[ ] Agree, but go with her, explain you don't have much.

[X] Agree, let Renko go cook. She might be able to do something.

I kind of want to have a one on one chat with Mary, dunno about what yet, but we could use one.

Also... we could ask Mary if she remembers Yukari teaching anyone back when she still could see though Yukari's eyes.

[X] Agree, let Renko go cook. She might be able to do something.

[X] Agree, but go with her, explain you don't have much.

[X] Agree, let Renko go cook. She might be able to do something.

[x] Agree, let Renko go cook. She might be able to do something.

Also, does anyone else think that there might be some kind of connection between Yukari teaching us and Mary starting to lose her link with Yukari?

[x] Decline, if she really wants to thank you, she can pay for the take-out.

[X] Agree, let Renko go cook. She might be able to do something.

I think that we should try to polish some rough edges with Mary.

Writing now.

>>62174

hooray!

"T-thanks Renko." You say, smiling at her.
"Hey, I said you needed a good meal, didn't I?" She winks at you. "I'll see what I can rustle up."
You glance at Mary as Renko leaves the room. Suddenly alone with her, you're reminded again of how she looks so similar to Yukari. Why on earth does she look like Yukari, why can she see into her mind? Maybe they're ... twins? Connected somehow? There must be more going on here than simple biological similarity. At least you know for sure that you're not completely crazy now.
"What are you looking at?" Mary says without hostility. You look away, stammering, not having realised you were staring at her.
S-s-sorry!" You say. Mary sighs. When you look back at her, she's closed her eyes again.
"You're a strange one." She says. "I wonder why Yukari talks to you."
"I don't know." You say, laughing nervously. "I wish she'd never started ... but I guess there must be some kind of point to it."
"Oh?" Mary cracks one eyelid open. "Such as?"
You shrug. "I don't know." You frown for a moment as a thought occurs to you. "Mary ... uh, you said you have access to Yukari's mind, right?"
Mary nods, looking bored. "Yes, that's what I said."
"Then ... do you recognise me?" You ask.

Mary shakes her head slowly. "You've never been in Yukari's thoughts."

You frown again, looking down. That doesn't make much sense. Despite meeting these two, you're not really much closer to working out what's happening to you. Maybe you should try demanding some answers from Yukari next time you fall asleep.
You notice Mary is still watching you with one eye. You stare back at her for a moment.
"She likes you." Mary says.
"... what?"
"Renko." Mary lowers her voice. "You're her type."
"Me? W-what?" You feel yourself turning bright red. "Shut up!"
"Awkward and skittish, in need of looking after." Mary says, almost laughing. "Yes ..." She trails off as you're left feeling like an animal being inspected at market.

[ ] Try to ignore Mary's taunting, ask more about the plan to deal with the stalker.
[ ] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."
[ ] Sulk.
[ ] Get angry.
[ ] Fuck this, go see what Renko's doing in the kitchen.

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

This anon is so moe. I want to hug her.

[x] Ask if she's jealous.

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

[ODIN] Get angry.
[ODIN] Try to recall what you know, and tell her of that which lies beyond the veil.

By Odin, we know the secrets of the universe, don't we? It's about time we see if we can put any of them to use.

[x] Get angry.
[x] Try to recall what you know, and tell her of that which lies beyond the veil.

This could be incredibly awesome.

[x] Get angry.
[x] Try to recall what you know, and tell her of that which lies beyond the veil.

Lol, okay. Changing vote.

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

This anon is not a vindictive one, or even a particularly angry one. She's a timid shrinking violet type. And that, apparently, is one of the reasons Renko loves her so far.

Timidnonymous can grow more assertive and confident later, after she ends up being pulled across the border. For now, it's time to be small and pitiable, and find comfort in lovely Renko.

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

[ ] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

Oh god so moe.

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

[X] "... y-you really think s-she likes me? I only met her today."

>>62190

So far, yes. But there is only so far one can be pushed before one pushes back. And Mary is kind of a bitch anyway, so a slightly nastier reaction is in order here.

And I would also like to see if there is another side to Timidnymous. More depth to the character and all that.

Calling the vote now, but writing might take 7 minutes.

This CYOA gives me some minor AoD vibes.

"... y-you really think s-she likes me?" You say, turning an even deeper red and looking at your feet.

Oh god, what are you doing? Yes, Renko is nice. Yes, she might be the first friend you've made in a long time. Yes, she smells good, feels good. She's so proactive but she makes you feel relaxed and unpressured and-

No, stop!

"I mean, I only met her today." You say.
"So you er-pfft!" Mary lets out another stifled laugh. "You swing that way?"
You swallow, feeling even worse, you shouldn't have said that. What if Mary was just joking? Now you've gone and embarrassed yourself.
"I ... I mean ..."
Mary laughs again, loudly this time.
"Yes! Alright?! Yes, I like girls!" You almost shout. "Now shut up!"

