>>5478287

While waiting for breakfast to finish cooking, you head on back to your room, but before you enter, someone knocks on the front door. The question of who could it be answered itself, the voice recognizable and distinct, to you anyways.
>"I know someone's in there! Please, open up."
Crap. That's the Miss Overachiever herself. Not content with being Class President, she went a bit above and beyond, ending up as the Debate Club President as well. She's one of the reasons why you left the club, her having sucked all the fun out of it. Arguing in bad faith? Quotemining? Ad Hominem? Bleh, it's a bit of fun and jest that the club desperately needed.

Never mind that, what is she here for? To drag you back to school? Like hell, you found some reason to go outside for once and the demiurge sends its agent to send you elsewhere. Guess she saw your silhouette though the window, but you don't need to answer the door or let her know it's you. Still, if you don't tell her off this might be bound to become a regular thing, so something might have to be done. The door knocks again as you get the idea to ask just how she knows you live here.

Eh, probably got it from the school.

>Climb out one of the back windows and make your great escape
>Claim trespass and tell her off from behind the door
>Continue on as normal and do absolutely nothing regarding her
>Do what she probably isn’t expecting and open the door, that’ll show her, yeah

>>5478288
>>Do what she probably isn’t expecting and open the door, that’ll show her, yeah
And call her a bitch for ruining debate club.

>>5478288
Do we have a mail slot in the door? If we do:
>Get a broomstick and poke her in the shins through the mail slot until she leaves
If we don't:
>just make and eat breakfast. What's she gonna do, break a window or kick in the door?

>>5478308
+1

>>5478288
>Do what she probably isn’t expecting and open the door, that’ll show her, yeah
What's she going to do, force us back to school? If that's her intent when we speak, then resort to

>Claim trespass

>>5478288
>Do what she probably isn’t expecting and open the door, that’ll show her, yeah

>>5478288
Alright, if she’s here over your absences then she isn’t expecting you to answer the door and thus for your delinquency. She would be right about that too, if you were a coward that is. This is your home, and she isn’t just gonna walk right up and make demands unopposed. Just as you crept up to the front door, the knocking stopped. Did she give up…? Nah, that doesn’t feel like the case. A peep through the doorhole shows she’s just standing there, looking around as if she got bored waiting for an answer. Well, here it is.

You wait a sec, mumbling to yourself just what you were gonna say to her, before turning the knob and opening the door in one fell swoop. In the short instant between you watching and opening, she had her attention to the inside of her bag, looking for something. Not that it matters, there won’t be anything that’ll help her now.

“Boo. Did that scare ya? Nevermind that, come to drag me away to school?”
>”Away? I’d just be taking you back where you should be to begin with.” She drops whatever was in her bag to turn her attention towards you.
“How do you think you’re gonna achieve that? I’m unprepared, out of uniform and otherwise indecent. You can’t just drag me there as I am now.”
>”I don’t need to do so yet, there’s plenty of time to correct all that.” Believing herself to be invited in, she tries to get inside, but you block the way and close the door just a little bit more.
“Hold on there a second, this wasn’t an invitation to come in.”
>”Then why’d you open it then? You could’ve checked who I am from the peephole or window instead of opening.”
“I knew it was you, so I opened it so I could shut it in your face.”
>”Better shut it now then, your toaster’s smoking.”
Is it? You turn around to see if there was any truth to her word, but just as you saw there weren’t, she manages her way inside past you. Fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Shame.

>>5478636
Instead of closing the door, you open it wider, and gesture for her to leave.
“Get out. I’m sure this is trespassing.”
>”Didn’t anyone teach you not to open the door for strangers? Well, I know nobody is teaching you anything, being absent and all but you should’ve known that before.” She sits herself down on your couch rather neatly, as if she was too elegant for this otherwise.
“What do you think this will achieve? Is me attending that important to you? What, do they give out medals for attendance?” Seeing as she isn’t budging, you close the door while speaking.
>”Yeah actually they do. Classes with exceptional overall attendance are given a trophy dedicated to them on the display.”
“That’s just another form of participation trophy. I think you should put much less stock into this and find another hobby to ruin. Did the Debate club get too stale without me?”
>”You wish. People are actually enjoying themselves without you, or was the unanimous vote not enough of a hint?”
“They could’ve done something about it a long time ago if that was the case then. You obviously turned them against me.”
>”Another baseless accusation, but I’m not here to explain why the vote was legitimate again. Go on, get dressed and we’ll go sooner rather than later.”

Flabbergasted by her confidence in getting her way, you lost what you were going to say. Currently, she presents no weakness, and thinking it over, one hasn’t revealed itself to you yet. Regardless, you’re gonna drive her off and make her leave you alone somehow, because if she doesn’t give up on this herself she’ll just come back.

>Purposefully and dramatically ruin all your uniforms in front of her.
>Continue on while paying her no mind.
>Physically drag her out of the place.
>Write-In

>>5478637
>Continue on while paying her no mind.

>>5478637
>Pretend to go change, but in reality, escape through a back window.
Secret technique: Running Away.

>She drops whatever was in her bag to turn her attention towards you.
Wait, was she about to lockpick the door open or something?

>>5478637
>Continue on while paying her enough mind to hit her with the most scathing insults you can imagine. You spent a lot of time on message boards, there's a reason you were kicked out of debate club.

>>5478646
+1

>>5478639
+1

>>5478637
>Continue on while paying her no mind.

>>5478639
AND I RAN, I RAN SO FAR AWAY

Seems we are in a three way tie of:
1. Escape
2. Ignore
3. Berate

>>5479746
I was writing a combnation of the Ignore and Berating votes since the two have the same base choice behind them, so they outnumber the ones who wanted to go.
My fault that I didn't announce that I was writing but I figured it was dead enough to not bother. Work was a killer and kept me a bit longer than I liked today.

>>5479751
>Combo of Ignoring and Berating won
Oh boy, if this gal could deal with our truant being a shitter in the debate club before our expulsion, she's probably already built up a tolerance and patience to our brand of discourse.
Of course, there's also the fact that she is the club president, so she might be able to tear the truant apart verbally. Cause I'm getting the feeling that our truant may be less overwhelmed but have fewer achievements than her, we are insulting from a position of weakness.
I also didn't think physically forcing her out wouldn't work because if she's an overachiever, she's probably got some athletics under her belt.

QM, will you going forward, adopt a name and a trip?

>>5478637
The toaster wasn’t smoking before, but waiting until it did wouldn’t be smart either. Feeling it's just about right to attend to the toast, you casually stroll on over to the kitchen, the intrusion on the couch notwithstanding. Yep, the cheese melted just right, so you slice each half into triangles, set the scrambled eggs you prepared just before, and press the pieces into two sandwiches.

Were you gonna share? Nah. It was just neater like this, the smaller portions allow you to keep the fillings from falling out. In this case you had only the Egg and Cheese, but if she wasn’t here, you would’ve bothered to prepare more. Setting the plate on a counter facing the couch, you take a bite out of one half, then chew as obnoxiously as you could possibly think of, loudly with the mouth open.

