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>>6403866
'Street Kid' Takeoka Rui interrupts your thoughts and silently slides some bills into your pocket. She's been camping out in your shadow this entire time, you are barely able to perceive her from the corner of your eye. It's hard not to whip your head around and try to face her, even knowing it's impossible. Her shadow magic allows her to remain hidden but what about offense?

The question is important because you are now close enough to the corrupted Chie to hear her music and feel her Disquiet directly. She plays another tune, a soulful and sad classical piece. Her audience's reaction conflicts with the mood, the yakuza hoodlum enthusiastically cheering and clapping without pause looks almost dead with exhaustion. Stream of sweat pour down his face, skin red with exertion and his cheap suit clings to his body wetly.

How should you handle this situation? You could just drop the invisibility magic granted by the Fool's Bracer and start talking to Chie. She should still be sane enough to reason with as her Heart Crystal is only a quarter corrupted. If you do though, what will the bewitched man do?

You linger behind a toppled over table and ponder.

"What's the plan?" Your partner in crime asks as she finally decides to step out of your shadow. Now she's fully visible. Her dark eyes are focused on checking out the corner of the bar where the pianist plays.

"Still deciding. We could just wait a bit longer and let her tire out that guy even more but if he drops dead from exhaustion, it'll be a bigger mess."

Your eyes rove around to look for the remains of Yamaguchi Hiro. The punk who kicked this off by kidnapping Chie and apparently got himself killed by her. You can't smell blood nor see any gore, yet one of his lackey described him as a 'smear of flesh'. Suddenly you feel the panicked hand of Takeoka Rui painfully gripping your shoulder as she guides your vision to the ground under the pianist's feet.

A smear of flesh? You would describe it as a 'carpet of flesh, hair and clothing'. Stretched out flat as a taut piece of leather is the pulsating and quivering skin of what you think was a human being. Eyes, nose, ears and mouth distorted by the stretching occasionally twitches senselessly. There's a mop of dyed blond hair scattered over the tanned skin like little islands. The purple and white suit are nothing but strips that are swashed in random areas and woven directly into the skin.

You stop looking and feel sick. During the brief pauses of the piano music and hectic applause, you could swear you heard deranged moans and insane chatter from the flesh carpet. 'Street Kid' dry heaves besides your side and tries to remain calm.

Death would be far more preferable to whatever the corrupted Kiyotaka Chie had done to her kidnapper.

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>>6403867
"We need to get the Pretty Star Warriors here and purify the crazy woman. I don't want to get too close and end up like that." The former homeless kid runs a hand through her short black hair and tries to calm down after what she had seen. Her voice sounds even quieter than usual, even the music feels more muted.

Your livestream chat exploded with activity the last few moments.


Reality: GET OUT OF THERE!
Truthspeaker: how is he not dead
University. Upped Silence around Bar Kismet. cancelled on hallway.
HQ: The sooner we can get PSW here, the better.
Games: I am coming upstairs now.
Warrior: Stop we don't have a plan.
Saltfish: I got some drawings ready.


Well, the girls know the stakes and risks.

'Police Girl' Shinoda Takeo and 'Romance Nerd' Shibusawa Yuki are covering stairwell A.
'Normie Teen' Nagato Mari and 'Fantasy Lover' Ito Akira are covering stairwell B.
'Queen bee' Morita Aoi and 'Mommy Issues' Shinohara Ren are outside the building somewhere.
'Sport Jock' Ichijou Sayaka on standby in the ground floor lobby.

You need to suggest an idea...

>Retreat to clean up the two yakuza underlings out in the hallway, ask for backup to assist and Silence to return to hallway. Whittle down numbers first... (combat run with Sport Jock)
>Try to get rid of bewitched underling cheering first, either lure him away or knock him out without Chie noticing... (stealth run with Street Kid)
>Ask for a distraction, ask the two teams by the stairwells to attract attention... (Feint run with outside team)
>Stand up and draw attention, start negotiating right away! Chie is sure to recognize you... (Negotiation run, directly talk to target)
>Exit the bar, go back downstairs. You should try to attract the attention of the Pretty Star Warriors somehow... (Purification run, figure out how to attract their attention)
>write in

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>>6403869
>Stand up and draw attention, start negotiating right away! Chie is sure to recognize you... (Negotiation run, directly talk to target)

