Lore Magus

Creator and Bearer of Worlds
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
  2. Beginner
  3. Elementary
  4. Intermediate
  5. Adept
  6. Advanced
  7. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Romance is a big plus for me, but I can be pretty adaptable
Tell me, have you ever heard of the term "Chuunibyou", or "Eighth Grader Syndrome"? For those not familiar with this Japanese term, you might understand better by hearing it's more common English synonym: "Delusions of Grandeur". This is a sad affliction that typically affects young adolescents, its most drastic form making those who contract it believe they have special powers or are somehow connected to and surrounded by the occult. For those such patients, the period in which they retain these delusions later develops into an embarrassing period of shame that forever haunts their memories, despite how much fun they seem to have at the time. In most cases this behavior subsides by the beginning of one's first year in high school, but there are some cases where patients retain their status as chuunibyou patient for the remainder of their school days and sometimes longer.
[btn=moda|[URL="[URL="https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/inside-identity-ooc.149314"]OPEN SIGNUPS Inside Identity (OOC)[/URL]"]OPEN SIGNUPS Inside Identity (OOC)[/URL]]OOC[/btn][btn=moda|[URL]https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/inside-identity-cs.149323/[/URL]]CS[/btn]
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About
This is an RP loosely based on the anime "Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai". I say loosely because it recycles similar themes and setting, but with all original characters. No canon characters will show up in this RP, and only characters approved in the CS thread for this RP should be posting in the IC. If someone is interested in joining they can post here in the OOC about their interest as well as infer as to where the plot is moving, and then fill out a CS, which should only be posted in the CS thread (both linked above). The rules for this RP are as follows:
  1. [BCOLOR=#800000]First and foremost you need to adhere to the standard rules of RPing: no powerplaying or meta-gaming, but mild godmoding or auto-hitting is allowed as long as it's to the point of, say, occasionally having a perfect counter, flicking someone too close on the forehead, or sneaking up behind someone who is distracted and tickling them or the likes, but anything beyond is forbidden. That said, many acts of light auto-hitting like the tickling will still need to be discussed between players in the OOC for permission.[/BCOLOR]
  2. [BCOLOR=#ffff00]The next thing I can't stress enough is that characters don't necessarily need to get along, but players should still show respect to each other in the OOC and retain a positive environment here.[/BCOLOR]
  3. [BCOLOR=#000080]The IC will be conducted in an orderly manner with an episodic style where character posting order will be determined prior to each episode. Depending on how things turn out it may be possible that some posting orders will be reused, but that is to be determined. Players may also use a posting profile to spruce up their posts should they wish to use one.[/BCOLOR]
  4. [BCOLOR=#ff0000]Players are not aloud to post in the IC unless their character has been approved and it is that character's turn to post.[/BCOLOR]
  5. [BCOLOR=#ffcc99]Even though this is based on the Chuunibyou series, one does not need to have actually seen or read the series to join as long as they can match the setting, though it is nonetheless highly recommended as the series is great![/BCOLOR]
  6. [BCOLOR=#333333]Like in the series there will be delusion battles on occasion. Make sure that all actions performed in the realm of fantasy during such events are justifiable within the constructs of the realm of reality.[/BCOLOR]
  7. [BCOLOR=#008000]Despite this RP focusing around the concept of chuunibyou, it does not mean you can't have a character like Kumin or Isshiki from the anime: one who's either completely oblivious to chuunibyou or doesn't quite have it but is mildly interested in the idea.[/BCOLOR]
  8. [BCOLOR=#999999]On the subject of characters: there will be a max cap of 2 per player to begin with. This being said, both characters do not need to be submitted or enter the fray at the beginning. In other words, you could go ahead and submit a CS for 2 different characters if you want, and have one enter in later on in the RP, and you could also submit just one in the beginning and then submit another one at a later date when inspiration strikes you. This goes without saying that you can also submit 2 characters and start RPing as both right from the get-go. If the latter is done then, when character posting order is chosen, you may have influence over which of your two characters you'd like to post as before the other, but they will still adhere to the randomly generated order and they can not switch places after the order has been set. One more thing to note is that although the initial character limit is 2 per person, if,later on down the road, anyone feels that they want to have another character they are free to submit a third as long as they can still keep up.[/BCOLOR]
  9. [BCOLOR=#003366]Bear in mind while you are creating your character that since this RP is anime-based all FCs need be in anime style and of decent quality; whether they are official anime/manga art, anime-style game art, or fan art/commission. Sources won't need to be cited, however, so no need to stress there.[/BCOLOR]
  10. [BCOLOR=#ff9900]Another point to note is that, similar to the original series, there will be a dedicated junior high school connected to the high school where most of the setting takes place, so the possibility for making a junior high character like Dekomori is open as long as they have relevance to the setting. Despite this, characters at the high school are not barred from having attended a different junior high school.[/BCOLOR]
  11. [BCOLOR=#800080]Touching up from earlier on character limitations; family members and random NPCs can be used independent of your character limit, as long as they are not used as frequently as a PC would be; the occasional one liner from a random person or RPing as a character's family when around them at home or whatever is acceptable.[/BCOLOR]
  12. [BCOLOR=#ff99cc]Oh, romance? Sure, there can be an element of romance to this RP between characters; just remember that if one or both parties are patients of chuunibyou it will be a long and bumpy road before they can officially be called an item as those suffering from the affliction typically aren't well versed in such deep, complex relationships and will frequently cause problems or misunderstandings. Granted some characters can already be in a relationship upon RP launch, as long as it is specified by both parties in the CS and at least briefly explained in their bio. if players would like to discuss various inner plots such as this among each other they may do so in the OOC.[/BCOLOR]
  13. [BCOLOR=#ffffff]Lastly, this RP will be taking place in modern Japan (specifically: the Minato ward in Tokyo, a.k.a. Minato City), and as such it will be following typical Japanese customs. High school and junior high school each have only 3 years, and classes will begin in April; typically when cherry blossoms begin or are close to blooming. Also, there are no dedicated school buses to pick up students; they will commute to school by either train, public bus, and/or foot depending on the distance between their home and the school. Classes will take place Monday-Saturday, with Saturday being a half day. Also don't forget that all students have foot lockers at the entrance of the school where they switch between their indoor and outdoor shoes which are provided by the student's family. Lastly on the subject is that while there is a cafeteria within the school where students can buy lunches via purchasing vouchers at a machine and then bringing them to the service area, a large percentage of students typically tend to have packed lunches (bentou! XD) brought from home often consisting of leftovers or a small, balanced lunch prepared by family alongside white rice, so make sure to keep these factors in mind.[/BCOLOR]
This is the IC for this RP. AS the GM I take control of major NPCs, such as school staff, but minor ones like random students or family members of one's own approved characters are free game. For those who skipped over the rules due to familiarity you may want to review rules 1 and 3 as they have been touched up. As this is the header thread it will not contain much extra information other than current characters and posting order, which will also be listed at the starting point of each episode which will also be posted by me. Do note that the posting information at the episode starters will be episode specific, while the same information in this post will be up to date to the current episode. I will also include information on the various notable staff members within the school in this head post.