She eyes you over with a bit of annoyance, then sees you still have another on the plate. Is this gonna go the way you think it is?
>”...Can I have one?”
Your response awaits. Chew, chew, chew, swallow.
>”Well?”
“Can’t you see I was eating? My mistake, you couldn’t, with your head that far up your own ass that you actually believed I’d serve you much of anything after you barged in here.”
>”Rude. Oh excuse me for asking.”
“While you’re at it, excuse yourself if you want breakfast that much. The time wasted gawking off like brainless fuckhead could’ve been spent shoving something down your noise hole elsewhere.”

This kind of language was nothing to her, and you knew that, having come up with more colorful insults before. That however would detract from eating, and truth be told, you prefer doing it with just a bit more class than that, when possible. Any progress you made evaporated immediately, as her composure was completely unaffected.

Moving on to the other half of breakfast, it’s spent in silence, forgoing being annoying to just focus on enjoying your meal. Awkwardness only sets in if you care for the other in the vicinity. Food done, you leave the plate in the sink, and head to your room to dress further. Just throwing on a pullover and jacket, you pick a pair of shoes and after putting them on, head back out.

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>>5479816
A quick glimpse at the bathroom mirror shows all that was for naught, as you ended up putting on a uniform instead. Doubling back, the clothes you swore you wore were instead thrown on the bed. Absolutely certain that you didn’t put this on, you changed again, only for this to happen again. Checking at the mirror again, Naomi swings on by and pops up all casually.
>”We’re wasting time here, and you don’t seem to be actually doing anything. Quit stalling, Yanvic and let's go.” You turn away from the mirror and right towards her.
“Do I have to say it again? I’m not going.”
>”If you weren’t going, why’d you bother putting on a uniform then?”
“To mock you. I have more to do, so go get yourself a head start.”
>”Really? Name one other task you have left to do then.” Crossing her arms, Naomi’s basically challenging you here to come up with something.

“I have to do the dishes.”
>”Dish actually, but I already cleaned that and the toaster.”
“I have work to finish up on my desk.”
>”Your bag was lying by the front door.”
“I have somewhere else to be that's not school, in fact, I’ll go there right now so I win.”

Brushing past her, you make it to the front door and on a whim, decide to take your bag with you. Always convenient to have something to put your stuff in. She follows close behind, and you lock the door behind her. Afterwards, she walks off in one direction, leading the way, but you deliberately take the other. The clacking of her footsteps catches up to you as she realizes. Escape isn’t going to be that easy.

>If she wants to follow, fine, let her and see how Naomi takes to being late
>Go get gone and lose her before she actually drags you over by force
>Comply until you get to the train station, and sneak away
>Write-In

>>5479779
I like to reserve the ability to disappear into the Aether at a whim but since you asked I'll put one on tomorrow when I get back.

File: Secret Technique.gif (1.91 MB, 498x278)

1.91 MB GIF

>>5479820
>Throw a jacket at her face and BOOK IT.
Hopefully, our truant knows these streets enough to lose her. We’ve lost the initiative by allowing her into the house, and ending up in the school is a bad end in my book.

>Doubling back, the clothes you swore you wore were instead thrown on the bed. Absolutely certain that you didn’t put this on, you changed again, only for this to happen again.
What? There’s something funky going on. Are we in a simulation or something?

>Yanvic
I am unfamiliar with this name. Does this mean we are a gurl or a boyo? Or does it not matter in the face of the burning desire not to end up at that damn school?

>>5479846
+1

On further reflection about the strangeness with the clothing, I can't help but get the feeling it has something to do with the Club President being nearby.
If we can get away from her, we should remove a piece of school clothing and see if it stays removed.
If it does, then there are troubling implications.
If it doesn't, then that also has troubling implications.

>>5479820
>Go get gone and lose her before she actually drags you over by force

I doubt she would physically force us, but some games a bit above freshman psych are happening, and I don't like it. Matrix, evil spirits, perhaps she has the power of suggestion, or maybe we are an android. we must run to preserve our free will and test the limits of the matrix

>>5479820
>If she wants to follow, fine, let her and see how Naomi takes to being late

>run away quest

>>5479820
>Go get gone and lose her before she actually drags you over by force

>>5480140
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8IkbCeZ9to&ab_channel=Anthropocon

>>5479846
>>5479856
jacket

>>5479937
>>5480239
gone

>>5479946
follow

There's a tie between running away, and running away but with more drastic action. I could just consider the two to be effectively the same, which I was but if anyone has any objections they have until I finish eating or 30 minutes pass, whichever ends up coming first. If I somehow counted wrong, I'll be amazed at my own incompetence

>>5479820
Having been upfront and crass the entire time, your getaway should be just as such. Just silently sulking away wouldn’t be in character by now, even if it could be why it’ll work, but you have a trick up your sleeve for this one. All that stands between you and execution was a flight of stairs. Slinging your bag on the other shoulder while you free your arm from it’s sleeve and back for the other, you drape the blazer over while you walk just a bit further with Naomi.

The route to the store is a bit convoluted, thanks in no part to some asinine routing and planning. This city can be split into 4 districts, 3 of them are side by side and 1 of them below speaking from a top down view. You live in one of the side districts, and you want to get to the one below. Common sense would dictate that you simply take a bus or train line headed downwards, but those routes don’t exist. Kinda makes sense why there aren’t tracks leading that way directly, but the lack of buses is barely defensible. Instead, you will have to travel to the center city district and transfer over to an appropriate line, however, the main hub station where you can make all these connections seamlessly is undergoing maintenance. The solution offered in the meantime is to walk on over to another station a fair distance away and transfer there. Having seen the traffic yourself before, it would be better and more reliable to walk than to take a shuttle bus over to said station and from there, you could walk the rest of the way or just wait on another bus to the store, whichever you feel like taking when you get there.

No use in thinking about it any further, it won’t make the service any better. The way to school from home does cross with the train station, so you’ll ditch when it gets in sight. The tracks here run above the roads, so they’re plenty visible and offer an early indication as to when one is about to arrive. The walk in the meantime was again spent in silence, though there was little to be said to begin with. Wee bit chilly in the early hours but everything will warm up to comfortable levels once the sun has a bit more time to shine. Forgoing the blazer to wear the shirt isn’t against dress code, so Naomi couldn’t even bring that up as a point of contention. Or maybe she’s waiting until you’re at the gates to do so, but you weren’t going to be around anyways.

The station comes into sight, signaling the start of the great escape. You turn around, Naomi right behind you, watching. Without much need to draw her attention, you throw the blazer right at her face, before breaking out in a mad dash away. The station has several entrances, and feeling there’s time before the train arrives, you decide to get to one further away and not tip your hand at where you plan to go to her.

>>5480768
Brushing past her and darting between the few passerbys now looking on at whats happening, you take the first turn you can, running parallel to the tracks. Not bothering to look back but hearing her right on the trail, you cut through the inside of a building, hoping to cut line of sight with the interior halls and coming out the exit closest to the station. Unable to hear her chase afterwards, it seems as if she lost, so you walk for a short period, reaching the stairway leading upwards soon enough.