>>6403886
Is this safe? Do we know enough to be able to get through to her even with the Disquiet on? Maybe telling her about Asato and how we kept him safe and he's waiting for her could break through.
>You could just drop the invisibility magic granted by the Fool's Bracer and start talking to Chie. She should still be sane enough to reason with as her Heart Crystal is only a quarter corrupted. If you do though, what will the bewitched man do?
But then again
>the yakuza hoodlum enthusiastically cheering and clapping without pause looks almost dead with exhaustion. Stream of sweat pour down his face, skin red with exertion and his cheap suit clings to his body wetly.
Maybe he's too far gone in this state to do much of anything. On the other hand, Yamaguchi Hiro is a flesh carpet on the fucking floor, and the fact that Chie reduced him to that state but didn't harm the other gangsters as much as him says it all regarding her valid antipathy towards him. I don't think there's a real risk here of these incapacitated gangsters doing anything; the only danger I can imagine besides corrupted Chie herself is the Toyo Group randomly showing up and if they do we're capital F FUCKED.
>Chie is sure to recognize you
Will she? I don't recall, but does she know about our Senjou Azami already? And do you think us calling the godmother's bar to put Asato on the phone for her mom is a wise move? It will be powerful in affecting Chie, but what if the godmother catches on and she instantly knows Azami broke the fucking rules to this extent?

>>6403869
>Ask for a distraction, ask the two teams by the stairwells to attract attention... (Feint run with outside team)
>>6403895
Chie knows Azami. Godmother would probably catch on instantly, I think the point of no return has been passed of breaking the rules. Phone idea is interesting.

>>6403989
Then do you think we have enough to be able to reach out to her? I get the feeling hearing Asato on the phone and talking to him might be the clincher to get her to stand down. The problem is building up to that while keeping her attention without making her turn us into a flesh carpet. I hope returning with Chie safe and sound will make up for breaking the rules. I fear the godmother's potential wrath, but surely it won't come to that.

What's your reasoning for voting distraction? Got an angle for tackling this situation?

>>6403869
Fuck it, we need to have faith and believe in the power of the heart, or whatever
>Stand up and draw attention, start negotiating right away! Chie is sure to recognize you... (Negotiation run, directly talk to target)
Use Asato on the phone as the key piece in snapping her out of it and reminding Chie of what really matters.

>>6404048
Yes, reaching out can work. Clearing the room of the audience means a performer doesn’t have to perform. One on one. Azami may step in and say it’s time to go home or have the phone play. Just sleeper holding Chie while invisible is an option as well. It is also just bad to have non-magical people in the presence of someone who can turn them into carpets. I’m assuming the unnatural toughness also affords some magic resistance.

You currently have plausible deniability due to your invisibility power. Once you drop it, Chie is sure to recognize you and thank the godmother for sending Azami in.
Also, you'll be seen by the victimized gangsters. They'll be sure to mention your presence to other Toyo Group members.
You still aren't sure if Yamaguchi has backing from his higher ups regarding Chie or not.

Right now the two gangsters outside with the girls don't know you're here.

>>6404089
>you'll be seen by the victimized gangsters. They'll be sure to mention your presence to other Toyo Group members.
Oh fuck

>>6403886
>>6403989
>>6404061
How likely they'll ALL snap out of it the moment Chie stops playing or is moved away from the piano? If we go combat run first, we lose time we could have spent rescuing Chie and the longer she plays her piano the worse it'll get here. But if we don't KO all 3 gangsters then they'll be a danger to us and Chie on the way out.
>you could swear you heard deranged moans and insane chatter from the flesh carpet.
Scumbag Yamaguchi is still conscious
>the ground under the pianist's feet
And he's right there at Chie's feet and his eyes/ears still work. We cannot recover Chie without him noticing and knowing
We might still be fucked. Toyo Group is not going to be happy we're spiriting away one of their ladies... but ultimately she can always come back once things get safer for her and Asato, no? And she'll be alive... which is better than the state Yamaguchi and these gangsters are in. What I'm wondering is what will Toyo Group take offense to the most. Is it us taking Chie away, or Yamaguchi fucking up and causing all this shit to happen?

I think the play here with Toyo Group is we still rescue Chie, and then because Chie's corruption is specifically due to Hisato's use of AK magic and the drug sellers clusterfucking each other in addition to Yamaguchi going after her as a result, we throw both Yamaguchi and Hisato under the bus and pin all the blame on AK. Could Toyo Group instead decide to cut off the middlemen directly and try to work with AK theselves? Maybe. Could they turn on Chie for reducing Yamaguchi to a flesh carpet whether she's one of their best ladies or not? Or will they instead shit on Yamaguchi for bringing this all on himself and shaming the Toyo Group, and acknowledge we were protecting their asset and let this ordeal slide? If we go the distance and have Chie purified, that works in our favor mollifying Toyo Group to boot

>You're ninety percent sure that the punk who grabbed Chie is doing it without permission and knowledge from the Toyo Group. Of course, you have a ten percent possibility of being wrong. Oh well, that's the criminal life for you. You can't play safe and hope for a guaranteed hundred percent outcome all the time.
After all this thinking, I've decided to stand by my vote in >>6404049. This feels like overthinking at this point. We just gotta do what's right

>>6404089
>Scumbag Yamaguchi is still conscious
>And he's right there at Chie's feet and his eyes/ears still work. We cannot recover Chie without him noticing and knowing
Anon, the guy is a carpet, his ability to notice and know is consumed by the pain of being being a carpet.