Teachers
Senji Fukuyama

---Senji Fukuyama---
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Age: 29
Class: Science, 1-A Homeroom
Club: Advises the Chemistry Club and Robotics Club
Personality: He's very strict and uptight, with a no-nonsense attitude towards schoolwork and students alike.
Trivia: Despite what most might think based on his personality, he's actually married.
Joey Smith

---Joey Smith---
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Age: 28
Class: English, 2-B Homeroom
Club: Advises the Chuunibyou Club
Personality: He's a very warm and friendly person, and tends to be an enabler with concern to students having fun and "enjoying their youth".
Trivia: He can be very clumsy; both in body and in the spoken Japanese language (shown in his poor grammar and frequent loss of words), though he has little trouble reading and writing.
Aimi Tohsaka

---Aimi Tohsaka---
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Age: 26
Class: Literature, 3-A Homeroom
Club: Advises the Literature Club
Personality: A very self-conscious person who wants her students to like her as well as excel in their studies, but isn't sure how she should communicate with them properly. She can get very embarrassed or angry easily depending on what you say to her.
Trivia: This is her first year running a homeroom. She is very self-conscious about being unmarried at the age of 26 (as per the belief in Japan about a woman's marrying age).
Hiroko Fumisaki

---Hiroko Fumisaki---
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Age: 33
Class: Mathematics
Club: None
Personality: A very honest and caring person who strives to help anyone in need.
Trivia: She is happily married, and also highly values her relationships with her students.
Hinata Yuuki

---Hinata Yuuki---
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Age: 23
Class: Physical Education
Club: Advises all sports and athletic clubs
Personality: Very energetic and happy-go-lucky, though not good with routine or strict regulations like dress code, aside from gym clothes. She can sometimes be a bit air-headed.
Trivia: Used to have chuunibyou, and despite denying still having it (as well as ever having it under usual circumstances) she nonetheless wears color changing contacts (which are also prescription contacts so she doesn't have to wear glasses) because of it. She also, on occasion, says something chuuni-like or will easily understand a chuuni point of view.
Aya Hirako

---Aya Hirako---
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Age: 31
Class: Infirmiry
Club: None
Personality: She's a very mature, yet mischievous person.
Trivia: She seems to enjoy teasing students; male and female alike.


NPC Student(s)

Hitomi Ikeda

---Hitomi Ikeda---
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Age: 18
Class: 3-B
Club: Karate Club
Personality: Hitomi is normally a very high energy person with a deep interest in anything mysterious or strange. She fantasizes about being an amazing detective or sleuth, and is fairly skilled at staying well informed about the happenings around school and collecting gossip from other students, but despite all this her extreme lack of patience and the fact that she's also slightly airheaded at times makes it difficult for her to actually stake out information herself. All in all she's relatively sweet and kindhearted to most, but can also be fairly mischievous at times if you get on her bad side.
Trivia: She actually originally wanted to start a Mystery Club, but due to being unable to gather interested members the club flopped and she ended up joining the Karate Club since the school enforces that all students join a club and her parents wanted her to learn to protect herself. Surprisingly enough she is one of the few members who is able to keep up with the club president.


Current Posting Order

  1. GM NPCs
  2. Nariko Hideyoshi/Kazami Ueda
  3. Aria Sakai/Ryuu Harada (part 2)
  4. Satori Adachi
  5. Miyako Matsuoka
  6. Meiko Tanaka/Satoshi Maruyama
  7. Aito Fujimoto
  8. Erin Soto
 
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[fieldbox="Aria, #5c8aff, dashed"]

---An Exchange of Malice---
When the girl promised Aria to talk again, her gaze immediately went to her desk as her face began to flush. She had never made a friend so quickly, and truly hoped she didn't ruin it later on. Even after hearing the teacher's strictness, she wasn't effected much. It seemed like she had an ally among the crowd of potential rivals, and even the strict sounding judge who seemed eager to psych out the competitors would have trouble breaking her now further reinforced will.

As Aria was spacing out, the teacher reached her name on the list. Upon hearing her name called, she immediately snapped out of her blissful state of absence and stood up with a nervous "Y-yes!" She was stiff as she had been caught by surprise, and after realizing what was going on she began to tense and clam up. They're all waiting for me... No! I can't get embarrassed here! Just think; what would Skadi say? She shook her head in order to clear her mind before finally speaking up; "Greetings. I am the embodiment of winter and snow, The Mighty Blizzard, Skadiya of the Frozen Mountains. I look forward to our imminent encounters within the confines of this institution, and all are welcome within my house of followers." She made this announcement with a mixed air of refinement and seriousness with her head held high, but shortly after realizing what she had blurted out her whole face turned as red as it would go and she sheepishly bowed while saying "I h-hope we g-g-get along!" before quickly sitting back down and twiddling her thumbs out of embarrassment.​

The whole class seemed lost for words at first; some of the girls would giggle at her (some mockingly and others purely), and the guys seemed to be split between weirded out or plain zoned out by just her looks while having completely ignored a word of what she said. Either way, Aria could feel the intensity of everyone's attention on her, which only embarrassed her more. Sure, she wanted to have friends around her, but having the attention of the entire class focused on her was highly uncomfortable; especially since a large amount of it wasn't exactly positive.​

It seemed the warriors were participating in an introductory ceremony as a means to fish for allies and psych out their enemies. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to humor them, Skadiya presented her own declaration to the crowd. Rather than procure any allies, however, she seemed to bring out the malice of most everyone in the room; she wouldn't let it get to her, however, because they were no match for her anyways. She merely sat back down and ignored their malicious auras to the best of her abilities.
[/fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox="Satoshi, indianred, dashed"]

Satoshi took the paper Miyako passed him and read. "I think the student with brown hair is a spy of the evil red queen. She's...different. I don't like her."

He replied: "She's a dangerous one. I saw her on TV. Karate champion. Better avoid." He didn't pass the note yet, feeling the eyes of the girl behind him. He remembered seeing the local news that happily announced the winners of the recent inter-school karate competition in Kanto. Tanaka, that was her name. The footage that followed the news report showed Tanaka slamming a bigger opponent down like it was nothing. Satoshi's knee bounced nervously.

"Calm." He reminded himself. He realized that they could make use of the girl. He crossed out his first message. "We don't know her true alignments yet." Since she's formidable, they needed to test her first. He thought for a moment and added to his note: "We need to know her intentions. Then we can use her."