Across the street was Naomi, having guessed you would come this way. Somehow she thought to intercept you here, but believed the destination was in the direction of the school. Wasn’t easy for her to get there however, as she’s visibly catching her breath, and quite clearly angry. The tracks above roar with the sound of a train arriving, so its now or never. There’s a stairway on her side of the street as well, but you’re on the side of the tracks its on, meaning less distance for you to travel. Seeing you pace up the stairs led to her following on her own side, but her reacting meant you had the lead so far. Skipping the fare and hopping the turnstile to the ire of the overworked transit working manning the service booth, another set of stairs leading to the platform itself delayed you long enough to see the train doors close on you, Naomi hot on the trail.

Was this the end? No way, there’s one last shot at escape. You never actually did it yourself, only seeing someone on the internet claim he did it, but you were built better, and as such are 3 times more capable than the average netizen. Before the train fully sped out of the station, you made your way to one of its ends, and jumped at the exposed gangway. Firmly catching the door handle, you hang off precariously as the train departs.

>”I’ll let you know that you’ll regret this! I swear on it!” Naomi impotently shouts as you get away. The next station over wasn’t that far, and for the better, as you doubt you could’ve held on for so long. Hopping back onto solid ground and properly boarding the train, you pay no mind to the few passengers who look at you funny. Transferring between cars, you stop when you reach one with nobody else in it. Wasn’t too uncommon, since this was early on in the line, more people will be boarding from elsewhere soon enough. Taking several seats for yourself, your bag and to kick up your legs, it's time to relax.

Sure is taking a while to depart now though. How convenient.

>Leave the train, and walk to another station
>Wait at this station for another train
>Wait and hold at this one train.
>Write in

>>5480769
>Wait at this station for another train
>Check to see if that blazer is actually gone.
>Take inventory of belongings

The truant has successfully escaped the clutches of the dastardly club president. Time to see if the weirdness about the clothing is still taking effect, though. And if the truant has enough money for the hobby shop.

>”I’ll let you know that you’ll regret this! I swear on it!” Naomi impotently shouts as you get away.
Wonder if this is the maddest the truant has made the club president.

>>5480769
>Wait at this station for another train
>Take inventory of belongings
>See if the club president took the blazer or left it for reuse, as they will be annoyed at being fooled twice with the same object involved.
I want to see if we can prepare for the next potential meeting with the determined club president. Next time we'll get rid of the toaster.

Shopping list for potential use:
Mirrors
High-power flashlight, not enough to blind though.
an even number small glass bottles greater than or equal to 4
string

What does the truant put in these bottles, how will they use these items to pull one over on the club president?

They aren't as skilled in conversation as the club president is and lack allies, the only possible advantages I could see the truant having are niche interests, preparation, and bringing tools. I believe the truant plans on using all three.

The first part of this is negating the advantage of allies. One person alone is considerably less emotionally stable than a person with the support of friends. This could best be done through public humiliation.

Does the school have guards or any staff active at night? Are there security guards? Could the truant find a ladder tall enough to get over a fence? Can they pick a lock?

Should the truant spread information, hopefully true, to damage the club president's reputation? Could that be relied upon?

>>5480792
support

i feel like i have seen something similar before...

>>5480769
>>5480792
Support.

>>5480769
>>5480792
support

>>5480792
Support

>>5480792
Begrudging getting up from your comfy abode, nothing usual around and no Naomi in sight. Yeah, the distance needed to lose her was however long it is between this station and the last. Must be incompetence holding this one up then. Popping out from the doors to see if the conductors were doing anything productive, you find one, going from car to car to relay the notice.

>”Didn’t see you there. Thought this car was empty. Well just letting everyone know that this line has signaling problems further down the tracks, so service is spotty and inconsistent. If you only need to get to Upper Central the other line should be perfectly fine, otherwise, sit back and hope for the better.”
“What does a train need signals for if they’re the only thing on the tracks?”
>”Don’t you worry about that, just know that they’re needed. What you should be asking is how the entire line suffers from this when it just problematic spots any other time.”

An entire line malfunctioning? Glad you don’t pay the fare all that often, though maybe that’s why it's in such disrepair. Eh, their fault for mismanaging the budget. Walking through the station, you put your bag on your chest to take inventory on the go. Not much in here that aren’t school supplies, but that just means you have plenty of space for anything you wanted to buy. As long as it wasn’t something highly collectible or otherwise pricey, money isn’t much of an issue.

Your phone’s in here, charged enough, and wallet too. A charger for your phone is in here too, and the keys as well. Underneath all that was a part of your uniform, a blazer. Having not packed one how it got there was simply unknown to you. You had spares at home, but if you forgot about this, it didn’t smell like laundry. Eyeing it pensively, but without a reason to get rid of it, it’ll remain down there until it gets colder or otherwise.

The wait on the second platform was uneventful, the crowd a bit more populated seeing as you weren’t the only one deciding to transfer off to something more reliable. The next train arrived on a timely manner, and you took a seat, the car you chose having little else to sit but with ample space for standees. A bit of a longer walk to the next station once you get off, but again, you expected a trip like this.

>>5481479
The tracks eventually travel downwards, tunneling under instead of running overhead. Only way this affects you is that cell service isn’t reliable, cutting you off from the internet and thus from entertainment. Bag on your lap, you put your phone away and planned on simply waiting the rest of the ride in silence. What you didn't account for was you being disturbed. Approaching you was a young boy, with stark white hair, and a uniform not unlike your own. Instead of your school colors of blue with white trim, his was in red, trimmed with a dull yellow and missing a tie. It’s a school you’re unfamiliar with, but given his apparent age, you're not in the intended demographic to begin with.

>”Heeello Mister. Doing anything?”
“Clearly not. Don’t plan on it either.”
>”I can guess what you'll do next though.”
Coming a bit close, his face in a smug kind of grin, one that stems from superiority. Curious on what he’ll say, you bite the bait.
“Really?”
>”You’re gonna start running.”
Holding out a set of keys, you realize too slowly that those were your own and failed to snatch them back for the second he dangled them around. Running out of reach, he makes it to the end of the car and moves between to the next one, with you following as quickly as you could. The next car over was quiet, no sight of the boy at all. Was he hiding, or really that fast? Nobody seems to be bothered so far, but a running kid isn’t too out of the unordinary.

God damn it. So much for an easy trip.

>Look for other students in the same uniform. Maybe he’s in a group.
>See if the boy was hiding under the seats or somewhere else
>Ask other passengers about him.
>Write-In

>>5481480
>Sigh and resign to the fact those keys are gone.
>Look up a route map to the hobby shop on the phone.

Have you ever tried chasing a kid on the subway? Not easy, and if the Truant catches the scamp, he can claim the Truant is bullying him. However, the stark white hair does make me wonder if that would be a noticeable enough trait in this city. Hopefully, the Truant knows where the spare keys at the house are kept, under a welcome matt, or can break in through the back window.

The blazer is back again! That can either mean funkiness is occurring or that the club president, when left alone with the bag, put it in, but that begs the question, why would she have the Truant's blazer in the first place?

>>5481480
>Sigh and resign to the fact those keys are gone.
>Look up a route map to the hobby shop on the phone, and one to get home quickly. Buy a few of those anti thief latches (? Can't remember how they are called. How fitting)
>Send a message to mom about the keys, she doesn't need to know it was a kid. But they will be changed, and in the immediate future we will not find our entire house and properties looted by gypsies. Very important.

