[x] Try to help her along

Where are the other Prismribers? I want to see the other Prismribers. Not that Merlin isn't great. Maybe she'll request a spider and scientist duet, that'd be lovely.

[x] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done.

[X] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done.
Yuuka unshrinking first, Merlin later.
Also, what do you mean by "once more?" We haven't asked Yamame to web up anyone, though there was that guy that we found whose identity we never discovered...

>>161903
Once more leave Yamame alone with Merlin to save herself.

[ ] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done.

I get the feeling that she's coming with us no matter what we do... Another wacko to add to the group!

[X] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done.

If Merlin and Koishi ever meet... the results could be cataclysmic.

>“Hey! Hey! So listen! Listen!"
Oh god, it's Navi.
[X] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done

>>161904
Oh yeah. That. Sorry, can't remember everything.

[X] Just try to tune her out, and get to Eientei as quickly as possible. No, really, try. It can't be done.
We can stick her in a room with Kaguya as a bit of revenge if she's still following us when we get there.

[x] Try to help her along, and hope she'll leave when she's said what she wants from you. HA HA, FAT CHANCE.

[x] Try to help her along, and hope she'll leave when she's said what she wants from you. HA HA, FAT CHANCE.

Rikako and Yamame on their own comprise far too sane a group to go unbalanced for long. (They're probably the least crazy of any of our companions so far, IMO.) Fortunately, Merlin can fix this.

[x] Try to help her along, and hope she'll leave when she's said what she wants from you. HA HA, FAT CHANCE.

At least this way, Merlin can have assistance with whatever she needs. And Rikako will get a lovely Merlin companion when she's done, because Merlin will want to properly thank her. And what thanks could be better than to be graced with her company?

I don't like this Merlin.

[ ] Attempt to get rid of her. ...and hope you don't make things worse, instead.

>>161968
You've got that feeling too? She's not good for Rikako's sanity at this point, and Rikako is one of the only sane ones we have in our merry band of wackos. We need balance or we're going to die horribly at some point, probably to an impatient Yuuka.

Forget sanity, Rikako needs to put the mad in mad scientist.

No, I am not doing this.
I refuse to allow myself to become entangled in another rambling, increasingly incomprehensible exchange in the faint hope that she might eventually get around to whatever her original point might be.


“...so, anyway, I had an idea! Not that idea, but another one! Though it can go along with the other one, which we should do when we do the other one...”


This is for the best, anyway.
The sooner I get to Yagokoro, the sooner I find a solution to this little youkai problem, and the sooner I get out of there.

To think, just yesterday I wanted nothing more than to be out of that place, and now I'm rushing to get back there.
It's almost funny, in a way.
Not in any way that I could actually laugh at, but I would imagine that is normal when an event is still fresh in your mind,

That one laboratory mishap, for instance.
Sure, it's difficult to appreciate the humor of your mistakes when you're still experiencing them, but now that time has passed and the smell has faded, I can look back at what happened and...

...no. No, I can't.

That poor cat.
Eugh.
If I had known that was going to happen, I would have never flipped that switch.


“...and when they go off they sparkle like sunbeams on snowflakes caught in a summer breeze...”


No, no, don't think about that.
Just don't.

Focus on where you're going.
What you are going to do when you get there.
It shouldn't be too far.

...of course, I'll still have to actually find the place.

Damn. I had forgotten about that.
The place isn't exactly visible from the air, and that forest is a damn maze.

That strange woman seemed to have no problem leading me in, though.
There's also those rabbits. Some of them must be trained to lead people to the clinic, right?
How else would they get there?

Perhaps we should set down near the village, then?
That might cause some problems of their own, though...

If only they had some way make their place easier to find.
A beacon or signal of some sort. Lights, balloons, or even-


“...and then when they cheer th-OOH I smell something tasty~!”



Smoke.

A forest fire?

No, the coloration is off.
Chemicals, then?

Perhaps.

In that case...


[ ] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

[ ] Pick up the pace! Something scientific might be burning!

[x] Pick up the pace! Something scientific might be burning!

Hell no. We must know right now!

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

Yes, let's rush right into the potentially harmful fumes. This will solve all our problems!

[X] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.
Rushing into the midst of things has never really helped us so far. Besides, Rikako and Yamame don't have an extra life like Anon has.

[x] Pick up the pace! Something scientific might be burning!
Hurry! Before it is too late!

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

Rikako strikes me as being noticeably more cautious than the MC.

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

Send in Merlin. She can't die, can she?

>That poor cat.

And don't tell me... Sokrates? Or just a random innocent kitty?

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

[x] Exercise caution. Let's find out what we're dealing with, first.

Yea, we are just a squishy human. No need to be suicidal.

[ ] Pick up the pace! Something scientific might be burning!

For SCIENCE!

What do I know of this situation?
Clearly, something is burning, as evidenced by the smoke.
That 'something' seems to be located in the general area of our destination.
An area that also happens to be filled with strategically-placed booby-traps, as I recall.

Though the thought of anything of scientific value being damaged pains me greatly, that is not sufficient justification to throw caution to the wind and charge in blindly.

It would be best to gather some information before heading into the forest.

First thing's first, though. I need to land this thing.

Now, where would be a good spot to...ah! That should do nicely.

I'll just motion to Kurodani and Mer...lin?
Where did she-

...oh.
There she is.
Flying right into the forest.

Had I not been exposed to this sort of behavior almost constantly over the past twenty-four hours, to say nothing of my exposure to her behavior, in general, I might almost be bothered by this.
Almost.

What does bother me, however, is the fact that I am actually becoming used to this sort of thing.


“Um, should we go after her?”

“...no, I don't think we should. Not until we have a better idea of what the situation is in there, at least.”

“Oh? What are we going to do?”

“Well, before we do anything else, let's get on the ground, first.”

“Sounds good to me.”


Now then...

...how did I land with this pack, again?



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


“Oh my~! Having trouble, are we?”

“N-no! We just, um...we're FINE! Go away!”


The child makes a valiant effort to not display any form of weakness, despite her current state, but the faint laughter of the woman-turned-girl makes it all-too-apparent that she is not convinced.

Granted, the ruse would be be more convincing if the child were not currently in the midst of reattaching one of her arms. Or, more precisely, attempting to do so.

Despite their best efforts, attempts to reattach the unruly appendage have been met with little success; a fact that the detestable creature before them clearly finds quite amusing.

It is a sentiment she is unlikely to share with will happen should she persist in her insolence...




[ ] Consultation

[ ] Deliberation

[ ] Suffocation

[ ] Intoxication

[x] Deliberation

Oh god nothing wtih the word toxic in it.

[X] Suffocation
Yuuka, we are doing the best we can. One of us is missing and being knifed in a dream, two of us are going to Eientei, and the rest of us need to recover from that attack. Su-san, do us all a favor and SHUT HER DAMN MOUTH!

[x] Consultation

Talking means more and better jokes. Never not jokes.

[x] Deliberation

Okay, how'd this go on again..."

[x] Suffocation

I believe in you, Su-san. Make her pay for her insults to the child!

[x] Deliberation

Really, really don't want suffocation. So many things could go wrong.

[x] Deliberation

Writing will probably happen sometime within the next 24 hours.

Also, sleeping. Lots and lots of sleeping.

Here. Some bunnies. Enjoy.

>>162144
Sooo, how's this going?

...but, no.

As tempting as it would be to remind that one of the inherent foolishness of antagonizing them, the child and her companion had far more pressing matters demanding their attention.

Retribution, for example.

The natives may have been acting in self-defense, but their escalation of the conflict went far beyond the pale. The child is damaged, their assets are scattered, and that fool...

Their strike was crude, yet effective.
It was not so much an attack as it was a force of nature that had been unleashed; swift, indiscriminate, and completely without mercy.

It seems only appropriate to respond in kind.

In truth, they originally had no intention of inflicting any significant harm on the flea-ridden beasts. Were they fortunate, they may have only suffered a handful of fatalities, at most.

Clearly, that was far too lenient of the child and her companion.
Too generous.

It seems all too apparent now that their assessment of their adversaries had been in error.
The residents of this infernal mountain were not an obstacle to be moved aside.
No, they were vermin.
Grotesque, detestable creatures who deserve nothing less than total extermination.


“Nngh! Almost...there! Su-san! Su-san! I did i-AHH! No! Stupid arm!”


The only question is of how to best go about delivering their destruction.
If they possess a means of controlling the very wind itself, then aerial dispersal would prove problematic.
Unless, that is, they could find a way to use that to their advantage.


“Oh dear~! Would it help if I lent you a hand~?”

“No! I don't need any-...HEY!”


Otherwise, another means of delivery may prove more effective.
Their water supply, perhaps?
The concentration would have to be increased to account for dilution, but at least their command of the wind would no longer be a factor.

Granted, there would almost certainly be some collateral damage, but it would be nothing either the child nor her companion would lose any proverbial sleep over.

Any damage done to their enemies, however unintentional it may be, is always-

“Okay, okay, I think I have it...ngh...okay, no, now I got it...now...okay...wait, no...ngh!”


Confounded extremity! Why does it refuse to reattach?! And where is-

No matter!
Damaged or not, they were still more than capable of delivering justice to the ones who so foolishly crossed them!


[ ] They shall rain destruction from the heavens!

[ ] They shall make rivers shall run red!

[ ] They shall strike the vermin where they live!

[ ] They shall attempt to calm themselves and devise a plan that does not require mass-slaughter.



-----------------------------------------------------------


Sometimes I find that if it's taking too long to do something, it's best to just switch to something that doesn't take so long to do. Hence, the tiny-ass update. I've got short shifts at work for the next couple days, and fairly consistent hours for about a week after that, so I'm going to try to get back into some sort of rhythm.

[X] They shall attempt to calm themselves and devise a plan that does not require mass-slaughter.

Let's not escalate. First we must LEARN about the Tengu. We must OBSERVE and learn their weaknesses. Then, we may at last launch a strike of such precision, such potency, such ART, that the memories of it will strike terror for generations to come.