>>6404191
CHECK IT OUT, I'M IN THE HOUSE LIKE CARPET
Then yeah okay, let's just drop invis and talk Chie to her senses and get the fuck out of here

>>6403869
>Retreat to clean up the two yakuza underlings out in the hallway, ask for backup to assist and Silence to return to hallway. Whittle down numbers first... (combat run with Sport Jock)

I thought the thugs were too fucked up to register anything besides going unga on it

>>6404469
eh fuck it I switch
They are too fucked up to register

>Try to get rid of bewitched underling cheering first, either lure him away or knock him out without Chie noticing... (stealth run with Street Kid)

>>6403989
I switch too,
>Try to get rid of bewitched underling cheering first, either lure him away or knock him out without Chie noticing... (stealth run with Street Kid)
They're weak and dehydrated. Slam a chair into him

We are all over the place with the votes.

2 for negotiation
2 for stealth

Negotiation means you'll auto get in trouble with the godmother and Toyo group knows of your involvement. It also resolves the issue much more quickly since you don't screw around.
Stealth means you'll try to maintain plausible deniability while you can and is slightly harder.

>>6404647
I will vote to break the tie.
>>6403869
>Try to get rid of bewitched underling cheering first, either lure him away or knock him out without Chie noticing... (stealth run with Street Kid)

Right stealth time!

>>6404685
>>6404706
I am OK with this outcome. Here's hoping it doesn't fuck us over

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The music plays on and on and on. Even through the supernatural Silence imposed by Shinohara, you can still hear it. You look from your hiding place to observe the smiling Chie play out another tune on the piano before shifting your gaze to the exhausted underling continuing to cheer and clap.

Then you look at the chat of your livestream. The endless commentary from the worried girls outside, arguing on what to do. You guess that HQ must be 'Police Girl' and Truthspeaker must be 'Queen Bee'. They have their hands full trying to corral the others and suggest a plan of action.

You choose a handle name and enter the chat. It is the season of the sakura in Japan; you try to take 'Sakura' but get denied. Someone else already took it, and that discovery upsets you. You try to think up a different one. You remember in the south, on the island of Taiwan, the chinaberry trees are flowering.

A bitter and sorrowful sounding name.

Khoolinga: I want to take out the audience before taking any other actions. Tilt the odds in our favor more inside the bar first. I'll work with my partner to lure him away or gank him without our corrupted noticing.

"I'm up for any plan that doesn't end up making us a carpet." Takeoka mutters as she quietly assesses the risk and actions necessary.

HQ: Warrior and Reality, move up closer to the second floor. Games, get ready to jump up to the second floor if necessary.
Games: Gotcha. If I'm fast enough, those crying dudes in the hallway won't react when I barge into the bar.
Reality: Can I stay downstairs?
Truthspeaker: just stay behind the pyro
University: I'll relocate to the building first floor. I'll try get under bar ksmet.

It's nice to have a crew who aren't useless and passive.

>three anons roll 1d20+4!

Rolled 20 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6405212
incoming natty 1

>>6405212
Rollin'-

>>6405218
-bwuh?! I guess reverse psychology works on the dice gods? Lemme try, nat 1!

Rolled 2 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6405225
>>6405212
Ahem...let me try that again. Nat 1!

Rolled 3 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6405212

>>6405225
>reverse psychology
Yea...reverse psychology totally what I was aiming for

Rolled 20, 10, 6 = 36 (3d20)

Whoa, fast response.
Nat20 too.

Let's see "Normie" is close by.

>>6405250
>a fellow ally also rolled 20
You love to see it

>>6405250
Wow, I guess we were made for one another. Toutoi...

>>6405254
>>6405264
More like her magical ability Luck of The Luckless kicked into double your success and also give a her 20.
But the expense of her overall sense of normality and desire to avoid danger.

>>6405520
Hope you're doing OK OP

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The girls move like a well-practiced team. 'Queen Bee' Morita wasn't lying when she declared that they've been doing this for a while. Each knows of the others' abilities and duties clearly.