He is fucking gone at mach speed. I can already picture how it would go if we managed somehow to found him and tried to take back our keys. Poorly.
He seems a bit too cunning for be found like this though.
We learned something today :
We can hardly debate and we clearly don't function outside of our house if we miss a thief getting our keys inside our bag lmao, so it would be best to buy things from the net and have them brought home.
Even if running with a girl on our heels must have been nice, at least for other people looking at us lol.

>>5481809
Support

Need to start a workout regime to beat up thieving gypsies.

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>>5481809
I also support these additions.

>buy things from the net and have them brought home
My first time reading this, my brain interpreted it as buying a net and using it on the kid.
Does make me wonder if the blazer supply is infinite and if the Truant can keep throwing that clothing at peoples' faces.

>>5481809
+support

>>5481809
Support. Remember the kid at least.

If we buy stuff I suggest buying the stuff >>5480887 and probably some duct tape. It can be used in a lot of situations including as bandages. Maybe get paracord too. They are cheap and can come in the form of a bracelet. The last things I suggest are scissors if we don't have them because you need to cut stuff like string the other guy suggested and leather gloves for various sneaking activities and to make fists hit harder.

Or we have these items at home?

How are we getting into our home? Climb through a second story window, lock picking with a pen or is the backdoor open?

How common are convenient stores here? If we need more pens or Bobby pins we can just go there instead of going home.

>>5481855
I support working out and getting revenge too.

>>5482189
On that topic, she will be back. We must mount a defensive against the class prez. I suggest glue traps, tripwires, and motion-sensing air sprayers with AXE body spray as a last-ditch effort.

A frying pan will have to do if it comes to hand-to-hand combat.

>>5482321
I know that the Truant dislikes school and, by extension, the Club President, but those defensive measures and the pan seem a bit much.
Even more so since we can always just run.
The Truant did show that he was willing to jump onto a moving train to escape her, which defies common sense and should show the Club President the escalation that the Truant is ready to reach to avoid school.
Surely that's a brand of crazy enough to ward her off, right?

>>5482189
>>5481480
One more thing. Make sure you're not followed! One of White haired boy's friends may follow you home!

>>5482409
You underestimate the crazy of a chick with something to prove. A man that traps his house is a fool all days but one.

>>5482321
Honestly idk it was fun to run from her. She can bring a challenge for keep us active everyday in both brain and body. And free conversation that we can start or stop whenever we want.
Keeps the boredom away. We might discover something by talking with her too. She might even start to clean our house out of her own free will.

Beyond her what to do for the future ? Leaving school ? Going to another school ? Work ? Something else ? I ll guess we will decide once we know what our boy likes. Could be a good direction

>>5482189
>>5482438
Probably a good idea to keep in mind the kid. Maybe we can write on a digital notebook on our phone his physical aspects. Like the white hair.

>>5481866
Kek

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>>5481480

Kid’s gone, and you have no idea where to even start looking. Where the hell could he have possibly gone to? The train won’t stop until it clears the tunnel and reaches a station, so obviously he couldn’t have left already. These people sitting here won’t be of any help even if you bothered them, though you couldn’t exactly name why yet. Your keys though, how’d he get them? They were in an upper section of your bag, and he couldn’t have reached until you sat down, and yet that was certainly the first time he approached you. By all accounts it's impossible for him to have snatched them beforehand, but so is making off without so much of a trace.

You gave up, just like that. You don’t really need the keys, albeit at a massive inconvenience. Turning around to return to your section, the kid stands before you, disappointed, with a twinge of sadness in his expression.
>”Aw, done already? Didn’t even do much of anything.”
He’s spinning your keys around by one finger by the keyring rather casually, for someone who just stole those.
“I’m not in the mood to entertain kids, so gimme my keys back. Furthermore, how’d you even get your grubby little hands on them?”
>”Secret! But if you want these back, then go and get them.”

Palming them away, he launched the keys at you. They didn’t twirl in the air aimlessly, but pointed keys first like a dart. Flying past your shoulder, they missed, but turning to see where they’d land shows that the cabin has stretched out to impossible lengths, the passengers no longer even resembling normal. Their eyes seem more dead inside than what the daily grind could ever hope to achieve and the faces utterly devoid of the little thought or expression they once had. The boy vanished once more before you could ask more about what was happening.

You ran after the keys, with them showing no sign of losing momentum. Handlebars and poles meant to provide stability to those standing unnaturally intrude on your chase, forcing you to navigate past them instead of powering on to catch up. The lights inside eventually dim, to the point where the ones outside in the tunnel streaking by are illuminating more.

Unable to catch your keys, you ran until the end of the cabin was in sight. The keys lodged themselves into the lock of a door at the end, and you walked up to it, recovering from this. Nobody was around at this end, and the door didn’t belong to a train. It looked too technical, but at the same time it was rather generic? Or plain? Neither word seemed to fit. The keys refused to let go of the lock at first, but with a bit of struggling, you pulled them out. A sudden bright flash of light blinded you for a second, emanating through the door.

>>5483778

Eyes recovering, you were sitting where you were before, the entire experience seemingly never happened. No boy in sight. Checking your belongings again showed that nothing was taken, everything was where it should be. Everyone around you looked normal again, and the train has been making its usual stops around the district, emerging from the tunnel long ago. Realizing this was your stop, you slipped out between the doors before they shut.

What the[ i] hell [/i]was that? Taking the time to observe you look for the kid’s hair in the departing crowd. Red, Blue, Black, Blonde, and even some White, but none of them were him, or even wore the same uniform. Nobody did, so you dropped the idea and left.

The central district is easily the most bustling of the 4 in the city, which is why the entire system routes to and from here, instead of interconnecting all of them. Plenty of people around, and plenty of places to be, except none of them really appeal to you. Stuff like clothing stores and brand outlets and big box retailers. You do know where to grab a bite at, and now is a good time for a break.

Been a good while since you hang around here, but all the people means more work, and that’s not your speed. You're just sitting around the front of the store, drink in hand watching pedestrians pass on by the glass front. Other than visiting the hobby store today, you try to recall if you had anything else to do or get today. A flashlight? There’s the one on the phone and a better one at home, sitting in some drawer. Tape? That’s always useful, think the roll was running low anyways. Scissors? Already have one in your bag actually. Gloves? Can’t pull off that aesthetic, so you don’t bother. A deadbolt for the door? Maybe. It’ll be much harder to get inside without keys, though there isn’t a hardware store here.
You’ll see if you can pick up anything on the way back. Checking your phone, the directions you have stayed the same, the map app unable to find a better route to and from the store. Worth a shot to though, but it seems none of the maintenance cleared up or delays resolved.

Lost in thought, you try and take a sip, only to find your drink empty. Didn’t realize you finished it already. Tossing it in the trash, you exit, catching a glimpse of someone in that same red uniform. They’re no kid, rather more like you actually. Other than that, they had shoulder length blonde hair but that's all you made out as they were just walking on by. Maybe you could ask about that kid, or the very least, about the school.