"Stop taunting her, Mary." Comes Renko's voice from the doorway.
You freeze, your blood turning to ice and your stomach curling in on itself. Renko puts her hand on your shoulder and gives it a squeeze.
"Don't pay her any mind, alright? She's just like this, saying stuff to get a rise out of people." Renko says.
You can't even bring yourself to look up at her face. How long has she been standing there?
"Anyway, food will be another five minutes. Shall we eat in here?"
You manage to nod, just staring straight ahead. Mary hides her expression behind a hand.
"Okay, back in a minute." Renko says, giving your shoulder another squeeze before leaving the room again.

Mary turns back to you, a huge grin plastered on her face. You grab a cushion from the sofa and bury your face in it.

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

You manage to emerge from hiding by the time Renko returns from the kitchen with a tray.
"Here." She says, placing three bowls, a loaf of bread and a pot of something on the table. You forget your embarrassment for a moment as you wonder what on earth she actually managed to make from your meagre supplies. You peer inside as she takes the lid off and ladles thick soup into the bowls.
"I don't remember having soup." You say, smiling up and Renko as she hands you a bowl.
"You didn't." She winks back at you.
"No really!" You say, feeling a little bolder again. "What ... how did-"
Renko grins back at you as she sits down next to you, taking her jacket off and putting it over the arm of the sofa. "You had one tin of soup, of questionable quality. I have performed some culinary magic." She hands you a spoon. "Do not question, just eat."
You let out a little laugh and tear off a chunk of bread. Renko makes you feel funny, but nice.
"Mmm, this is good." Mary says.
"Then shut up and eat." Renko replies.

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

Ding-dong.

Nearly finished eating, sitting back and feeling full, contented, and the door bell rings.
"Huh?" You say, starting to get up. "Just a sec-"
Renko grabs your arm. "Wait ... it might be him."
"It ... might?" You ask. "But we lost him, right?"
"We lost him, relax, both of you." Mary says.
You glance at Renko, who just looks concerned. "Come on." She says, standing up and grabbing her jacket. "I'll go with you."

In the kitchen, you flick the lights on. It's starting to get dark out now. Your front door is solid, no window or peephole to see who's on the other side.
"Who is it?" You call through the door.
No reply. You glance at Renko as she slips her jacket back on.
"I don't think we should open it." She says.
The doorbell rings a second time.

[ ] Open the door yourself.
[ ] Ask Renko to open it.
[ ] Don't answer it, pretend nobody's home.
[ ] "Go away!" Call through the door.

[X] Don't answer it, pretend nobody's home.

>You grab a cushion from the sofa and bury your face in it.

Nice touch.

[X] "Go away!" Call through the door.

[X] Don't answer it, pretend nobody's home.

>"Yes! Alright?! Yes, I like girls!" You almost shout. "Now shut up!"

Crazyanon:Lesbians!
Renko:Girls Kissing girls!
Maribel:Not kissing you!
Mannosuke:I'm the goddamned Mannosuke.
Trio:BISEXUALS!

[X] Open the door yourself.
Open the door. Reveal your destiny.

[x] Open the door yourself.

Balls of steel. Well, ovaries of steel in this case I suppose.

Also, if it is him and he is trying to kill us do you really think he would bother to ring the doorbell?

{X} Open the door yourself.

[X] Open the door yourself.

What could possibly go wrong?

[X] Open the door yourself.

[X] "Nobody ever comes to visit me..."
[X] "Go away!" Call through the door.

A good way to pluck up a little courage while simultaneously complying with Renko's suggestion that opening the door would be a bad idea. With Renko around, we can afford to be a little more confident in ourselves.

This is not a call for people to vote, this is just to get an idea of how anon would feel about this. We have a few nicknames for the protagonist floating around on IRC. Ebolanon, Bloodyanon, Aneminon, Anemanon, but it doesn't feel right.

How would the readers feel about giving her a real name? If you want me to, then it will be worked into the story soon-ish.

>>62208

Just keep it anonymous. It worked in your LA, and if it ain't broke...

>>62208

I approve.

>>62209

It's fine to upgrade something though, right?

>>62208

Let's see. This Anonymous is Yukari's bitch. Yukari is funneling massive amounts of information into her head, from Calculus to French, for some reason.

How about we call her... Ran?

>>62208
To be honest, I really would prefer if she stayed nameless.

>>62210

He's asking Anonymous to give her a name.

I wouldn't call that an upgrade.

>>62214

It's worked well before.

Though I'd rather he name her.

[ODIN] "Nobody ever comes to visit me..."
[ODIN] "Go away!" Call through the door.

Like this idea.

And I'm neutral to the whole naming thing. I don't mind if we do pick a name, but then again there really hasn't been a need for one so far.

>>62208
>Ebolanon
Bad
>Bloodyanon

So-so.
>Aneminon, Anemanon

Accurate. But it doesn't feel right.

>How would the readers feel about giving her a real name? If you want me to, then it will be worked into the story soon-ish

Fuck yes! How long untill name vote?

Something plain and unassuming as Jane could work.

>>62215
>It's worked well before.

I'm struggling to think of a time anon decided on a name that wasn't either really lame or a joke that got old fast. I might be forgetting something, but I don't think it's happened thus far.

>>62211

Oh u.

Hey, wait...what if...maybe...then?

>>62219
Anon won't be picking one, I shall give you a list.

Also writing now!

>>62219

I thought that Aoi was a good name. Sure, he has Watarase as a last name, but that's normally left out.

