>>41134241
"But you just said that you don't like it, didn't you? So you've got some preferences. Give me a suggestion or something," You say, to which he rolls his eyes. "I'm not leaving until we get this figured out, you know."

That proclamation seems to spur him into thought. After a slight pause, he answers. "I am you. I believe it would be fitting if you gave me a name that you could use to refer to yourself as well."

"So something... gender neutral?" You put a hand to your chin and think.

"...You don't have to be 'here' for this. When you figure something out, I'll know. Go and get some rest - if it's not too late already," He waves you off.

After a bit of reluctance, you do as he says. You don't really have any other questions for him, and it's true that figuring out a cool name might take a little while.

You open your eyes, and 'wake up' in your dim room. Dark clouds are still looming outside, though there hasn't been any rain ever since that one night a little over a week ago. You glance at the time - you have to get ready for school soon. There's no chance of getting any extra shuteye, but, well, not that you want to. You haven't slept before now, either. Rather than sleep, it's more like you 'meditated' or something. As a result, you're feeling pretty fresh, not a trace of drowsiness from what you can tell. You never wanted to sleep in the first place.

Your mother's the one who comes around to wake you up today, not your brother. You immediately spring out of bed when you see the approach of her mischievous smile; she's very good at waking you up, though that's not necessarily a good thing - she quite literally threw you out of bed on at least one occasion. Paul is also annoyingly skilled at it, but there's still a little room for you to take things at your own pace. But with her, though? Not one bit.

(2/3)

>>41134270
Mom leaves the room slightly disappointed - maybe she really wanted to give you one of her wild awakenings or something. You glance at the black butterfly sitting on your desk. That's the spiritual messenger Urahara Kisuke left you. You can give your answer to him about that deal of his whenever you want. He said you'd just need to talk to the butterfly, right?

...

>Accept Urahara's deal. Ask him to find out what he can about Kimiko.
>Think about his offer for a little longer.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41134301
>Think about his offer for a little longer
Groan, its morning, gotta at least fake your way through the daily routine of school.

>>41134301
>Accept Urahara's deal. Ask him to find out what he can about Kimiko.
Might as well, it's obvious we're supposed to so things don't stall even more.

>>41134301

>Accept Urahara's deal. Ask him to find out what he can about Kimiko.

>>41134301
Voting over, writing!

So, what to name Gil?
Gender neutral is tough. Especially since I'm not from an English-speaking country and many names are differently gendered in my language compared to English

>>41135049
I dunno, Google gives me Gil as gender neutral so we could still use it. Right?

>>41135133
Google tells me Glenn is unisex so I won't believe it!

How about Sam for dat nostalgia combo? Ad unisex as it gets.

>>41134503
>>41134530
You tap on your desk. The butterfly flutters its wings and flies up into the air, now standing at attention. You word your reply to Urahara's proposal and tell it to head out - the Hell Butterfly obeys, heading out to the window. You are about to open it to let it out, but then you remember that it's a ghost, and probably doesn't need your help. Indeed, it simply flies right through. The courier shortly fades out of sight.

And now you need to wait. Well, you have something to look forward to now, at least.

You get on with your morning. You really don't feel sleepy, but you've got pretty apparent dark circles under your eyes. Well, nothing that can't be solved with some makeup.

If your inner world trips don't count as sleep, then this is your... third night without any? You don't really keep count. You feel just fine, though. A little yawny, maybe, but when is that ever not the case on weekdays?

Breakfast goes by just fine; you don't remember what anyone talked about, so it must have been boringly routine and nothing special. After that, you get your bag and head out.

...

"-rissa, what'd you get for the test?" Someone nudges you on the shoulder. You hastily lift your head off the desk; there's a paper you don't remember being there. Someone must have put it here while you were busy dozing. 18 out of 40 is your result. A pretty miserable failure. You don't even remember doing this test. Every one of your friends got a better result; seeing you, usually an above average student, fail at a test that was relatively easy, is pretty surprising to them.

As you give the paper a read-over, memories of writing down answers are gradually coming back to you, as does the embarrassment of answering simple questions with something stupid.