>Bother this stranger the best you can about with the questions you have
>Leave them alone and just go back on the way to the store
>Go browsing around random stores for stuff that catches your interests
>Just go home before more strangeness happens
>Write-in

>>5483779
>Leave them alone and just go back on the way to the store.

Hell or high water, the Truant will end up at that hobby store, anomalies or not.

I’m starting to wonder if this is all just a mental episode in the Truant’s head or if there was some gas leak in the house, which has made this a strange trip.

>Tossing it in the trash, you exit, catching a glimpse of someone in that same red uniform. They’re no kid, rather more like you actually.

Just plug the ears, cover the eyes, and the Truant will get through this damned city without any more weird school incidents. But, seriously, what is up with schools in this city?

>>5483779
>Leave them alone and just go back on the way to the store

That blond guy may be important. Remember him too. He probably hangs around there often and may be there later.

Go to the hobby store and buy a model kit or whatever the truant likes.

>>5483860
+1

>>5483779
>Bother this stranger the best you can about with the questions you have

>>5483779
>>Leave them alone and just go back on the way to the store
Well that was weird. Try to think about what happened maybe. See if our Truant has done this already, in dreams or real life. Did he play/read/watch a piece of fiction like the mind trip he did ?
Keep an eye on the blonde guy. We just need to buy some stuff at the end, he wouldn't get too far away if just 5 - 10 minutes passing. We aren't buying something incredibly heavy.
And the guy doesn't look busy.
Or will he get far away while we are shopping ?

So no gypsie kid. Still a thief. A trickster of sorts maybe.

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>>5483779

Nice uniform, what school do you go to? Does your school take elementary grade students?? Is anyone attending able to induce hallucinations or illusions??? Yeah, approaching some stranger is weird enough, and the questions you have are weirder. You’re gonna have to find a more appropriate time and place to figure this out. You let this person go, probably to never be seen again. Probably. Kinda jealous of that spiffy red those guys get to wear, stands out a lot more than the dull blue you have.

Nothing happened on your way over the rest of your trip, fortunately enough. There wasn’t anywhere you wanted to check out walking over to the station, and the train arrived timely enough. No otherworldly experiences this time either, just a sparsely populated ride as more and more people departed before your stop. That just means the abundance of space can be used for yourself, kicking up your legs and relaxing a bit more. In contrast to your earlier ride, this one was a run of the mill commute. Nothing like that has ever happened before in your life, not even in what you enjoy. Not that big of a horror fan, but it would’ve fit right in one of those flicks, assuming it hasn’t been done already.

Lower Central implies an extension of the Central District such as a lower part. Reality however has a funny way of subverting expectations. If Central was the Metropolis, Lower Central was the Countryside. The middle of this oval is a giant field. Some sort of park, or natural reserve, the specifics aren’t really known to you. What you do know is that the system runs in sort of a loop around the 3 landmarks this district has, with them encircling the park. The one you’re arriving at takes the most after Central, and is the antithesis of the reserve behind it. A highly dense patch of urban sprawl, tightly packed with business to the point where it’s claustrophobic at times. Not too much of a stranger to navigating crowds, you make it to the store soon enough.

Here it is, the destination standing before you. Next (to be) Vacant Hobby Store, the sign revealing the full name. Very funny, forgetting to laugh even. Owner must be a real character. You open the door, a little chime signaling your arrival. The venue is small, with a desk for the register on your side, and space for the shelves akin to a hallway, widening deeper in. In the middle between the walls stocked with product is an empty glass display, the shelves of which, barren. Either the shop has nothing it's proud of, or it's still that new?

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>>5486508

The thumping of steps breaks the silence, and a door you haven’t seen swings open. An employee has come to greet you from below, though the informal wear leaves you doubting that just a bit.
>”Ya back alrea-”
The man cuts off for a second, as if the sight of you was familiar, before regaining his composure. Wonder who he mistook you for?
“You work here?”
>Yes sir, what’s up?”
“I just got here, let me browse around a bit.”

You disengage and head to take a closer look at their wares. One part of the wall is dedicated to figures, those of the current FOTM and whatever long lasting series you weren’t keeping up with. Pass. Closer to the back are the model kits. These here are from assorted companies, featuring different scales and themes, and while you’re here for some plastic, none of these tickle your fancy. The other side you haven’t checked though, that was the main course. The entire wall across from this is purely Bandai. All the scales and grades you expect to be sold are here. The shelves aren’t organized by series, however, and it would be easier to look if this damn employee didn’t stop pestering you like some kind of attraction.

He kept on interrupting by waving his hand in your vision and circling you as you moved. It doesn’t take much for him to tick you off enough to tell him off.
The hell’s wrong with you?”
>“Oh, uh, deh, er-”
“What? Did the lease on your brain cell run out? Use your words.”
>”This bothers you? Well could you- No, wait can- Not that either, lookjustwaitheremmk.”
Fumbling both his thoughts and words, the guy leaves you alone and heads downstairs. Now you could peruse in peace. While he was tripping up, you heard him mumble something about how it's been a while, but whatever he was referring to was completely unknown. Unfortunately, this place did not have any kits from AGE, so you ended up just picking out what looked cool and not quite time consuming. What did you pick? It’s not important. What is important is that the cashier hasn’t come back up yet. Maybe he really is trying to renew his lease. Whatever the case, you can’t leave yet now, will you?

>Shoplift the goods and leave because of this terrible customer experience
>Wait, he did ask after all
>Check on the door and see if you could go down yourself if possible
>Write-in

>>5486509
>Shoplift the goods and leave because of this terrible customer experience

The Truant is unbound by the laws of common decency and of the land. It's also just the most insane option, in my opinion. And what will happen, considering the weirdness of the schools, if the Truant tries to break the law? Do we see Agent Smith popping out left and right?

>>5486515
+1
What's the worst that could happen?

>>5486509
>Wait, he did ask after all

>>5486509
>Check on the door and see if you could go down yourself if possible
eh i mean we don't have much to do. Unless we really want to talk with that guy, or return immediately home. Which would be fair after today lmaoo
maybe he has a speech problem or something

>>5486509
>Check on the door and see if you could go down yourself if possible
i think its the most interesting option. plus it seems most inline with the truants behavior so far: very... bold, but not out right delinquent. he is too impatient to just sit around and wait, but he doesn't want to help fulfill the prophesy written on the wall (door) either. so he goes into the private area to find some one to pay, it's only descent.

>>5486622
>>5487664
Support. The guy was likely confused. Maybe you're his first customer in days. We can shoplift somewhere else. This guy doesn't deserve it imo.

Do we have a tape recording app by any chance? Or a real tape recorder at home? Maybe that could help us with the Class President

I'm not gone yet, but I am really frustrated at my coworker for the past few days.

Just letting you guys know I'm still here. Update should come later in the night if I rush it, but tomorrow for sure.

>>5489440
Take your time. I'm looking forward to the update

>>5489440
nice

>>5486509
Any second now, someone should come up. Any minute now. Any day now. This week preferably. So unprofessional to leave a customer unattended here, he could be doing who knows what. Must be confident in their security measures, lets see here, no cameras, no anti theft devices, and an unsecured entrance keeping you from leaving without paying. Well, nothing but trust and common decency. Fortunately for them, you had those in spades, but waiting has worn them thin. There’s an employee's only sign on the door he went though, but that isn’t going to stop you.