Hey guys...
>>62063
>MARY'S AWAKE!

Mary's never seen us trhough Yukari's eyes. Maybe she's messing up with Anemianon during her (Yukari's) sleep?

>>62208
Juliet

I love that name, and it's an awesome song by the pillows.

>>62211

Oh fuck me.

I can't unsee it now.

>>62226
Canonically, Maribel has seen Ran as Yukari's shikigami in her dreams, FWIW.

"It'll be okay Renko." You say, stepping past her to open the door. "He didn't follow us, we lost him, right?" You don't know why you feel so confident, Renko's presence just makes everything feel like it's going to turn out right.
Renko doesn't say anything, just looks between you and the door, biting her lip.
"Hey, it could even be something important!" You say. Renko shrugs and breathes out.
"Go on then." She says, but you notice how tense she is, notice her slipping a hand inside her coat pocket.
You turn the latch on the door. As soon as it's open more than a crack, a hand shoots through and grabs the door, forcing it. You stumble backwards, tottering as the door swings wide.

He steps into the room, face impassive.

Up close you can see he's not as old as he looked in the coffee shop. Maybe in his forties, hair gone grey early, face lined with decades of worry and hardship. He's much taller than you, probably by an entire foot. His long green robes and grey hair both move in the slight breeze as the door slams shut behind him. He says nothing, holding long his bundle of cloth under his arm.
"Fuck!" Renko shouts from behind you, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you back. "How did you find us?"
His gaze switches to her. "Discussion of such things is unnecessary." He says, voice calm but hard.
The reality of the situation finally hits you and you feel your stomach tighten. Your heart hammers in your chest and you can't resist the impulse to grab onto Renko's arm.
"Oh shit." Mary enters the room behind you, her voice full of fear.

The man looks the three of you over, frowning. "I do not understand this." He says.
"What's to understand?" Renko says, still not taking her eyes off him.
"You appear to be the link between these two." He points at you and Mary. "Yet she," he points at you. "Is the source signal."
"I'm ... what?" You ask.
The man looks at you and bows his head slightly. "I apologise for what I have to do. You are obviously an innocent, yet the ending of your life may save many more."
You feel your bowels loosen at his words. "W-what?" You say, eyes wide, digging your fingers into Renko's arm.
"I cannot delay further, others may already be on their way."
"Fuck you." Renko says, extracting herself from your grip and stepping forwards. She takes her hand out of her jacket pocket, producing what looks like a chunk of metal. She flicks it in her hand, the blade of the knife coming out in one smooth motion. You feel Mary grab your hand from behind and you give it a squeeze.
The man frowns. "You're going to fight me with that? Please, I can make this painless." He looks genuinely sad now.

Renko spins the knife, ending in a back-handed grip.
"Like I said, fuck you."
"Renko, no!" Mary says.
"I'll be fine." Renko says with a heavy voice. "Just stay back."
"Very well." The man says, grabbing a corner of his bundle of rags and holding something inside with the other hand. He lets the cloth fall to the floor, revealing a katana at least as long as his arm. The light glints off the metal as he passes it through the air.
Renko licks her lips.
"I am sorry." The man says, raising his sword lazily, as if reluctant to fight.

There is nothing for you right now but adrenaline.

[ ] Hide somewhere.
[ ] Try to do something to help Renko.
[ ] Do what Renko said, just stay back.
[ ] Look for an opening and then get out of here.
[ ] "STOP!" Maybe this doesn't have to happen.

[x] Try to do something to help Renko.

I'd bet Yukari's taught us something about combat during all those nights. Sure, using it out might kill a few neurons, but it's better than getting completely killed.

[X] Try to do something to help Renko.

You just had to open the door.

[x] "STOP!" Maybe this doesn't have to happen.

[x] Try to do something to help Renko.

[x] Try to do something to help Renko.

[x] Try to do something to help Renko.
No way is Renko dying for our sake.

>>62231
Like he wouldn't have broken in, and caught us even more off-guard? That was probably our best option, besides maybe heading straight for the fire escape.

[ODIN] Reach within your mind and bring forth that which is hidden.
[ODIN] Speak the words of power, call upon that which hides in the spaces between being and non-being.

Terrible dark powers, activate.

>>62236

I'm pretty sure Yukari wouldn't give us Dragon Slave.

[x] TRACE ON

>>62237

Well, you can't know if you don't try, can you?

And besides Youki certainly can kill both Renko and us without effort if he wants to unless we pull off something game-changing.

[X] Cast Magic Missile.

[X] Try to do something to help Renko.

Yukari, lessons, knowledge, activate, etc.

>>She takes her hand out of her jacket pocket, producing what looks like a chunk of metal. She flicks it in her hand, the blade of the knife coming out in one smooth motion.
>>Renko spins the knife, ending in a back-handed grip.

Is this Renko trained by Nanayanon?

[x] "STOP!" Maybe this doesn't have to happen.
If it does have to happen:
[x] Try to do something to help Renko.

Okay, writing now and trying to avoid any 7-minute situations.

[x] Try to do something to help Renko.

Summon something from the Far Realms.