"You should have asked me if you needed help, Clarissa. My biology grades are okay." Naoko mutters. You thank her for the offer, but you assure her that you're fine.

(1/2)

>>41135206
You catch Paul glancing at you with disappointment. He doesn't say anything about it, though. You expected him to lecture you like he tends to do when you slip up, but maybe he's just keeping it for when you're both back home.

It's even harder to keep track of things today. You try to write down what the teachers say so that you can read it later on, but you keep catching yourself trying to fall asleep; the effort ends up quite useless.

During a break, when you're really busy trying to make yourself look like you're keeping track of the conversation, Ren brings something up to you. It takes her a couple of tries before you realize it, though.

"You alright, Clarissa?" She asks out of concern when she realizes that you aren't just messing around. You wave her concern off, muttering something about sleepiness. "...Well, anyway. You still train, right?"

"You mean, like, at the dojo?" You ask her.

She nods. "I wanna train with you guys." Ren exclaims with a smile. That's a little surprising.

"Really? I thought you hated fighting."

"Well... I mean, I still kind of do. But I think I should prepare myself better. You know, for the patrols and stuff."

...

>"Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."
>"I think you should focus on getting good with your special power instead, Ren."
>"Are you sure you can handle it? I mean, you're kind of... uh... not athletic. And it's not easy, especially when you don't like doing it."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41135223
>"Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."

>>41135223
>"Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."
Very useful, if nothing else it'll help her survive better and get more fit.

>>41135223
>"Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."

>>41135223
>"Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."
Good luck to her!

>>41135223
Voting over, writing!

>>41135530
We're gonna be the best personal trainer!

We had a way to contact mophead right? What's a good time for it?

>>41136134
Talk with the others about it when training and contact after maybe.

>>41135530
Oh what if she can channel our exhaustion to herself and then she'd be able to sleep like a normal person, unlike us.

>>41136532
That would be somewhat useful, actually. Could try it.

>>41135251
>>41135258
You shrug. "Sure. Me and Naoko are gonna be training today, you can join us."

"Make sure to teach me stuff, though, okay? Not just... beat me up for fun or anything."

You raise a brow. "...Is that how you think it goes? We're not bullies."

"I mean... I dunno."

You look her over. If she gets the impression that you're beating her up, well, that'll be her own fault for a while. She's pretty frail and doesn't do anything exerting besides PE classes at school, and even then, not very well.

"W-what?" She asks, a bit nervous under your scrutinizing gaze.

"It's gonna be hard at first," You tell her, and Ren nods. "So just stick with it for a while, it'll get fun before you know it."

Afterwards, you tell Naoko about it. She's fine with the idea.

...

Lunch break. Against better judgment, you and your friends step out onto the roof, which is still unlocked, and have dinner under the dark clouds. Akemi is really insistent on eating here whenever possible. It's windy and quite clearly about to rain, but she wants to risk it anyway.

Today's main topic - probably because of you - is sleepiness. Kind of embarrassing, but you can't deny the relevance - you've been dozing off all day, and even now you almost dipped your nose into your food.

Akemi voices your unspoken envy. "I wish I could be like Moriko an' get away with sleeping in class all the time!"

Tomoko flicks her chopsticks at the loud girl and nods, as if to say 'I know, right?'. "Her grades are very good, so most teachers don't see the need to complain about her. I still don't get how she manages it. She's only ever awake for tests, and she aces them all the time," She shakes her head. "It's almost comical, really."

(1/2)

>>41136617
>"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."
Book traps us, we're gonna be asked what book and stuff.

>>41136593
The blue-haired girl in question smiles a bit, looking like she's on the receiving end of praise. Her eyes are half-closed in drowsiness, as usual. "I'm good at remembering stuff when I sleep." Moriko gives her explanation again, like she always does whenever the subject comes up.

Akemi makes a sour face. "I wish I was, too! That way, I wouldn't sleep at all when I'm home and only do it during class. There's so much spare time all of a sudden just cuz I'm not wastin' so many hours on sleep! And not like you do anythin' but sit around in class, anyway! Super efficient!"