[x] They shall make rivers shall run red!

I hate kappa. Hate them so much.

[X] They shall rain destruction from the heavens!
Yeah, Lavos-style option is best option! Let keystones rain!
>“Oh dear~! Would it help if I lent you a hand~?”
Hate you so much, Yuuka. Get crushed again, would ya?

[x] They shall attempt to calm themselves and devise a plan that does not require mass-slaughter.

[X] They shall attempt to calm themselves and devise a plan that does not require mass-slaughter.

let's not potentially irritate the red-white. even if we were to focus on the Mountain, if there were enough human 'collateral damage' she would definitely come for us.

[x] They shall rain destruction from the heavens!

Yes. Yes!

[x] They shall attempt to calm themselves and devise a plan that does not require mass-slaughter.

>>162238
Human? Human?! Ahahahaha...
Anyways, I'm surprised Reimu hasn't cracked down on us yet. Hasn't word got around about our antics?

>Anyways, I'm surprised Reimu hasn't cracked down on us yet. Hasn't word got around about our antics?

We haven't actually done anything that would warrant Incident fixing. All we've done is run around, get killed lots of times and recruit people into our band of misfits. Now poison nuking the mountain? That would be an incident.

Calling it, writing a little, sleeping, and then writing some more.

>>162226
What's with the Yuuka hate? She's just doing a little light teasing.

>>162248
Was almost killing us in Eientei "light teasing?" It's not that I hate Yuuka, it's just she's getting on my nerves.
>>162246
We poison nuked the Underground already, if you recall. It's just the oni liked it. And don't forget Aya reported on our breaking into the SDM (speaking of which, we never got an interview from her, have we?). I think word's gotten around.

And yet...allowing anger to cloud their judgment would not benefit anyone but their enemies.

As tempting as it would be to purge this mountain of every last feathered, furred, and flippered meat-sack infesting it, their current circumstances demanded a certain degree of subtlety that would not be possible while engaged in the mass-extermination of all living things within their general vicinity.

Besides, acting on such crude emotions as that would hardly be becoming of them, would it?
If they intend to remain above the beasts, they must not lower themselves to the level of beasts!

The child and her companion shall have their revenge.
Their enemies shall pay the price for crossing them.
But, it shall be meted out with precision and elegance, as befitting of ones such as they!


“Uh, Su-san? What are you...ah! Not again!”


...it would be prudent for them to first ensure they were in optimal condition, of course.

One can hardly expect to impress upon the ignorant masses the proper gravitas of their situation when their destructor is so clearly mutilated.


“Muta-what?”


Irksome it may be to admit, it would appear that the assistance of another will be required to restore the child to her previous, undamaged state.


“Su-san? Are you saying...”


They will require...help.


“Oh...oh! Su-san! The Human! He could help!”


Though her companion did not share the child's optimistic assessment of his utility, she could not deny that the fool might be of some marginal use in this particular instance.

Provided, of course, that he were not presently absent.


“So let's find him!”


Indeed, that would appear to be the most logical course of action.
Find the idiot, repair the child's arm, and then concern themselves with how to best enact their revenge.


“Yeah! Let's do that! ...um, how're we gonna do that?”


A fair question, though one whose answer may be close-at-hand...


“Oh~? Are you done talking to yourself? I know it can't be easy carrying a conversation single-handedly like that~!”


...or not.



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>I know it can't be easy carrying a conversation single-handedly like that~!
Someone with extensive talking to herself experience. My own clone~

Well, that's one question answered.

'How do I land this thing?'

Not very well, apparently.
Not very well at all.

No wonder I stopped using this one.


“Um, Miss Asakura? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. The bush broke my fall.”


...I'm amazed it didn't break anything else.
A little scratched up here and there, but otherwise there is nothing else hurting that wasn't already doing so.

Now all I need to do is just pick myself up, brush myself off, annnd...

Hm, nope.
No other injuries, as far as I can tell.

Given the staggering array of things that could have gone wrong, I suppose I can classify this landing as a success.
'Any crash you can walk away from,' right?


“Well, we're on the ground, now. What next?”

“A fair question. What's next, Miss Kurodani, is research!”

“Er, research?”

“In a manner of speaking. Something is going on inside that forest, and we need to know what it is before we venture in there.”

“So...we're asking people what's going on in there.”

“Basically, yes.”

“...and where might we be looking for these people?”

“Well, let's see...”



[ ] The entrance to the forest, perhaps? There's bound to be someone hanging around there, right?

[ ] The village would be our best bet. If anyone knows something, they're probably there.

[ ] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

[ ] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

[x] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

Best place to buy an umbrella.

[X] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!
3 years, give or take a few months. But yeah, Myouren Temple!

[x] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

Yay updates!

[x] The entrance to the forest, perhaps?

Rinnosuke? Someone else? I'm liking this encounter pool. But a temple is fine too, if loud.

[X] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

Just seeing how far we can push Rikako.

[x] The village would be our best bet. If anyone knows something, they're probably there.

We shall learn by the power of LOGIC!

[X] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

Just a brief update on the update to let you know that this is not the update, and that the actual update will most likely be happening sometime tomorrow night. In the event the update does not, there will be an update to inform you of the change in the update's arrival time, as well as an estimate of when you might be able to expect the update. Or, at the very least, an estimate of when you can expect further updates regarding the status of the update.

>>162316
Confusion and mystery, thy name is Do the Right Thing.

[x] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

I have been reading this story since the beginning, stopped about a year and a half ago for some reason(don't ask) and finally came back to see what happened since my absence.
Turns out this story is still as awesome and amusing as ever.
Keep it up writer. You gave me many entertaining evenings.
You also sparkled my love for Medi.

Writing has started, but will not be finished tonight. It might be finished tomorrow night, or it might not. It probably will be, though. Probably.

I certainly hope so, anyway.

Not done. No time. Late night. Early morning. Need sleep. Sorry.

>>162362
Chillax. We'll wait.

>>162362
I've had way too many of those recently, so I know how you feel. Sleep'll do you some good.

>>162362
It's allright. Take your time.

[x] What about that temple? ...wait, how long as that been there?!

I guess it is happening.

If it's information I am after, the village would be the most logical place to search for it.

...under normal circumstances, that is.

As pleasant as her company is, Kurodani's presence somewhat changes things.

I don't know the details of why she lives where she does, but I cannot imagine leading her into a major population center would exactly be a comfortable experience for her, least of all if the ones inhabiting that population center are in any way related to her reasons for living in relative solitude underground.

I suppose I could ask her to wait somewhere, but something about that doesn't quite sit right, either.

So, the village is out. For now, at least.

...the forest entrance, then?
There might be someone there, but it's just as likely that there is not.

So, no.

That just leaves...


“...how about that temple?”

“Temple?

“Yeah, it's close enough that anyone there should...ah...is something the matter?”

“Hm? Oh, no! No, I was just remembering something~! You were saying?”


...the way she's smirking, I'm not sure I want to know what that 'something' is.


“Well, anyway, I suspect that anyone there should have at least some idea regarding that smoke, even if it's just regarding whether or not it or its cause is harmful.”

“Hm, Miss Merlin didn't seem to worried about it. Then again, she didn't seem to be the type to worry about anything.”

“Even if she was, I doubt she would have anything to fear, regardless. As far as I can tell, she doesn't exactly need to breathe, and I doubt any sort of fire would harm her, either. We, on the other hand...”

“Not so lucky?”

“Not at all, especially if the smoke is coming from where I suspect it is.”

“That clinic we're trying to get to?”

“The same. In addition to treating the residents of the village, they also manufacture a variety of pharmaceuticals for youkai, and if anything from there is producing that smoke...”

“It might be just as bad for me as it would be for you, huh? Well, isn't that lovely?”



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[ ] Double Vision

[ ] Test for Echo

[ ] Living Dead Girl

[ ] Death of Seasons

[ ] Knife Fight

[ ] Of Wolf and Man

[ ] Edge of Thorns



--------------------------------------------


This took entirely too long to finish and post, and for that I apologize.
The past few days have been an unending torrent of hardship and woe, aside from all the ways in which they were not. Which is to say, it really wasn't all bad, aside from the parts that actually were, of which there were not that many.

I should go to bed, now.

I really, really should.

Yep.

[X] Knife Fight
I kind of want to check in on Anon, because last time we left him, he was about to get knife wounds all over his body.

[x] Living Dead Girl
If i think hard about it i might figure out what is what.
But i wish to be surprised.

[x] Knife Fight

[x] Test for Echo

HELLO! hello
>>162424
So do I (less than I want echo-chan), but I'm a bit afraid that if we leave Rikako now we won't pick up at the same place.

... I'm not sure why, since we just picked up at the same place we left off a looong time ago.

Oh, what to choose. What to choose

[X] Of Wolf and Man

I want to see all of them but I'm kind of hoping to see Yuugi vs Momiji. next

>>162424

I agree, I'm dead curious about this.

[x] Knife Fight

Bad day bad day bad day bad day bad day bad day bad day...

Those two words repeat themselves over and over in your mind as you struggle to comprehend the nightmarish scenario you now found yourself engulfed in.

Somehow, through a means unknown to you, the knives of the school cafeteria's kitchen have acquired the ability to move under their own power.
Also, they apparently want to kill you. Or, at the very least, seriously wound you.

You're not sure you care for either one of those things.

What you are sure about is that you would like to avoid either one of them happening to you.

Considering the way they were all speeding through the air towards you at this very moment, you suspect that now would be a good time to do something about that.

Something like dodging.
Dodging would be a good thing to do in this situation.

...too bad you never really ever learned how to dodge worth a damn.

'Don't skip your dodge-ball classes!' they said.
'It could save your life one day!' they said.

Where you had once brushed off such remarks in the past as stupid, you now wonder if it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to listen to them when you had the chance.

