorlds posts in here due to SB lags?
 
[X] Go back to the torture

She tried to hold out on you, even after your warning on what would happen if she did. Oh well, more fun for you; now you got to pull out the mental torture to go with the physical. This was an even more delicate process than before, one wrong move will shatter her psyche and render her a gibbering wreck; barely above someone in a coma or a living vegetable. You weaved in blue mana into the black you were already using; allowing the torment you were already afflicting onto the victim physically to reach them mentally as well. This makes her scream louder and writhe under her restraints with renewed vigor; her mind feeling an equal amount of fear and agony to match what her body's already been through. All the while you just sit back and take it all in.

Mental torture is different from physical torture; it's less about pain and more about fear: preying at the mental weak spots of your prey and prodding them to get the proper response. You had to not only bring forth their fears, but weave yourself into them as well so that they associate you with everything they fear, everything they loathe, everything that makes them weak and feeble, everything they can't stand up against and fight back. It was a lot like Pavlovian conditioning really; only instead of bells and dog kibble it was with yourself and their fears.

After what seemed like several hours, would feel like days to her, and was in all honesty probably mere seconds considering the time dilation; she folded like a deck of cards. She told you everything; their names, or whatever aliases they used, their appearance, the jobs she did for them, the recruitment drives and where they typically held them, anything to do with Phantom Task she told you. All the while you recorded it and showed back pictures based on her descriptions, making sure you got down everything right. To be sure, you used the connection you had into her mind to confirm it. In all honesty you probably could've done this in the first place and skipped all the effort, but where's the fun in that?

Then she blabbed about the scales and how they worked; how it was initially meant to judge souls going to the afterlife, how instead of binding souls into an object it was meant to house the soul in it like a phylactery, how to undo the bindings, everything. You didn't really need this information, but it was nice to have. This broken shell of a woman was left sobbing and whimpering before you, her tears nearly spent and voice hoarse from screaming in agony. She looks up, despair clouding her eyes but with a glimmer of hope underneath; a good sign. It meant you could push her so much further until she broke for good. She whispers to you, pleading, "P-please...let me go; I've given you everything you wanted. Just...let me go, I'm begging you. At-at least...at least end it, kill me if you want but for the love of all that's holy; no more."

"No more?" You say, tilting your head like a child who doesn't understand what's wrong, "But I only just finished warming up; I haven't gotten a chance to really let loose yet. Now...let's move onto the real fun, shall we?" You then pull out what was strapped onto your other thigh under your dress, a knife.

You brought it for self-defense, not like you needed it with all your other alternatives; but you liked having a sharp blade on hand. Preferably a katana, but carrying around live steel in public isn't exactly proper, so you'll settle for a knife. Now though, you needed it for other purposes.

Sever the carotid, both of them, and drain out the blood. Use magic and nanotech to fulfill the function of blood and maintain vitals. Then, remove extraneous organs and musculature; follow up with vital organs and skeletal structure. Replace nervous system with silver wire circuitry, musculature with carbon nanotubes, skeleton with titanium alloy tempered the same way as the infrastructure for IS frames are. Then, synthetic skin that outclasses it's natural counterpart in all aspects by 250% will replace the inferior version that you'll peel away as you replace organs and musculature. Finishing touches will be a gradual transference of the mind from the brain to a cpu built by the nanomachines, using the very brain itself as the raw materials to do so, along with replacing the eyes with a superior, mechanical prosthetic.

It'd be painful, excruciatingly so; especially when you intend to amplify the pain and hallucinations your victim will be going under the entire time. Still, in the end it is an improvement; she should be thanking you once this is all over, you're being exceedingly nice all thing considered.

With slow, ponderous steps you come closer to the specimen; making them strain against the restraints even more frantically, their fear palpable just from a glance. It's an exquisite and refined taste, but you know that it can only be sweetened over time and with more work.

However, she just keeps fighting, no matter how painful it is to work against the bindings. It wasn't an act of rebellion, not an act of trying to free one's self from captavity; no, it was the act of a cornered animal trying to dig through concrete, trying to escape through the corner despite knowing it can't. Despite knowing that it's time has come.

And yet, she manages it; she pulls so hard against the restraint that it rips her left arm right out of her shoulder, sending blood flying and putting her under even more pain. Some of the vital fluid strikes you on the cheek. As if just now being taken out of a trance, you put a had to that cheek, drawing it back and seeing the blood on it.

Like a hammer; the reality of what you have done strikes you and you go pale. What...what have you done? You didn't-didn't mean to...to...not-not like this! This wasn't supposed to happen; you were going to threaten her, but not do...this. Not re-enact your nightmares with you in his position and someone else in yours! And you...you enjoyed it, you relished in every second of her agony as she writhed and convulsed under your caress. And then you were...were...

Oh god. Oh god. You start to shuffling back, throwing the knife away as hard as you can and as far away as possible. You inadvertently cut the restraint on the gambler's other arm, and she grabs the knife; cutting her legs free and backing into a corner. Despite having a knife, despite the obvious hesitation you were showing and being frozen in place as you were; she still feared you. She was still afraid of you, the torture having run it's course; even if you were tied up and bound like she was, she wouldn't move. Not after what you did; not after you've practically branded into her mind that she should fear you, should submit to you lest she suffer.

The fact that you were glad about that, that knowing that gave you joy, was all the more sickening. You start to think that maybe...maybe you deserved to have those nightmares thrust upon you, if this was what you brought about with your own two hands.

You continue stumbling backwards, tripping over and breaking the device that kept your...session hidden from prying eyes. You end up crashing into Ichika, who notices something's wrong and holds you, seemingly shielding you from the ghastly display. He probably thinks it's all her doing. You really wish it was...


One moment you're examining a device on the floor, then then next it's broken and Houki stumbles into you looking pale as a sheet. And it's not hard to see why; huddled in a corner is the gambler who started this whole mess to begin with, her arm cleaved from its socked and blood splattered all over. You see that some of it was on Houki's cheek. From that you came to a simple conclusion; Houki confronted the gambler mono a mono, a fight broke out, then they got separated. Maybe before the fight there was an attempt on both sides to negotiate, or try to rope in another game for the gambler.

Immediately, you and Chifuyu prepare to finish what Houki apparently started; only for Houki to grasp your arm tightly. She looks up and asks, "Don't. Please...just-let's just go. I got what we needed."

She looks at Hikari and tells her, "Grab the scales and the chips, they're ours now. Let's get outta here."

It was glaring obvious that something was wrong, but now wasn't the time for a heart to heart so you and Chifuyu lowered your guard. Hikari hesitates, but does as she's told and grabs the scales and chips. With everything in hand, you follow Houki's request and everyone leaves the room and casino; leaving behind the sobbing wreck of your opponent as you do.

As everybody leaves, nobody sees the gambler raising the knife to her throat; or her stabbing it in to end her life.


Reaching the hotel, Chifuyu heads off to the room she has booked while the rest of you go to the penthouse suite. Once there, Houki gives Hikari the address to where her clan's techniques are located, gives Kanzashi names and descriptions of people to look up, then proceeds to try and down her weight in alcohol before the night is over; sitting outside by the pool as she does, looking blankly outward.

Something's definitely up, so you...
[X] Talk to Houki, see what's wrong
[X] Talk to Kanzashi, see what she's looking up
[X] Talk to Hikari, see if she can give any advice on what may be going on
 
[X] Talk to Houki, see what's wrong

Something's wrong with your best friend, and while you don't know what exactly why; you do know that right now, she probably needs you. So you went out the back and sat right down next to her, the two of you at the edge of the pool; feet hanging down and relaxing on the water. Sake, whiskey, brandy, and all sorts of alcohol between you; most of it already consumed by your friend, who's still aimlessly looking out to the stars and cradling a large saucer filled to the brim. You look up to the stars as well, asking her, "Are you ok?"

She doesn't say anything. Your brow furrows and you try again, "Houki?"

Still nothing. You look at her and notice earphones; she's couldn't hear you because she was listening to something else. You put your arm on her shoulder, tapping your fingers to get her attention. She realizes you're there and removes the earphones, "Hey."

"Hey," You answer back. A moment passes, you sigh and then get right the the point, "Is something wrong Houki?"

Houki just looks out to the stars again, drinking more sake. She looks back to you and asks, "Am I a monster, Ichika?"