Before you can do or say anything, the man and Renko are both in motion. It's impossible to tell which one of them moved first. The katana is everywhere at once and for one hear-stopping moment you think Renko is already dead and falling to the floor. But then you realise there's no blood as she twists out of the way of the blade. She's fast, incredibly fast.

Neither of them spare the energy to speak.

The man brings the blade round, in a complicated arc, a little slower this time, over his head, rocking his entire body backwards. The blow is too fast for you to see but again Renko slides out of the way like her body is repelling the sword. The man's expression has changed, as if he's concentrating harder now, unaware that Renko would prove much of a challenge. The fight becomes to fast for you to follow, but there is one thing you can see clearly. The only reason Renko is able to keep out of the way of the sword is that it's the only thing she's doing. She's not even trying to use her knife.
The sword slices through parts of her jacket, takes off the top of her hat and finally opens a gash down her arm.
"Fuck." You hear her exclaim as she grips her arm with her free hand. The cut is shallow, but still bleeding. She tries to back off for a moment, tries to gain some space, but the man keeps pressing his attack, not giving her a moment to rest.

You can't bare this any more. You only met Renko today, you can't lose her now! Not like this, not in some senseless fight where you stand by like an idiot. What can you do ... what can you-
Thoughts arise unbidden in your mind, the things that Yukari taught you, the swirling madness of reality and the things that can be forced upon it. The applications, calculations, possible methods and tactics, all of it presses in from the corners of your mind, making your head hurt.
"Argh!" You scream, grabbing your face as the pain begins. You can feel the blood leaking from around your eye sockets already, you can taste it in your mouth. Your chest feels full of fire, your head full of acid.

No no, this can't-

"No!" The man suddenly screams, trying to force his way past Renko, to you. "Don't do it!"
You open your eyes wide, staring at him. His face is full of terror. In the moment of distraction, Renko pulls back, grabbing something from inside her jacket.

You feel like your head is going to collapse in on itself, but there is something, an impulse so alien, so wrong, a door opening down in your brain-stem ...

[ ] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ
[ ] No, force it to stop, Renko has something up her sleeve.
[ ] Pass out.

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

He brought this upon himself.

[X] No, force it to stop, Renko has something up her sleeve.
[X] Then pass out.

[ODIN] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

This shall end in death or Awesome.

>>62250

or both.

[ ] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

This will be the best, most fucked up bad end EVER.

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

{X} ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

inb4 we kill Renko

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ
Best option ever.

[-] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

End the end a master, step out of the path of collapse.

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ
My, my, Youki. You look like you've seen a ghost!

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

A gap in what, and to where? I sense collateral damage.

[x] No, force it to stop, Renko has something up her sleeve.

[X] Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

[x] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

Bring it on.

Writing now!

You people, swayed by fancy text. Oh well.

[X] ɱɐK℈ ª ⅁Aℙ

Holy shit, this is so awesome I can't not vote for it. Let's see if there's any benefit at all for choosing to submit to her lessons.

>>62260

It is as though a thousand mouths cried out in pain!

>>62263

In fairness, some of us were just waiting for an appropriately dramatic point in the story to unleash our inner Yukarin.

>>62263

I was swayed by the possibility that we might just end everything. EVERYTHING.

As if stepping into the eye of a storm, for a moment your thoughts are clear. This man is going to kill Renko, then he's going to kill you and probably kill Mary as well. You have a way to stop him? Why not use it?

And then you're back to the pain of reality, back to the blood streaming from your eyes and the whirlwind of blades in front of you. Every muscle in your body feels like it's on fire, your chest heaves with the effort of staying on your feet. Bile rises from your stomach, mingling with the blood in your mouth. You feel a warm wetness spread across the front of your trousers, dripping down your legs, but there's no time for shame. You heave, stumbling backwards into Mary's arms, eyes rolling into the back of your head.
"No!" The man screams again, reaching for you.
With what remains of your mind, you see Renko pulling something out of her coat, something black and compact.

Then, for one horrible moment, you can see everything.

Everything.

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

You come screaming back to reality as something thin and empty, a gaping wound in space, flaps open above the man's head like an obscene mouth.
He looks up at it, stepping out of the way as it descends through the air like a fluttering leaf, sucking itself closed again by the time it reaches waist-height. The noise of it closing is like having your eardrums rubbed with sandpaper, but nobody else whimpers and shudders like you do.

"Hey, over here." Renko says.
"Stop! It's too la-" The man begins, but he never finishes his sentence. Renko takes aim with the pistol in her hand and pulls the trigger. The gunshot makes Mary jump, but to you it's nothing after what you just saw.
The man's brains explode out the back of his head, splattering your kitchen wall with gore. His body slumps to the floor, still gripping the katana.

"Fucking hell." Mary mutters in your ear.
You lean forward as you feel your stomach heave, too weak to stop yourself from being sick. The pain of stomach contractions is almost a relief.
"Oh god ... oh god ..." You mutter, vomit dripping from your lips.

[ ] Pass out.
[ ] Lean back onto Mary, ask for help.
[ ] "Renko ... help me ..."

[X] Pass out.

Excellent

[X] Pass out.

[X] "Renko ... help me ..."

Poor Youki. Guess he's a full ghost now!