Tohsaka's entrance was greeted by a happy cheer from the boys of the class, startling Satoshi. When he looked up, he was bewildered. How a new, young and pretty female teacher ended up with a senior class, he wouldn't know. He stared at her for a second, eyes following her neckline for a split second. She spoke with a certain softness in her voice that Satoshi could swear he had played a visual novel with such teacher as one of the leading ladies. He wondered if the teacher was sent as a distraction. He wrote: "Teacher is suspiciously distracting. Possibly also spy."

He passed Miyako the note and waited, feeling very tense. It seemed to him that the Darkness was getting stronger but it didn't feel like the right time to intervene yet.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head to the back, pen gripped like a knife at the ready. His gaze met Tanaka's equally surprised face. She raised her eyebrows and her eyes darted a little to Satoshi's side. He followed her line of sight and finally noticed Tohsaka. "And is there anything you'd like to say or share with the class?"

He gave Miyako a look, searching his cousin's face for any signs of danger. When he found none, he stared at the teacher blankly and sat down. Some of their classmates laughed and he felt the heat rise to his face. He was caught with his guard down for one second. Once more, he could feel Tanaka's eyes at the back of his head.

He looked a little more attentive after that, waiting for Miyako's response.
[/fieldbox]
 
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*Sigh* A whole class of lazy and unmotivated children. Seems I'll have my work cut out for me again this year. I guess that's just how they're being raised these days; I wish parents would be more serious with their children. Oh well, looks like it's all on me. It was no exaggeration that Fukuyama-sensei was displeased with the students in his classroom, especially the ones that were clearly letting their own delusions run wild, but he decided that as long as they don't interfere with the learning process he'll let it slide for now. After finishing the roll call, he addressed the class as a whole again; "Alright, now down to business..."





While Smith-sensei was taking role, he happily listened to every word being said and responded with an equal amount of joy. When it became Kazami's turn he showed an instant, yet subtle, sign of recognition, and when she introduced herself as Nyx, Dark Empress of the Night, he began to grow excited. "Yes, I am remembering you! Sad about your team disbanding year previous! However, I shall aid to your endeavors to my ability at it's best! Locate me when you have to found more party to join!" Despite the childrens' laughter, he excitedly played along with her odd manner of speech and conveyed that he'd be happy to help. He was a big advocate of children having fun and enjoying their youth, so it was a joy for him to advise her club again; though he still mentioned that she would need to assemble the required amount of club members in order to form a new club. I think I did well. I'm glad I asked Miss Hinata for advice on that unique style of speech. The kids seem to be enjoying it at least. Indeed, the rest of the class continued laughing, though this time it was more at how much Smith-sensei had fudged up the grammar in his speech while trying to conform to his oddball student the way they saw it. "Okay, laughing good but let's finish; yes?" He gathered the students' attention once more in order to finish the class introductions.​





As Tohsaka-sensei was taking roll, jotting down notes about each student's response on a memo for herself, she began to sense various different sources of restlessness among her students. She didn't know if it was directly tied to her, but students all around seemed to be distracted by one thing or another. This worried her. I wonder if they'll be alright in their studies. This year will be extra hard on many of them because of entrance exams, so I hope they will be able to succeed. As she moved down the list of students, there was one that seemed especially distracted. She worriedly repeated his name, but it wasn't until his classmate poked him on the shoulder that he made a response. When the boy shot up out of his seat suddenly it made her jump in surprise while clutching her roll book to her chest. After a moment she was able to calm down enough to ask if he had anything to say, but after letting his eyes wander a bit and seemingly avoiding looking at her, he just sat back down. Not knowing how to react, she decided to move along with the roll call after a torturous awkward silence.​



-Time Skip-


The bell for lunch rang, and each teacher that was having a class gave their students a quick end-of-lesson farewell.​





At the Gym, Yuuki-sensei was directing the first year students of class 1-A in a few games of basketball. She had been so excited that she hadn't realized the time, again. "Oopsies! Hey, sorry kids! Go ahead and get changed for lunch and I'll finish the clean-ups! Have a great day!" As she started putting the gym supplies in the storeroom, she hummed a little tune to herself from her favorite anime as a kid. After everything was put away she headed straight for the faculty office to eat her own lunch since she never really wore anything outside of gym clothes to begin with.



Over in 2-B, Fumisaki-sensei had just finished explaining a mathematical formula to the class. When the bell rang she cheerily rang out; "Alright students, you don't have any homework today but make sure to review what we discussed in class so we can pick up where we left off tomorrow." With that, she erased the board from oldest content to most recent before picking up the class roster book and heading up to the faculty office.​










Finally, in class 3-A, Fukuyama-sensei finished his lecture immediately before the bell rang. "Right on schedule. Remember students, the homework assignment will be due in two days on Wednesday, so don't go slacking off with your friends and blow it off; the content covered is crucial to next week's quiz." He then closed his roster book and swiftly left the room.​
 
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Kazami couldn't believe her luck. The teacher knew her old club and was willing to support it once she found enough members and got it rolling again. She bowed her head. "Thank you, tamer of men. I will surely need help in my endeavors," she said. And with that, she waited for rollcall to end and for class to begin.

~*~​

Kazami had been taking notes during the mathematical lecture. She thought it would be best to keep notes so she could remember them better. After all, knowledge of the land was the first step to achieving godhood. Letting out a sigh as the bell rang, she began putting away her things and got out her lunch.

In her mind's eye, the Trial of Numbers had gone well. Nyx had solved ever riddle thus far and she was happy with her progress of being able to learn and understand what the mortals on Earth did, specifically the ones in Japan. She hoped she could discuss some things with the tamer of men, but not now. Right now, she needed to eat for even a fallen goddess needed food while in this mortal plane. She waved her hand and summoned a feast fit for a queen. There, now to actually dig in.

Kazami felt someone bump into her before she began to eat. The student didn't even apologize as they went towards their friends. She shrugged it off, not minding that their behavior was rather rude. "Time to eat!" She began to eat with gusto, wanting to savor each bite. She'd made this all by herself so she was happy about that.
 
Miyako couldn't help but raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Satoshi's embarrassing actions, soon clicking her tongue in annoyance. She didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know what's happening! It was clear that the teacher is a sorceress that cast a hex towards Satoshi to make him clumsy and distracted! The teacher works for the Red Queen! Its the only logical reason!

As much as Miyako wanted to draw out her cards and be Monstre Charmant to trap the sorceress in a card, she knew that she can't. She cannot blow her cover! Not now that she's certain the Red Queen is in the human realm! She tried to keep her composure as she quickly scribbled her new found information as soon as she received the note from her cousin, adding a few sentences afterwards.