You knock, but nobody responds. Is the door locked? Nope, the knob turns effortlessly. Opening it you see the stairway down, and so you take it to the basement, turning at the landing. The basement has more shelves of product, a table, shipping supplies and all sorts of stuff you expect a business to have. All that, but nobody’s here. There isn’t even another door here to go though or another stairway that you didn’t see. Man straight up went and vanished into thin air. Let it be known that you didn’t try, but damn, at this point you might be the only normal one around.

Back upstairs, you consider just paying for the stuff yourself. It isn’t that hard to manage the card reader they use here, but if you were gonna leave with your stuff why bother paying? The thought crosses you, but so does someone else audibly walking up the stairs. Impossible, nobody else was there. The door opens again, and out pops his head.
>”Oh, there you are. Come on down.”
Just like that, as if he was always there. No reason to really protest, you follow him down. Instead of the storeroom you expect, the basement is now completely different. The room now featured a desk on the corner, a couch leaning against the wall and empty workstations waiting for use, parts strewn about. Over by the desk somebody was soundly asleep with their jacket draped over their body, but you can’t be certain of this because of the shades they were wearing.

>>5490530
You weren’t led down a different set of stairs, you flat out took the same ones to somewhere else. And here he is, just sitting around like nothing happened. Well, he didn’t see you come down after all. You needed an answer, a clear one this time.
“How’d we get here?”
>”We just took the stairs. Clearly you were here.”
“I already checked down here, this wasn’t the room those stairs led to.”
>”Oh, uh, you went down by yourself I see… Ok well, give me a sec to explain, uh…”
He puts his finger up, mouth agape while staring blankly. He speaks up again, having found something to say.
>”Sorry. I don’t think it’s actually possible for me to explain. Just don’t worry so much about how’d we get here, but rather focus on the fact that we did.”
“Well why not? Is it a secret? A magic trick? Am I being pranked? There a camera here?”
>”Nothing like that. He told me to bring you down here but I’m not sure why. Like we guessed, it's impossible for us to tell you anything anyways.``
“Really? Why then? I’m sure I can understand.”
He mouths off a few words, but you don’t hear anything.
>”...and you hear that?”
“You didn’t say anything.”
>”I did.”
“Really? Fine, I’ll play along. If I can’t comprehend what you’re saying, what can you tell me then ?”
He closes his eyes and focuses, seeming to strain himself as he does.
>”Someone’s gonna break into your house, at night. I can’t tell any sort of time more specifically than that.”

Sounds like your chain is being pulled alright. You already said you would play along, but this kid is definitely no prophet, you’re sure.
“If you’re gonna make up crap and fool around, I’d rather just leave. Can you ring me up on my items or not.”
>”Buying something?”
He looks over to his sleeping friend, then decides against speaking to him.
“Yeah, I got-”
>”Don’t tell me, I’ll just guess.”
Focusing again, he names the items within your bag, and tells you to grab another from the shelves upstairs, as the stickers were misprinted inside one of them, and the runner defective. Opening up said kit, you find that he was spot on.
“Huh.”
>”Now do you believe me? I’ll ring you up.”

Going upstairs, he shuts the door behind himself and browses the shelves for a replacement for you. Leaving what you planned to buy at the register, you check where the stairway would lead to this time, but it brought you over to the second room instead of the storeroom like the first time. It’s secrets refusing to reveal itself to you, you pay for your items and motion to leave.
>”Come again another time.”
“I’ll think about it.”
>”Keep thinking, and you might just get there. Bye.”

>>5490531
Keep thinking? You almost took this as an insult, but since he threw in a free polybag kit, you decide to just take it in good faith this time. Now what? You visited the store you wanted to go to but honestly expected to spend more time here. The time is right at noon, with plenty of more time to waste. Just go home, yeah. You head to the nearest station, but a transit worker speaks of catastrophe.
>”Train’s out of service. Broke down after coming to a halt. Inter-district service is suspended until further notice.”
“What?! How am I gonna get home now? Are they planning to run shuttle buses to skip over the affected area?”
>”We’re trying, but there’s an accident on the bridge’s incoming lane that’s holding everyone up. You’ll have to wait.”

Frustrated, you walk off, venting your grievances elsewhere. Without any service your only option is to walk to Central, and so you do, having little patience on waiting without an idea of how long it’ll be. Seeing as that was one of the first stations of the district, there wasn’t another you could take a train at, at least one that’ll get you closer to home. This was a distance nobody really wants to walk, so the ill-used walkways on the bridge’s side sees its first pedestrian in you. As you were on the side where the accident should be, the road on your side is much more vacant, basically drip feeding cars from the one lane you see is unaffected.

On a whim, you look up, expecting to just see the skyline, but there was someone just standing on the upper structures of the bridge as well. You have no reason to think why someone would be up there, but at the same time, no reason to question it either. Whoever it was though, didn’t take kindly to being noticed. Something was flying your way, and the figure leapt off out of sight. On instinct, you skipped back, the object pinning itself down where you just were. It’s… Strangely familiar to you. Pulling it out from the pavement, the hole it left goes down much longer than what this handle currently is. Something like this might be dangerous, but you feel it's rendered inert at the moment.

>>5490532
You continue on walking, but it doesn’t stop here. From behind, your leg gives out, causing you to fall over. Looking behind, you find the assailant to be… Someone you don’t know. Great, now strangers are starting to pick fights with you. She isn’t wearing a uniform, dressed in a tan wool sweater and dark blue turtleneck. Her hair is short, light blue with streaks of white, reminiscent of the sky and armed, with a baseball bat pointed at your face, though there’s a keypad embedded within one side of it for whatever reason.

She makes one demand, in a voice so low you weren’t sure you heard everything.
>”Give it back…”
Give what back? The projectile you reclaimed from the ground? Shouldn’t have thrown it if it was so important. What else could she possibly be referring to? Racing for a response against your attacker, a few options come to mind.

>Run away. You only need to make it to the accident site to get help.
>If she wants this thing back so badly, throw it back at her face.
>Comply. Something just isn’t right about this, but you’re unsure what exactly.
>Write-in

>>5490533
>Approach as if to hand over the object but slam the school bag into her head once in range.

The Truant should get some pepper spray. It would've been a funny thing to use here.

In addition to the stuff purchased, I would not be surprised if there were some textbooks or the like. There could be some significant weight now, enough to act as a bludgeon; the gal also did attack first. This city is crazy, and therefore escalation is required.

>”Someone’s gonna break into your house, at night. I can’t tell any sort of time more specifically than that.”
The Truant can't catch a break, huh?

>>5490533
Lmao what is happening
>"I didn't really hear you that well, but I will accept your clearly humble and polite offer without any explanation, after first attempting to assault me.... If you can lower your weapon first kay ?"
"Not too difficult shy girl ?"


>>5490599
Support
>God, i see the mistake of my family : i shouldn't just leave that school but the whole city !