[x] "Renko... help me..."
So I guess Renko's a half-murderer now.

[x] "Renko ... help me ..."

Renko has a GUN?

In JAPAN?

[X] Run.
[X] Whatever you do, do NOT pass out. No sleeping.

[X] Pass out.

[x] "Renko ... help me ..."

Renko route.

FUCK YEAH RENKO

[x] Pass out.

There's no getting off this train we're on. Submit or perish.

>>62276

Yeah, way less believable than a half-ghost samurai. Fucking idiot.

So, did we die or something?

[x] Pass out.

>>62280

Why so hostile anon?

[X] "Renko ... help me ..."
[X] Pass out.

Don't suppose anybody knows Winston Wolfe's number?

[x] Pass out.

[X] "Renko ... help me ..."
[X] Pass out.

Renko.

Look at me, Renko.

This is serious.

I think I'm in love with you.

[x] Pass out.

You're covered in your own blood, piss, and vomit. I don't know what kind of romance you people hope to salvage here.

So this is why Youki disappeared.

Poor Youmu, it's not one of his lessons.

>>62287

Maybe Renko is into that kind of thing.

Okay, writing soon, need food first.

>>62289

Well she did freak out before, and that's when it was just blood.

>>62287

Romance nothing. We don't wanna pass out and face Yukari right now, and we might have serious trouble on our hands what with the gun and the gore and the dead guy and whathaveyawhatnot.

this story just keeps getting more awesome, thank you, HY

>>62292
>We don't wanna pass out and face Yukari right now

Says who?

You may as well be dead, you want to curl up in a ball and forget who you are. You want to erase the last few moments from existence, you want to forget about the ache inside your mind and the horrible memories of what lies just beyond your perception. You start to cry, collapsing onto the floor, shaking weakly with each sob. You can feel yourself slipping into unconsciousness, but you don't want to go. You want to rest, not face Yukari, not now.

The last thing you notice as your eyelids flutter shut is the body of the swordsman. Something is forming in front of it, a grey-green shape, like a man.

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

"Little lamb~" Yukari is just stroking your hair as you lie on the floor. "Oh, little lamb~"
"Yukari?" You mutter, gazing up at her. She's never done anything like this before.
"Too early, little one." She smiles and wags her finger. "Too early."
"Too early?"
She nods. "You shouldn't have done that."
You just smile at her unexpected kindness.
"Now close your eyes." She says.
You do, unable to resist her voice.

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

There's a feeling as you awaken, something you haven't felt in a long time. You stretch your limbs, letting yourself sprawl out. Wherever you are it feels warm and soft. You feel comfortable, like there's nothing you have to get up for, no reason to get out of bed or even open your eyes.
Then it you realise, and wipe at your face with your hands.

No blood.

You sit up, blinking yourself awake. There's a fuzziness in your head, but it's almost pleasant compared to how you normally awaken. It doesn't matter anyway, because your bedroom is pitch dark. The sun outside has set and the lights are off. You run the bedcovers through your hands again. This is nice, you could just go back to sleep if you wanted, or lie in bed, relaxing.
You sigh, accepting that you can't. A man was killed in your home just a few hours ago and you collapsed after ... after-
You shudder, trying not to remember. Your skin crawls and you take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down.

You can't hear any noise coming from the sitting room, but you should go check. You shiver in the cold when you swing your legs out of bed.
Why is it so cold indoors? Oh ... right.
You're naked.
Why are you naked?

You don't want to think about that now, you actually don't want to think about anything. You want to ...

[ ] Go back to sleep.
[ ] Lie in bed, relax, forget about the world.
[ ] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.
[ ] Stay here, but call out for someone.

[ ] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

{X} Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

[x] Stay here, but call out for someone.

[ ] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

>The last thing you notice as your eyelids flutter shut is the body of the swordsman. Something is forming in front of it, a grey-green shape, like a man.

Renko and Mary are dead.

>>62297

So she's grooming us to be her replacement then?

When does our hair change blond and our eyes turn violet?

[X] Lie in bed, relax, forget about the world.

Nothing matters

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

First things first, find out what they did to the body and your clothes.

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.
That was nice

[ ] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.
Very likely something bad happened.

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

[X] Lie in bed, relax, forget about the world.

[x] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

I think that's it for tonight, too tired to keep the quality up right now. More tomorrow!

Goodnight you princes of /th/
You kings of Gensokyo

>>62313
You lost me somewhere in the middle of thread 2.

>>62324

That the part where you threw a hissy fit because the main character was retconned into being female?

Or was that the part where YAF threw a hissy fit because he felt HY was "stealing" his votes?

>>62325
Mostly after YAF.

>>62327
YAF is the root of all Evil. Let us destroy him.

>>62330
Yes, let's.

>>62330
>>62332
Hello YAF

[ ] Lie in bed, relax, forget about the world.

HY, HY, why have you abandoned us at /sdm/?

>>62336, see >>61819, and the five or so posts that follow it. Let HY write what he wants to write. I'm sure he's well aware that he's got other stories started in other places. Truth be told, if I were to complete a 40+ thread story all within the same board, doing the same thing all over again might be a little boring. Just be patient; it'll probably all work out in the end.