Still, how hard could dodging be, really? All it is, is moving yourself out of the way of whatever is threatening to hit you, right? Right! This should be easy! All you have to do is step to one side, and-


THMP

THMP THMP

THMPTHMPTHMPTHMP
THMP

THMPTHMP


THMP
THMPTHMPTHMP

THMP
THMP




THMP



...as you fall backwards onto the cold tile floor, you can't help but marvel at the sheer number of knives that had managed to firmly lodge themselves into various parts of your anatomy.

Left shoulder?
There's a knife in it.

Right shoulder?
There's a knife in that, too.

Here, a knife.
There, a knife.
Everywhere a knife could pierce you, there was probably a knife piercing you.

Sometimes two knives.

Two knives, one wound.

Something about that seems strangely funny to you, but you can't bring yourself to laugh.

Maybe it's because it isn't really all that funny.

...then again, the fact that both of your lungs were punctured and rapidly filling with what you can only assume is blood might also have something to do with that.

Just a hunch.

You have those, sometimes.

Hunches, that is.

In fact, you were having a couple right now, regarding your current status as the world's first sentient knife depository.

First of all, you are very bad at dodging things.
Like, really, really, really bad.
If there were ever a contest to determine who was the worst at dodging things, you would undoubtedly win first place. And second. Third, too, even.

You would win all the places.

All the places.


Secondly, you should probably be experiencing some sort of pain by now.

A lot of pain, actually.

Far more than you think you were feeling at that moment.

You're hardly an expert on the subject, but you would think that being stabbed in just about every place that was possible to stab would hurt, because that is what is supposed to happen when you get stabbed. You bleed, you hurt, and you possibly try to beg the nice man who just shanked you for the five dollars in your wallet to at least call for an ambulance before leaving you to die.

You don't dwell on it for too long, however, as the large meat cleaver that was now suspended over your head seemed to be far more deserving of your attention at that moment.

...at least, you think it's a meat cleaver.
Unlike the precision-crafted knives that were currently occupying your various fleshy bits, the cleaver looked more like a large, crudely-sharpened hunk of metal with a handle attached to it.

A handle that was, itself, attached to what looked vaguely like an arm through your now-dimming vision. An arm, you suspect, that is attached to a body of some sort, as arms tend to be.

“GoOD-byE,” you hear its owner say, as he briefly raises the cleaver above his head before swinging it back down towards your face.



[ ] Scream

[ ] Surge

[ ] Shine

[ ] Shock

[ ] Shiver

[x] Shine

Being faced with certain death, We unlock a Deus Ex Machina that will surely save our hides.

[x] Shine

I dodged an attack while grievously wounded! I'm shining!

[x] Shine
Might as well. Stupid, stupid evil spirits ruining our dreams...

[x] Shine

They interrupted our tutelage from Koishi. Now they must pay.

[X] Surge

Now would be a good time for an Ironheart Surge.

[x] IRON HEART SURGE

[X] Shine

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

[X] Shine
His only hope now is the antithesis of all cleavers, a cutting board.

[X] Shine

You can't move.

You've been stabbed in your, well, everything.

And now, some weird guy is about to hit you in the head with a big, nasty-looking meat cleaver.

Of all the things in the world that could be either good or bad or something in between, you would almost certainly file each of these things into the “bad thing” category.

All three of those things together? Even more so.

Truly, this is a dark time for you.
As dark as dark can be.
As dark as your rapidly-failing vision.
As dark as the cold, cold ground in which you will almost certainly be buried following your untimely demise.

But are you satisfied with that?
Are you content to just allow this thing that is about to happen to you?

Nay! Nay, you say!

Though times may be dark for you, you know that such times are when you must shine your brightest!

Indeed! Like a candle in the darkest night, you must shine like you have never shined before to chase away encroaching blackness!

No...not a candle!
Not a torch!
Not even a mighty fire, such as the one your dear non-blood-related sister set in the art department during doll-making week for reasons she has yet to completely explain to you!

No, you must shine like the very sun itself!
That mighty mass of incandescent gas!
Like a wondrous father who has had one too many drinks, and asks you to pull his finger while holding his prized lighter!
And, though your eyebrows might never grow back entirely after that day, you would still look back at those times when you would laugh together fondly, in stark contrast to the rest of your relationship which would be perpetually clouded by disappointment and regret!

And so, as the cleaver smashes down onto your face, rending flesh and cracking bone, you shine!
Like the sun!
The glorious, praiseworthy sun!
Brightly glowing!
Shining!

Blazing!

Burning!

Burning!


BURNING



“...huh? AH!” you yelp, finally noticing the flames that were now flickering from within the toaster.

Scrambling to unplug the appliance, you quickly glance towards the fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, mentally debating whether its use would be necessary.

Looking back at the smoking toaster, you carefully watch for any signs that the fire might spread before burning itself out. After several tense minutes, the light disappears, leaving only the smoke and fumes of burnt bread wafting through the air.

Taking a moment to mourn your toast, now little more than vaguely bread-shaped chunk of cinder and ash, you look up at the clock and feel your heart stop.


It's almost time for school!

“Damn!” you can't help but shout, wondering how you could have let time slip away from you like that. And after Koishi went to the trouble to wake you like that!

Come to think of it...where is Koishi?
Or Medi, for that matter?
You call out to them, but hear no response.

Weird. Did they go on ahead of you?

You could have sworn that...

Well, no matter, you think to yourself. You're not going to get anywhere hanging around the kitchen all day, after all.

Picking up your bag from the counter, you hurry out the door.

Though something about what just happened seems strange to you, you know you don't have time to worry about it. With so little time to get to class before the bell rings, you know you have to...


[ ] Sprint!
[ ] Run!
[ ] Jog!
[ ] Walk!
[ ] Mosey!
[ ] Strut!
[ ] Shuffle!

Huh, I'm kinda confused at what we got.

Oh well.
[X] Strut!

[X] Sprint!

What"...Where"...How?
Something happened, I didn't dream it, did I?

[x] Mosey!

Oh dear. I wasn't expecting gross incandescence. Welp. Time to mosey on out to the stable and saddle up, we'll need our horse to get to school on time.

[X] Strut!

To attract the ladies. We confident, yo.

[X] Mosey!
Reminds me of the end of FF7.
>>162490
It's simple, really. We drove the evil spirits away with the power of love. Or something like that.

[x]Strut

She told me to walk this way...

[X] Strut!

I've been waiting for this.

[x] Strut!

This is how we walk everywhere from now on.

[X] Strut!

Besides the Velociraptor Walk, this is the only proper form of movement.

[x] Strut!
I thought this was our normal ambulatory method!

[x] Goosestep!


[x] Strut!
Why not.

I'll try to update sometime tonight. The past couple days have been kicking my ass.

Kidney stones fucking suck.

>>162555
Actually, scratch that. I'll update when I can, but I don't know when that will be.

>>162558
I hope you will feel better soon.
[x] Mosey!

"I'll try to update tonight" and kidney stones are not things that should be in the same post. Fucking ow. Good luck with that.

Just a little status update to let you guys know what's going on.
A little surgery took care of the little stony bastard that had lodged itself (quite firmly, I might add) just below one of my kidneys. I'll spare you the rest of the details, but I am now basically on the mend, and I will hopefully be able to resume writing sometime soonish.

Or, at least, something vaguely resembling writing, since I have no idea how these pain meds will effect my ability to string a coherent thought together. All I know is, I'm not supposed to be behind a wheel when I'm taking them, so how being behind a keyboard might turn out is anybody's guess.

If nothing else, I don't have to worry about killing any pedestrians or small animals, but if by some random chance I did, I am certain they would have somehow deserved it.

Take your time, man. Recovery comes before writing.

Though I am curious as to how well mediciation-influenced writing would mesh with the rest of this story.

>>162693
Considering what the rest of this story is like, I don't think we'd be able to tell the difference. Which is completely fine by me.

>>162663
Side story time?

Also, glad to hear your on the mend.

>>162663
Here is hoping to a better health and a quick recovery.

Thanks, folks.

At the risk of jinxing myself, as has apparently been the trend for me these past few weeks, I am fairly certain the worst of this is now behind me. If all goes well, I will make every attempt to write something for somewhere at some point tomorrow. Probably an update for this story, but possibly something else. I don't know, but that's part of the fun.

What, run?
Jog?
Sprint?
Dash?
Desperately scamper off to school like a frantic, scampering thing?
Perish the thought!

There was only one way you were going to school on this day, and that is in style, damn it!

With all the smoothness of that guy from that thing you once saw, you strut your way onto the sidewalk. You don't quite recall what it was called, but you think it was about overcoming some sort of terrible sickness through the power of dance, or something.

...at least, you think that was a thing you saw.
Then again, it could just as easily have been another one of those weird fever-dreams you kept having during the first few weeks with your new family.

To this day, you still don't know how you managed to be the only one in the house to get sick from that casserole.

Or the soup.
Or the oatmeal.
Or the toast.
Especially the toast.
How does anyone get sick from toast?

Though you would never say as much for fear of hurting her feelings, you nevertheless breathed a sigh of relief the day you noticed Medi carrying cookbooks home for her mother to read.

Not that you disliked her mother's cooking!
In fact, now, you find just about anything she makes to be absolutely delicious!
So much so, that you have begun to find food prepared by anyone else to be somewhat bland in comparison.

Taste buds are funny like that, you guess.


As you begin to wonder what, if anything, may have been packed for your lunch today, you continue to strut and stride your way along the sidewalk...


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


“...what the hell is he doing?”

“Walking, clearly.”

“I know that! I mean why is he walking!”

“Never mind that! How is he walking? That fall should have killed him.”

“Be glad it didn't, or we'd have bigger problems than tracking a delirious human through the woods.”

“You don't think it's true, do you? That he's got...you know...”

“You think we'd be doing this instead of driving off that oni if it wasn't?”

“Well, it's not like that was really going all that well for us...”

“And this is better? Following after a...where did he go?!”