>>5490599
Support. Knock her out. You ain't no bitch

Let's add pepper spay to the shopping list

>>5490533
>>5490599
Support.

are you sure fighting is a good idea here this girl feels like she could kick our ass regardless of the situation

>>5492380
No, but I don't think running would really work, throwing the object directly at her face might have weird results, and complying is not within the Truant's nature.

>>5492380
We can run afterward anyways

>>5493063
Exactly

Man this quest reminds me of one from a long ass time ago, Irrelevant quest or something

>>5493780
Was it good

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>>5490533
The object you presume she’s looking for is still in your hands, but her eyes look at you straight on, so she must not have noticed. Good. You could work with that. Arising from the ground while sliding it up your sleeve inconspicuously, she stares at you emotionless, bat to side. Not a single word followed after her demand, and only now do you realize she’s about 2 heads shorter than yourself. Her head tilts to keep face with you eye to eye, undeterred by the height difference.

What else could she want? Since you don’t plan on giving whatever this is up, you’ve got something else to send her way instead. Unslinging your bag from your shoulders, it seems as if you were going to rummage through it and give whatever it was she wanted. The entire time, she hasn’t elaborated on her intent or desired item, so she’s highly confident that her words were interpreted correctly or believes you’re psychic.

Maybe this could’ve been resolved peacefully, but she fired the first shot, so clearly this is just self defense. One good swing is all you’ll get, and after that, you’ve got only 2 directions to gun it towards. You’re closer to where you entered the bridge from, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll lose her if you make it back to land. The accident site is further away, but hopefully the presence of emergency services dissuade her from pursuing any further. In any case, it won’t matter until you actually reach either point.

She suspects nothing, and so you strike. Swinging back and around, a violent crash confirms a clean hit on her head. Gotcha! Hopefully that didn’t break anything of yours. Smashing into the side rail fence keeping people from jumping off, she fell to a knee while using both her bat and the fence as support. Turning around and making for a getaway, the last you saw was her eyes widening in shock before her bangs covered her face. Your intuition informs you that this was a mistake, even for your record of flawless decision making.

It didn’t matter which direction you’ve gone, because you haven’t gone far enough for it to mean anything. The railing came undone from its foundation before smashing into your side. As you fumble from the loss in balance, the air behind you shifts as she lunges past, overtaking you in a single bound, before returning the favor and swinging for your arm. This sends you right off the bridge, breaking through the already compromised barrier and thus towards the water below. Realizing what she has done, she tries feebly to catch you, but is simply too slow.

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>>5494069

Earlier you hoped that your bag was intact. Now you wished that it was your body instead. An arm is undoubtedly broken, and perhaps some of your ribs too. From this height, taking a dive would’ve killed anyone, but it never came to that. Coming back to your senses, you’ve gone from falling off a bridge to lying on the floor of your room. If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re still hurt badly you might’ve written today off as a bad dream. Soon it gets harder to breathe, and you pass out, nobody aware of your condition.

>”-vic! Yanvic, wake up already, you lazy good-for-nothing!”
A voice brings you out from slumber, and one you’re not too happy to hear. That was Naomi’s, come to gloat about your pathetic state. You think? It doesn’t hurt anymore, and she couldn’t have gotten here anyways. Matter of fact, where is here? It doesn’t seem to be home still, as the commotion from outside sounds like typical student babble and gossip. Seeing through your ruse, she forces you awake, confirming that you’ve ended up in the school’s infirmary.

No way modern medicine could’ve fixed you up instantly, let alone the school. Rubbing your eyes, you use the other hand to gesture her away.
“Go away, I’m tired.”
>”Of what? Sleeping? I dunno why you ran off the way you did, let alone why you decided to take naps on the school rooftop.”
“Y a a w n. In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t the roof, and neither of us have the right to be there anyways. Planned on breaking that rule before me? Sorry I beat you to it.”
>”Hmph. Guess I won’t stop you from savoring this so-called triumph over me then. Lord knows you need something, however inconsequential it will be. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then.”

She exits, leaving you alone in the infirmary. Glancing over the clock, it’s just about time for standard dismissal, meaning that clubs are starting to gather for today. Your bag was nowhere to be seen, likely having been left in your room, but the thing up your sleeve was still there. Taking it to the palm of your hand, you play around with it, but cannot find any functions. Believing it to be inert, you tossed it toward the nearest bin, but a bright flash emanated from one end featuring a hole and pushed the bin over. Other than that, no marks like last time could be seen. Maybe it’s better if you had it still, and so you retrieved it.

Today was one wild mess. Jumped on a moving train to escape attending, only to be attacked by some of the strangest people you’ve met ever. The day is still not done, and there’s still more on the way. Oh what to do now?

>Go home. There’s kits to build and an intruder to catch tonight.
>Crash the debate club. Certainly they must’ve realized they missed you.
>Shop around and prepare for more. It’s not over yet.
>Figure out where Naomi lives. See how much she likes it when the shoe’s on the other foot.
>Write-in

>>5492534
If it wasn't entirely in character, I wouldn't have offered it as a default choice. I also wouldn't suggest a course of action that was bound to outright fail, unless the way to go about it wasn't correct.
>>5493780
If it was Irrelevant back then, its definitely Unimportant now.

>>5494070
>Shop around and prepare for more. It’s not over yet.

We must prepare for the intruder. The battle is still raging, and we have lost the second engagement, but the third one is yet to be seen.

F U C K, we ended up at the school. Should've kept on swinging till she was knocked out rather than turning to run, probably wouldn't have worked, though. Also, we are definitely in some simulation. The question, then, who is the central character?

>the thing up your sleeve was still there. Taking it to the palm of your hand, you play around with it, but cannot find any functions.
What exactly does the object look like? The description was a bit sparse.

>>5494082
It’s a metallic handle, with rounded edges for a smooth grip. On one end there’s a hole where an emitter is presumably located and the other end features no such thing, instead coming to a wedge with a flat surface. There aren’t any buttons or ports at all so how it charges, activates and any other finer intricacies are lost to you. In fact, now that you think about it more, it reminds you of a beam saber, though you can’t make it slice though anything.

>>5494070
>Shop around and prepare for more. It’s not over yet.

>>5494082
+1

>>5494070
>>Shop around and prepare for more. It’s not over yet.
kek

>>5494082
>Shop around and prepare for more. It’s not over yet.

Definitely shop. That kid is coming.

Good story so far.

Don't suppose there's a gun in the house somewhere?

>>5494784
Support. We need a weapon.

Finals are over for me, so hopefully this marks the beginning of a more consistent update schedule instead of taking days in between.
Updates might start slimming down to fit within 1-2 posts instead of 3 to 4 as long as I can get what I want across within that constraint, so no promises on that.

>>5494070
That guy, the one that worked at the ‘Vacant’ Hobby Store, what did he say again? Right, someone’s gonna break in at night and do what, and who? The former doesn’t really matter, since they won’t penetrate your defenses, but knowing the latter would greatly help in setting up defenses.
Who are the possible suspects? Naomi? Yeah right, she’s got better things to do like prepare for school, oh the horror if she had to stay up late. Weird kid? Haven’t seen a single sign of him since, though the possibility of him figuring out your address isn’t null. Batter girl? Think she believes you to be dead anyways.
Shit, looks like this is gonna be someone completely new. Nothing’s gonna be done standing around here, and it’s dismissal anyways, so it’s time you leave.