Of course, no words are a substitute for HY's answer itself, so I'll just pipe down for now.

>>62336
Because U.N. Owen, Mystia, Sakuya trifag, and Anonymous have got /sdm/ covered for the time being (let alone blankfag's one-shot). A full-on second run at EoSD would probably kill those stories at this point, and that would be awful.

>>62338
U.N. Owen is doing a really great job to replace HY for the time being.

[X] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

[ODIN] Get dressed, go find Renko and Mary.

Did we just start thinking with gaps? That's all kinds of awesome.

Hahaha, I can't believe you people still keep throwing jabs at me. Ah, it feels so good! I feel alive! I've said before that THP is dead for trolling, but damn! This is nice!

Keep it up, people!

>>62349

ITT we roll with the punches

>>62349
fart

>>62301
so moe~

>>62349
I don't really like you.

Forcing yourself to ignore the cold, you slide out of bed and hop over to your chest of drawers, pulling out some underwear first. As you pull your clothes over your goose-pimpled skin you realise with a small shock that you're completely clean. You run your hands over yourself, making sure you're not imagining it.
The shame of how you were when you passed out comes flooding back to you in an instant. Somebody, either Renko or Mary, stripped you and then washed off your own blood, piss and vomit. You cradle your head in your hands, letting out a low moan. Even the very fact that someone saw you like that, let alone cleaned you off, is enough to make you feel horrible.
How the hell are you supposed to face either of them now? Once you're dressed, you hesitate at the door-handle. You're going to have to do this sooner or later, may as well get it over with. Maybe they've already left, too disgusted with you. Renko did kill that guy, so there's no reason for them to stay here any longer, right?

You open the door and peek into the hallway. Empty.
"Hello?" No reply. You gingerly step across the threshold and peek into the kitchen. The lights are off and you brace yourself before you flick them on.
It's clean. The man's body is gone, the wall and floor smell of bleach. There's a hole in the wall where the bullet must have impacted after going through the man's skull, but that's the only sign that anything happened here.
No ... there is something else. A twist in the air, something in your mind responding to what only you saw here. If you squint you can almost see a kind of shadow in the centre of the room, like a falling leaf-

You turn away as your stomach contracts and you dry heave.

Shaking a little, you remind yourself never to try focusing on that again. Leaving the kitchen, supporting yourself on the wall, you feel a little lonely already, but when you step into the sitting room, all your questions are answered.
Renko is fast asleep on the sofa, with her jacket spread out like a blanket. It's still all torn up from the fight. She looks cold.
You glance around the rest of the room. Mary isn't here, but on the floor there is a large object, about the size of a person, wrapped with bin-liners and plastic bags. You stare at it for a moment, not wanting to think about what's inside.

It's cold in here.

[ ] Wake Renko up, you want to talk
[ ] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.
[ ] Join her on the sofa, you can't stop yourself.
[ ] Look under the bin-bags on the floor.

{X} Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[x] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[x] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.
[x] Look for Mary.

[x] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[x] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[x] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[X] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.

[ ] Get her a blanket, she looks cold.
[ ] Look under the bin-bags on the floor.

Okay, writing again now.

>>62370

Hooray!

Renko looks a little uncomfortable lying there like that and you toy with the idea of waking her up and offering her your bed. You're not going back to sleep now, but she might take such an offer the wrong way. Instead you grab a blanket from the cupboard in your bedroom. Back in the sitting room, you unfold it over Renko and gently tuck the sides in to keep her warm. It's the least you can do for her, seeing as it must have been her who cleaned you off and put you in bed. Maybe by doing something like this for her you can deal with some of your embarrassment.
You step back as she mumbles something in her sleep and grabs the edge of the blanket, pulling it over the lower half of her face.

She's so cute like that. She's not stopped moving since the moment you met her, always in action, saying something, laughing, touching you, scolding Mary for being rude. When she fought that man she was so fast. Seeing Renko like this, sleeping peacefully, you feel a smile creep across your face. It's like you've seen something secret.
You glance around the room again, where did Mary go anyway? Home? You get that nice little warm feeling in your belly again, realising that you're probably alone with Renko now.
Well ... almost alone, apart from the corpse in the corner of the room. You sit down in the armchair, unsure of what to do next. You feel sort of useless waiting for Renko to wake up, like you're just relying on her again. Then again, you have no idea what you're going to do now.
You sigh, glancing over at the indistinct shape under the bin-liners. "... who were you?" You mutter to yourself. "Why were you after me?" You rub your forehead. Everything is so confusing now.