We must be careful with our actions. It seems that the Red Queen has spies all over the vicinity and we cannot let her know of my whereabouts. We also must find the brown haired girl's intention as soon as possible. I cannot allow this little hiccup to hinder me from searching powerful cards and hinder me from hiding

They continued exchanging notes during classes until she realized that its already lunch time. Quickly standing up from her seat as soon as Fukuyama-sensei left, she began packing her things before looking at the brown haired girl. She was quite tempted to invite her to lunch, just so she can talk to her and learn about her true intentions as soon as possible. I'm going to take a risk. If she's a spy of the Red Queen, I'll just use absorption and trap her inside my cards

"You there. The girl with the brown hair" Miyako called as she looked at the said girl, walking towards her desk with straight posture and elegance around her. "I am inviting you to sit and eat with us" She said it with so much authority and dominance that clearly there was no room to argue nor say no. "Unless you have reason to say no? No reason then? Splendid."

Miyako then looked at Satoshi and started walking out of the room whispering to him when she's walking beside her "Satoshi. We must eat outside. You know that I can't stand the sight of peasants. Besides, who knows who the Red Queen is bribing? I cannot risk getting found out"
 
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[fieldbox="Meiko, coral, dashed"]

"Fukuyama-sensei is seme as ever." Meiko whispered to her seatmate as the teacher left the room coolly.

"Sometimes, I feel jealous of his wife." her seatmate sighed.

"Oh don't be. I mean he probably has Smith-sensei on the side too." Meiko said with a cheeky wink, putting away her pencil case. "Where are you eating lunch?"

"I gotta go check with my fellow club members if we're ready to recruit. No one's been to our room since a week ago." she replied. "We'll eat there if it's livable. I'll go ahead!"

"Oh. See you!" Meiko sighed. Being the only single girl among her friends, she didn't bother to check her usual lunch buddies, knowing most of them would be with their boyfriends or would all group together. That would have been worse, she'd have been singled out completely. She also didn't want to hear her friends lecture her on her unrealistic standards for men.

I need new friends. She scoffed as she took out her bento. A voice startled her and she looked up.

"You there. The girl with the brown hair. I am inviting you to sit and eat with us." Matsuoka pompously declared. Meiko raised her eyebrows at the stylish girl's audacity. Tokyo people have a way with words. she thought. "Unless you have reason to say no?" -Meiko shook her head slowly- "No reason then? Splendid."

Meiko smiled. It was her last year in high school so she might as well make unforgettable friends she would never find in Osaka or anywhere else. Matsuoka spoke with Maruyama with the same command in her tone and Meiko pocketed her comb and put a furry pink hair scrunchy on her wrist. "All set. I know a place outside. Wanna come? It's near the kendo and karate club rooms. No one goes there at lunchtime." She had often scared them away.

She walked a little behind them with a congenial smile. She stopped every so often to wave to some people she knew. "My name's Tanaka. I don't mind if you call me Mei, everyone does." And it was mostly because there was a Meiko in nearly every level and a Tanaka in nearly every class. "Matsuoka and Maruyama, right? I love your bangs, Matsuoka-san." She chuckled at her own talkativeness.
[/fieldbox]
 
Nariko was panting as the gym teacher announced that they were done and that it was time for lunch. She looked around for the white haired girl that called herself Skadiya, intent on forming a friendship with her. She just seemed so cool to her. She spotted her sitting on the bench with her parasol and instantly made her way towards her. Hopefully she could make even more of a good impression than last time.

In her mind's eye, Kage was braving the frozen tundra in search of the princess Skadiya. He was absolutely smitten with her, with her gaze and her looks. He assumed that she was a very smart person too and he he braved the harsh winds for a chance to see her again. He saw a palace of ice and immediately thought that was where the princess was at. He entered its cold halls and soon found her sitting on a throne of ice, looking as beautiful as ever. He went over and bowed to the princess. "Ah, Skadiya, it's truly a pleasure to see you again!" he exclaimed, a grin on his face, "I was wondering, perhaps we can share a meal together? If you don't want to, then that's fine, we can still talk, right? I want to learn more about you." He knelt down and bowed his head for a moment before springing to his feet.

"Right, so can we eat together?" Nariko asked, her eyes shining with hope. She really did hope Skadiya would say yes.
 
[fieldbox="Aria, #5c8aff, dashed"]

---Deadly Trials---
Aria was sitting out on a bench through the majority of the class. During P.E. they had been playing basketball, and though she tried her best to participate she had barely lasted 10 minutes; so much to the point that she had collapsed due to the exhaustion created by pushing herself too far. She had been aided over to the bench when this happened as she hadn't lost consciousness and insisted that she not be taken to the infirmary, so she was given a water bottle and left to rest. Thus, she ended up watching her peers have fun the rest of the class period while her feeling of exclusion ever increased by the moment; leading to her sulking the whole time, cursing her weak constitution. It seemed that she had her parasol by her side as a means of self-comfort, as she clearly did not need it inside nor was it open.

The trials Skadiya faced throughout the beginning of the tournament weren't too much to deal with, until they came to a certain trial that proved to be near fatal for the mighty warrior, as she was tasked with facing an army of powerful flame demons. In the end she barely escaped with her life, and had to retreat to a haven of frost and snow to recover. "Curses! It seems the Information Control Bureau released my weakness to heat and flame to the organizers of this set of trials. They shall one day feel my wrath!" She whispered this declaration under her breath so as to not attract the wrong kind of attention to herself; she had already made that mistake once and planned to avoid a repeat occurrence.​

As she was sighing and sulking, the class ended. When she reached over to pick up her parasol, the girl from earlier that morning darted right over to her and addressed her alter ego with a full bow as if she had been addressing royalty. Just the fact that the girl had gone looking for her was surprise enough, but seeing her bow down before her and speak to her with such reverence shocked her to a state of speechlessness. After an unknown length of silence she finally managed to process what was going on and cleared her throat, the slightest amount of blush just barely visible on her cheeks. "I see you have braved much in order to find your way to me, and you don't appear to be hostile towards me. Given your level of shown respect I suppose it would be in my best interest to accept your offer. K-Kage... Tsukaima... was your name correct?" With that she felt she could officially up her list of friends from zero to one.​

Aria looked upon her first high school friend with a kind smile, but she quickly neutralized her expression with another small cough before the girl looked back up and avoided direct eye contact out of embarrassment, despite herself playing it off as sophistication. Noticing that all their classmates were filing out, she gestured towards the changing rooms. "We should embark soon; time for rest is limited." She then stood up from the bench and began making her way towards where their classmates were culminating to change out of their sweat-drenched clothes where she would be the sole member of the class not covered from head to toe in perspiration.​
[/fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox="Phoenix/Satoshi, indianred, dashed"]
Observing Tanaka through a mirror-comb he had borrowed from Miyako, Satoshi jot down his response to her: "I can't have you risk it alone. I could get kicked out of this body if anything bad happens to you." He was surprised when Fukuyama-sensei left. For a moment, he sat still after having passed the note, thinking that the teacher walked out on the class. As his classmates stood up and left in pairs and groups, he realized it was lunch time.