You swung open the infirmary door, and everyone turned to face you. All of 5 people, but 5 more than expected.
“What? Am I a clown?” One remark from you got everyone back to minding their business. You wouldn’t dare claim to know everyone in this school, but one of them definitely was new to you, but at the same time, familiar as well. Thought you were the only one in this school with hair this red, but that's enough of that. It’s time to go shopping for defensive necessities.

Walking out with the rest of the students who didn’t swarm out the minute they should, a shopping list formed in your mind. A deadbolt for the front door is actually something your parents told you to try and buy at some point, but what else? Something for the windows? Maybe. You live a story off the ground, but that doesn’t deter you from making keyless entries, so unfortunately it has to go. No idea what exactly you’d buy to stop that, but sure.

>>5497275
Losing another fight like earlier was something that you’ll never let repeat again. A self defense solution has to be found to deter the strange, but what? One con of living in this city is that weapons aren’t exactly sold publicly. If it wasn’t for culinary use blades weren’t being sold and absolutely no guns, but those are the lethal choices. You’ve no idea where the less lethal options are, but never seriously looked either.
Again though, if its a weapon you want, you sorta already have one in the hilt that was thrown at you, but you’ve yet to figure out how it works. At least it’s still functional as proven just now, so it's something to work on. Come to think of it, the owner of this better not be the one coming knocking tonight, but if they were really rocking beam knives to throw around casually it’s highly unlikely.

You made it to the closest hardware store. Since you’ve thought of securing entry ways first, you decided to start with that. There’s the isle for door locks, and there’s the deadbolts. So many variants and designs are used here, and an employee tries talking to you about the intricacies on each of them and how the differences matter, but you don’t care and he drops off to help someone else. By chance, there was a special on packs of magnetic alarms, and you took one, planning to alarm the windows you could climb too.

Shopping here wasn’t just a leisurely trip however, as on the way, a feeling of being followed grew until it was outright confirmed when it failed to subside in here. Like, what student hangs out at a hardware store and not somewhere else more trending? Catching a glimpse of your school’s uniform while making a turn confirms that they were attending the same place as you, but you didn’t make out anything else. It might just be nothing, but today was full of surprises, so there's little room to doubt here. If they really are stalking you, they might’ve failed to notice, as you kept casual despite your instinct warning you.

>Actively confront whoever this is
>Doubt it, and continue shopping (write-in next item)
>Write-In another option

>>5497276
Go around a corner and wait for them, then grab them for questioning (if they follow)

>>5497353
supporting

>>5497353
Support this too

>>5497353
supp

>>5497276
>>5497353
Support

>>5497353
+1
Hope it’s not someone with I’ll intent.

>>5497276
dont out right confront them but be wary. act unaware and try to shake the guy before going home. getting a good look at them would be very helpful, but losing the tail is more important. he is obliviously try to be inconspicuous, the truant can use that.

I have been fighting a range ban for the past few days and if this doesn’t go though I’ll give up
Not like anyone would be able to see it if so.

>>5497276
Where in the store is it empty enough to get some privacy…? That aisle seems as good as any. Around the corner of the store too, cutting down on the directions to keep track of. You leave the goods where you got them for now, since you don’t feel like getting accosted for shoplifting. The LP aren’t paid enough to catch anyone actually trying to and damn if they’ll pick on you to look good to management.

Please, whoever this may be, just be normal, at least relative to the whole stalking thing. Anyone bothering to follow you this way was either an employee, or a student, the former obviously dressing differently. From where you’re positioned, you can easily reach out and grab anyone approaching while remaining concealed to anyone approaching the same way you took to get here. Sure enough, the hunch was right, and you grasped whoever this was by the collar and dragged them against the shelves.

This wasn’t the same uniform as yours, but a poor imitation. The shade of blue was wrong, the white trim was missing, and the shirt was uh, unconventional is what you’ll put it as. The person immediately raised their hands up, effectively surrendering after being caught. Their face, oh man, where was it? This guy has no face at all! Its still shaped like one, but with nothing where all the features should be. In reaction to being caught, the guy started trembling, before slowly receding away from your grasp and onto the floor.

Before you lay a puddle of what used to be a person, with no trace remaining. The clothes melted away with him, instead of dropping down onto the floor. Perhaps saying he melted wasn’t accurate since the more you stare, the idea that he just lost all his bones and the solidness of his clothes comes to mind.
“Dude, where the hell is your face?”
The blob jiggles around, obviously in response to your inquiry, but no words come out. In hindsight, without a mouth how would he speak?
Well, whatever. Just lay there for all you care. Retrieving the stuff you were gonna buy, you make it to the front and wait in line.

>>5502674
Retailers always have more registers than they do cashiers, and the cashiers they did have took forever to serve one compliant customer. When faced with those who haggle and complain the line moves at a glacial pace. So just use the self checkouts, right? Good joke. Since there needs to be someone staffed at the area to troubleshoot customer woes and help prevent shoplifting or other trickery, the self checkouts are closed since there wasn’t anyone assigned to that task. It’s looking like you’d be here all day, but a tendril latches on to your items and snatches it from your grasp. Taking it into its mass, the blob shifts away outside, somehow unnoticed by everyone except you.

Not much of a chase here, since it basically gave up after clearing the store’s property. Catching up, it regurgitates your haul and while reforming it’s prior body. Handing it over, you reluctantly take it. No trace essences or tampering is present, but that didn’t make it easier when it was just inside whatever he was made of. Suppose it was a price to pay for skipping the line though. Nodding in one direction and gesturing you to follow, you take in the opposite direction, breaking line of sight before it notices.

So you got the alarms and deadbolt for free, which was nice, but not enough for you to just blindly follow. You’ve got to install both of these after all. Maybe he had a master, one that could preferably speak, but if they have business with you, they should’ve sent someone who could speak and not play charades.
Won’t be much of a hassle to get home from here, but something catches your eyes that you had to double back to make sure of the sight. The invincible class president, now looking down in the dumps at a coffee store counter. Glee breaks out on your face, and dashing to remain unnoticed, you burst out in maniacal laughter over her plight. No idea what it could be, but damn, the only regret you have was that it wasn’t you who caused this. If you knew though, you go back to gloat. Aw what the hell, you might’ve done so anyways.

>“Hey mister, what’s all the laughter about?”
Who in their right mind would bother someone laughing their asses off? Oh. That boy from earlier on the train. He stands before you right now. What’s next? Are people gonna start dropping in from the skies?

>Kid won’t escape this time. Give him a piece of your mind.
>Don’t feel like dealing with him again. Go back the other way. Might as well gloat while you’re at it
>Brush him aside and just go straight home. There’s prep to be done.
>Write-in

>>5502675
>Brush him aside and just go straight home. There’s prep to be done.

There is no time to waste.

>>5502679
+1

>>5502679
+1

We can get revenge another day

>>5502675
>>Brush him aside and just go straight home. There’s prep to be done.

Did you get range banned? Sorry. I hope you continue sometime. Maybe in a new thread. Thank you. I had fun.