"Mm?" Renko stirs at the sound of your voice, her eyes flicking open. "Oh ... hey." She sounds very different, softer and more vulnerable as she wakes up, rubbing one eye and yawning.
"S-sorry!" You say. "I didn't mean to wake you up!"
"That's okay." Renko says, sitting up. She looks down in surprise as the blanket falls from her. "Hm?" She lifts it up and sniffs at the fabric. "Is this yours?"
You redden and glance down. Does it smell like you? What do you even smell like to Renko?
"Y-yeah." You stammer. "You l-looked cold."
Renko stretches her arms out behind her. "I was cold, thank you." She smiles at you. "When did you wake up?"
"Oh? Just a few minute ago." You say. "What time it is anyway?"
Renko digs her cellphone out of her jacket. "Five in the morning."
"Oh! I'm s-sorry!" You say again. "Y-you can go back to sleep, i-if you l-like." A small, rebellious part of you wants her to stay awake, with you.
"Nah." Renko says. "I've been asleep since nine last night anyway."
"Oh." You say, swinging your legs back and fourth.
"Anyway." Renko says, whisking the blanket off herself and slipping her damaged jacket back on. "How are you feeling now?"
Your shame at last night comes rushing back to you and you feel a lump forming in your throat, but you have to answer, say something, anything at all.

"I'm m-much better, t-thank you."

Gah! That was terrible. You cringe inside. Why can't you be more honest? You feel like you've been through a psychological meat-grinder in the last twenty-four hours.

[ ] Ask Renko something
- [ ] About the dead body.
- [ ] About where Mary's gone.
- [ ] About how she feels.
[ ] Break down, apologise for being disgusting.
[ ] Say nothing.

[X] Break down, apologise for being disgusting.

[x] Ask Renko something
- [x] About where Mary's gone.
- [x] About the dead body and Renko: What did you do with his swords? Were there any other possessions on his person? How are we going to dispose of the corpse? How did you get so skilled with a knife and gun?

[x] Ask Renko something
- [x] About where Mary's gone.
- [x] About the dead body and Renko: What did you do with his swords? Were there any other possessions on his person? How are we going to dispose of the corpse? How did you get so skilled with a knife and gun?

Yeah, that bugs me too. When did she become Nanaya?

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

Renko~.

[X] Ask Renko something
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About the dead body and Renko: What did you do with his swords? Were there any other possessions on his person? How are we going to dispose of the corpse? How did you get so skilled with a knife and gun?

[x] Go back to bed
We're a wreck right now. Lets save the questions for a time when we aren't a studdering idiot.

[X] Ask Renko something
- [X] About how she feels.
[X] Break down, apologize for being disgusting.

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

Excuse me, but I'm a little more concerned with how the friendly girl who happens to be the only person we're comfortable around feels right now, especially after she was just forced to kill someone. I think the guy's body is an a perfectly obvious place, and his property is probably wrapped in there with him.

[x] Ask Renko something
- [x] About where Mary's gone.
- [x] About the dead body and Renko: What did you do with his swords? Were there any other possessions on his person? How are we going to dispose of the corpse? How did you get so skilled with a knife and gun?

Let's not.

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

[z] Ask Renko something.
- [z] About where Mary's gone.
- [z] About how she feels.

Renko askin gaems

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

I wonder how Mary feels knowing we're able to use gaps?

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

[X] Ask Renko something.
- [X] About where Mary's gone.
- [X] About how she feels.

Okay, writing now!

>>62398

Hooray!

"Um ... Renko?" An idea pops into your head, you should probably make sure you know this.
"Hm?"
"Where's Mary?"
"Oh, she went home." Renko sits back on the sofa. "The danger is past now, we think, and she wanted to get some rest."
You nod, your heart doing something odd inside your chest. So you're alone with Renko? She decided to stay here, because of you-

No, she didn't, you force yourself to accept the reality of the situation. There's a dead body in your apartment, the blood in the kitchen needed cleaning up and you probably looked like you were about to die as well. Somebody had to stay here and sort things out, you can't imagine Mary being the one to do that.

"Y-you needed rest too?" You ask Renko, not really sure what you're saying, just thinking out loud. She smiles and nods.
"Sofa's pretty comfy." She pats the spot next to her. Wait ... is she saying that the sofa was comfortable to sleep on, or that she wants you to join her over there? Your mouth goes dry, you can't decide what she means. Why the hell are you suddenly so nervous?
"R-renko." You say, trying to fill the space in your head with a different thought. "What about you, are you okay?"
Renko just looks at you for a long moment, her expression slowly dropping. She swallows. "No, I'm pretty shaken up." She sighs and puts her head in her hands, screwing her eyes shut. "Not only have I killed a man, but now I need to do something about the corpse."
You open your mouth, but you can't think of anything to say.
"On top of that," Renko continues. "We're no closer to working out what's going on. He said 'others might be on their way' before the fight, you remember?"
You nod, he did say something like that.
"So there could be anything out there, looking for you and Mary." Renko sighs again. "I shouldn't have even let her go home."
"Renko ..." You bite your lip, you have to say something, be useful, help somehow.

[ ] Thank her for cleaning you up and putting you to bed.
[ ] Tell her she had no choice but to kill the man, she did the right thing.
[ ] You and Mary? Didn't the man say something about Renko being the link between you and Mary before he died?
[ ] Try to suggest a way to dispose of the corpse.
[ ] Go hug Renko.

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

I do so love this Renko. We need to protect her, even if it costs us our life. She's already risked as much for us.

[X] Try to suggest a way to dispose of the corpse.

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

>>62401
You people and your write-ins. I love them so.

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

[ ] You and Mary? Didn't the man say something about Renko being the link between you and Mary before he died?

>>62402
We need pigs. Hungry pigs. A bunch of them.