The Princess had immediately put her plan into action, talking to Tanaka. Satoshi turned to the classmates calling him and were daring him to try something they said were super spicy. He took one of the innocent harumaki and gave his classmates a nod and a sleepy grin. Someone seemed to have lost a bet since Satoshi was able to eat it just fine. They gave him the rest of the harumaki and he happily took it with a muttered thanks.

He immediately looked at the Princess when the human's name was called. He gave her a nod and followed. He looked back to Tanaka whenever she smiled and waved to some people they passed by the hall. She seemed to be quite well known and liked, making it less likely for her to work for the dark side.

She introduced herself and realized he definitely has heard her name several times before. The talk in the men's locker room was that she was feared and no one wanted to date her since the incident where she nearly got suspended for beating up a guy who peeked in the girls' locker room in first year. Even the yankii liked her, by the looks of some who greeted her. From what Satoshi remembered, she had seven older brothers and a big father who showed up when she joined a school pageant in the last year's festival.

"I doubt we can take her by ourselves, specially with our powers limited." Phoenix whispered to the Princess.
[/fieldbox]
 
Fukuyama-sensei was, naturally, the first teacher to arrive in the faculty office. Despite this, there was already someone in the room; the school nurse, Aya Hirako. "Why hello there, Senji-kun. How was class?" Upon his entry, the woman greeted him casually. Peculiarly, Fukuyama didn't react to such casualty very much on account that the two had both graduated from the same university and had a senpai-kouhai relationship for a couple years since their desired fields shared some classes here and there. Fukuyama-sensei even tutored Hirako-sensei on occasion, which would seem odd to most since he was the younger of them.​





Without so much as batting an eyelid towards her he walked over to his desk, opened a
drawer, and pulled out a small and simple looking bento. "Awe, you're so mean; ignoring a beautiful lady when she's talking to you!" Hirako decided to tease him since he didn't respond do her. After this, the tight-wound man let out a sigh; "I swear, your vanity seems to know no limits. If you must know how my classes were; they were all filled with troublesome, lazy, and unenthusiastic students that didn't seem to be worried about failing or succeeding in the slightest. There were a few exceptions to that, but the majority of children these days seem to be completely uninterested in their own futures."





As he explained, he opened his bento to find a very well-balanced meal laid out with dividers separating each type of food from each other. When seeing this, Hirako-sensei teased at him again; "Jeez, looks like someone's wife doesn't love him anymore; and a no wonder what with your uptight personality! I remember a time when she'd put heart designs in the rice and cut the vegetables into cute little shapes for you~!" This poke seemed to go too far, because the expression on his face suddenly turned dark and sinister. "You will never speak a word of that to anyone!" "Scary!" The sudden show of such emotion caught Hirako-sensei totally off-guard, and she couldn't keep from faltering.​





"Heh? Why wouldn't you want anyone to know about such a cute-sounding display of affection?" Suddenly, as if appearing there out of nowhere, Fumisaki-sensei spoke up from directly behind Fukuyama-sensei. This very sudden appearance of someone instantly flipped the overly serious teacher's expression from anger to total shock; he was completely speechless for a moment. After he recovered he quickly turned around to face the now smiling math teacher and blurted out; "When did you get here?!" This made her giggle slightly as she responded; "Around the part about children these days being uninterested in their futures, which by the way I would personally disagree with; I think you're just looking at them a little too harshly to see it is all, Fukuyama-sensei." His foul mood returning, he redirected the conversation back on-subject; "My viewpoint of the students aside, making my bento appear cutesy is wasteful of time and effort, and I prefer to have my food more organized, so I told my wife that she didn't need to wake up extra early just to add details to food that was going to get eaten anyways. I'm a light sleeper too, so when she wakes up I am inevitably woken up as well. Now I'd like this subject to be dropped and never be brought up again." With that he grabbed his chopsticks, said; "Itadakimasu," and began to eat while glancing through his paperwork. Fumisaki-sensei and Hirako-sensei, on the other hand, merely looked at each other and smiled before returning to their own desks and lunches.​
 
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Kazami ate her lunch in silence as she glanced around the room. Students were talking to each other as usual and there was nothing out of the ordinary. She caught a few staring at her, making them turn their eyes away. She shrugged it off, knowing they probably think her weird. But she didn't mind, this was who she was. She was Kazami Ueda and Nyx, the Dark Empress of the Night.

In her mind's eye, she was quickly finishing up the last of her feast with a smile on her face. She would've licked her fingers, but that was unladylike, let alone ungodlylike. She sent away what little was left of her feast and stretched her wings. Now that it was settled, she needed to find followers. Perhaps those who used to be a part of the Acolytes of a Vanishing World would suffice? But then she would have to brave the treacherous islands that floated among light. It was fine, she could do it for there was no task too big for the Dark Empress of the Night. She lifted herself off the ground and started flying towards the light.

Kazami had her arms out and was making noises as she went down the hall, searching for rooms with the number 3 on them. The previous acolytes should be within there, for they were third year students after all. Finally, she came upon room 3-A and entered the premises. She scanned her eyes for one of the acolytes, her gaze finally landing on someone she recognized. She marched up to her and stepped right in front of her vision. "Greetings, former acolyte!" she said, "It is I, Nyx! I'm here to take you to the paradise where we can once again bring balance to this world!" The girl sighed.

"Kazami, it's over now," she said, "There's no point in pretending, especially after the incident."

"But it's because of such tragedies that allow us to work hard and overcome it, no matter the cost!" she said, "Such things are no problem for Nyx. Well, former acolyte, will you join me in my endeavors to bring balance to the world?" The girl shook her head, but the second year student continued to persist, ignoring the stares she was getting.
 
As the brown haired girl introduced herself as Tanaka or Mei and began babbling, Miyako resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't want to feel that inviting the girl was a mistake but it seems like Miyako is nearly feeling that way. She's such a chatterbox! Miyako doesn't like talkative people because she believed that those kind of people speaks before thinking. She also believes that being acquainted with someone talkative is dangerous. One little slip up and it can be a rumor throughout the entire school.

Miyako continued on their journey, deciding to eat at the place Mei introduced. She knew where the kendo and karate club rooms are so she's certain she knew the way. She kept on walking until she momentarily stopped. Did I hear her right? She love my bangs? Miyako tried her best to keep her composure and kept walking.