“What do you mean 'where did he go'?! He's right...uh...uh-oh.”



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


...until, somehow, you find yourself with no sidewalk left to strut upon.

Gazing down at the massive hole that had seemingly consumed much of the street in front of you.

Taking a single step back in the hopes that the marginal increase in your field of vision might inspire some profoundly insightful thought for you to ponder over as you take in the scene, your mind instead falls back on its tried-but-true strategy of stating the obvious.

There was a sidewalk here, your mind tells you. It's gone now.

As pleased as you are to learn that your mental faculties have yet to completely fail you, you realize that simply recognizing a problem is not quite the same as coming up with a solution to one

It is one thing to know there is a gaping hole where the sidewalk should be. That much is obvious.
What matters at this point is what you're going to do about it...


[ ] Jump over it.

[ [ Go around it.

[ ] Take the stairs.

[ ] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

[x] There is a hole here. Make it gone now.
[x] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

Fairy -> Raft
Kitty -> Bridge

[X] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

Do I see a "Best Plan Ever" moment coming up? I think I do.

[x] Jump over it.

Cannot go wrong

[X] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

Anon is so hopeless when hallucinating. He's funny that way.

>-“You don't think it's true, do you? That he's got...you know...”

Anyone else catch that and/or doesn't think that just refers to the evil spirits?

[X] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

This is the only possible choice.

[x] Jump over it.

This time with a plan please.

[X] Jump into it.

This hole was made for me!

[X] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

Do the tengu suspect that anon has some kind of horrible common sense sapping disease? It would explain an awful lot. Hell maybe we're spirits that direct his actions and cursed at the beginning him with mind boggling stupidity.

I just realized something. If we fall into the hole we're going straight back into the underground.
We're never going to escape from it at this rate.

[X] Go around it.

It's probably nothing, keep on walking!

>Do the tengu suspect that anon has some kind of horrible common sense sapping disease? It would explain an awful lot. Hell maybe we're spirits that direct his actions and cursed at the beginning him with mind boggling stupidity.

I think someone's come up with that theory already. Remember the box?

>>162858
>If we fall into the hole we're going straight back into the underground.
>We're never going to escape from it at this rate.

You say that like it were a bad thing.

[ ] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

Cats take precedence. Over everything. EVERYTHING.

[ ] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

[X] Try to find something to create a makeshi-OOH! LOOK! A KITTY!

>>162891
>Miss Satori's Wild Ride
I see what you did there.

Clearly, if you wish to cross over a hole such as this, you must first find something to allow you to do such a thing. A board or plank that you may use as a makeshift bridge, for example.

Now, if only you could find something like that to CAT.


CAT CAT CAT CAT KITTY KITTY CAT

RIGHT THERE

RIGHT THERE

A CAT

A CAT

A KITTY CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT



CAT

Sitting upon the wall nearby, you see it.

A cat.

A kitty cat.

In the back of your mind, you get the faintest sensation that there was something you were about to do.

Something important, and yet...not.

Clearly, if it were important, you would not have such trouble remembering what it was!

That you cannot remember is merely proof that whatever it was is of no great importance, and even if it were, it would pale in comparison to the importance of that which you see before you.

A cat.

The cat.

This cat.

That cat.

That cat.


[ ] KILL

[X] PET

This feline shall greatly aid us in our war against the foul birds.

Stupid Box Stealing Birds.

[x] TALK

Oohh ooohh, is the cat Orin? We haven't seen Orin despite extensive underground experience! We need to fin dher and send her home and this is a cat and a cat is Orin and it might be her let's find out by talking at it!

[x] STARE

Stare at it. Give it your best stare.

[x] TALK

Might as well.

>KILL

Go away, evil spirits. We don't take kindly to your kind around here.

[x]FINE TOO

[x] TALK

Who's a pretty kitty?

[X] PET

Who's a good kitty? Yes you are. You're a good kitty. If there is a cat it must be petted.

[X] PET

Because we must.

We are an advanced species and thus can perform 2 actions at once!
[x]Talk
[x]Pet

We shall coo at the little dear while petting it.
"Good kitty, Nice kitty."
"OH GOD NOT THE FACE"

>>162986
Let me see if I got this straight...
You want the guy who couldn't keep a single train of thought for more than a few seconds to multitask?
This can only end well.

[X] Pet
[X] Talk

[X] Pet
[X] Talk
[X] Love

Calling it for petting and talking, because some ties just shouldn't be broken.

Writing will hopefully commence sometime later tonight.

Oh, right. Holiday.
Kinda forgot about that.

Okay, updating might be a tad delayed.

There was only one thing you could do.

You would pet the cat.

How could you not?

As the egg is for eating, or the ball was for throwing, cats are for petting!

And so, you will pet it.

Pet it, and talk to it.


...okay, so there are only two things you could do.

And do them, you shall.


“Hey! Hey there, little kitty! Hey! You're a little kitty, aren't ya?” you say, slowly approaching the cat with your petting-hand raised.

The cat merely glances at you with disinterest.

“I'm gonna pet you, is that okay? Is it, little kitty? Would you like that? Would you like head-patties and ear-scratchies?”

The cat does not respond, save for another glance; its eyes once again regarding you with a cat-like mixture of boredom and barely-concealed disdain.

Taking the complete lack of hissing or any other threatening gesture on its part as a positive sign, you reach your hand out and place it upon the cat's head...



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



“Anything yet? Anything?!”

“Negative! I can't get a fix on his scent!”

“No signs of movement from up here, either. Damn it!”

“We...we're not going to have to go in there, are we?”

“You got any better ideas? The Captain will have our hides if we let him get away!”

“And going after that is better? Even if that other shit isn't true, he's been in direct contact with the Curse Goddess!

“All the more reason we need to act now, before-”


“HEY, MUTT! CATCH!”


“.whaAUGH!”


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


“Woah!” you yelp, retracting your hand as the cat jumps up in alarm at the sudden crack of thunder that now echoed from somewhere above. Before you can even attempt to calm it down, the cat is already in motion, bounding off of its perch, onto the street, and straight into the giant, gaping hole where the rest of the street used to be.



[ ] Quick! After that cat!
- ( ) You need to save it!
- ( ) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!
- ( ) That looks fun! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

[ ] Briefly mourn the loss of your new friend; proceed to act as if nothing happened

[ ] What were you doing again? Hey! Who put this hole here?!

[x] Quick! After that cat!
- (x) You need to save it!

Hi Satori. We brought your cat back. Please cure whatever horrible malady is affecting us.

[x] Quick! After that cat!
- (x) You need to save it!

Kitty needs saving! Hurry!

[X] What were you doing again? Hey! Who put this hole here?!
Admit it, Anon has the attention span of Mystia. Or Cirno. Or really any Team 9 member.

[X] What were you doing again? Hey! Who put this hole here?!

Must...Focus...
You're a Kitty!
No!..Focus! don't jump into the hole ANON!

Oh god inb4 underground part 2.

[X] Quick! After that cat!
- (X) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!
- (X) That looks fun! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

It's time to attempt what no other person has ever attempted. Either due to fear or actually caring about safety.

That's right it's time for mid-air petting.

[ ] What were you doing again? Hey! Who put this hole here?!

This is a hole. Wait something about cats? I see no cats here!

[X] What were you doing again? Hey! Who put this hole here?!
I'm pretty certain that Mystia has more of an attention span than Anon. She does run a food stand after all. Then again we have no idea what Anon's career consists of.

[X] Quick! After that cat!
- (X) You need to save it!
- (X) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!

Staying on task is useless if we get caught because of it, wasting even more time. Sometimes the fastest route is to dive into the closest hole without a second thought, y'know.

[X] Quick! After that cat!
- (X) You need to save it!

>>163097
Except we don't know what the tengu want with us. Maybe they'll help us? Or not.

[x] Quick! After that cat!
- (x) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!

Yes. It needs petting.

[X] Quick! After that cat!
- (X) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!

COME BACK KITTY!

[x] Quick! After that cat!
- (x) It shall not escape The Petting-ing!

The kitty went down the hole.

Kitty went down the hole..

But...but...you haven't pet the kitty yet!

You need to pet the kitty!

You NEED to pet it!

Yes.

Yes.

You feel as if you need to pet the kitty.

You cannot be satisfied unless you pet the kitty.

And yet, you cannot pet the kitty.

For there is no longer a kitty to pet.

You must correct that.

You must go after the kitty.

So that you may pet it.

You must go into the hole.

To pet the kitty.

Jump into the hole.

Pet the kitty

Jump into the hole.

Pet the kitty.

Jump into the hole.

Jump into the hole.

Jump into the hole.
Jump into the hole.
Jump into the hole.
Jump into the hole.
Jump into the hole.
Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole. Jump into the hole.


You feel an unceasing desire to go after the kitty cat kittykitty. You're not sure wpet the kitty pet the kitty hug the kittyhy.

Despite your years of education telling you that doing such things as jumping doitdoitdoit into large, gaping holes in the middle of the jumpjumpdoitjump street was a bad goodgooddoitdoitjumpjumpjump idea, you decide you are going to do it anyway.

After all, why not?

Worst case scenario, you plunge to your untimely death.
Best case scenario? You get to pet a cat.

Clearly, the benefits outweigh the risks.

That much is obvious to anyone.

Especially you.

You see no problem with this plan.

This plan of jumpinging into a hole in the middle of the street.

None at all.

None whatsoever.

Nope.

No problems at all.

So do it.

Do it.

Do it for the kitty.

Do it for the kitty.

You like cats, after all.

You like to pet them.

Hug them.

Stroke them.

But not name them silly things.

Because that is just silly.

Hugging and petting and stroking will suffice.

That is all you need.

And all you need is right there.

In the hole.

And that is why you will jump into the hole.

That is why you will jump into the hole.

Unless you for some reason do not want to jump into the hole.

But that is just silly.

Because there is a cat in the hole.

Heck, there may even be more cats in the hole.