"...Isn't that exactly what Moriko does? That's why she's always sleepy, right? So it doesn't actually work too well." Ren mutters. She's been chatting with Naoko about something until now, though you didn't really listen.

"Your grades aren't good even when you're awake, Akemi." You note. Your friends chuckle. Akemi sticks out her tongue at you.

"Why are you so sleepy lately, Clarissa?" Moriko suddenly speaks up. It's weird to hear that from her.

"I'm surprised you even noticed, honestly." You say; it kind of sounded like a jab at her, but you didn't really mean it that way.

"You drop on your desk very loudly when you fall asleep. It wakes me up sometimes." She says. Your friends break out into chuckles again. They're expecting an answer from you, though.

...

>"Just, uh... been readin' an interesting book and couldn't find a good spot to stop at, you know? Nothing big."
>"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41136650
>"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."

>>41136650
>"Just, uh... been readin' an interesting book and couldn't find a good spot to stop at, you know? Nothing big."
The epic of Gilgamesh, clearly!
Actually that makes no sense IC. But something, anyway.

>>41136650
>"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."

>>41136650
>"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."

>>41136650
Voting over, writing!

>>41136676
>>41136901
"Well... stuff's been happening lately. I guess I just couldn't catch a break."

Your reply stills the good mood for a bit. For a short while, everybody quietly thinks.

"Well, ya can say that again," Akemi says as she sets aside her empty lunch box. The others still haven't finished their meals. "All those faintin' waves really freaked everyone out. Nobody really knows why they happened, still."

Tomoko picks up on the new topic. "I heard the hospital is still packed."

Honestly, you'd rather not talk about this, so you just meekly stare at your food.

"People died from those, didn't they?" Moriko asks, kind of grimly.

Tomoko nods. "I heard a few did; not many, though. A lot of students are still recovering, but I'm pretty sure there weren't any student deaths..."

"I heard there was a death," Moriko says. "In 3-C."

"Really? That's our year. Who was it?" Tomoko seems to grow curious. The sleepy girl wrinkles her brows a bit, but can't seem to recall the name.

"This kinda stuff freaks me out. Let's stop talkin' about it!" Akemi protests. The atmosphere grows tense. After all, there is a person who's currently absent from your circle of friends and who is also part of that very same class.

You look up from your lunchbox. While everybody else doesn't seem eager to continue that gloomy conversation, Tomoko is eyeing you expectantly; you were the one who brought Aiko to these lunches, so she probably expects you to know something about this.

...

>"...Aiko passed away."
>"I don't know, Tomoko."
>Try to change the subject.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41137460
Fuck, how do we even handle this. Saying she passed away just now would be pretty damn suspicious, but so would NOT doing so if it comes out later.
I guess
>Try to change the subject.

>>41137460
>"...Aiko passed away."

>>41137460
>"...Aiko passed away."
Alas.
I'm assuming Kimiko already made that happen at least.

>>41137460
"Aiko passed away?"
Do we know that her body was found and declared dead?

>>41137648
It's a point that we wouldn't want to implicate ourselves if it's not public yet, but if we didn't know why are we asking? I don't get the question...

>>41137683
We haven't seen her in a few days. It would be a reason to ask

>>41137690
But why would we expect them to know?
The question is fine...if directed at someone who WOULD know. Like her family, or the cops.

>>41137460
>Try to change the subject.
I think most of them might have forgotten about her, and we forgot to check any obituaries.

>>41137717
>>41137690
>>41137683
Tomoko basically wants Clarissa to either confirm the possibility of Aiko being dead or to deny it.

>>41137791
That's really incriminating though.

>>41137791
>>41137809
Pretty much this.
If it's not been made public then saying it is really dangerous. If it HAS been made public, not saying anything about it is really weird. Even if they didn't know it already.

Could just say we found out earlier due to being close to her. Would they really check that with her family and stuff?

>>41137460
>Other. (Write-in).
Run off ostensibly in tears but in reality to check Aiko's classroom to see any signs of mourning?