What the-?! You look back at her in shock, blurting out, "Where did that come from?! Houki, why would you ever think you're a monster?"

Then you frown, "This is about what happened between you and the gambler, isn't it? Houki, look, I don't know what she did or said to you but-"

Houki cuts you off with a hollow, empty laugh. Her face filled with bitterness and self-loathing, she tells you, "It's not what she did to me, it's what I did to her."

She then continues explaining, "I held her down, bound her so she couldn't escape; made sure that nobody could see or hear us. Then...then I told her I was going to get what I wanted from her, one way or another. I...I let the magic flow into my hand and into her; dark, corroding energy solely meant to cause pain and anguish. I tortured her; over and over again until she broke and told me everything. I pushed further, invaded her mind to inflict mental pain to go with the physical; I nearly broke her!"

"And the worst part," She says morosely, "The worst part was that I enjoyed it; I basked in the agony, the pain, the misery, all of it. I took in her writhing and screaming like a rich man drinking a fine wine and savoring a meal. I enjoyed every second of it, and even when I came to and stopped; I wanted to keep going."

You...you didn't know what to say; you had assumed that it was the gambler who was trying to harm Houki, not the other way around. You didn't realize that your closest friend was capable of...this. Yes she had a mean streak a mile wide and didn't take shit from anyone; you remember back when she was in school and some people got on the wrong side of her, but this? This was something else entirely, this was cruelty and sadism; this was something that galled you and your honor. You made sure to keep your emotions to yourself though, because the last thing Houki needed was you looking down on her in shame in disgust.

She was doing that to herself just fine by the looks of it. Besides, while the circumstances are different; you know full well what it is like to drown yourself in the horror of your crimes.

Houki continues her confession, "I...I was no better than what lurked in my nightmares. The only difference between me and...him was that he was better at it than I was, he had more power and experience on his side. Are...are my nightmares just justified punishment? The sentence for sins I will commit, have started to commit? Or is it a warning of things to come, of what I will be? Magic's real, so why not visions of the future?"

Another hollow laugh, "I guess it would be a fitting punishment to suffer under your own hand, to feel the pain and agony you brought upon others. And what about me 'taking responsibility' for the White Knight incident? Am I truly doing good for the right reasons, or just trying to excuse the crimes I commit? Am I trying to 'atone', or am I just trying to hide behind a veneer of good deeds?"

"I just...I don't know. Ichika...you know, right? Am I a monster?"

She asks with desperation, confused and uncertain of herself. Because right now, Houki didn't know who 'Houki Shinonono' was; and was desperately trying to grasp onto something to make sense of it all, to anchor her into just who she was. The question going through her mind was the same one she asked you, 'Is she a monster? Is she evil and cruel with no hope for redemption?'. In the dark confusion she was going though, she looked to you for an answer.

What do you say? And how do you answer her?
[X] Write-in
 
You grab Houki and pull her into a tight hug, comforting her and rubbing her back soothingly. You whisper into her ear, "You are not a monster. A monster wouldn't feel regret, wouldn't be torn up over this like you are. A monster wouldn't worry about becoming something wrong and evil."

"You are only a monster when you choose to be one. Regardless of your nature, of your impulses, of your actions; it's only when you choose to delve fully into the darkness and don't turn back that you become one. One of the wisest men I knew, Merlin, was half-demon. His blood and instincts screamed at him to do more than his petty pranks and trickery, to fully indulge in dark acts to sate the call of his blood. And-"

"And he didn't, right?" Houki interrupts, "He didn't, but I did. I-"

"No," You shake your head, "He tried, but there came times when he couldn't resist the call of his blood any longer. He reserved it for traitors and enemies of the realm; but the things he did...they were fitting for his father's lineage. Our king did not know of this, most of the Round Table didn't know; but a small few learned of it. Myself, Gawain, and Bedevire. We swore never to reveal the truth, lest the king know and condemn his loyal adviser to death. King Arthur still needed the advise and wisdom of the greatest magician in the realm, the kingdom needed that wisdom and power; to let it be extinguished would've led to both our liege's and the realm's destruction."

"And we three knew it was necessary, regardless of how much it appalled and disgusted us; the atrocities Merlin would debase himself with..." You scowl as unpleasant memories crop up, but push them down and continue, "But time and time again he would rise up, he would refuse to take that final step and fully become the demon his blood screamed at him to become. We three swore that the moment he did, he would fall by our blade; but he never did. Not even till the end."

You give a dry laugh, then continue, "I suppose that makes him a better man than I; he who could resist the call to madness and debauchery, compared to I, who wholeheartedly jumped into it with open arms to get away from my sins."

Houki hugs you tighter, "Ichika..."

Again you shake your head, right now Houki needed comfort and help, not you; "There is evil and darkness in every man, just as there is goodness and light; it is our choices that determine our path and our fate. Even if you stray from the path you choose to walk at times, so long as you find your way back you won't fall. Merlin tried to do good, did much good; but he also committed crimes and cruelties from time to time. As long as you choose to keep away from the path of a monster, you will not become one. Even if you are led astray from time to time, as long as you find your way back; you won't become what you fear."

"And no matter what happens, I will always be there to pull you back. Because I am your friend, and your knight."

You didn't quite intent to let that last part slip, but it just seemed natural to say. You were, by all means, her knight; you fought for her, you followed her, and if necessary you would uphold her honor just as you did for the king. What started as joking banter between the two of you became something far more genuine. You didn't think it'd be this...easy for you, to transition from your past allegiance to a new one. Oh, by all means you still considered yourself a Knight of the Round Table, but now you were also the knight of Houki Shinonono.

The past is the past; while many will trying to cling onto it, it's only natural to eventually move on. You know that, have been told as such to not fall into despair once your memories returned, but only now is it fully starting to sink in.

Houki takes in your speech, then hugs you even tighter and cries into your shoulder. You run your hand through her hair and down her back, comforting her as she lets it all out. When the tears finally stop, she sniffles and asks you, "You promise? I...I don't know if I can pull back, or if I'm following the right path for the right reasons. I...I feel so lost and confused; like I don't know who I really am anymore. It's like the whispers...only there's no excuse, no lack of sleep or nightmares to blame; only myself. But...if you promise-"

You hug Houki tighter, her words only making you worry about her even more. You whisper to her, "You are Houki Shinonono, my closest and dearest friend; nothing will change that. No matter what happens, I will always be there for you; whether you need me to stand by you, or pull you out from the abyss. Now and forever, I promise I will always be there."

Houki doesn't say anything, she just keeps clinging onto you for dear life; using you as a lifeboat to keep herself from drowning in everything, to keep herself afloat and centered. And you do the same, holding her tightly to let her know that yes; you are and always will be there for her, that she will not drown in darkness, not while you still take breath. The two of you stay like that for several hours, until Houki finally succumbs to the stress of everything and falls asleep. You dutifully and carefully carry her to her bed and try to set her down, but can't; she's clinging on too tightly to you. You try to disentangle her from you, but as you do she lets out a tiny whimper that kills any further attempts. You just give her a tiny smile and lay down with her, pulling up the sheets to cover you both; falling asleep shortly afterwards.


The first thing you wake up to in the morning is the sound of moaning and vomiting; rising from the bed you see Hikari standing at your bedside with a smirk. She tells you, "Houki's vomiting her guts out and regretting trying to down her body weight in absinthe and other booze, her assistant keeping her hair out of the way and giving her aspirin and other stuff. So, sleep well?"

"Yeah," you tell her as you get up, then you frown, "Is Houki...?"

"Other than the hangover she's fine," Hikari tells you, "At least, from what I can tell; what was up with that anyways? She seemed really upset last night."

You shake your head, "It's private, if you need to know ask her. I'm not going to say anything."

Hikari nods in understanding, "Ah, gotcha." Then she tries to move onto a different topic, "So, your sister; is she single?"

You just give her a look and tell her, "Are you seriously asking me for permission to hit on my sister?"

'Kinda sorta maybe?" Hikari says, hands up and shrugging, "She is hot, you know. And hey, if I gotta chance I at least have to try, you know?"

From the bathroom you hear a muted, "Chifuyu is so out of your league it'd be like watching a kid trying to ride a wild bear; don't even try. Oh god-" Another round of vomiting then continues after that, with Kana leaving the bathroom and grabbing several things out of the fridge. She grabs a glass and cracks an egg in it, some salt and pepper, Worcestershire and tobasco sauce, and finishes it up with half a can of beer. She also grabs several bananas and some aspirin too.