Below, 'Mommy Issues' moves into position and concentrate her magic Silence upwards to envelope the piano-playing Chie. The music by the corrupted woman appears to be a key element to the dangerous powers bestowed upon her. Best to disrupt it just in case; Yamaguchi is a flesh carpet at her feet, and you aren't keen to find out if the pianist can do that with her music.

'Sport Jock' along with 'Normie Teen' and 'Fantasy Lover' position to support should something go wrong. The rest are on guard and monitoring the surrounding area. You're somewhat surprised that 'Police Girl' Shinoda isn't at the vanguard or accompanying 'Mommy Issues' but guarding 'Queen Bee' and 'Romance Nerd'. Then again, the other girls keep mentioning their leader has a tendency of going berserk.

The riskiest part is 'Street Kid' and your portion of the job. When Silence blocks the music, that will be your signal to take down the charmed underling. His state of exhaustion and obliviousness makes him easy prey. The pianist is paying attention to nothing but her music, she won't notice a thing.

Toyoko: We'll observe the target first after Silence surrounds the piano
Khoolinga: It'd be nice if the punk just drops unconscious
HQ: No sign of PSW
Warrior: I see the two crying guys in the hallway
Saltfish: Ready over here.
Reality: I've got a bad feeling about this
Games: You'll be fine, girl.
Truthspeaker: remember the zipties
University: I'm in position. Starting now.


The music stops completely, and the cheering and applause peters out.

Luck of the Luckless activates. Double Fortune! You are blessed.

Something has changed. It's hard to describe. It's the sensation that everything that could go right, will go right. The victim of the corrupted Chie stands in a daze as though not quite believing he's been freed. He looks down at his reddened hands, swollen from the non-stop applause. Then he breaks into a run towards the exit, but in his exhaustion, he trips and falls. He sobs with fear as he desperately crawls towards the door.

Toyoko: he's heading out!

Good news for you and 'Street Kid', but bad news for the girls outside and the fleeing man. This is a double fortune? There are two weeping possessed gangsters out in the hallway. You have no time to react for Chie paused her playing and looks up from the piano. Silence imposed upon her was too strong. She seems baffled and spares a glance to the fleeing man. The surprised pianist rises from her seat but makes no other move. Her eye follows the unfortunate man, as though contemplating what to do to stop him.

This is not what you expected. You can't allow Chie to leave the bar and run into the girls outside.

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>>6407117
You quickly text Asato. His cellphone is always on him, so he responds immediately.

Khoolinga: drop silence in bar move it to hallway!

Your cellphone rings as you place it on a chair and back away. Sound travels naturally within the ruined bar now. The ringing startles the corrupted pianist who immediately rushes over with unnatural speed. Chie desperately looks around to see who left the phone, but your invisibility and Takeoka's shadow ability keeps her sight away.

Chie answers the call. The look on her face transforms to surprise and delight as she hears the voice of her son. She has forgotten all about her escaping victim. The girls outside will take care of him and whatever troubles happen. After the door closes, you hear nothing outside the bar.

The minutes pass slowly while the mother reassures her son. It would be easy to forget how much of a danger the woman really is except for the nonsensical whispers and sobs of the flattened flesh on the floor that used to be Yamaguchi.

"It hurts--- it hurts--- oh god---- make it stop---- please---- it hurts---- stop----" A cracking voice of absolute misery and pain makes a stark contrast to the happy light voice of a mother soothing her son. It attracts the attention of Chie who coolly observes the twitching flesh carpet while biding goodbye to her son.

"Hm, it hurts?" Chie asks the quivering flesh with a smile.

"It hurts--- please stop---- it hurts--- mother---- oh god---- it hurts." Yamaguchi desperately whimpers.

"Good."

The coldness of the response could freeze hell itself. Chie puts the cellphone in her pocket and walks out of the bar. 'Street Kid' approaches your side and begins speaking after Chie leaves.

"Got word from the others. They hid before Mrs. Kiyotaka got out of the bar. They'll clean up here, but you better go after her. As far as we know, the Pretty Star Warriors are only keeping an eye on you. Don't worry, I'll go with you." With that, Takeoka once more merges with your shadow.

You go after the woman. She must be intercepted before arriving at 'Last Chance' and get purified by the Pretty Star Warriors somehow. You leave the building without seeing the other girls or the victimized gangsters.

Fool's Bracer - Invisibility magic ends. 1 charge left

Ah, so there's a time limit to the invisibility magic. Luckily, you don't have any need for it right now. The streets of Tokyo are alive with pedestrians who are oblivious to the danger walking amongst them. Chie looks like any other woman who had a rough day, people give her wide berth.

Deception - You should steal your cellphone back.
Fierce Loyalty - A cellphone is the least of your worries. You disobeyed orders.
Unnatural Toughness - Ya know, I think my job will be done soon. When I finish healing up this poison, eat something. I'm thinking a nice bowl of lo bah on penglai rice.