"Thank you" Miyako said without looking at Mei, afraid that she'll see her cheeks blushing bright red. She then looked at Satoshi for a minute, deciding not to heed his advice. To be quite honest, she wanted to get this over with. Miyako wanted to know what Mei's true intentions were so she wouldn't be so cold and jumpy around her.


Miyako decided to ask Mei bluntly about her true intentions, still not looking at her as they arrived at their destination. "But flattery won't do you any good. Tell me, Tanaka-san, why do I feel like you're hiding something? Are you working for someone? Perhaps the Red Queen?" Miyako knew she's taking a risk but if they ever need to fight, she'll do her very best. She is not going to let the Red Queen's spy take her cards away.

Miyako fully turned around to face Mei, Monstre Charmant taking over her body. "Answer me! Are you working for the Red Queen? Or do I have to force the answer out of you?" She then grabbed her cards out of her pocket and stood in a battle stance, her fingers itching to throw a Royal Flush.​
 
[fieldbox="Meiko, coral, dashed"]
"Flattery-what?" Meiko blurted incredulously and stopped at the shade of a tree. Matsuoka demanded answers fiercely but Meiko wasn't able to catch up. "The what now?" English was not her strong front and the sudden aggression confused her. "Okay, maybe you got yourself the wrong Tanaka."

Maruyama stepped in front of Matsuoka and muttered something to her. Meiko wondered if it was because of her surname or her hair that she was mistaken for another person. Either way it made her wonder if she had blended into Tokyo so seamlessly that she had fallen into a futsuu trap. She wanted to stand out, but not in a negative way.

"Let me repeat." Maruyama's voice dipped and he sounded like a completely different person. He stepped in front of Matsuoka and obscured her from view. "Do you know the Red Queen?"

"Is that in Ginza?" Meiko blurted. With a little more make-up and a fake personality, she easily slipped into a bar once and a pub on another time. She figured trouble from there would catch up to her eventually. Her eyes widened and her palms begun to sweat nervously. They might have seen her enter.

However, Maruyama looked confused for one moment. He glanced at Matsuoka.

To Meiko's surprise, Maruyama stepped closer and put a hand on her forearm with an intense look in his downward slanting eyes, making them look fierce, like a yankii's. She froze, staring right back, noticing that his eyes were a lighter brown than most people she knew.

He step back with a small smile of triumph. "She's clean." He turned to Matsuoka and muttered again as Meiko watched them in confusion. It was the most she had heard Maruyama ever speak and she noticed something about the way he spoke.

"You're not from here, are you?" She looked at them both. Maruyama didn't speak in Matsuoka's accent. He looked at her, straightening up once more with a raised brow. "You don't speak like a person born and raised here. Then I guess I can tell you."

Maruyama glanced at Matsuoka again and Meiko smiled. "I'm from Osaka."

Maruyama gaped at her. Meiko sighed and sat down on the nearby plant box. "I want a life and career in this city because I'm...looking for someone. It's ridiculous and childish, I know. But as long as I put on this character, somehow I have a direction to follow. It's not that I hate my hometown or anything. It's just...Tokyo is a big place and that person I'm looking for could be anywhere. If I don't find him, I'll at least have a nice and successful life."

Meiko stretched and sighed. "Well, you know my little secret now." She felt a little relieved somehow. But I'm not about to talk about BL with a guy. She raised her bento. "Can we eat over this? I'm starved."

Maruyama stepped in the sunlight past the shade of the tree that stood in the plant box Meiko sat on. His eyes didn't even blink as the light made his brown eyes gleam. "Tanaka, Meiko." He spoke with the same command as Matsuoka. "You have the honor of being in the presence of Phoenix, the god of the sun. I live in Maryuama Satoshi's body and I am seeking warriors of light to aid me. I must protect the princess from the Red Queen. You must join us." He moved an arm in a grand gesture to Matsuoka.

Meiko covered her mouth, unsure whether to laugh or to get mad. Is this some kind of cruel prank? she didn't move.

"You must be overwhelmed. I understand. But we revealed ourselves to you so you could join us in our efforts. It's for the greater good. He nodded knowingly as Meiko stared at him incredulously. His behavior reminded her of the middle school and elementary school kids who approached her and "fought her" for being a monster. It happened many years ago in Osaka.

"Is this a joke?" She managed. Maruyama looked a little hurt from that, "Ah, humans. So little faith. I come before you and you think it's a joke unless you see fancy flashing lights? This human boy will not be able to stand my power. And without his body I cannot be on the same plane as you."

Meiko realized what he was talking about. The Phoenix was a manga from long ago. It only had a pilot but was discontinued immediately. From 2ch, Meiko had learned that the mangaka retired when she got married. And she did hear from gossips that Maruyama's mother was an ex-mangaka...

"Oh my god. I'm sorry." Meiko whispered, still looking shocked. It must be a behavior thing...and they seem co-dependent so... It seemed that Maruyama is convinced that he was the Phoenix from the manga.
[/fieldbox]
 
Nariko's smile widened when Aria accepted her offer to join her for lunch. "Why yes, I've come from a faraway place just to reach you," she said, "I hope we can form a connection of sorts. And yes, my secret name is Kage Tsukaima. I'm alright with people learning this name..." Her smile somewhat faltered. "...Unless they're working for the devil..." She shook her head and the smile returned. "I guess we should! Onward!" With that, she scurried over to the changing room to change out of her gym clothes.

In her mind's eye, the radiant glow of the embodiment of winter was behind him as he entered a warmer place. Here, Kage could change out of his travelling-in-the-cold clothes into something more regular. She swiftly stripped himself, revealing his bare form that had some scars on him. They were the marks of the various trials he went through. He quickly put on the clothes he had stored away, sighing once the comfortable clothes were on him. He then began looking around for Skadiya, but then stopped, thinking better of it. Would he want to see the naked body of the embodiment of winter? He'd probably get blasted with an icy wind if he did that. He waited for some time before going to check on her.

Nariko decided that she had waited long enough and decided to check on Aria. She just smiled when she found the girl again. "I think I know a place where we can eat together," she said, "Somewhere quiet. How about it? Maybe we can eat outside?" She paused, remembering who she was talking to. "A-Actually, maybe not outside. The sun will make you melt. Or at least, sweatier. ...I know! How about you decide, great Skadiya?"
 