You and Hikari just raise eyebrows at this, seeing your confusion Kanzashi explains, "Hangover cure, plus bananas for potassium and aspirin for the headache." With that, the two of you then nod in understanding.

It was then Houki left the bathroom, looking like a total wreck; bloodshot eyes, hand cradling her head, trying to avoid light as if she were a vampire. No doubt about it, Houki was suffering from a severe hangover. She moans and starts shuffling and stumbling towards the bed, crashing down on it. Kanzashi rushes over and gives her the glass and aspirin she was holding, "Here ma'am, drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Houki does, almost gagging from the ghastly concoction but starting to pick up a bit. She smiles at Kana, "Thanks Kana, what would do without you?"

"Drown in paperwork and all the other minor projects I take care of," her assistant replies back, "Now, eat some bananas; you might not feel hungry but you need to eat. I'll get you some water." With that she leaves to get a glass of water while Houki tries to lean forward to grab the fruit, only to grab her head again in pain.

You grab the bananas for her, peeling one and feeding it to her, "Here, I'll get that for you. You must be feeling nauseous, just lay back and relax; no sudden movements, ok?"

She eates the offered fruit then smiles tiredly, "Yeah, thanks."

Kanzashi returns with water that Houki guzzles down, then Hikari speaks up, "Alright; we know where we have to go next, so let's head out and get this over with. Then we can crash and party away, sound good?"

Kana speaks up, "What about Orimura-san? Won't she want to come along?"

Hikari just waves her off, "Ah we can dodge her; besides, this is going to be a chinch: go in, grab the stuff, get out. Nothing dangerous or complicated at all. So let's get to it!"

[X] Yeah, let's get this over with
[X] Wait, we should get my sister
[X] Maybe we should wait for Houki's hangover to pass
[X] Write-in
 
[X] Maybe we should wait for Houki's hangover to pass

You look back at Houki; who's still lying in bed and doing her best to avoid any bright lights, then turn to Hikari and tell her, "How about we wait for Houki to get better before heading out, that sound good to you?"

"Well I kinda wanna get this over with so we can stop wasting our time here," Hikari says, only to be interrupted by Houki hissing and groaning as a stray ray of sunlight hits her in the face, "But I think we waiting for our resident genius to be able to actually leave the room is a good idea too."

Houki utters out a single, "Thanks," before crashing onto the bed again. As she passes out, you and Hikari decide to spend the time waiting just talking and catching up. The first topic is brought up by Hikari.

"So...when exactly did our super-genius friend decide to try and make her liver cry? Cause I didn't really expect her to become an alcoholic, like, at all."

"Germany," You reply back, "Rough time with incompetent nimrods; it also helps her sleep, dulls down the...you know."

"Ah," Hikari nods in understanding, understanding what you meant by that, "So...wanna see how much booze she drank?"

You think on it, then shrug, "Sure, why not?"

As the two of you collect the empty bottles and cans outside, you find that the answer is: a whole freaking lot. 12 cans of beer, 3 bottles of sake, 2 of whiskey, and one flask of high quality absinthe. Hikari gives a low whistle at the count, "Damn, no wonder she's suffering the mother of all hangovers. Whatever she wanted to drown away in booze, she wanted to drown away real bad. You think she's still..."

"We talked it over, it helped; I think. She seemed to take it better after a little heart to heart. It's still a real personal matter and that's all I'm going to say on it without Houki's input," Really, the only reason you shared this much was that other than you, Hikari was the only other friend Houki really had. She also knew about the nightmares, something only you and her sister knew about; at least, knew about in terms of their full severity. You didn't want to keep Hikari out of the loop, but you didn't want to outright say, 'Yeah, Houki tortured a person and almost suffered a breakdown over it'. Not exactly something to just blurt right out there without consent.

"Ok, then it's gotta be bad; last time you spouted that line was with the whole nightmare fiasco," She grimaces at remembering about that incident, "Yeah, I won't pry. We'll just...enjoy the rest of this vacation after we get the scroll. Table whatever happened last night until after that, give her some time so that it's not immediately hanging over her when it's brought up again."

You nod, "That's probably for the best. Now, help me clean this up; might as well make room service's job a little bit easier." Hikari sighs and grudgingly helps you gather all the discarded cans and bottles to the trash. Once back inside, you see Houki asleep and Kanzashi on her cell phone. Curious, Hikari asks, "What are you doing with Houki's phone?"

Kana simply holds up a finger and finishes up her conversation, "...I'll let her know right away. Thank you ma'am, goodbye." She hangs up and then informs the both of you, "That was Orimura-san, apparently she's being called back for something by Prof. Shinonono so she won't be joining us for the rest of this expedition. I'm going to inform the doctor once she's awake."

"Kana you know you don't have to be so-wait," You stop mid-lecture on Kanzashi's continued formality, "Tabane's a professor? How?! She has the social skills of a soulless machine."

"Actually, I think the machine is better; it doesn't have the acerbic wit or mocking and degrading tone you mention her having," Hikari points out as she chimes into the conversation, "Besides, aren't all super science-y people professors?"

Kana closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, telling Hikari, "No, it doesn't work like that. A professor is literally an expert in a certain field who's capable of teaching the subject, typically reserved for the senior academics of prestigious academies. Prof. Shinonono wouldn't qualify for the latter criteria because of her...social prowess, which is why her position is honorary due to the advancements she made in programming, engineering, and biochemistry. More importantly, why does anyone care and in what way is this important?"

Hikari shrugs, "Wasting time until Houki's not a hungover wreck. Right Ichika?" You...can't really say no to that, you are all waiting for Houki to get better after all; so you just stay quiet on the matter, which Hikari assumes is agreement, "See? So, if Tabane's a professor why is Houki a doctor?"

And so began an hour long conversation with the sole purpose of wasting your time until you had to leave and finish what you actually came out here to do...


"...And that's why both my sister and I have blue hair, and Prof. Shinonono has pink hair; all without dying it and with a natural look." Both you and Hikari look at Kanzashi in awe at the revelation, not expecting that as the answer. Before you can question further though, Houki wakes up. Yawning and stretching, she gets out of bed and greets everyone, "Hey, feeling much better; sorry about the wait. How long was I out?"

"Two hours," Kana, ever the helpful assistant tells her, "We spent the time just talking about whatever, the latest topic was about hair color."

"Oh," Houki replies, "So did you tell them about the-"

"Yep."

"And how that interacts with-"

"Uh-huh."

"Which is why-"

"My sister and I have blue hair, and your sister has pink; just finished explaining that," Kanzashi says, answering her boss's questions before they're finished, "Even mentioned how it looks natural too."

"Huh, shame I missed that; I can think of a thing or two to add in. Anyways," Houki claps her hands together, "Time to get what we came here for, any objections?"

"Nope, let's get this over with." Hikari says enthusiastically, both you and Kana nodding in agreement. Houki nods and says, "Right, we'll hitch a ride and be there in half an hour, it's pretty close all things considered."

Indeed, as a quick taxi ride later lands you at the pier where Houki leads you down the multiple warehouses until stopping at Warehouse #12. Once there she gives it a look over and turns to the rest of you, "Here it is, this is where the thief's keeping all her loot. We go in, grab what we need, and get out. Hikari, check for magic booby traps and stuff."

"Will do," Hikari does several hand gestures with chants, getting a while glow on her hands, then tells everyone, "It's...clean. No traps, no alarms, nothing; which makes no sense considering this is a thief's storehouse. Are there any technological traps and alarms?"

Houki shakes her head, "No, I'm getting nothing; it's...disturbingly clean. Seriously, you'd think a storehouse filled with treasure would be better guarded. Something's up...and I don't like it..."

Neither do you, and you say so, "It's a trap; has to be. There's no way anyone would leave something like this defenseless," Then you frown, "But...it doesn't feel like anything's up, normally my instincts or senses would tell me something afoot, but here? Nothing..."

Which was disturbing; while lacking the pure draconian instinct of your king your own instincts were honed in the field of battle and through wars and quests. Rarely, if ever, has it failed you; yet here you were, with not a single gut feeling about this incredibly inconceivable situation.