>>41137833
which is why we ASK if it was Aiko. She's in that class and we haven't seen her for a few days.

Its a question of worry , worry that would outwardly seem normal

>>41137922
She wouldn't know, I don't think it's a test.

>>41137922
Why would they know more than us about her though? That's suspicious in and of itself. Clarissa should know if not BEFORE the others, at least at the same time (when it's made public). It makes no sense to be behind them in the info queue when we're the one who's friends with her in the first place.

>>41137833
Not wanting to talk about it makes sense since she was acting as Clarissa's girlfriend, sort of.

I'll count >>41137648 >>41137912
as "Change the subject" sorts of options, since they seem to be in favor of not admitting anything.

Voting over, writing!

>>41138175
Feels like a mistake, but the other options felt like outright traps.

>>41137503
>>41137749
Tomoko didn't ask you anything directly, so you just play it off as not understanding her stare and talk about something else. She doesn't persist with it - it's just a rumor, after all. Or, well, at least from what you understand. There'd probably be a lot more chatter about this if it was a confirmed thing.

After lunch is over, you check up on 3-C - it doesn't look like anything's out of the ordinary. A few students are missing, but with the strange occurances haunting Karakura Town lately, this is nothing to get riled up over. Moriko could have actually heard that rumor about any of those absentees, not just Aiko. You don't ask the students, but it doesn't seem like they're talking about her, either.

The thing is, you don't really know what Kimiko did with, well, with Aiko, so you don't really know how to respond if you were asked. Just thinking about this is unpleasant, like you're worried about the disposal of a body. It makes you feel more than a little sick, so you try not to occupy your head with the subject.

You... won't be suspected, either way. You're the murderer, but there's no way for you to get the blame, whether you want it or not.

Someone taps you on the shoulder and calls out to you. You very nearly jump.

(1/2)

File: 0d89e35dc4ebbb5670c576ef8(...).png (632 KB, 1080x1024)

632 KB PNG

>>41138733
"Could we talk?" The class president, a girl named Michiko, asks you. You didn't hear her approach; she's either really quiet - which you doubt, honestly - or you were too distracted. You shrug at her - you're not really busy or with anyone right now. You split off from your friends for a bit and just finished playing detective. "Come with me."

She grabs your arm and leads you to the student council room. The room itself is empty; she sort of gently guides you next to a wall, grabs you by both shoulders and peers into your eyes. Michiko's still at least a head shorter than you, so it's kind of amusing.

The situation would be pretty weird if her expression was anything but skeptical and highly suspicious. ...It still is weird, but not as much. Could this be relevant to what you were, well, 'investigating' just now?

The first words to come out of her mouth are pretty surprising, though. "Is he gay?"

...

>"...Paul?"
>"What the hell are you talking about?"
>"On second thought, I should head to class. ...Weirdo."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41138782
>Paul?

>>41138782
>"...Paul?"
Oh, poor class press.

>>41138782
>"...Paul?"

>>41138782
>"What the hell are you talking about?"
Michiko pls

>>41138782
>"...Paul?"

>>41138832
>>41138833
"Paul?" Is it worrying that his name is the first one to come to mind? Well, you probably just logically deduced that. "I don't... think so?"

"So he's just stupid, then?" Michiko lets go of you and groans, a hand on her forehead in utter frustration. It almost seems like this possibility is even worse to her than the alternative.

"...What are you on about? Did something happen?"

"No. No, nothing happened. Nothing!" She lets out a nervous laugh. "And that's the worst that could happen! He's either totally oblivious to everything I do or he's just... not interested."

You were about to ask why'd that necessarily make him homosexual, but you'd probably hurt her feelings quite a bit by implying that she's ugly, so you don't. Michiko continues her little rant.

"You're his sister, right? You probably know what he likes, then. Is it really because I have to match up to you in proportions, because that'd be pretty freaky, like some incest thing, or is there something I'm just not getting? I really don't understand him! It's driving me nuts."

"Uh... what did you do with him?" You ask, though you'd actually rather not know how obvious and how many chances your idiot brother missed at such a cute girl. It'll probably result in a lot of cringing.