>>6407118
Getting back your cellphone and eating is low on the list of priorities! How the hell are you going to attract the attention of the Pretty Star Warriors so they can do their job? One thing for sure is that she can't head to where her son is at until she's purified.

You run up and start calling out to the corrupted woman.

"Chie-chan, wait up!" Your voice carries over the head of passerby and reaches her ear. She stops and turns to face you with a blank face.

>Try to convince her to go to her childhood friend, Ishida Kyou, and remain at his cafe...
>Explain she's sick and take her somewhere to rest and get cured...
>Advise that her husband is out of police custody and she needs stay elsewhere for a little while...
>Tell her about the infighting between the former brothers, she might be in danger and needs to hide...
>Ask her to accompany you and delay seeing her son, she's a danger to people right now...
>Surely the Pretty Star Warriors are close by, prepare Chie for purification by explaining what is wrong with her...

>>6407119
>Ask her to accompany you and delay seeing her son, she's a danger to people right now...
Lie about needing advice for a gift for Asato

>>6407119
>Surely the Pretty Star Warriors are close by, prepare Chie for purification by explaining what is wrong with her...

I don't think disquiet makes you totally unconscious of your actions at this level of corruption, if at all. Telling her that she's in danger when she has just acquired magical powers and the confidence that comes with that is likely to be met with something like "good, let them come", and delaying her seeing her son by telling her to lay low isn't likely to go down well either. Maybe the only danger she would be afraid of would be magic, like her husband and co, but that might be overmatched by confidence and desire for confrontation, or alternatively an overwhelming conventional threat like the military or something insane like that. Hence, I think showing that we are knowledgeable about what is going on, and telling her that she needs help is probably for the best, despite our knack for deception. It is that or hoping she is still afraid of her husband, or that she'll feel afraid enough again if we reveal he has magic too, enough to come with us instead.

>>6407132
I don't think something this trivial will work. She just talked to him, and is likely on her way to him right now, assuming he told her where he is. The needing advice for a gift I mean, telling her she is dangerous might work. The two don't really mesh together well though. Unless I misunderstood what is going on?

>>6407139
+1

>>6407119
>Try to convince her to go to her childhood friend, Ishida Kyou, and remain at his cafe...
We can get someone there for a pick-up.

I maybe slower than usual. So if I'm not answering as often, it just means that updates will be very random.

>>6407201
I don't like having Chie near any men after Yamaguchi. Not while she's corrupted. Imagine if her childhood friend Ishida gets misunderstood by her in her corrupted state and then she turns him into a carpet too. No, we need her mind primed and clear. No freakouts, understand?

>>6407119
>Surely the Pretty Star Warriors are close by, prepare Chie for purification by explaining what is wrong with her...

Pretty Star Warriors option taken.

>>6407467
Fair enough.

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The blank look on her face does not augur well. It is a look that some of the ladies at the Sumi hostess clubs have upon being utterly done on a particular night. The fakery put on for demanding customers, bitchy coworkers, grasping managers, and more add up to a heavy bill of exhaustion and dissatisfaction.

Kiyotaka Chie is at that magnificent moment of not giving a fuck anymore and just wanting to go home.

Enhance that with the Disquiet spilling out. Normal people instinctively give her a wide berth without understanding the danger or reason.

A faint taste of sweetness sticks to the back of your teeth. A bad sign. The pressure of Disquiet presses softly on your skin, but it feels like it's grown a bit. An even worse sign. The corruption of her Heart Crystal is growing at an unusually fast pace. If she manifested her power recently, then the corruption shouldn't be advancing so quickly.

Something has changed with Arkadia. That stagnant, dying monarchy is evolving and changing their tactics and strategy. Lady Hathor of love and madness must be overjoyed, you almost feel happy for her. Even if her efforts are all vain and the doom eating away at that blighted kingdom shall cast it all into darkness.

The Pretty Star Warriors must be close by. You can make their jobs easier by talking to the corrupted woman about what is coming next and getting her to somewhere safe and isolated to let them get to work. Damn it, it's like you're working for those magical girl bitches.

"I've been looking all over for you. Lady Sumi and Asato will be glad to see you safe, but not yet. You must realize there's something wrong with you. I heard reports from a crew I hired for help that you've walked out after doing something interesting to Yamaguchi. I need you to come with me and get cured." You try to stay vague about the details and add a thin gloss of lies to hide your direct involvement. The godmother would be furious if she learned the truth.