What do you do?
[X] Into the breach, face what trap may lie within head on
[X] Try to sneak in, or at least see what's wrong here
[X] Try to come up with a plan (Write-in)
 
[X] Into the breach, face what trap may lie within head on

"Alright," You've made your decision, "Let's move out; I'll take point. We'll break in through the front and deal with whatever may be lurking withing. If neither one of you can find anything wrong, that means that there's either no security or whatever defensive measures are there will be beyond our ability to detect. That means trying to sneak in and find them is pointless. Besides, I do better with the direct approach." You smirk at the end, readying Masamune for combat and getting ready to breach the doors.

Houki and Hikari nod in understand, taking Kana with them as they back up to give themselves space in case something does happen. Seeing everyone safely behind you, you rush at the doors, breaking them in with a leaping kick! Immediately, magic sigils and circles light up all around the warehouse and...

Two towering serpents, looking exactly like Eastern dragons appear from the largest circles...then drop to the ground, sliding and crashing right into the walls besides you. Dozens of armored suits are launched from sigils from the ground, but the moment they land back to earth a majority of them break apart. A few of the disassembled pieces try to move, like zombified remains often seen in movies, but only make it several feet before stopping. The few golems that are intact rush you, over half of them jerking to a halt midway and crashing and falling apart due to momentum. You sheathe your blade, somewhat irritated at the rather lackluster efforts of your foes.

"Well that was...anticlimactic," Houki said, taking the words right out of your mouth, "Hikari, you know why exactly the security sucked so bad?"

Hikari walks over to one of the downed dragons and examines it. After several minutes she comes up with a diagnosis, "Mana deprivation, I should've guessed; it explains why I didn't find anything in my search."

She then elaborates for everyone what she meant by that, "Spells that are called 'self-sustaining' actually aren't; it's to complex and maintainence intensive to make a fully self-sufficient spell that can function without input from the caster besides the initial costs. To solve this and to make enchantments and security methods that don't require channeling 24/7; mages created a system of using a complex ritual and high mana investment to lay the foundation for the spell, then have the spell drain a small amount of their personal reserve to maintain itself. One one hand magical security systems and enchantments on things post creation became viable, but on the other hand; once the caster dies the spells begin to decay due to lack of mana being funneled into them."

She then tilts her heat towards the dragon, "As for them; magical creatures also need magic to sustain themselves, like how living things need air. As the ages passed and gods gradually left the world, less magic was prevalent in the land; leading to these creatures dying out. They were likely bound to our thief and sustained themselves on what mana she gave them like the spells here did; once that was gone the starved to death."

With that, you draw the obvious conclusion, "So does that mean that the thief is dead?"

Hikari shrugs, "Either that or she needs the power and cut herself off from these spells for it; but even then it wouldn't be enough to make a difference. Chances are she's six feet under by now."

Kanzashi speaks up, "Honestly, I was expecting things to be harder," So were you, you're still miffed about the poor showing of those golems, "Maybe vampires, or flamboyant manly-men wearing stone masks." Wait, what?

Houki giggles and pitches in, "Yeah, don't forget the roadroller dropping from the roof with that gambling bitch on it screaming 'WRYYY!'"

At that the both of them began laughing and Hikari's eye began to twitch. She snapped at them, "Enough of the damn anime and manga references, I get it already. Let's just get this over with and get on with the actual vacation."

"Okay okay, we'll stop with the jokes," Houki says once she stops laughing, "It was just too good to resist, especially looking at what happened last night in hindsight. I'll get a truck over here and we'll take everything here. Might as well since nobody else is going to use it."

Hikari relaxes and replies, "Yeah, you have a point. Plus, dragon parts are incredibly rare and potent. Ichika, help me skin these suckers!" And so you turned your blade on the gigantic serpents, dissecting them and cutting them into more manageable pieces so that Hikari can store them in magic scrolls. After that, you all searched the warehouse for the Hamon scrolls, finding them near the back; a rack of six medium size scrolls, with elegant kanji and Latin written on them. Hikari reverently takes them up and seals them away too.

With that, the quest comes to a close; a rather short and simple quest, but a quest nonetheless. One can only hope that the next one proves more eventful and geared towards your abilities.


Once again you were heading to the private jet, only this time you all were returning with a treasure trove of loot; all obtained from the warehouse. Boarding the plane, Houki asks, "Now that we got that out of the way; what do you guys wanna do now?"

"Anything not stressful," Hikari says, reclining back into her seat, "So long as I get to relax, get a good night's sleep, and actual food; I don't care what we do."

"I'm also fine with anything; though I'd prefer maybe going to a convention or two while I still have the time off," Kanzashi says, looking up from the manga she was reading.

Houki takes in both answers and looks at you, "Well, since Hikari and Kana don't care and I can't think of anything right now; you get to pick where we go next. I still have that address for that scientist if you want to meet him, and the Bermuda Triangle is still woefully unexplored..."

[X] Meet with Isamu
[X] Venture forth into the unknown
[X] Write-in
 
[X] Meet with Isamu

It wasn't a contest; though you had put it to the back of your mind so that you can focus on Hikari's task, you still had questions about you and your sister's past. What little information you had obtained by meeting Madoka only raised more questions; why did nee-san leave? Why did she leave your twin sister behind? And why did neither sister consider your parents worth recognizing as family, but this unrelated scientist as a surrogate grandfather?

What happened to cause all of this? You wanted; no, needed to know: the floodgates to your curiosity have been opened, and with nothing more important to take care of, now was the time to sate it. You tell Houki your decision, "The Bermuda Triangle will have to wait for next summer, it's time for me to meet my 'grandfather'."

Houki nods and make the proper preparations. A day of flying to head back to Japan, and right in the morning a limo is there to drive you and Houki to the residence of one Dr. Isamu Orimura. Both Hikari and Kanzashi decided to sit this one out and stay behind in your home. After an hour of driving, you reach your destination.

The house itself was...quaint. It was expensive, but not opulent; a sort of 'casual' luxury, it had a garden and greenhouse and a sizable yard with a porch to go with it. If was fairly distant from any local cities to give the whole place a quiet ambiance. In other words, the perfect retirement home. The both of you walk up to the front porch and ring the doorbell. Silence. After a minute of waiting, you ring it again.

You hear someone call out, "It's not locked, by all means; come in!" By the sounds of it they weren't near the door and were probably out back. Tenatively, both you and Houki enter the house, seeing the interior of the place. It was...remarkably normal, though that may be because you spend a lot of time with Houki and any workspace she uses is far from normal. You see a Nobel Prize, one for Physiology by the looks of it, along with several other awards hanging over the fireplace. On the top of the fireplace itself were several framed pictures. One a group of scientists standing besides each other in a lab, another a picture of two of the scientists in a more personal setting; a picnic by the looks of it, a man and a woman, both of them in a loving embrace.

The next is a picture of the male scientist, only much older; standing besides what looks like a rich man and women, husband and wife by your guess. After that was a picture of the scientist and...your sister? Yes it was your sister, little more than a toddler with the elderly scientist crouching beside her and smiling at the camera. You sister wasn't smiling though, if anything her eyes were...dead. Empty. It was honestly more than a little disturbing.

Another picture, similar to the last one; only the scientist was older and the sister in this picture was smiling with a loon with happiness in her eyes, obviously this was Madoka. A stark contrast to the dour and grim visage Chifuyu had in her picture. The last picture on the fireplace was another group photo, with the scientist, the two rich folk, and Chifuyu; only this time she was actually smiling, looking down and something she's carrying.

No, someone; you realize that she's holding you in the photo, that she's smiling down on you. You honestly didn't have too many pictures of you and your sister, not at this age. Sure there were plenty when the two of you were older, but this...this was the first time you saw either of you so...so young. You can help but get a closer look, picking up the picture frame as you do so.

Your ears twitch as you hear someone walk up next to you, a cane clacking on the hardwood floor. They say, "If you want it, it's your's. I have plenty of copies somewhere around this old place."

You turn around to look and see the old man in the photographs, the elderly scientist who's the only 'family' you know of besides your sisters; Dr. Isamu Orimura. Wearing glasses and with a cane, the man looked like your stereotypical elderly person. He takes a seat on a nearby recliner and motions for you to do the same. You oblige him and take a seat in the other recliner by the fireplace.