"I did absolutely everything. I always smile when he's around, stick with him all the time, flirt with him all the time, I even invited him over to my house a few days back and he didn't even get any funny ideas or even look at me much in my casual clothes, seriously! And, I mean, I'm a girl, I can't really just ask him out openly. It'd come off as totally desperate. I don't want him to think something like that! You're his sister. Tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

...

>"He's gotta be gay, then. Told me something about not needing a girlfriend, too. It can't be helped. Should probably find someone else."
>"He's retarded, so just ask him out openly."
>"Well... why do you even like him?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41139250
>"Well... why do you even like him?"
>"Anyway, if you're so set on him you should just ask him out straight up."

>>41139250
>"He's retarded, so just ask him out openly."
>"Well... why do you even like him?"

>>41139250
>"I don't think you'd look desperate if you asked him out. If you want a shot you don't really have a choice."

>>41139250
>"Well... why do you even like him?"
"To be honest, I don't really pay that much attention to how he spends his time, it could go either way. Won't know for sure unless you try though."

>>41139250
Voting over, writing!

>>41139250
>>41139311
Support!

>>41139311
>>41139349
>>41139383
"Why do you even like him?"

Michiko makes a sulky grimace at that question, as if to say that it's not really relevant. She stops with that after a moment, looking away in thought. There's a bit of a pause before her face flushes a slight pink and she gives her answer.

"Well, he's confident, handsome, helps me out all the time even though I don't even ask... fun to tease..." She pouts. "This is embarrassing! Do you really need to know these things? Like you don't know what girls see in someone like that."

"I really don't, actually." You shrug. Honestly, you feel like you could throw up after hearing all that. Probably shouldn't have asked. "Anyway, just ask him out."

She makes a a sour expression again. "Girls don't confess to boys. It's the other way around..."

"That's pretty old-fashioned."

"But it's still true." The girl protests with a frown. She's quite clearly against it, as if she'd lose something if she went with the idea.

"I don't really have any other hints for you. If everything else didn't work, then this is the only option, don't you think?" You fold your arms over your chest. Michiko fidgets a bit in place, probably trying to think of an excuse to not follow your advice.

"Okay..." She lets the words off in a strained breath, coming to a firm decision. "But..."

You're already getting a bad feeling about this. "But..?"

(1/2)

>>41140670
"I want to first make sure that he's got his arrows all straight." Michiko once again declares with effort.

"...What?"

"Because... it'd be too embarrassing if I went through all that trouble only to have him say something like... you know. I'd die! And I need your help in making sure," She nods to herself. "You're his sister, so it should be easy with you. Did he go out with any guys lately?"

"He has, like, friends who are guys. There's nothing unusual about that, though."

"So, then... that means we need to check up on how he behaves around his boy friends, and it'll all become clear. Right? Right," She smiles a bit to herself, looking pretty happy about her new plan. "So, you need to find out if he's going to be hanging out with any of his 'friends' any time soon, and then tell me, alright? And then we'll go and check and make absolutely sure that-..."

"We? Hold on, you want me to do that with you?"

"Well, yes! I mean... you wanna know, too, right?" She asks, but you shake your head. That's really none of your business, and you don't really care. "Well, I really need your help! I can't pull this off alone. So, will you help? Please?"

...

>"Look... if you're just scared of confessing on your own or something, I can stick around for moral support. If that makes you feel better."
>"I'll ask if he's going to hang out with someone, and then I'll tell you. But I'm not going to be stalking him around like a weirdo."
>"...Alright, I'll help you. Let's follow your plan. I'll ask if he's going to hang out with anyone any time soon, and then I'll tell you, and then we'll check it out. Stop being so nervous."
>"Don't you have friends? Why are you asking me?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41140724
>"Look... if you're just scared of confessing on your own or something, I can stick around for moral support. If that makes you feel better."
Pls no stalking.

>>41140724
>"Look... if you're just scared of confessing on your own or something, I can stick around for moral support. If that makes you feel better."

>>41140724
>"I will send my mom your way, I'm sure she'll be interested."