Plenty of cats for you to hug and pet and stroke and cuddle and squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze.

You want that, right? Of course you do.

So jump into the hole.

Jump into the hole.

You want to jump into the hole.

You want to jump into the hole.

So do it.

Jump into the hole.

Jump into the hole.

JUMP INTO THE HOLE DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT


[ ] Yes.
[ ] [i]Yes
[ ] YES

[ ] NoYES

[x]Yes?
[x] Nevermind I'm bored again.

Oh yes, just to be clear, this is something along the lines of one of those "are you SURE you want to do this" choices. Not in a "you are about to do something that will have horrible consequences as a direct result, and this is your chance to back out" sort of way.

In fact, you might even like what might happen as a result. Or, perhaps you won't.

I'm not judging. Whatever floats your boat, man.

Either way, I think it's only fair that you know that you are deciding whether or not a certain something is going to happen, even if you don't know what the "something" in this particular case is.

All I will say is that not be returning to the underground.

Sorry, Satori.

[x] NoYES

[X] Yes.
The first one. Hopefully this is the one LEAST affected by evil spirits, which would hopefully give us enough delay for the tengu to get here and stop our suicidal jump.
Hopefully.
It's not going to work, is it?

[x] [i]Yes

[x] [i]Yes

I don't know what the broken formatting means. But I am for it. I am for the broken thing.

>>163160
>I don't know what the broken formatting means.

It means I failed to notice it before posting it, but didn't bother deleting the post after I noticed it, fix it, and re-posting. I'd normally do that, but between how tired I was and how small a portion of the update it actually affected, I decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Sorry if I gave too much away with that. It's shocking, I know.

[x] No

I'm feeling contrary.

[X] YES

This confirmation needs all the emphasis.

[x] Si
[x] Oui
[x] Gese

[x]Nes

[x] NoYES

>>163189
nessnessnessnessnessnessnessnessnessnessness
[spoiler] it hurts [/spoiler]

[x] NES

>>163152
I hope the event is cuddlespirit getting free reign! I don't envy you tallying these weird votes, anyway.

You decide to jump down the hole.

So you do.

You have to.

There's a cat down there.

A cat that needs to be petted.

If you don't take the leap, it can't have any petting.

How can it have any petting if you don't take the leap?

With a quick hop, you feel your shoes leave the safety of the concrete, and you plunge feet-first into the darkness.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


What the fuck?!
What the fuck?!
Did that just happen?!

Yep. Those two bitches just got knocked the fuck out.

...this is bad. This is so bad.
We...we need to...go? Yes, go.
Go now. We need to go.
We need to get out of here.

Or we could just take our time, and enjoy this little moment~.

Enjoy?! What's to enjoy?!
If they weren't pissed off at us before, they sure as hell will be now!

Good. Fuck 'em! Fuck 'em all! They deserve far worse than that bitch clocking them in the head with a rock! They're lucky I don't go and...heeeeey, that's not a bad idea...

What? No. No.

Weeeeeeeell, instead of them waking up and telling the rest of those flea-ridden whores about what happened, they could not wake up. Like, ever.

No, we are not doing that.

Why not~? It would solve at least two of our problems.

Two out of what? Thousands?!

Well, you have to start somewhere

How about we not start at all?

Oh, come on. Afraid that they'll suffer? Think that's too mean? As out of it as they are right now, they probably wouldn't even feel the knife!

I really don't think killing a couple tengu is going to help our situation any!

Aside from making me feel a little better. Now, where did that knife go? I'd be nice to get this over with before-



“...ahhh~! That felt good!”



Oh. Great. The bitch is back. Won-fucking-underful. ...where's that goddamn knife?!


“Well? Did you see that? Did you see it? Not so tough without that wind crap, are they? Feel free to be amazed. It's fine. I'll understand.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!”

“...or we can go back to whining thing, I guess. Like that hasn't gotten old yet.”

“Whining?! Do you even know what you just did?!”

“They just got their asses kicked, by me. Why you're complaining, when you didn't even do anything-”

“You fucked us! That's what you did! You saw them! They were looking for us!”

“And I found them first! I win, they lose, so what?”

“You fucking think it's just the two of them?! They could have the whole goddamn mountain looking for us! If anyone notices these two didn't come back or call in or whatever the fuck they do up here, it's not going to be hard to figure out where we are!”

“Psh! I'll just-”

“What? You'll what? Fight them all at once? Because that worked so well before!”

“Hey! It's not my fault they used that cheap-”

“Or maybe you'll just try to knock them out like these two? Think they'll just turn around for you if you ask them really, really nicely? I'm sure they'll be happy to let their guard down for you!”

“Well, if anyone knows about how to attack someone who's defenseless, it would be you, wouldn't it?”

“Oh, fuck you, you-”

“You want to join these two, then how about I just-”


“...uuuhhhn...”


“...did the dog just-”

“Shit! Shit! She's waking up! She's fucking waking up!”

“Huh. Head's harder than it looks. Well, whatever. Time for Round 2!”

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!”

“Would you shut up, already? Watch, all I have to do is...hm...wait. On second thought...”

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Shut up and grab the other one. I have an idea...”



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


You're falling.

And falling.

And falling some more.

The light from the surface now little more than a pin-point above your head, you feel almost relieved that you can no longer see the earth and assorted pipes and wires rushing past you. As fast as you seemed to be falling, you have no doubt that a hit from any of those would hurt like the dickens.

How far have you fallen, anyway? How fast, for that matter? Have you reached terminal velocity?

You suspect that you would already have these answers, or at least the knowledge of how you may discover them, were it not for the fact that you had to miss class that day to help with the cleanup of the aftermath of the incident that your fellow students had taken to referring to as simply 'The Incident'.

Though neither Tenshi nor Koishi could ever quite explain what exactly happened that day, what you do know for certain is that their attempt at forming a fishing club went down as the shortest-lived club in school history.

Also, blood is just as difficult to wash out as you had been led to believe.

The sight itself didn't bother you, but the smell? Eugh.

As you think about one bloody mess, your thoughts drift back to your current situation, and you begin to wonder if you shouldn't start worrying about what will happen if and when you arrive at the bottom of this hole.



[ ] Yeah.

[ ] Nah.

[X] Yeah.

>Also, blood is just as difficult to wash out as you had been led to believe.

...Uh...I'm not going to even ask.

[x] Yeah.
Kinda

[x] Nah.

Worrying never helped anyone, in situations like this. Keep a calm head. That's the ticket.

[X] Yeah.
Well, why not?

[x] Nah.

[x] Yeah.

It's just a tad worrying. What happened to the poor kitty, after all?

[x] Nah.

[X] Nah.

If the kitty thought that the hole was safe enough to jump into, then it must obviously be safe for humans like us too. Therefore, we do not need to worry about what is at the bottom of the hole.

[X] Nah.

Worrying is for normal people and late sleepers.

[X] Nah

There's no reason to worry, the hole loves us it won't let us die.

[x] Yeah.

Calling it now, though writing will have to wait until tomorrow night.

>>163268
>There's no reason to worry, the hole loves us it won't let us die.

The hole does not love you, Anon. No matter how you may try to woo it, the hole will not reciprocate your advances. Even if you attempt to chase it down and stop it from getting on that last flight out of town, it will not pause for you, not even when you break out your boombox and start playing that mix tape you made for it. It will continue to board the plane as if you were not even there, and fly out of your life forever, leaving you and the small group of people who were supposed to slowly begin to clap and cheer for you when the hole ran back into your arms with nothing else to do but awkwardly stare at each other for a few seconds before they disperse, and you are once again left alone. If you are lucky, the cab driver you left waiting at the curb with specific instructions to keep the engine running might take pity on you, and not charge you as much as you is supposed to. But probably not.


I'm sorry.

>>163277
Well then it's time to find new love with the floor. It's so excited that it's rushing to meet us.

>>163277

Hang on, we still need to ask it to dinner. Maybe then it would love us?

Of course you have nothing to worry about. At least, not as far as falling down this hole was concerned.

You could easily think of any number of non-falling-down-a-hole-related things that you could worry about.

Sharks, for instance.
Though you know, for a fact, that you live far from any natural habitat of those monstrous, beady-eyed killing-machines, you still found yourself worrying that you might one day become victim of a shark attack.

You could see it now. There you were, minding your own business, when BAM. Shark, right when you least expect it.

That knock on your door? Sure, it could be the cleaning lady, come to turn your bed down. Or, it could be a goddamn shark, come to end you in the most sudden, painful, and ridiculously-improbable way imaginable.

In fact, the more unlikely the scenario, the more terrifying the prospect of a shark attack becomes.

Compared to terror such as that, your current situation was almost comforting.
There is a strange sense of certainty in falling, you find.

You go down.
The ground comes up.
Somewhere in between, you meet.
No mysteries.
No surprises.
Just the natural forces of the world at work, and you being carried along by them towards a certain, inevitable end.


You suppose that 'end' stuff might be some mild cause for concern, and yet even knowing that it might mean your painful and gruesome demise, you still feel strangely calm as you plunge deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Sure, death might mean the end of your happy, carefree days as a student at a school with a constantly-growing number of attractive female students and faculty and mysteriously-decreasing number of male students and faculty, but perhaps one life ending means another beginning! Indeed! Just because a dream comes to an end, that does not mean an end to your life, as well! It does not even mean an end to dreams!

...it just means an end to that dream, in particular!

Granted, you may have liked that dream, and would have liked to see it through to its conclusion. Or, at the very least, to see what would have happened in the next few moments of that particular part of the dream, if it had not been cut painfully short.

But, alas, you know that you will never be able to see that dream again. No matter how quickly you try to go back to sleep, no matter how much you try to force that part of your brain to go back to what it was doing before it stopped before it so cruelly cock-blocked you, you know it will never resume that particular dream as you want it to. Bribe it, threaten it, or just scream at it all you want, but it will never again show you that wonderful dream you were enjoying so very, very much, especially since it was about to get to what you felt certain was a really good part.