Once seated, he speaks up; "Your friend is talking with Madoka, we were in the garden when you dropped by. Such a nice girl, helping a withered old man like me keep up with the more strenuous parts of gardening. Only a few more years until I'm too old and feeble to even do the simple things, but that probably won't stop me. Probably won't stop her either; that girl needs more friends her age. I'm glad that you managed to find and meet her though."

He then looks at you intently for several seconds before talking again, "You've managed to grow up to be a handsome lad, though I guess that was to be expected all things considered. Strong, brave, with a good head on your shoulders; oh you'll go far, that's for certain. Then again, you three were born to change the world."

"Doctor, I was-" But before you can finish, he raises a hand and cuts you off.

"Please, there's no need to be so formal; Ichika," He says, smiling and chuckling, "Madoka calls me 'jiji' and Chi-Chi calls me 'oji-san'; feel free to do the same."

Chi-Chi? The fact that your sister had a pet name like that was both awkward yet hilarious. Regardless, 'oji-san' continues, "I know why you're here; you have questions and Chi-Chi won't give you the answers. She still wants to protect you, keep you safe; but you're all grown up now. You don't need to be protected any longer, though she probably won't see that yet for some time. It's an older sibling thing from what I understand."

"So ask away; what do you want to hear first?"

List in order of priority:
[X] Parents and origins
[X] Surname and why it's changed
[X] Running away and why Madoka didn't come with
[X] Anything else?

Also for the next interlude:
[X] A talk between two girls, and the start of a revelation
[X] Two siblings talk about the next generation, and what is to come
 
You ask the question that stood at the forefront of your mind, "Why did nee-san run away? And why didn't she take Madoka with us?"

Oji-san sighs, then says, "That...is a hard question to answer. The reasons why she left your parents was easy enough; they didn't love either of you. Not really. Oh they cared for you and cherished you, but only as one would care for a prize dog. They wanted children solely for the sake of having a 'perfect' family, to go along with their perfect husband, perfect wife, perfect home, and perfect jobs. Being one of the most affluent families in Japan, they had certain...expectations to uphold, an image to maintain for themselves. I'm sure that...had they decided to actually start a family earlier, back then their lives relied less on their image, things would've been different; but the world does not run on 'what-ifs'."

"As for why she left your twin sister behind..." Again, he pauses, "She was young, and only capable of so much; to take all of you would've raised more alarm then just leaving one behind. She suspected, correctly, that your parents wouldn't want a scandal and would do their best to bury things under the rug; so long as one of you was left behind to maintain their 'image'. For better or for worse, she chose you."

Oji-san then gets a faraway look as he reminisces, "I remember, right when you were born, she had a gleam in her eye and rushed-rushed to hold you. Looking down at you, cradling you, smiling; for the first time I've ever seen her do so in her life. Oh, I had gotten her to maybe give me a tiny grin, but a genuine smile of happiness? No, that was reserved for you, and only you. You mean the world to your sister, and she wanted better for you; a life of being a person, not a glorified show animal for your parents to gush about to party guests."

"So she ran, she ran and never looked back; taking you with her. I was surprised when she came to me, asking to use my surname to get away, making arangements that were more fitting for people more then double her age. I daresay I underestimated her intellect and maturity until that moment. From there, well; I think you know how things went."

That...was a lot to take in, the fact that nee-san did that for you, that you meant that much to her, and that she abandoned Madoka so that the two of you could get away... All of a sudden Madoka's hatred of Chifuyu and their mutual hatred of your parents made much more sense. Still, you couldn't comprehend leaving behind family; of leaving behind one sister to save the other. You would do your best to save both, damn the consequences. That's what being a knight, what being a hero meant; to defy the odds and save the day.

Still, that was only one part of the puzzle; you needed the rest. You bring up the next question, "And...our parents? Who were they? And how did you know them?"

"Keiko and Takata Hasegawa; I assume I don't need to explain more on that front," He really didn't; the Hasegawas are known for being one of the most successful families in Japan, specializing in pharmaceuticals and being rather close to the Imperial Family. Popular rumor has it that Takata was childhood friends with the Emperor himself and was considered his Majesty's 'brother in all but blood'. And you were related to these people, you were their son?

The good doctor continued, "I was desperate; my theory was sound but nobody wanted to fund further research and experimentation. They were scared of the repercussions, of what I was trying to do. Too much science fiction has rotted the brains of society; when one man wants to advance human development, to jump-start the next step of humanity's evolution, they assume he brings the end times with him. It didn't help that I already had a blunder under my belt; costing me many a friend and associate."

"They came to me, offered me funding; the chance to actually put everything I worked on to the test. All I had to do in exchange was give them the specimen; to give them a child. So I did; I took a sample from both of them, examined and modified it, reworked the genome. Bringing everything up to it's full potential; if the regular person's genome was compared to the blueprints for an average household, you and your sister's are more akin to blueprints to a mansion; everything was made to be better."

"That was how Chifuyu was born; in an artificial womb, not knowing the warmth of a mother or the concern of a father. Brought into the world by cold steel and in glass walls, she was born to be the pinnacle of human form. And she was, breaking records for development left and right, intuitively learning and grasping information with ease, her physical parameters innately being at the peak. She could just as easily be the world's greatest scientist on par with either Shinonono just as she could be an unstoppable soldier on the battlefield. She could rally men to her cause with innate charisma just as easily she can lead them to war with brilliant and cunning tactics as their general."

"I was on hand the entire time; performing medical tests and making sure nothing was wrong with her. I ended up spending more time with your sister than her own parents, and eventually became attached because of it. Because of that earlier experiment gone awry, I became sterile. I had lost...so much in that incident; friends, family, the...the woman of my life. Chi-chi was...was my brilliant success, being with her was a balm over the scars of the past. I started to regard her as my own; in a sense she was. In a sense you all are, I brought you into into the world. I was...so happy when she asked to use my surname; to take up my family name and become 'Chifuyu Orimura' instead of 'Izanami Hasegawa'. I remember how, when I asked her why, she told me; 'Because you are my father, you are Ichika's father; and you deserve that title more than they ever will.'" Oji-san started tearing up at the memory, clearly remembering the very moment he was talking about. The moment he had gotten a family, a daughter.

The name he said though, it confused you, "'Izanami'? Was...was that-"

"Yes, that was what they named her," He chuckled, "She hated that name, was eager to change it the first moment she could. She chose the first name I listed out for her when she wanted a new one, same as Madoka. You however, she was hesitant to rename at first; she though that 'Izanagi' was fitting for you. Thought it was regal, that it'd suit you as you got older. She was far more picky with your name; insisted it started with 'I' and tried to find a name that had the same connotation as your original one. She eventually decided on the name you have now; she liked the sound of it, and you just lit up when she renamed you."

"Ichika. Ichika Orimura." A faint memory comes to you, of being held in warm arms and hearing your name. You would have assumed it was your mother, but know you know otherwise. It was your older sister holding you, naming you and welcoming you to the world. You know knew the truth of your origins, and in the end...it changed little. You had a twin sister, you knew just why both of your sisters were amazing, and you knew why you've never seen hide nor hair of your parents. It was nice to know all of this, but in the end it didn't change anything. You suppose that's probably a good thing.

Oji-san continues talking, "As for you, well, they wanted another child; a playmate to get along with Chi-Chi that wouldn't hold her back, who would also be good with their image. However, the procedure went awry; probably Mother Nature's way of putting me in my place after trampling on her domain. Instead of one child, there became two; you and Madoka. They wanted a son, so they chose you over her; and left her with me until Chi-Chi ran away with you."

With a tired sigh, he brings things to a close,"You three...are my living legacy; capable of more than what the regular masses are, capable of being leaders of men and pioneers of a new era. I know that, no matter what path you chose; you will change the world, for the better. Because I know both of your sisters, and I'm pretty sure I know who you moonlight as, and I know that you three are good people. Just know that...no matter what happens, you have a home here; with me."

You...you don't know what to say, and you think 'Thanks' doesn't quite cut it...

[X] Write-in
 
[X] Deep bow of obligation.

You rise from your seat and bow; respectful and polite, while still maintaining a sense of dignity and restraint. You then say the first words that come to mind, "Thank you. For taking us in as your own when we needed it. For bringing us into the world. For being our father."

The elderly scientist gets up from his recliner, grunting as he does and grabbing his cane. He walks over to you and nudges you to raise out of your bow, and you oblige him. He rests a shoulder on you and says, "No, thank you. For being a good man. For letting me be your father. For letting me have the one thing I wanted from life, that I though I would never have."