[fieldbox="Aria, #5c8aff, dashed"]

---Plight of Solitude---
When the girl who called herself Kage confirmed and also said that she didn't mind people learning of this name, Aria couldn't help but giggle slightly. This person is interesting, to say the least. Who knows? Maybe we'll actually be able to become good friends. I just hope I don't screw things up again. As she worried to herself, it seemed that the girl headed off for the locker room ahead of her. Now that she was alone again, she felt a little lonely, so she slightly hastened her pace so as to get into the changing room faster. The faster I change, the sooner I can regroup with Kage.​

Upon entering the locker room she couldn't seem to find Kage anywhere. This saddened her since she was the only person she had befriended yet, so she just went to her locker and began changing. She could hear the girls around her chatting away and getting to know each other; sharing like interests and deciding to eat lunch together and so on. She sighed slightly; not knowing how to talk to people made making friends extremely hard for her, especially when they were in such large groups like this. When she's alone with Kage it's somewhat easier, but when the girls start grouping up she completely freezes up. Ironic how I call myself the descendant of the embodiment of winter yet when faced with a group of people I'm the one that freezes solid. Jeez, why does life have to suck so much? And it's obvious they're ignoring me too! After what I said this morning they're all totally freaked out by me! Why'd I have to do that for my self introduction? I'm so stupid! I should've just saved it for Hi-.. Hi-... Hibeyachi? Was that her real name? I think it was something like that... *Sigh* She heaved a heavy sigh after finishing getting dressed into her school uniform. Looking around she saw that the locker room was now empty, save for apparently herself. After sighing again, she heard footsteps approaching her. Looking up, she saw that Kage was the one approaching, and she couldn't help but tear up a bit, which she quickly wiped away.​

As the girl explained of a place they could eat, Aria was fond of the idea of someplace quiet, but upon mentioning outside Aria started to sweat a little. After the subject got averted, however, Aria started to feel bad; almost as if she were holding back this new friend of hers. In response to being given the choice of seating, the girl nervously blurted out; "I-I don't really know my way around the school much yet, but if there's a shady tree nearby where you were thinking I wouldn't mind sitting there. Trees typically provide excellent protection from the sun." She spoke her input as an attempt to show her flexibility of mind to try and leave a good impression; she'd hate it if she suddenly had a bad image with the only person outside her family to really compliment her appearance since her early years of grade school and end up losing her as a friend.​
[/fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox="THE PHOENIX REVEALS HIMSELF, indianred, dashed"]
Meiko didn't seem to have been able to make sense of what Monstre Charmant said. It was riskier than calculated. Phoenix stepped in front of the princess and shielded her. "I must handle this.

"Let me repeat. Do you know the Red Queen?" He said with a dangerous tone, making it clear that they meant business and that Meiko was cornered.

"Is that in Ginza?" she replied with a quivering voice, her round eyes widened again. Maruyama did not expect that answer. The Red Queen was likely to be lurking nearby but Ginza didn't seem to be the place for her to be. He glanced at Monstre Charmant with a questioning look to confirm his thoughts before turning to Meiko once more.

I must take charge of this myself.

Phoenix came closer and touched her arm. She didn't flinch and her skin didn't burn, it was a good sign. He then looked into her eyes deeply, drawing out her soul from her dark eyes. It was one way of examining if a person had enough light or darkness in their hearts. With enough light, they feared little in looking to the eyes of the Sun God. They would not perish and they knew. Darkness affected people differently but if there was too much darkness in one's heart, they would look away and hide from his gaze. They had things to hide or had become accustomed to the darkness in their being. Such was the way with humans.

Tanaka Meiko did not flinch nor looked away, holding his gaze steadily. "She's clean." He announced happily to Monstre Charmant.

"You're not from here, are you?" Meiko suddenly said, making Phoenix tense up. She was a human who had light in her heart, she shouldn't be capable of attacking. "You don't speak like a person born and raised here. Then I guess I can tell you.

Phoenix looked at the princess once more as if to ask permission.

Meiko told them at last what she was hiding. Phoenix relaxed, knowing that her explanation attested to his analysis. She was as human as a human could be, yearning for greater things and longing for a place in the world. She sat down and offered for them to start eating. Once again, it was a human weakness. Even Phoenix felt that the body of Maruyama Satoshi needed provision.

"You have the honor of being in the presence of Phoenix, the god of the sun. I live in Maryuama Satoshi's body and I am seeking warriors of light to aid me. I must protect the princess from the Red Queen. You must join us." He said, stepping into the sunlight to show a part of his own soul, it shone through Maruyama Satoshi's body: his eyes.

Meiko looked surprised, as Phoenix expected. Humans have taken to technology and modernism, they had little or no exposure to higher beings. He knew it would take a moment for her to settle with the idea.

"You must be overwhelmed. I understand. But we revealed ourselves to you so you could join us in our efforts. It's for the greater good." he spoke gently, knowing that humans did not have enough capacity to comprehend such greatness.

"Is this a joke?" Meiko snapped, her words sounding a little different than earlier. Perhaps it was an accent.

"Ah, humans. So little faith." Phoenix said sadly. He expected too much from Meiko. She was powerful, but still human. "I come before you and you think it's a joke unless you see fancy flashing lights? This human boy will not be able to stand my power. And without his body I cannot be on the same plane as you."

"Oh my god. I'm sorry." she breathed, sounding sincere. She had a look of concern which Phoenix waved away. "Do not be. It's not too great an offense."

"What say you, princess?" he added to Monstre Charmant with a benevolent smile.
[/fieldbox]
 
As the teachers that were in the staff office had all begun eating, Tohsaka-sensei trudged in, her shoulders sagging and an exhausted expression on her face. When she slumped into her seat, Fukuyama-sensei cheerfully asked her "So how were your classes, Tohsaka-sensei?" At this, the distressed teacher sighed heavily. "Throughout the whole day I could feel that I was being stared at so intensely that it was unnerving. I'm almost positive it has something to do with my clothes too!" On this note, Hirako-sensei chimed in; "Isn't it just great to see them ogle at you when you're wearing risque clothing?" "It is not! I never wanted to wear such clothes in the first place, but after my older sister heard that I'd be teacher a homeroom apparently she snuck into my apartment last night while I was out shopping for dinner and took all of my clothes; leaving me with only a few copies of the same outfit! What's more, all of the shirts are missing the top two buttons and the blazer has none! It's like she has some twisted idea that I want to go out with a student or something, and it's very stressful!"