They always get cut off at the good parts. Always.

As much as it frustrates you, though, you know that there is nothing else that can be done.
The dream ends, and no amount of begging or pleading or calling your mind names will compel it to give the dream the closure you feel it deserves. It's over. Finished. Never again will it appear for a repeat screening in the cinema of your mind.

Never again.

Never. Again



And that is why you are not at all worried about falling down this hole.
Because, though you may leave this world with unfinished business, you can at least rest easy knowing there will be no further opportunities for you to not finish it.


And so, you fall.

And fall.

And continue to fall, because you can't really do much else.

After all, you are falling.

Allowing gravity to do its work, you allow it to carry you down, like a loving mother pulling you towards the comfort of her bosom.

...and then the bitch drops you. Drops you right down a hole.

Though your flesh-mother may have failed you in her act of gross negligence, your new mother shares no such weaknesses. After all, one cannot drop that which they cannot even hold, because they have no arms with which to hold you to begin with.

Armless as she may be, though, that does not mean your new hole-mother cannot embrace you! Even now, you feel her all around you, her darkness enveloping your very being! Yes, even now, you were being held by her!

...no, more than that. It was as if she were taking you into her very womb!

That's right! You were being absorbed by your hole-mother, in all Her wondrous glory!

You gaze out at the inky blackness that is She, and for the briefest of moments, you feel as if She were looking back. Looking back with Her eyes.

Her many, many eyes.

In that brief, fleeting moment, you feel something stir inside you.
A strange, vague sensation; formless, yet unmistakably there.

And then, with a blinding flash of light, both it and the darkness vanish.

Blinking a few times, your vision clears just enough for you to make out out the strange, grass-covered wall rushing towards you...

Yukari's taken an interest in us, it seems.
We are so, so screwed.

>They always get cut off at the good parts. Always.

This seems familiar. I can't imagine why...

Oh nooo. We never got to see delusion-class! Now we'll be forever closed off from comparing delusion-class to any potential real-classes we might find ourselves in!

>Never again.
>Never. Again.

Still a sore spot eh? Well, it happened three times already, so I guess it is understandable.

That setting is just doomed.

You hurt.

You suppose you shouldn't be surprised. After all, belly-flopping onto solid ground isn't generally something that is supposed to feel good. A fluffy bed? Sure. A pile of marshmallows? Absolutely. But dirt, grass-covered of otherwise? Not so much.

Slowly picking yourself up, you warily look around, as a strange sense of unease begins to in the back of your mind.

Something isn't right.

Mere moments ago, you could have sworn you were standing in the middle of the street, staring down a rather large hole. A hole that, for some strange reason, you thought would be a good idea to jump down.

...and yet, you were not in a hole. You were not even on a street, as far as you could tell. Those tend to be made of things like asphalt, not grass and dirt. They also did not usually have trees growing out of them.

No, you were most certainly not standing in a hole or on a street or anything of the sort. If anything, you would say your current location more closely resembled a forest. Considering the complete and utter lack of such things on your usual route to school, you can only assume that you have somehow wandered into the local park by mistake. By mistake, and without any conscious memory of doing any such thing.

That happens sometimes.

There you would be, in your room, about to eat a sandwich while doing your homework, and the next thing you know you're at the train depot and your pants are missing.

Fortunately, it seems your pants have not abandoned you, this time. A quick inspection reveals that your other articles of clothing and personal effects are also present and accounted for, much to your relief.

In fact, the only thing that seemed to be missing was the reason you had jumped into that hole that you apparently didn't really jump into. Unless, of course, you did jump into, but you're not sure you could ever hope to come up with an explanation for how jumping into a hole in the middle of the street would deposit you in the park. You don't think holes in the ground are really supposed to work that way.

Come to think of it, why did you think you would jump into a hole like that in the first plaCAT

CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT
CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT
CATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCAT
CATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCAT
CATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCAT
CATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCAT
CATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCATCAT

...oh, right. There was a cat, wasn't there?

At least, you think there was.
That funny voice screaming in your mind certainly sounds convinced, and that's good enough for you, you suppose.

Of course, that raises the question of exactly where the cat was.
You don't see it anywhere nearby, so unless it can somehow turn itself invisible, you think it's safe to assume that it is no longer in your immediate area.

So, where did it go?
Looking ahead, you think you see buildings through the gaps in the trees. Perhaps it went that way?
Perhaps not?

If you were a cat, which way would you go?


[ ] To civilization, so that you may lounge around in comfort!

[ ] To the wilderness, so that you may hunt, like the predator you are!

[X] To civilization, so that you may lounge around in comfort!

>>163525
[X] To civilization, so that you may lounge around in comfort!
Also, what happened to that cocooned person that Yamame was working on freeing a while ago? ...or maybe I'm blind, and missed that part.

[X] To civilization, so that you may lounge around in comfort!

Great as things may have been in delusion world, we sort of need to remind ourselves that we're in Gensokyo. Although where... I don't know. Maybe Yukari has placed us where we need to be?

>>163528

No, that was never revealed. That and a lot of other things. Like the blood. Or the box. Or the amnesia. Or the fact that Anon's "ball" is missing. A lot of things, really.

Say, is the story still on Rikako? I'm waiting for he scenes to end and get back to the school dream.

[x] To the wilderness, so that you may hunt, like the predator you are!

Awaken those hunting instincts~

[x] To the wilderness, so that you may hunt, like the predator you are!

Yes!

>>163528
>Also, what happened to that cocooned person that Yamame was working on freeing a while ago? ...or maybe I'm blind, and missed that part.

Remember when she was working on freeing the "person"? It was just before the reunion with Yuuka. The MC went out to scout ahead, while the others remained behind. And then, immediately after waking from his little nap, this happened:

>Opening your eyes, you see your little friend standing over you, looking around in confusion as alarmed-sounding voices call out from somewhere nearby. The reason for their alarm becomes apparent mere seconds later, as a giant, profanity-screaming bird swoops across the sky with blinding speed.

If it weren't for the tiny little Yuuka that demanded your immediate attention, that might have raised a few more questions at the time than it really did. What was that bird? Where did it come from? Why did the ones who waited behind in the cave come running out after it? Did they see it from inside the cave, or did it possibly come from inside the cave? Why was it flying away so quickly, while cursing up a storm as it did so? Was it upset for some reason? Why would it be upset? Will any of these questions be addressed in a future update? Will any of the other hanging questions be addressed in a future update?

All I can say is that the answer to at least one or two of those questions is a resounding, yet noncommittal "maybe".

>>163536
I'll laugh if they ever get answered. A lot of these questions were from, what, the first couple of threads? The author clearly isn't going to shed light on any of this, and we're all going to just keep speculating until either the story ends or they are answered several threads from now, if at all.
And because we're bringing this all up, we're going to get one of those "Plot, what plot?" posts from the author. Just to mess with us.

>>163544
You do realize the author was probably the one who wrote that post you're replying to, right?

>>163544
Well anon only has themselves to blame for taking the 255% random route.

If there are buildings nearby, then it is only logical to assume there are people there, as well.

People with food.

Cats like food, as do most creatures who require it for their continued survival.

Clearly, if your fluffy, purring, not-yet-petted quarry were to go anywhere, that would be where it would go!

And so, dusting yourself off, you march back towards civilization with only a vague sense of curiosity as to how you wandered out of it in the first place. You feel certain that you must have had a reason for winding up where you were, even if you could not remember it. It would not be the first thing you had forgotten in your life, you know that much. Probably not the last, either.

Stepping out of the trees, you find yourself on a dirt road lined by houses on either side.

...really, really, really old-looking houses. The kind you didn't think still existed in any town that had made even the slightest attempt to modernize within the last century.

Clearly, you've wandered further from your usual route to school than you thought.

Your chances of making it to class in anything close to timely fashion having now been thoroughly crushed, you figure you may as well redouble your efforts in finding that cat. If you're going to miss school for the sake of petting that cat, you're going all the way with it.

You want to pet that cat.
You're going to pet that cat.
You are so totally going to pet that cat.
You're going to pet the fuck out of that cat.
Oh yes.
Yes, you most certainly are.

But first, you must find it!

Truly, if the cat were a needle, then this part of town would be the haystack in which you must search for it! Also, once you were to find it, you might not want to pet it so much after all, since it would be a needle, and those can hurt. So, really, it's not like a needle at all.

But nevertheless, you must find it!

As you begin to ponder options for how to begin your search, your find your thoughts being interrupted by a strange ringing sound. A ringing not unlike what you would hear from a bell.

Damn bells, always interrupting your thoughts!

Well, no matter! You've learned to adapt to such things as that!
If a sound bothers you, then you can simply ignore it!

Now, how to begin your search...


[ ] Stick to the ground, and look for footprints. Let the hunter become the hunted!

[ ] Climb up to the roof of the nearest house! Cats like high places, right?

[ ] Run blindly through the streets, shouting 'HERE KITTY KITTY! IT'S TIME FOR NUM-NUMS!'

[ ] Actually, you think you might go see what the ringing is all about, after all.







-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Since I have a bit of time, I suppose I will address a few things in more detail.

There are unanswered questions. Believe it or not, but I do remember, and there are answers to them. You just haven't found the right place and/or person to answer them, yet. Some of them might not be fully addressed until we're in the endgame, but they will be addressed eventually.


>>163530
> Say, is the story still on Rikako? I'm waiting for he scenes to end and get back to the school dream.

We haven't been with Rikako for at least the past eight updates, dude. As far as the school bit goes for this story, though, I'm afraid you might be in for a bit of disappointment. I'm still here. Granted, it's not a completely done deal until this story is actually finished, but I think I'm doing an okay job at proving them wrong on that, so far.

Now, you're free to believe whatever you want about my chances of doing or not doing certain things. If you honestly feel that way, then I clearly have failed to earn your trust, and I am sorry for that. However, for you to come out and say things like "I'll LAUGH if that ever happens!" or "he's CLEARLY never going to do that!" as if you know more about what I am or am not going to do than anybody else, least of all me? I'll have to respectfully disagree with you, there.