"Hired? Does that mean you'll hand over your cut of the profits to pay us?" Takeoka snarks from the safety of your shadow, but you ignore her. There's a look of recognition coming over the corrupted woman's eyes, she is not lost to her insanity and recognizes you. You walk a few steps closer to her.

"I'll get the professionals to come and help you. Don't worry, it won't hurt. It'll be like falling asleep under the light of a moon. When it's done, you can forget about the nastiness and ride back to Tomakomai. Come with me."

"Of course, Chevalier, I hear and obey." Chie smiles widely as you come to a stunned halt.

Arkadian Favor - I grant thee, Chevalier, this token of my esteem. Ye shall rule thy lessers.

What?

You feel a hand gripping your shoulder while the other hand is busy with a sharp knife gently pricking your back. In the corner of your eye, the passenger riding your shadow readies to strike with her dosu blade.

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>>6409112
"Just what the fuck is going on? Are you actually an Arkadian freak? I knew we couldn't trust you!" Takeoka hisses with fear. Her eyes are simply black with magic, there are no whites.

"Don't know, this is new to me. You can stab me after we get the purification done, not before." You try to sound tough and confident, but inwardly there's a weight in your Heart. There's also a reaction from Chie, who stares past your shoulder as though she can see Takeoka. The air crackles with energy, a storm ready to burst into action.

"Don't do anything that disturbs the public order, Chie-chan. The punk behind me isn't worth your effort. A mere dosu stabbing me a hundred times isn't going to kill me. They nicknamed me the 'immortal' for a reason."

"Who the fuck are you calling a punk? If I'm a punk, then you're a broke-ass chinpira punk. Immortal, my ass. Don't try nothing, I have the advantage here."

"You're welcome to have a go at my 'tama' life after this. Just not right now." You scowl and turn your head to face the girl, but her shadow magic makes that impossible. She's always at the corner of your eye instead.

The tingling keys of music softly play; you glare at Chie whose fingers lightly flutter in the empty air as though she's performing on a piano. The pedestrians walking by look confused at the sudden intrusion of piano music and disturbed by the sight of a strange woman moving her fingers in the air as though at a keyboard.

"I said don't do anything that disturbs the public order. You married into a family that follows the code, it's got rules and regulations when katagi civvies are around."

"Of course, Chevalier."

The corrupted woman stops her magical performance and smiles complacently. The Pretty Star Warriors didn't show up after that display. Does that mean they don't monitor you all the time?

"Well Arkadian, what's the plan? Tell me so I can tell the others. No funny stuff." The knife digs a bit into your back but doesn't break skin to plunge into flesh.

Yet.

"If those warriors aren't nearby, then we'll have to grab their attention. I have a place in mind. Normie Teen and Queen Bee know where it is."
"I can guess who Normie is but who the hell is Queen Bee? Use the codenames in the chat."
"The codenames suck. Mine are better."
"Better? What's mine?"
"Street Kid."
"Yeah, no. You suck at codenames."

It takes a great deal of back and forth on the chat to convince Takeoka to put away her knife and exit your shadow. The former homeless girl glares daggers as you shepherd the obedient Chie onwards. It's a silent train ride in an empty car because of the uncanny aura of Disquiet growing in the corrupted woman.

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>>6409114
It takes a great deal of back and forth on the chat to convince Takeoka to put away her knife and exit your shadow. The former homeless girl glares daggers as you shepherd the obedient Chie onwards. It's a silent train ride in an empty car because of the uncanny aura of Disquiet growing in the corrupted woman.

If the Pretty Star Warriors won't come to you, then you'll head to a place you know they hang out at. The stakeout house near Takamichi Group Home with magical illusions hiding it's presence and entrance. If you walk along the concrete wall encompassing the house, the magical illusion suggests that there's no entrance to let anyone in. Most oblivious people wouldn't notice that oddity and for the rare few who do notice, there's a secondary magical effect to dismiss that observation.

If you hadn't stumbled upon Morita and Nagato searching for the place, you would never have realized that the Pretty Star Warriors are stalking you. The window on the second floor is perfectly level with the second floor dorm at Takamichi Group Home.

The thistle flower marking the disguised entrance hangs were you last left it. You lay a hand there and feel only open air, the entrance hasn't closed or moved. The overgrown garden remains verdant and wild while the house remains unnaturally clean and pristine.

"Hand over the cellphone Chie, I gotta make a call."
"Of course, Chevalier."
"New orders, stop calling me Chevalier."
"Of course, Lady Senjou."
"... New orders, call me Godmother."
"... Wouldn't that upset godmother Sumi?"

Takeoka barks out a laugh as she explores the empty kitchen while you sigh in frustration.