>>41140724
>"Look, you're aware that's basically stalking right? It'd be way more embarrassing to get caught doing that anyway."
>"Look... if you're just scared of confessing on your own or something, I can stick around for moral support. If that makes you feel better."

>>41140789
Hah!

>>41140798
>"Look, you're aware that's basically stalking right? It'd be way more embarrassing to get caught doing that anyway."
kind of true

>>41140789
Second

>>41140789
Not the worst idea really. The much better family member for these shenanigans. But probably better not to encourage it at all.

>>41140724
Voting over, writing!

>>41141071
Going late today huh!

>>41140768
>>41140789
>>41140798
"That's... stalking, you know. If we get caught, that's way more embarrassing."

As her 'ingenuous' plot begins to fall apart in her head, she makes a sour face again. "W-well, if we're together, we'd just look like we're hanging out. No big deal. Do you seriously not want to know?"

"No, but I can send my mom your way. I bet she's interested."

She frowns at that and looks elsewhere. "Very funny."

The room is briefly filled with a tense silence. Michiko lets off a heavy sigh and turns back to you. "...Alright, it was a stupid idea."

You nod. It really was. "Look... if you're just scared of confessing on your own or something, I can stick around for moral support. If that makes you feel better."

Michiko bobs her head up and down for a bit, weighing the new plan. After a short while, she nods more firmly. "Yeah. That'd be great. I think. If you're okay. With that. Uh..." Her speech is abrupt and absentminded against her intentions; her head's probably elsewhere right now, though you guess you shouldn't blame her. She's probably as embarrassed of the idea as she is of talking to you about this all. "Sorry for dragging you into this. You... don't have to do this if you don't want to."

You shrug. "Don't worry about it," Maybe getting a proper girlfriend will loosen that stuck up prick. "Well, let's go."

"W-what? You mean, right now? Are you nuts?" She jumps a bit, flustered, more color flushing to her face.

(1/2)

>>41141666
"Well, you're totally feeling up to it right now, yeah? That determination's not gonna last. So let's get to it right now. Call him over here or somethin', and just do it."

"N-no way, I'm not ready at all. And besides, it's the middle of the day, and at school? It'ss a... well, it's a boring place to..."Michiko wants to yell louder, but she forcibly hushes her voice when she remembers that you're in a room which anyone could walk into at any given moment. She finishes in a hissing whisper. "To confess in!"

You shake your head, silently insisting on what you said. The girl purses her lips, eyes wandering elsewhere again in thought. She brings up a new condition after a pause. "Have you done this before? You really sound like you have. What should I say?"

You sigh. When she sees that you're about to lose your patience, she shakes her head and pats you on the shoulders.

"No, no, it's okay, I get it, don't get mad. I'll figure something out..." As she says this, the bell rings, and she jumps again.

...

>"Just do it when school's over. I don't really have time to hang out with you after that."
>"Well, arrange a meeting at the park or wherever the hell you like and do it there. I'll be busy after school for a few hours, but I guess I can figure something out."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41141705
>"Look, if you make it all special and shit it's gonna be really embarrassing if he says no, right? And a waste of prep too. I mean, I wish you all the best but who knows how he'll respond. Just get him somewhere private and confess ASAP in my opinion."

>>41141759
Second

>>41141705
>"Well, arrange a meeting at the park or wherever the hell you like and do it there. I'll be busy after school for a few hours, but I guess I can figure something out."

>>41141705
>>41141759
I like it, supporting!

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319 KB PNG

>>41141705
Ending thread for tonight, it's getting late for me! Next thread will start off with the most voted option!

Next thread's tomorrow, but watch out for the unexpected on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

If you have any questions or feedback, shoot them my way!

Thanks for reading!

>>41141983
Thanks a lot for running!
Paul's romantic adventures seem a lot healthier and funnier than Clarissa's, huh.

>>41141983
Thanks for the thread

>>41142045
It tends to happen when you don't murder your lovers!

>>41142102
I swear, you murder ONE girl...
We do community service every night, basically! We're a paragon of the community!