If I have not answered any of the questions you claim I clearly am not going to answer by the time this is all over, then by all means, say "I told you so!" I'm pretty sure I'll deserve it, if that's the case. Until that time, though, let's try to keep the negativity and pessimism to a minimum, okay?

Also, come on. "Plot? What plot?" If I really wanted to mess with you guys, I wouldn't do something like that. If anything, I'd do something like point out how I said there are answers to your questions regarding the blood, box, chronic memory problems, and so on. not they would be answers you will like.

[ ] Climb up to the roof of the nearest house! Cats like high places, right?

UPWARDS TO THE SKY! CATS FLY AFTER ALL.

[X] Climb up to the roof of the nearest house! Cats like high places, right?

Let's try to imitate Assassin's Creed.

[x] Actually, you think you might go see what the ringing is all about, after all.

If the answers to all those questions are painful, we'll just have to ignore them, now won't we? This guy has lots of practice at that sort of thing.

[X] Actually, you think you might go see what the ringing is all about, after all.
Quickly Anon, the Cat is stuck in a bell!
...alright, not really...maybe...eh, I dunno, voting anyway.

>Until that time, though, let's try to keep the negativity and pessimism to a minimum, okay?

In hindsight, my earlier post was completely me being a wiseass and thinking I'm "genre savvy." Clearly I'm not. I'm sorry if my earlier post offended you in any way, shape, or form. It was a terribly written, terribly phrased post. I harbor no ill feelings towards you or this story. I'm pretty glad that it's lasted as long as it did, because the story is probably one of the greatest and longest-lasting stories on this site. So once again, sorry for letting my impatience for plot (which is just something I have in general, not with this story in particular) get the better of me.

On another note...

[x] Actually, you think you might go see what the ringing is all about, after all.

Was there a bell in the Human Village? Or is it Anon losing his mind at a rapid pace?

>>163573
No hard feelings, man. I know quite well how easy it is for things you say to not come across quite the way you intended them to. Oh boy, do I ever.


In other news, no time to update tonight, but I'll try to have something either tomorrow or the day after, and will probably call the vote sometime before work tomorrow.

>>163611
I am sorry i am kinda late for voting because i just don't check every day. Just never stop writing. EVen if you stop here then write something else.

[x] Run blindly through the streets, shouting 'HERE KITTY KITTY! IT'S TIME FOR NUM-NUMS!'

[x] Actually, you think you might go see what the ringing is all about, after all.

Reminds me of a telephone from earlier...

Well, yesterday didn't go quite as I expected it to.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the next six or seven days will go exactly as I expect they will. Horribly so.

Will keep trying to write, blah blah blah, updating when its ready, and so on and so forth.

I am wondering about and considering some things, though, and I might bring up or ask about them sometime in the near future. Just know you might want to start considering who/what/where you'd like to meet/do/burn downvisit, be it in this story or elsewhere.

>>163704
For what it counts, I'd like the plot to move forward and some character development. That is happening right?




...right?

You think the ringing sound might be worth checking out.

Feeling somewhat certain that the sound was not originating in your head, largely due to the fact that this ringing sounded nothing like what you were used to hearing in your ears whenever it gets really quiet, you knew that it had to be coming from something else.

Something was making that ringing noise.

Moving carefully along the road, you begin to try to follow the sound to its source. Turning a corner, then another, and another after that, you hear the ringing gradually increase in volume. Knowing you had to be close, you slowly peek around the next corner you see, and that is when yoCATS

CAT CAT KITTY KITTY CAT CAT CATS

...that is when you see the cats.

Dozens upon dozens of cats.

Though you did not see that cat you had been following anywhere yDON'T CARE CATS CATS CATS CATS KITTIES CATSou don't find yourself being too bothCATSered by that.

You do find yourself feeling strangely annoyed, though.

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS

You're not sure why.
You wonder if the cats might have something to do with it, yet you can see nothing about them that would cause you undue irritation.

Cats CATS playing on the street.
Cats lounging on CATS CATS rooftops and windowsills.
Everywhere you looked, dozens upon dozens of cats were doing just about anything and everything you would expect CAAAAATS to do, with the exception of the one especially large cat in the midst of the swarm, who was waving some shiny, bell-like object in her hand that seemed to be producing the ringing you were hearing.

From her greater size, extra tail, and the way she appeared to be saying something to the throng of felines, you would almost be inclined to assume she was the leader of this group. Almost, were it not for the way it looked as if she were being completely ignored.

Curious about what the large cat was saying, you lean yourself a little further around the corner, stopping once yoCAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS

CATS
CATS
CATS
MUST PET
MUST PET
GOTTA PET
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS

You're walking towards the cats all of a sudden.
You're walking towards the cats.
Why are you walking towards the cats?!

BECAUSE CATS
CATS CATS CATS
CATS CATS
CATS

CATS

Your legs, having apparently gained the ability to move on their own, were now carrying the rest of you towards the gathering, leaving you unable to do anything but wonder and hope that these cats were the sorta-okay-but-mostly-aloof types, and not the vicious man-eating type that would almost certainly reduce you to nothing but a pile of bones in seconds, like a school of fluffy piranha.

Though most of them seem about as interested in you as they are in their 'leader', you still see a number of slitted eyes glaring in your direction. The closer you get, the more you begin to feel that uncomfortable sense of unease when you realize a lot of people were staring at you. Before long, even the bell-ringer notices that a growing number of her flock were focused on something, and the shiny bell goes silent as her gaze finally settles upon you.

For the moment, she looks surprised, but you have a feeling that won't last for very long. If you were going to capitalize on this in any way, now would have to be the time you did so.



[ ] TALK
[ ] ATTACK
[ ] MEOW
[ ] FLEE

[ ] OTHER


----------------------------------------




>>163716

The question shouldn't be whether or not those things will or will not happen, it should be whether or not those things will happen at a speed other than "glacier". might be cropping up for someone in the next thread, or the one after that.

[x] TALK
[x] PET
[x] MEOW

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN?
Why did Yukari put us here, I wonder? Does Yukari think Chen needs a playmate? Does Chen think Chen needs a playmate? It looks like Chen needs a playmate, all these cats aren't minding her at all.

>pacing
I want more within-update viewpoint switching. Particularly when protagonist-kun's one-track-mind is chugging along for multiple updates in a row.
If you feel like it, I mean. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

[X] MEOW
Let's pretend we're a cat!
This plan cannot possibly go wrong!

[x] TALK

If the cat talks back we can ask her out to dinner. Maybe we can acquire a cat too.

[X] TALK
Ask her out to dinner! That's what we always do!
Also, just realized that this is in fact not the Human Village, but Mayohiga. I guess it makes more sense, but why would Yukari bring us here?

[†] MEOW

[x] TALK

If this cat can stand upright, perhaps she can speak our language? Perhaps she can teach us the language of cats!

[x] TALK

Communication! Yes! You will attempt to open a dialog with this cat caT CAT CAT CATCATCATCATCATKITTYKITTYCATCATCAT
CAT CAT CAT KITTY CAT
CAT CAT FLUFFY FLUFFY
CAT WANNA PET WANNA
PET PET GOTTA PET NEED
TO PET GOTTA PET CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

Shaking your head violently in an attempt to quiet the increasingly persistent voice in your mind, you quickly clear your throat and begin to speak.

“Hey there! Is this yoCAT! YOU'RE A CAT! KITTY CAT! KITTY KITTY CAT! I WANNA PEMMMPH!”

...that didn't come out quite how you thought it would.

Snapping your jaws shut, and nearly biting your own tongue off in the process, you continue to feel muffled words attempting to escape your mouth. As unnerved as you are at the notion of you shutting yourself up, for any reason, you feel considerably more concerned by the way you were saying things you were not meaning to say. More than that, you were continuing to say them despite you actively trying to stop yourself from saying anything.

Somehow, you don't think that's supposed to happen.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


The fuck is she doing?!
The fuck am I doing?!


“No, damn it! Not like that! Do it like this!”

“Why am I even doing this?!”

“Just shut up and do it! They won't stay out long!”

“Okay, okay! Shit...”


...they're going to be angry when the realize what we're doing, aren't they?
Oh, no I'm sure they'll find it absolutely hilariof course they're going to be pissed!


“Augh! NO! I told you! Tie it like THIS!”

“Goddamn it, stop fucking yelling at me!”

“THEN LISTEN WHEN I YELL AT YOU!”



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Okay, so your first attempt at talking to the cat did not work so well.
All is not yet lost, however! You can still salvage this! ...you hope.

Your involuntary mumblings having been silenced for time being and your window for getting the first word in now rapidly closing, you needed to say something now!


[ ]

[X] So, do you want to go out to dinner with me?

We've done it to everyone else. Now we do it to Chen.
Also, I think one of the evil spirits was obsessed with cats or something. Maybe it liked Orin and it wants to find others like her?

[X] Extend dinner invitation
[X] Pet Cat if an opportunity presents itself

[X] Extend dinner invitation
[X] Pet Cat if an opportunity presents itself

Alright, he needs to calm down and try again.

[x] Sorry about that. Where am I, and where is the nearest exorcist?
[x] Pet cats as menacingly as possible.

What are Tenshi and Parsee doing? Tying tengu's door shut? Setting an elaborate trap?

[X] Use the tried and true method of gesturing and speaking slowly to get the point across.

The point being, "I have no idea where I am, but would you like to go out for dinner anyways?"
We'll get both info, and food once she leads us somewhere.

[X] Use the tried and true method of gesturing and speaking slowly to get the point across.

Lost and looking for a dinner companion sounds good to me.
Pretty much sums of the entire story, to be honest.

Although you forgot that you have to talk loudly as well. Louder = people will understand you better. Especially foreigners who don't even know the language.

[x] Use the tried and true method of gesturing and speaking slowly to get the point across.