At this point she was now crying with her head down on her arms which were both crossed over her desk. Fukuyama-sensei gently patted her back and said; "There, there. Would you like a bite of my lunch to help you calm down?" Tohsaka-sensei slowly raised her head again and, while wiping her tears, nodded her head. "Hey, I'm sorry Aimi-san; I didn't know it bothered you so much." After apologizing, Hirako-sensei leaned closer while Fukuyama-sensei had her back turned to whisper; "At least it got you a piece of Hiroko-san's homemade bento though, right? I'm actually super jealous of you right now!" It was common knowledge among the teachers that Fukuyama-sensei was an amazing cook; even those who hadn't tried her cooking yet had heard the details about it. She had soon returned with a gorgeous looking lunch of mini-sausages cut to look like squids, some vegetables cut in the shapes of various small animals, and rice.
She grabbed one of the sausages with her chopsticks and held it out for Tohsaka-sensei; "Here, say aah!" Tohsaka's face was suddenly beat red at being fed by her senpai as such, whereas Hirako-sensei clearly looked ready to start teasing her. The flustered woman quickly ate the sausage, her level of embarrassment only rising as Fukuyama-sensei giggled at her expression. She couldn't be bothered with her embarrassment for much longer, however, because the impact of flavor in the sausage quickly took her over and she was happily chewing away with a blissful expression on her face. "I'm glad to see you like it!" "Hiroko-san, no one who tries your cooking could possibly dislike it! It's just too seductively delicious." A bit taken back by the choice of wording, Fukuyama-sensei nervously responded with a; "Wh-why thank you, Hirako-sensei."
 
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Kazami continued to try and persuade her former club member to remake their club, but she was without success. Shoulders slumped as she finally exited the room, she began to walk towards another classroom in hopes of finding another member to try and persuade them. She'd do it for every classroom if she had to.

In her mind's eye, Nyx couldn't understand why the former acolytes refused to join her cause once more. Did it have something to do with their old enemy? It frustrated her to no end that he was the cause of their downfall. She straightened herself as she entered another area, her wings fluttering. She'll ask around here, perhaps here she can finally find an acolyte willing to remake the Acolytes of the Vanishing World.

Kazami continued going from room to room, searching for former members while making her presence known. If there weren't any former members, she would instead come to the front of the class and spout out her usual way of talking, earning stares as she did so. It didn't matter to her, not even when she was chased out. It was still disheartening to see that no one really wanted to join her cause.
 
Monstre Charmant didn't buy Meiko's innocence. Not one bit. She wanted to trap her in one of her cards but before she could even do that, Phoenix jumped in and decided to handle the situation. Sometimes, that pisses off Monstre Charmant. She's an independent princess who can clearly take care of herself! She doesn't need Phoenix all the time! But nevertheless, she kept all these feelings to herself and didn't utter a word.

He is just like the bunny she thought to herself while watching Meiko and Phoenix. Always so protective even when not needed Oh how she missed her bunny greatly. She knew that Phoenix is her new bunny now but sometimes she couln't help but think of the old one. Mr. Bunny is her very first friend. She could still remember all of their memories: how the bunny is so kind, so caring.. how the bunny always helped her even without asking. They grew up together and its just a shamehe got reincarnated. Well, not that she's complaining. She's happy with Phoenix and she wouldm't ask for more.

Soon, Monstre Charmant snapped out of her thoughts just in time to hear Meiko's story. It wasn't a big surprise that Meiko isn't from Tokyo. Monstre Charmant lived for hundreds of years, she can smell a great pretender a mile away.

She hid the twinge of hurt she felt when Meiko asked if this was all a joke. Of course she wouldn't understand. She's human! Meiko's mind is so little and so young that she cannot comprehend such information. Monstre Charmant then let Phoenix explain everything before deciding to speak up.

"Forgive me for being so.. Forward. I was only trying to protect myself" Monstre Charmant apologized in english, bowing her head a little out of apology. It was inevitable for her to be hostile. As said before, she's only trying to protect herself. She then introduced herself with some of her french accent showing up

"I am Princess Victorique of Saubere also known as Monstre Charmant. Phoenix is my new rabbit. Did you say you were looking for someone? May I ask who is it? I might be of help."

Monstre Charmant usually helps humans in need so it wasn't odd for her to make such an offer. But of course, what the humans doesn't know is once they accepted her offer, a part of their soul will automatically be taken away and fed to her deck of cards. Her cards need to be fed too so what better way to do it by feeding them souls? Besides, souls make her deck stronger depending on how dark the souls can be.

Monstre Charmant then sat down on the grass and let Miyako takeover the body before looking at Phoenix. She's quite hungry so she really needs her lunch "Satoshi, have you brought my lunch? There better be pickled onions or I'll unleash a monster to punish you"
 
[fieldbox="Meiko, coral, dashed"]
Meiko gaped at Matsuoka's response. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, but she did hear 'sorry' so she shook her head and bowed back. Matsuoka was one of the smarter kids in their class and Meiko knew that she was nowhere near that level. She felt her jaw drop when Matsuoka introduced herself...or what she perhaps believed herself to be.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't know..." Meiko blurted. She was so surprised by how strong the other girl's delusion was. Maruyama nodded quietly to this. It was a good thing she stopped herself. Questioning them if it had been a joke seemed to have offended them after all. Meiko thought she would have to tiptoe around and figure out their way of thinking if she wanted to understand them both. She stood up to make space on the plant box for them both.

Matsuoka's offer of help made her smile. "That's very sweet of you. But I don't even know-" Meiko considered her words for a moment. She knew it was next to impossible to find the boy she saw years ago. She didn't even remember his face nor his voice, just his piercings and the mole on his neck. But she wanted to stick around with the cousins, watching them contemplatively as Maruyama gave Matsuoka a bento, proudly enumerating its contents. "...if I deserve help, princess. I haven't done anything for you."

Maruyama brightened up from this. "There is something you can do. Work for us."

"Work? What work? Well, that's a good timing, I'm planning to get a job soon." Meiko shrugged.

"Ah, right. Employment is important for mortals... But it won't be a typical kind of employment. We will not pay you in paper bills and such." Maruyama still spoke in a pompous air, which didn't have much of an effect on his light voice. "As long as you work for us, we will see to it that you stay alive. That is more than any paper bill can afford."

Meiko grinned. She was about to have one hell of a senior year and she knew it. She felt rather childish, playing to their fantasies. At the same time, she felt rather thrilled. Fantasy is her favorite genre and she found the whole playing pretend thing entertaining and...new. "Well then, I'm at your command, lord Phoenix, princess Monstre Charmant."

Maruyama grabbed her by the arm and pushed her to sit back down on a plant box. She was surprised at the strength of his grip. "You must know already. The princess is in danger. For now, just call us by the human names. Other humans wouldn't understand that you're working for us, obviously you're taking too long in understanding your own situation."

Meiko was mostly surprised that he actually talked a lot more than in the classroom.

"I'm sorry, Maruyama-san, Matsuoka-san." She bowed to them both quickly. "I'm afraid I might need to train to be a good servant."

"You will learn. But it's Satoshi and Miyako. You must convince the humans that you're friends with us so it won't be suspicious." Maruyama looked at Matsuoka, seemingly waiting for approval.

Meiko thought about it. It sounded like a nice idea. "Alright then, Satoshi-kun, Miyako-chan." She tried. "Since you already know my secret...want some takoyaki?"

She held out her bento filled with homemade takoyaki.
[/fieldbox]