Unnatural Toughness - HAHAHAHA! VICTORY OVER POISON! Sickness shall not touch me, venom shall not enfeeble me, pain is but an illusion.
You no longer suffer a -2 penalty from being poisoned

At last, the poison is cleansed.

Anons, choose a memory!...

>The sad grandeur of the Arkadian Kingdom, you saw it from the shoreline with her...
>The Great Hunt held by the Nobility, you worked with her...
>Wandering through the streets of the Arkadian Kingdom, you talked with her...
>The time you got severely injured fighting against the Pretty Star Warriors, she had to heal you...
>Trying to find a book in the Grand Library, you can't read Arkadian but she insisted you come with her....

>>6409116
>The time you got severely injured fighting against the Pretty Star Warriors, she had to heal you...
A look into Azami as the top enslaved ("enthralled" more appropriate?) lieutenant of the bad guy empire of this magical girl show

>>6409112
>"Hired? Does that mean you'll hand over your cut of the profits to pay us?"
What if, after the truth infodump of her backstory and time under the Akadian Kingdom to the therapy group, Azami outright pays Takeoka 5000 yen to forgive her? You think Street Kid would accept that afterward?

>>6409116
>The sad grandeur of the Arkadian Kingdom, you saw it from the shoreline with her...
>>6409125
Bribery

>>6409116
>The time you got severely injured fighting against the Pretty Star Warriors, she had to heal you...

Did she have the gentle affect of an ideal nurse? Or was the process of healing unusual and disturbing? A wound that even we could not heal, surely whatever ritual used to heal us was mighty and scary enough to be worthy of those edgy nobles. Also the fight must've been something else, I kinda wanna see it.

>>6409116
>The time you got severely injured fighting against the Pretty Star Warriors, she had to heal you...

>>6409116
>Trying to find a book in the Grand Library, you can't read Arkadian but she insisted you come with her....

>>6409125
Bribery won't work given her past and knowledge of how organized crime exploit homeless children.
Azami's gang specialized in the 'water trade' which isn't just bars and clubs, but also highend prostitution and call girls

>>6409414
Ah okay. Nix that idea then. Honesty and forthrightness is what we'll need

Injury option elected.

Slight delay, I have finally received the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire from a friend. I purchased it almost a year and half ago roughly for the purposes of research while writing Mahou Shoujo Villainess.
I'm baffled why now, I've practically forgot that I purchased it from him.

He lent me volume 1 to 3 of Lords of Mysteries as an apology but also requested I read these lent books as soon as possible and return it to him.

>>6411001
Reminder
>Holy
>Roman
>Empire

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It feels odd to be in a room with someone corrupted once more. The unsettling sensation of Disquiet excites a familiar premonition of supernatural danger. You look upon Chie placidly sitting on the floor and humming a tune. She returns your gaze steadily, her face full of expectation for your next orders.

The discomfort of only one corrupt can scarcely compare to a room full of corrupted gangsters. Memories return unbidden; you remember the vibrant color of fireworks dying away to mark the end of September and the beginning of October. It also marked the formal end of the festival scheme you came up with. It succeeded far beyond the meager expectations held by you. At most, it would be an interesting experiment of subtle extraction of mana from civilians enjoying the simple joys of a Japanese matsuri.

The plan not only filled the coffers of the Arkadian Kingdom to the brim but also became lucrative for the Sumi gang. You paired the subtle energy draining with a subtle magical suggestion to encourage spending. Nothing too crazy. Just that people should spend about ten times more than usual at the gang-affiliated stalls and not find it unusual. The sheer number of people willingly dropping wads of cash to eat poorly made festival food, buy shoddy cheap trinkets, or play rigged festival games at elevated prices took you off guard.

It really shouldn't have, Lady Hathor had full confidence in the plan and high expectations. The magical assistance from the Arkadian Kingdom in all the business ventures of the Sumi gang rendered them all wildly profitable. Be it prostitution or gambling or collecting protection money. For the first time in years since the promulgation of anti-yakuza laws, there was money and no interference from the law. Rival yakuza bosses could only look on with envy and greed while the cops were enraged and baffled by the sudden prosperity and inability to disrupt business. The slow decay towards destruction of a small declining yakuza gang inexplicably halted.

A mystery to all.

Except to the Pretty Star Warriors.

It took those magical girls awhile, but they eventually did figure out the scheme and disrupt it. A stroke of bad luck, or they have a civilian identity and were victimized. You distinctly remember Pretty Star Warrior Helios raging about how much money she lost eating crappy yakisoba. Thinking about it now, you wonder if this was the true start of the downfall of your 'family'. The Pretty Star Warriors finally realized the repeated involvement of the Sumi gang in Arkadian Kingdom plots was not a coincidence. The usual modus operandi of the Arkadians is to simply find some unfortunate victim and corrupt their Heart Crystal until they go insane, harvesting a vast amount of mana from them and extra from others affected by the corrupted.