As much as i want to ask for dinners i would like to try something new.

“H-hello, ca-ca-cAT!” you stammer, just barely managing to suppress the urge to blurt out more than absolutely necessary to say what you want to say. It is a task you find considerably more difficult that you expected. “I-it is n-n-nuh-NICE day toDAY-ay!”

As you speak, the cat's expression changes from surprise to confusion, her ears twitching slightly from beneath her hat. “You talk funny,” the she says, sniffing and scrunching up her nose. “Smell funny, too.”

Though you feel slightly offended by the cat's remark, you resist the urge to inform her that you made sure to take a shower not too long ago.

...or was it a bath?

“Wo-would you LIKE to h-ha-haaaaaaAAVE DINNER?” you continue, not allowing yourself to divert your thoughts from the matter at-hand. “Fuh-ffffffooOOOD good YES?” As if to help illustrate your intentions, you carefully mime eating a sandwich followed by rubbing your stomach in a circular motion.

“...are you like a crazy person?” the cat asks, clearly unsure of what to make of your invitation.

Not that you can blame her, of course.
For once, you're not sure even you know what to make of what you just said. Of all the ways to extend an invitation to dinner, this has got to be one of the worst ones you've ever attempted.

Clearly, these spirits are cramping your style.

“I guess I am hungry, though. Hmm...” the cat says, looking towards the sky as she trails off, as if pondering something. “Is it okay? He smells funny. The others didn't smell funny. He doesn't smell like them, either, though. So that means it's okay, right? ...okay!” Her discussion with herself having apparently ended, the cat lowers her head until she once again meets your gaze with her own. Though you're sure it's just a trick of the light, you think you briefly see a strange glimmer in her eyes that wasn't there before.

“Hey, mister. Where did you come from?” the cat asks, smiling, as her twin tails begin to swish from side to side.

Though it is not an immediate acceptance of your proposal, as you would have hoped, you feel somewhat encouraged by the fact that her response did not appear to be any sort of refusal, either. In fact, this could be a good sign! Asking about you is a sign that she is interested! In you! Throw in the way she was smiling and swishing tails, and can tell this dinner is almost in the bag!

...the tail thing means a cat is happy, right?

In any case, if the little kitty asked you a question, it would be rude not to answer, right?
No sense flushing this potential dinner down the toilet due to poor manners, after all!

You came from...


[ ] Here.

[ ] There.


[ ] Everywhere



[ ] Nowhere

[X] Here.
[X] There.
[X] Everywhere.
We are so hopelessly lost it hurts.
(In case it's single option only, pick "Everywhere")

[X] Nowhere

Would Yukari's gaps count as "nowhere?"
>Clearly, these spirits are cramping your style.
You know, if we just went to the Hakurei Shrine...

[X] There.

That and a finger point should do the trick

[X] Everywhere

I am the world.

We all know we're never going to get where we really need to.

[x] There

[x] There.

Ranpathy?
>>163843
Hahaha. You really believe that, do you?

[x] There.

Is Chen thinking about eating us?

>>163860
And a happy new year!

>>163860
Oh Medicine. You never change.

Well. The holiday has passed, I've had my couple of days to slack off and decompress, and despite a few issues I am feeling pretty okay. I'm going to go ahead and say I will attempt to write and update sometime tomorrow night.

Yay, Glad to have you back.

“There!” you say, vaguely waving an extended finger in a series of random directions. “I c-ca-cAME ffffffffffrom there! No, there! O-or, uh...there?”

The cat's smile widens and the swishing of her tails quicken as you continue to point in various directions. You can only assume this is a good sign. No doubt, your lack of a clear answer to her question has created a sense of mystery about you. That glint of hunger you see in her eyes is almost certainly an indication that she has become intrigued by you, and wishes to learn more. Ideally, over dinner.

...but what sort of dinner? And where? When for that matter?

Having your offer accepted is all well and good, but it will all be for nothing if you neglect such basic, yet crucial details.

Besides, it was still far too early in the day to have a proper dinner, and you were quite certain you had other matters to attend to before that.

Important matters.

Extremely important matters.

Matters like...like...


What were you doing again?



[ ] You were going to the shrichool. Better hurry! You don't want to be late!

[ ] You were going to try to find your companiontact lens. Stupid things keep falling out!

[ ] You were just about to pet this cute little kitty! Who's a good kitty? Who's a good kitty?

[ ]

[X]

Obviously.

So, what are we wearing right now? I seem to recall that we lost our fluffy pink robe.

[X]
Guess I'll support the untitled option.

[X]

Happy new year!

[X] You were going to turn your life around, get out of the game, and maybe get a pet cat. Unfortunately the people involved had other ideas. You wanted out of the business, but now you have to return for one final mission.


All this is an external internal monologue, said in the most Noir voice possible.

[ ]

Must go for obviously beckoning choice.

>>163982
Well, let's see...
Your original clothes were completely incinerated, and the robe you were wearing in their place is now also gone.

It's almost as if you were wearing nothing at all!


>>163987

I like you.

[X] You were going to turn your life around, get out of the game, and maybe get a pet cat. Unfortunately the people involved had other ideas. You wanted out of the business, but now you have to return for one final mission.

Yes

[X] You were going to turn your life around, get out of the game, and maybe get a pet cat. Unfortunately the people involved had other ideas. You wanted out of the business, but now you have to return for one final mission.

>>163989

That creates quite a problem because I like him as well. I propose we settle this like gentlemen and quietly kill eachother over a pot of Earl Gray and biscuits.

[X]

It's the wild card, so who knows what will happen?
Seems like we are starting to come out of the illusion, but not yet.

[X]

Out of the rabbit's hole.


It's a figure of speech

You were doing...what?

It had to be something, right?

Something important?

Perhaps not.

...or perhaps so.

You knew you had to have been doing something. You can't imagine you not doing anything, least of all for you to be where you are instead of being still where you were. Which, of course, you were not. You knew you had things to do, and places to be. Places that would allow you to do that which must be done. With any luck, some of those things would be things you actually wanted to do.

What you want...

...what do you want?

You suppose there were lots of things you wanted.

A roof over your head.
Food on the table.
A nice pair of pants.

...especially a pair of pants.
Your current pair is just a little too drafty for your liking.
Also, burnt. Severely, horribly, irreparably burnt.

Clothes, it turns out, are not nearly as effective at protecting you from the elements when they've been reduced to ash.

You should probably do something about that, but you don't think that's what you were doing.


“...hey, mister? Mister-stinky-man?”


So, what were you doing?

You can't quite remember.

At least, you don't think you remember.
If you could, you would have probably done so by now, wouldn't you?

Maybe.

You don't know.

What you do know is that you feel a little tired, as if you had been walking and running for a long time.

A long, long time...


“...-ey...are y..u...liste-...”


Walking, running, always on the move...

It wears on you after a while.
Constantly moving.
Never stopping.
Always running.

Running.

Running.

Running until you can't run anymore, but never being able to stop.

Oh, how you wish you could stop.
Rest.
To not have to run ever again.
To leave this life behind.

Perhaps take up a new one?

...yeah, that would be nice.

A new life, a new name, a new identity. Go somewhere far away, where nobody would know you, and just start over.

If only it were so easy...

You know it's not, though.

They would never allow it.

They would never let you stop.

They would never leave you alone.

They would find you, one way or another, and the chase would begin anew.


...at least, that's how they had planned it.

Too bad for them, you had ideas of your own, and were aiming to end this twisted game once and for all.

The board had been set.

The pieces were in play.

No way were you gonna let them make the first move.


[ ] You needed some hardware. They hit hard. You had to hit harder.

[ ] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

[ ] You needed a drink. The old watering hole wasn't much, but that's why it felt like home.

[ ] You needed to go. Now. It was crazy. Suicidal. You knew damn well they would never see it coming.

[X] You needed some hardware. They hit hard. You had to hit harder.

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

We've gone so off the deep end we're lodged firmly in the bottom of the pool. Time to at least find someone we know. Maybe they'll straighten us out.

[X] You needed some hardware. They hit hard. You had to hit harder.

Fuck it, time to hit rock bottom. Or some of its inhabitants.

[X] You needed some hardware. They hit hard. You had to hit harder.

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

I don't even know anymore. Maybe I never did.

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

I just hope our Youkai cavalry is closing in, they owe us this much...
Wait... they owe us nothing!

[X] You needed to go. Now. It was crazy. Suicidal. You knew damn well they would never see it coming.

Every movie I've ever seen tells that the more crazy a plan the more likely it is to work.

>>164035

Actually it's the less we know about the plan, the more likely it is to succeed. Though yours is close too.

[x] You needed a drink. The old watering hole wasn't much, but that's why it felt like home.

Happy new year

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

Hey. Is it weird that I think this is Cirno we're dealing with here?

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

>>164083
I think we've just inherited her patented brand of Noir-style insanity, vis a vis >>163987's suggestion. Pretty sure we're still actually dealing with a worryingly hungry Chen and a cat-fixated evil spirit or two.

[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

Am I the only one who thinks of that weird note when he's noir-talking about an "old informant"?

>>164122
Obviously NoirCirno is one of the spirits possessing him.

>>164128
Paper? Our last encounter with it got cut short...

Proximity to modern times have evolved Paper into: Computer! We can trust friend Computer.

>>164027
[x] You needed a drink. The old watering hole wasn't much, but that's why it felt like home.

>>164028
I'd like to change my vote to
[X] You needed some info. Your old informant. Slimy as they came. Still, you might give 'im a ring.

For I believe this will lead us to Cirno. And this stories Cirno was pretty awesome.

Officially calling it. Updating sometime tonight, hopefully. Probably in a new thread. I know I don't have to say that, but I figure if I say I'm going to do it, then it's more likely that I will actually do it, if only so I do not feel any sense of guilt in the event that I do not do it.

Temporary guilt that would quickly be forgotten in favor of some other, non-updating activity, but guilt nonetheless.