He then chuckles, then gestures to the hall, "Now come on, enough of this deep and meaningful talk; you are young and full of life. Enjoy it, embrace it with open abandon while your flesh is still willing and able. Go and have fun with your sister and friend; they're still in the garden I think. Oh, I just planed some roses too; black and red, to match the color scheme of your...profession. They go so well with the parts I planed in commemoration of your sisters. It looks so lovely."

You chuckle as well and offer a hand to help Oji-san walk, "I'm sure it does, and I've love to see your garden. Houki too; she actually took up gardening as a hobby, you know? Though I think she prefers more exotic flora."

He raises and eyebrow, "Oh really? Considering her sister, I didn't think her the type. I suppose and old man like me can offer a helpful hint or two..." He also bats away your hand and exclaims, "And I may be old, but I'm not that old! Even then, I'd rather get a wheelchair then force a young man like you to help me. Like I said, the young deserve to live their lives without looking after old, withered bastards like us."

You just shake your head amusedly; after all, it's also true that a son should respect and honor his father, looking out for his welfare in old age. Anyways, you follow him out to the garden and find Houki and Madoka talking with each other. You wave and Madoka rushes over and tackles you with a hug, forcing you to catch her spin around or fall over. This causes oji-san to laugh before saying, "Madoka's been waiting to see you again; seems like you made a good impression. Though she wasn't quite this enthusiastic..."

"Is it true? Are you really the Black Knight? And you really beat Chifuyu seven ways to Sunday every time to fight?" She fires off one question after another, revealing just why's she so excited. Given her loathing of your older sister, it's only natural she enjoys seeing her being shown up.

You just smile and answer in stride, "Yes, yes, and it's not that bad; she puts up a decent fight, plus we never really go all out. Mostly because one of us will be callled back by either Tabane or Houki."

"But you still better than her, right?" She's really hung up on that, you hope that you can eventually help her overcome that issue of hers. But for now you just nod and tell her, "I believe so, yes."

It's not arrogance, not really. You are the greatest knight of the Round Table, who's skill has transcended beyond mortal comprehension and earned you a spot in the Throne of Heroes. Even with the truth of your family's origins, you doubt that there is much to rival you in the realm of combat. Sanzo came close; maybe if he had some more time to hone his skills and diversify a bit. Laura probably can, being one of the greatest Knights of Fianna and with a keen and tactical mind to rival your ungodly skill. Houki if she fought like she did in that spar in Germany; but other than that? No, not much can rival you.

How...dull. How boring. In your past life you had the likes of Gawain to match steel against, your fellow knights of the realm to hone your edge on; but here? Barely a fraction could give you a challenge, and only one on fair terms. Is there...really no one else to be a proper challenge to you?

It's not that you relish conflict, and your duty will always be to justice and the good of the people first. But...fighting is in your blood, it is what you do. You relax by going through stances, learning and mastering new styles, sparring against those who would give you a challenge. Only...there is nobody out there to fight on equal ground.

You're snapped out of your thoughts by your little sister's squeeing and gushing about how awesome it is that you 'kick Chi-Chi's ass like no tomorrow' and you just laugh. You can ponder over such matters later; for now, you have a sister and father to bond with.


The rest of your vacation was...relatively tame all things considered; you spent time with Madoka, talked with oji-san to learn about how Chi-Chi was like as a child, and spent time with your friends simply relaxing and lazing about. You also continued your duties as the Black Knight; finding that the 501st had been assigned to the duty you had taken upon yourself during your sojurn away. With the aid of the company, you were able to hit multiple bases at once; actually managing to push back Phantom Task, at least a bit.

Still, even if it wasn't by much; you were pushing them back. You were making a difference, even if it was small. You blows against the enemy was actually hurting them now, and with that it was only a matter of time until you finally put them down for good.

School was going to start up soon; you were thankful that Houki managed to get you the proper schoolwork and pulled strings so that you weren't held back for your little vacation. The start of your high school years, still at good old Sendai. You won't be seeing Kana there; she's mentioned going to IS Academy while still acting as Houki's assistant. Hikari'll probably be going with you though, having brought back the scrolls and restored her standing in her clan; along with getting free reign to do as she willed, backed by the looming threat of Houki coming in and wrecking their shit if they refused.

It was musing over this while cooking breakfast that Houki walked in, grabbed a cup of coffee, and asked, "How do you feel about going to IS Academy?"

[X] What?
[X] Um...
[X] This is a part of some plan, isn't it?
[X] Write-in
 
Interlude - A man chooses...

Here you were, talking with Madoka while Ichika had a good heart to heart with Dr. Orimura to figure out his mysterious past. It started out simple enough; just some small talk, an update on Phantom Task, the possibility of acquiring another agent within their ranks, the usual. Then, you couldn't help but notice some of the family pictures as you walked toward the garden; the stark contrast of Chifuyu's complete lack of emotion compared to the exuberance and actual joy Madoka showed in the pictures.

You cursed your curiosity as you couldn't help but point it out, "You know, it's kinda weird looking at these pictures; is Chifuyu just outright incapable of feeling happiness?"

Madoka snorts before snidely saying, "What, is she having trouble in paradise? Not quite as content and satisfied at what she's got already? Not filled with joy at being the celebrity and overwhelming presence she already is?"

You stifle a laugh before answering, "No, nothing like that; and I'd never use the word joy when talking about her. Come to think of it...I'm not quite sure I'd use happy either. Content, yes; but now that I think about it, it's more like...the contentment of a job well done. Of doing your duty, not of living the life you want. Honestly, you seem far happier than I've ever seen her."

Madoka raises an eyebrow, skeptically asking, "You're joking, right? She has everything a woman can ask for; fame, family, fortune. She's literally the best there ever was, is, and will be and nobody can match up to her; only the Black Knight does, in one area and who knows who that is. She left our parents for the same reasons I did; because they were self-centered jackasses who didn't care about us and didn't treat us as family. We left to be happy; so how in the world is she not happy?!"

You actually think about this; really think about this, you aren't exactly a people person but you've learned enough to read into and deal with them out of necessity considering your place in the world. You never really considered it; you've definitely seen Chifuyu relax, but you don't recall ever really seeing her happy. She rarely smiles and it's often when she's with Ichika; and you wouldn't call that tiny grin a grin of happiness. Not the kind of happiness you and Madoka were talking about.

The more you think about it, the more that statement of her contentment being from 'a job well done' fits; the brief moments of Chifuyu's 'happiness' and her emotions don't really fit with standard happiness. No, if anything they do fit with the fulfillment of accomplishing a task or duty you set out to do; you've seen that sort of look on many people and it's the one that fits your memories of Chifuyu's moments of 'happiness'.

You continue pondering this as you answer Madoka, "Yeah, barring Ichika nobody really matches her; and while he trumps her in combat, I doubt it's the same in other areas. But now that I think about it, something is up..."

Madoka stops moving, then spins around and looks at you in shock, "Wait. Ichika's the Black Knight? Ichika's the one who hands Chifuyu her sorry ass on a silver platter every time?!"

Whoops; you though you briefed Madoka on that already, didn't you? Dammit, this was why you had an assistant; to keep you grounded when you got absorbed into projects like this. It was times like this you cursed your inhuman drive and focus; tunnel vision was a complete bitch. You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, tiredly explaining, "Yes, Ichika is the Black Knight. Yes, he does win against Chifuyu. I was going to tell you this eventually; but right now I need you to focus and help me figure this out."

"Best. Big brother. Ever." Madoka exclaims, before catching onto the last bit you said, "Wait, figure what out?"

"What exactly is up with Chifuyu, because you had a point when you brought it up. She's hardly better than what I saw in those photos, but she what you all have wanted. So what's wrong?" You continue thing, going through your mind and though all the information you have on her available. C'mon...c'mon...there has to be something...

Wait. It comes to you; a long shot, but possible the key to something more. You ask Madoka, "When did you run away from your 'parents' again?"

"When I was nine, same age that Chifuyu did. I already told you about this, why are you asking again?" Madoka looks at you with a confused expression, but you ignore it; the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall in place.

"That doesn't make sense. Why wait; she's better than you, so if you made your breakout then she could've done it earlier."

Madoka doesn't take this well, "Gee boss, thanks for bringing up how I don't match up to my superior older sister; it's not like I dwell on that ever single day."