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>>6411590
A sustained operation using a select number of enthralled, slightly corrupted humans to infiltrate and control aspects of civil society was simply not how the Arkadian Kingdom operated back then. They recognized Lady Hathor as a revolutionary new enemy. They also recognized you as a relatively important subordinate.

At the time, you were unaware and careless of the consequences of this recognition. You were simply too obsessed with protecting your mistress and acting as a sort of sounding board to her ideas. The patriarch of the Sumi gang inadvertently inspired her ambitions for a grand and difficult vision. He only wanted to impress upon her the idea that if the gang got big enough and touched the money of everyone, it would be safe. This almost casual advice from Godfather Sumi Masatoshi became the fatal seed. If her Arkadia touched every aspect of this island known as Japan, if it controlled the flow of money and power and blood in the shadows... She could prolong the survival of her homeland.

Then expand from there to encircle the world.

Ah, but you're getting ahead of yourself. Such a mad megalomaniacal plan was only just starting to coalesce in that chill October. It would only fully flower after the incident when you nearly died.

The hardships of the past for the Sumi gang seemed like nothing more than a bad dream. Everyone wanted to party in style, and so they did. The godfather sent invitations to fellow allied yakuza gangs in the Greater Tokyo association and certain civilian 'friends' to partake in a celebration.

It was borderline disastrous. To enclose normal humans in a place charged with Disquiet spilling out of so many Sumi gangsters in one place left a wholly negative impression. Even hardened gangsters from the Toyo Group, Isshin Association, and Kirito Cooperative found it hard to endure, but pride won't let them admit it. Civilian staffers, political pukes, and business people, though, are trying to depart without offense. Luckily, this was something the Arkadian witch was counting on. Watching the dark lady of love and madness move amongst these unsuspecting civilians with smiles of comfort, subtly probing their minds and importance as they depart with threadbare excuses.

"Well, that's the last of them. They ended up leaving far more quickly than I expected. I'm so glad you were around to distract them. I overestimated how long humans can endure being so close to the chosen of Arkadia. This is what happens when I spend too much time only around those I command. Darling Azami, I will need to learn more about those sixteen mortals I just marked at a later time." Lady Hathor claps her hands and smiles as she watches the last katagi civilian leave the hotel. She gazes upon the news reporters and police officers milling outside; it's quite the crowd.

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>>6411591
"Distract? I practically had to threaten them or deceive by picking their pockets and pretending they dropped their cellphone. My lady, some of the people you marked for potential domination aren't very important. Heck, one of them is just a secretary for some minor politician. Don't know why you pegged him as useful." You don't bother mentioning the other 'distraction' in play. The Arkadian witch had fun dressing you up in a fine black dress, and the men responded by paying unnerving attention to you. You're sixteen years old, those damn perverts! The death-dealing glare you give towards the Arkadian rolls off like water.

"You need to remember even the smallest pawn can become a queen under the right circumstances. I dare say that you were much the same as that secretary. An unimportant pawn who turned out to be quite a useful knight."

"You used to call me an absolute menace and nuisance to your plans. What changed?"

"Sweetheart, nothing has changed. You still are a threat to me. No matter how hard I try to gift you with the blessing of the Kingdom, your steadfast Heart rejects it."

Fierce Loyalty - Of course I reject it! That blessing is a curse that drives people nuts or kills them or worse.

You can't say it out loud. Instead, you take her by the hand and lead her upstairs. The gang bosses are all gathered at the top floor and conversing with each other. But as usual, she's a social butterfly and wants to check in on the younger brothers first. They're mingling with other lower-rank yakuza from allied gangs, and Lady Hathor wants to know how they are getting on.

They're stripping off their shirts and jackets to show off their irezumi tattoos. You laugh at the stunned look on Lady Hathor's face as tattooed men start comparing their ink jobs, talking about the type of tattoos they might get next, or showing them off to each other. Even going so far as to pose before the Arkadian and ask for her opinion on the beauty of the designs decorating their body.

Flummoxed, the young girl says a few random compliments and even listens with patience to the men extolling the tattoos before making her exit. She openly stares at you, and it is rather discomfiting until she at last speaks.

"I find it curious. Everyone in the Sumi gang has these 'irezumi' but you. Don't you also want one? I can grant you time for one."

"I am thankful for your generosity but I must decline, my Lady. I want one but I can't get one."

"Can't? If I come with you and negotiate on your behalf, I will convince the tattooist of your choice to work for you. What about that master Koizumi everyone mentions?"