[x] You and Mary? Didn't the man say something about Renko being the link between you and Mary before he died?

RENKO DIES IN EPISODE 8

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

Does anyone else think it's odd that a gun was fired in the apartment, yet so far there's no indication that anybody heard it and thought to call the cops?
Sure, it could have happened while we were sleeping, but even if we ignore the whole "civilians can't own handguns in Japan" thing there's still the matter of the obvious bullet hole in the wall and the dead body with the bullet-sized head wound in the apartment. Those sorts of things would tend to raise questions from law enforcement.

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

HY agreed, don't bother him about it.

>>62408

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."
[X] Try to gap the corpse away.

'Cause, you know, we need the practice.

>>62408
Oh god it makes sense

Writing soon, possible 7 minutes though, sorry.

[x] Go hug Renko.
[x] Thank her for cleaning you up and putting you to bed.
[x] Tell her she had no choice but to kill the man, she did the right thing.
[x] You and Mary? Didn't the man say something about Renko being the link between you and Mary before he died?
[x] Ask about the ghost you saw as you passed out.

>>62408

RENKO AND EBOLANON PILOT THE GUNBUSTER IN EPISODE 5

>>62409

Depends. Guns are loud, but not nearly as loud as you might think they are. If our apartment has particularly thick walls, and if most of our direct neighbors were out at the time, it's quite possible that no one heard the pistol's report. It seems like we may have been home at an odd time anyway, and if the apartment is high class enough, then the walls may have some built-in sound dampeners.

[X] Go hug Renko.
[X] "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..."
[X] "You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can."

>>62409
>Does anyone else think it's odd that a gun was fired in the apartment, yet so far there's no indication that anybody heard it and thought to call the cops?

This is Japan, where no one owns guns. If someone hears a single loud pop they might just write it off as a car backfiring or kids playing with fireworks.

>there's still the matter of the obvious bullet hole in the wall and the dead body with the bullet-sized head wound in the apartment. Those sorts of things would tend to raise questions from law enforcement.
We don't know if the bullet managed to penetrate though both his head and the wall, there might not be a bullet hole on the outside of our apartment. As for the body, the only people who know about it are Renko and Mary, and I don't think we have to worry about them calling the cops.

[X] Ask Renko if you can call her "Aneki".

You get up from your seat, already feeling awkward. Not even sure why you're doing this, just following the animalistic instinct that tells you to, you sit down next to Renko.
She glances up at you. "Hey there, maybe I'm over-"
But cut her off in the nicest way possible, leaning forwards and wrapping your arms around her waist. Much to your relief, she doesn't tense up, doesn't push you away or stutter at you in shock.
"Aw." She says, hugging you back with one arm while stroking your head with her other hand. "Thanks."
"Y-you ... you did the right thing." You say, resting your head on her shoulder. Her scent is a little different now, stronger after sleep. Ignoring it for now, you continue. "I... I'm sorry. He was after me, and I... you... sorry..." You trail off, unable to put it into words. How can you thank her, for taking a life on your behalf?
Renko doesn't say anything.
"You... you've done more for me than anyone I've known, so... I... I want to help you, too, if I can." You manage to say, holding onto Renko a little tighter.
She pulls back a little so you can see her face, positively beaming at you.
"Thank you." She says, just nodding once. "And of course you can help, I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know you're going to be okay."
You smile back at her. "Thanks." You say, feeling like you're almost going to start tearing up. Somebody, an attractive, kind woman, is actually showing real concern for you. Right? If she didn't want to help you then she be long gone, would have left you to deal with the dead body all alone. Her hand stroking your hair feels so good you almost close your eyes for a moment.
"Whatever he meant by 'others', I'm sure we can deal with it." Renko says.
"I'm sure you can." You say, looking up at her and nodding vigourously. She grins back at you.

Suddenly realising how close your face is to hers, you break the hug, turning away for a moment to hide the blush creeping onto your face. You swear you hear Renko stifle a laugh, but when you turn back she's completely composed.
"So, what do you we do now?" You ask.
Renko shrugs. "I guess the first order of business is to dispose of that." She gestures at the lump under the bin-liners.
"Oh ... yeah." You say, nodding and trying to feel decisive. Renko stands up and stretches, then walks over to the body.
"I have to admit, I know nothing about getting rid of dead bodies." She says, frowning. "I suppose we could come up with something, but anything we try is going to be imperfect." She scratches her head, then reaches down to open the bundle.
"Maybe ... hmm ... " She's muttering to herself, then suddenly turns to you. "Oh, I'm going to take a look, you can turn away or go out for a bit if you like, I don't mind."

[ ] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.
[ ] You don't mind, stay as you are.
[ ] Just turn away for now.
[ ] Yeah, go into the kitchen while she does this.

[X] You just said you wanted to help her, so...
[X] Be strong for Renko, and stay here to help come up with ideas.

[x] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.

[x] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.

pointless write-in is pointless

[x] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.

[x] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.

Surely it can't be that hard to get rid of a body.

[ ] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.

[x] Go look as well, maybe you can come up with an idea together.
In before the dead body gets up and attacks.

Okay, writing now and new thread on its way.