You snap at her, "Put aside the inferiority complex and think here! If she could get away earlier, why didn't she? Why wait for Ichika? Hell, why wait at all; you both hated your parents and wanted to get away, right? And both of you hate them equally, correct?"

"Yeah...from what jiji says she hated them as much as I did," Madoka takes a deep breath and calms down a bit, "And you have a point; as much as I hate to admit, if I could've gotten out then, Chi-Chi could've done it earlier and better."

"So why didn't she leave? This isn't some fairy tale where the power of love and sibling bonds all of a sudden magically changes things; something had to have acted as a catalyst to get her to leave. But what?" You can feel it, you just needed another clue; another memory or incident to make the pieces click together and unravel the mystery.

Though you still can't help but comment on that last bit, "Oh, and 'Chi-Chi'?"

"Bite me, it's what jiji calls her. The nickname helps me cope when I get in one of these moods; it's silly enough to take off of my mind the issues I have with her, if only a little bit."

You don't comment, instead focusing on what you're missing; the final piece of the puzzle. You go over every big incident, every moment you've spent around Ichika's older sister. Looking for a tell, a sign, anything to put this all into perspective.

Then, it hits you; the kidnapping. The absolute despair and nothingness you saw in her eyes; the same emptiness you saw in the photographs. The way she did her best lamprey impression afterwards when Ichika was found to be ok; the nagging sense of desperation that he may be gone again. The way she she looked not only worried that she'd lose a sibling, but something greater...

You had unraveled the woman that is Chifuyu Orimura and the only thing you can say is, "I pity her."

"What?" Madoka is surprised by your statement, confused by what you mean.

You continue on, "I pity her; she didn't leave earlier not because she couldn't, but because she had no reason to. Her purpose was to be a 'daughter' to your biological donors, to be their 'prize child'. Like a captive animal who has never tasted freedom, she didn't know that there was any way out. She hated them; yet saw no escape, no other purpose to her life. So she felt empty."

"Then, Ichika came, and awoke something within her; a new purpose, a new thing to live for. So she escaped, taking with her her new 'purpose'. Her new 'master'."

"She lives for Ichika; she cared for him as a child, she provides for him, she acts as the perfect big sister because that is what she believes he needs. It is her new 'purpose'; to be the elder sister of Ichika Orimura, and all that entails. She didn't find freedom, she simply traded masters. And when he no longer needs an older sister, when he no longer needs someone to look after him..."

"She will lose her purpose and once again be a living being without anything to live for; she'll probably go to my sister for purpose, once again seeking a new 'master'. You broke free from your shackles, but Chifuyu merely took them and gave them to someone else."

Madoka's speechless, staring at you and the revelation you had for several mintues before chuckling. The chuckling grows into full blown laughter, near hysterical. It takes several more mintues before she stops; out of breath and muttering, "...I have it, I finally have it..."

She composes herself and opens the back door into the garden, finishing what she was saying, "I finally have something she doesn't; and it's marvelous."

You don't say anything, letting Madoka have her moment; all the while wondering just how you were going to break this to Ichika, and how you were going to actually solve this..
 
[X] This is a part of some plan, isn't it?

You sigh, a part of you wondering if this was a joke, another part wondering if there was a greater purpose for Houki to ask you to do this. You ask her, "And why exactly do you want me to go to a school that can't teach me anything? Is this some part of one of your 'nefarious' schemes?"

"I'll have you know that my schemes are not nefarious and benefit the world at large; thank you very much," Houki snarks back, then says, "But to answer your question, yes. Yes it is."

"I believe the time has come to make my final move, and bring this little contest between me and nee-chan to a close. And you will be the key factor of it all, the instrument of her downfall. Because she doesn't know of your secret identity, I can pull this off. I have had this plan brewing in the back of my mind for a long time now; ever since you became the Black Knight. Now that all the pieces have fallen into place, it's time to make my move."

Houki points at you, "You'll 'accidentally' end up in an IS testing area for applicants to IS Academy, inadvertently forced into the IS and managing to pass the tests. A complete 'fluke'; you'll be outed as the first male IS pilot. The press will start hounding me, that combined with the projects I told Kana to set aside will keep me 'busy'; too busy to handle your situation with as much focus and dedication as I would like. Most important of all, you'll be heading to IS Academy without a Personal IS to call your own."

"Fortunately for me, I have a kind, loving, and understanding big sister; who's more than willing to help me in a time of need. It also helps that she likes you. I ask her to make you and IS, she says yes; but on the provision that I swear never to lay a single hand on it. Can't have me finding out its secrets after all. Fortunately for me...I have a wonderful little assistant who's more than capable of tinkering around with such an IS, able to take it apart so that I can finally crack all the secrets of my sister's advancements in IS technology."

She smirks and asks, "So, what do you think?"

Devious. It was the exact sort of plan you'd expect from Houki, now that the whole picture's been shown; your identity kept as a secret, taking Kana as an assistant, and now this. Using her understanding of Tabane; her habits, personality, and instincts to have her older sister hand her the key to victory on a silver platter, Houki has managed to pave a way to put herself above her sister to the world at large. The unison of both sides of IS development would have everyone flocking towards her; she's already known to be more personable than her sister, and now there was no other reason to debate on which Shinonono to side with.

It was a precise, quick, decisive victory; utilizing small strokes here and there to put together the ultimate way to the endgame. You recall the bout you had against Houki in Germany; a multitude of traps and plans, all arrange to flow into one another, all centered around a single goal: victory.

Still, you should at least try to poke holes in it, "And who's to say that Tabane won't just make it impossible for Kanzashi to take apart her IS? What will you do when neither one of you can unravel the secrets of Tabane's methods?"

Houki shakes her head, "The most likely method nee-san's going to use is a system that locks up the IS from interference when in my presence; nobody but the pilot being able to do anything with the device. Normally, it'd be a strain for it, but with the new power systems we devised ISes are capable of far more than they ever were before. All I have to do is not be there and guide Kana through it. As for considering the possibility of somebody else; here's the text she sent me when I mentioned having an assistant."

She messages you the text and you look it over, 'Congrats on new assistant, hope it doesn't get any viruses! <3 Nee-chan<3'. You groan and resist the urge to facepalm, "That....that is just like your sister; mention you have an assistant, assumes that you built it instead of hiring an actual person instead. Does she really have so little faith in humanity?"

Houki shrugs, "It's more that she just doesn't care; at best most people rate as buzzing insects, at worst they're no better than motes of dust in the air. She's not a real people person, so in order to get one over her; I'm using people to my advantage. Playing to my strengths and her weaknesses."

She then looks back at you says, "The only real issue is that I'm going to be bogged down with complaints about how you're a man piloting an IS and that I still haven't managed to fix that flaw. Seriously, it's been years and I haven't gotten any closer than before! I swear, if I need to actually buckle down and go to nee-chan for help on this I'll-"

Before she can finish, a phone rings. Houki realizes that it's her phone so she pulls it out and answers it, "Hello? ...Hey Kana; still going over the core schematics I sent you? I know that it's really complex, but since you've done so well on framework I though I'd-"

She stops, Kana apparently interrupting her, before speaking up again, "What do you mean 'there's a rounding error'? ...No, this isn't a test; the schematics are accurate, up to date, and have been double checked by me. ...Yes, I'm positive that I didn't send the wrong one; I sent you the schematics for a standard IS core, there's no point in teaching you about them if I send you a faulty one. ...Look, just send me the part that you think is wrong; I'll check it right now."

Houki's wrist-com beeps, and she swipes a finger over it; making several holographic screens pop up. She looks over the information on the screens, paling when she hits a key part. She rushes to her room and grabs a USB and laptop, pouring over it. Looking over her shoulder, you can see it has the same information that's on the holographic screens. Houki looks back and forth between the screens several times, before walking over to the nearest wall and repeatedly slamming her head into it, chanting, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!..."

You rush over and stop her before she gets a bruise on her forehead, asking, "What the hell was that all about?!"

Shoulders slack and head tilted downwards in what appears to be shame, she tells you, "Kana just figured out why the IS doesn't work for men: there's a rounding error in one of the formulas the Core AI uses for routine work, and it inadvertently prevents the male gender from properly linking up to the IS. What's worse is that I checked, and the error goes all the way back to the schematics I managed to snag and decode from my sister; and those were the ones for the White Knight!"

"I didn't notice it the first time around because I had a deadline and had to do a rush job, which means that the reason my sister didn't notice was that her IS cores were also a rush job. After that, we were so busy with other things that we kept missing the problem. It doesn't help that the error isn't obvious and doesn't impact performance besides that. For six years this was glossed over. Six years..."

She moves to start bashing her head on the wall again, but you stop her. You tell her, "It's not that bad; everyone misses things from time to time, and all things considered this was a smaller issue that trying to make Nonlethal ISes. Or getting your new power system mainstream and revolutionizing the world, or starting to implement IS tech into other aspects of life. You missed one little thing while working on other, bigger problems; everyone's made that mistake before. Besides, isn't this what you hired Kana for? To catch the little things so you can work on the bigger things?"

Houki sighs, "Yeah...you have a point. It's still annoying that I missed it though," running a hand through her hair, she composes herself then asks, "So; back on topic, you up for going to IS Academy? You won't be staying there long, just long enough for nee-chan to send the IS over and for Kana to get everything I need from it."

[X] Yes
[X] No
[X] Write-in
 
[X] Yes

"Alright, I'll do it; but only because you need me to. Because being stuck in an all girl's academy being bored to death isn't exactly something I'm looking forward to." Houki smiles and gives you a small hug.

She joking consoles you, "There there, I promise I'll make it up to you for having to spend a month or so in your own personal hell." She then heads to the kitchen and says, "Now with that taken care of, it's my turn to cook dinner for everyone, any suggestions?"

You tell her, "Nope, though Hikari might want something foreign; she's been on a kick of eating anything non-Japanese."

Houki scoffs, "Well too bad for her then, she knows that's all I can cook. Speaking about Hikari, I wonder how she'll take the news..."


"Take me with you!!!" Well apparently her reaction was to get on her knees, grab you by the legs, and beg you to let her come with, "Please, please, oh please take me with you!"

You just sigh as Houki and Kanzashi laugh at Hikari's antics. You try to shake her off and tell her, "That's not how it works Hikari and you know it. I'm not exactly thrilled to go either; I'll be sure to stay in touch though, and you can still visit during free time we have."

"What? No, that's not why I wanna go," Wait, it wasn't? She continues explaining, "You're going to IS Academy, think of all the eye candy!"

Houki breaks into laughter and you just facepalm. Really? Just...really? You give Hikari a look, then say, "You'll have plenty of 'eye candy' at Sendai. Honestly, what happened to the shy, introverted Hikari to turn her into one of those perverted monks in anime in the guise of a shrine maiden?"

"She discovered porn and her sexuality," She tells you with a straight face, before continuing, "And it's not the same! ISA is an all girls school; with IS Representatives! Have you seen the IS Representatives, they're like models only sexier! Plus your sister's there and I still have yet to tap that ass!"

You get a twitch in your eye, "You are not going to try to score with my sister, Hikari."

She protests against this, "But she's really hot!"

The twitching gets worse, "The answer is no, Hikari."

"But she's really, really hot!" This just makes Houki and Kanzashi laugh even harder, Houki herself dropping to the floor and literally rolling on the floor laughing. Kana has to brace herself on the wall to stop herself from following in her boss's footsteps. All the while, you just continue giving Hikari a baleful glare; your menacing visage only marred by a rapidly twitching eye.

Eventually, Houki manages to stifle her laughter and pick herself up, telling Hikari, "Chifuyu's still out of your league, so you're not going to score with her anytime soon. Besides, you need to go test for IS compatibility to get in, and if you don't have a high enough rating they won't let you in. You do know that, right?"

Hikari's taken aback by that and retorts, "O-of course I do! And for your information I have...super...triple...omega S-Rank compatibility! ...Yeah..."

"Ignore her," Kana says, having composed herself as well, "I have the results from when she asked me to test her; we had to invent a new rank on the scale to rate just how poorly she did. I've never seen someone manage to only make the IS punch themselves repeatedly in the face, only to have the machine spit them out half an hour later. We're calling it F- Rank until we can think of a better name."

Hikari blushes in embarrassment and looks away in shame of her failure, only to go back to begging and pleading to you on her knees, "Ichika! Please, vouch for me here! Let me enter the wondrous, glorious, all-girl heaven; where forbidden love springs and the lilies are always in bloom!"

You shake Hikari off of your leg, once again cradling your head in your hand, and give her your final answer; "No Hikari, you'll have to settle on visiting during the free time students have just like everyone else. Not get off, I need to sleep so I don't miss the IS exam."

Hikari pouts, but gets off, muttering, "At least have a list of the top ten hotties when I drop by, will you?"
"I make no promises."


Sure enough, everything went as Houki expected; you were dragged into the testing area, mistaken as a girl. Personally, you blame the hair; out of habit you've grown it to the length you've had it in your past life, and apparently the examiner just assumed long hair=woman and threw you in. That was a little sexist, are men not allowed to have long hair or something?

The test was simply pathetic too; you felt so confined and strained in the Uchigane they threw you in, and the examiner when for such a painstakingly wrong charge that you just dodged to the side, grabbed them, and use the massive momentum to throw them into the ground face first. It caused a crater, and were it not for the shields the instructor would probably be dead. Still; it was sloppy, really sloppy. And this was what you had to deal with at the academy?

You were beginning to have second thoughts.

But a promise is a promise, so you dealt with the hassle and let yourself get enrolled in IS Academy. Garbed in the white and red uniform, you feel the gaze of all your 'classmates' at your back, as if they are amazed at the sheer existence of the other gender. As if a 'man' was sheer myth, and now they were witnessing the mythical creature in real life for the first time. You've dealt with this kind of admiration from lustful and lovestruck women before, but this was ridiculous!

Worse yet, Kana and Houki were looking on in amusement; holding in their laughter. Houki was there on the grounds of 'examining the future of IS personally' along with 'studying' you to follow through on that promise she made years ago. In actuality she was here to get the IS Tabane was sending you, the one you should be recieving this week. That and laughing at your suffering.

You don't know how, but you'll find a way to return the favor. Somehow.

Anyways, the instructor; the one you made eat dirt you notice, come in and introduces herself. You see that's she's really short with a childish face; something that makes her look as young as, if not younger, than her students. It's only her...impressive assets, that manage to stop you from mistaking her for a student here. She introduces herself as Maya Yamada and it's all routine and expected from there, eventually leading into roll call, which you tune out until it reaches your name.

"I'm Ichika Orimura; nice to meet you all. I hope we can get along," There, no need for a complex or more invested introduction. Short, sweet, and simple; perfect for something as mundane as this.

You hear someone snort and scold you, "You know, you could've put more spirit into it. I expected at least something better than that from you."

Looking to who said that, you found your sister entering the room. You can understand where she's coming from; in her eyes you should be shocked and awed at being the first male IS pilot, completely ecstatic at managing to reach a new level of combat. She knew about your interest in martial arts and other forms of combat, so it's only logical that entering a new one would only excite you. Too bad for her that this is old news and that just about everyone here besides here wasn't worth five seconds against you on the battlefield.

What comes next you blame on having spent so much time with Madoka and Oji-san. You give your older sister a wave and greet her with a relaxed, "Hey, Chi-Chi."

The room goes still. Silence, everyone looking at you in shock for calling the two time champion of the Mondo Grosso, the woman known as the 'Strongest in the World', the tough as nails Chifuyu Orimura; 'Chi-Chi'. Kana's just as shocked as the rest of them, while Houki's doing her best to not burst out in laughter at it all. Even the instructor fainted, which doesn't help her image in her eyes all that well. Is she really not a student here, or the little sister of someone else at the school?

Your sister is also shocked at the sound of her childish nickname; her eyes bugging out and whatever she was planning on saying next being stuck in her throat. Frozen as ice for several moments, she eventually reacts at being embarrassed in front of her class by lashing out at you with her instructor's notebook.

You could dodge it, or you can just take the hit. It doesn't matter either way; she's not moving fast enough that it's trival to avoid it, and even if it does hit it wouldn't hurt. Regardless, it's your move...

[X] Dodge it, have a little fun; it's been too long since you've had some fun with her
[X] Take your lumps like a man; she's going to try to save face either way, she likes her 'cold as ice, hard as steel' image
[X] Catch it, maybe snatch it out of her hands and counter; see how her dodging skills are
[X] Write-in
 
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