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Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion

"Try not to unnerve the other residents 'kay?"

0 · 1,780 views · located in Unnamed City

a character in “Arc 4”, as played by SkyCladSaya06

Description

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Name || Laeticia Celine Concepcion

Age || 22

Gender || Female

Sexuality || Heterosexual

Appearance || Cel stands at 5'9" with a lithe, athletic build and weighs around 120 lbs. She has long light blonde hair she keeps in a braid and gray eyes. Her usual garb is a sleeveless dress shirt and shorts. Her foreign looks and appearance makes her quite known within Blue Lotus though she herself, denies having such a reputation.

Face Claim || Ruler from Fate/Grand Order || Fate/Apocrypha

Personality || Although appearing to be a rather quiet girl, Cel possesses a good degree of sociability and responsibility--making her quite a popular figure at Blue Lotus. She's quite chatty and often has some stories to tell of her own. Additionally, she displays a healthy dose of skepticism which allows her to be quite brave and calm in face of the inexplicable experiences happening around them.

She does have a bit of a temper though and one wouldn't really want to cross her or anything. She can be a bit of a stickler for the rules which may put her at odds with the more unorthodox people at the dormitory. She's not too brave to never experience fear or cautiousness though and for some strange reason, she often avoids being in her unit for too long.

Room Number || Room 102 (Solo Unit)

Roommate || N/A


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Likes:
Rumors || Cel's got quite the fascination for rumors and stories concerning the place and in over two years worth of living in the place, has already accumulated quite the number of experiences and stories.

Horror || Horror is Cel's favorite genre and she keeps a sizeable collection of movies stashed in her unit.

Pastries || She loves having them for snacks. There is a nearby bakery she often purchases these from.

Dislikes:
Noise || Cel usually scolds unruly and noisy folk who passes in the lounge. She rarely scolds anyone on the other floors though but people can often come to talk to her if they're being distracted by the loud noise other residents make and would often accompany them to confront the unruly unit.

Swimming || Not that she's afraid of it; Cel even knows how to swim! But something happened in the indoor pool that made her swear it off for good.

Staying in her room for far too long || Due to her added personal touches, Cel's room is regarded as one of the coziest rooms in Blue Lotus. But for some reason, she mostly stays at the lounge or in the desk during her idle time.

History || Cel used to live in the countryside with her family which consists of her parents and two older brothers. She was the youngest child of a middle-class foreign couple. Upon reaching her tertiary level of education, she decided it was time to leave the nest and be independent and upon moving to the city, she rented a unit in Blue Lotus due to the reasonable price and semi-furnished rooms. Upon experiencing the initiation rites for new residents though, she later asked to be transferred to a different room.

Throughout her stay in the city, Cel had already made small yet modest gains for herself. The unit she was transferred in, Room 1C, was already bought with savings from her part-time job and stipend from her parents, making her a permanent resident at the dorm. She had also gotten a job working the reception area for Blue Lotus during days where she doesn't need to take classes. She's also seen and heard quite the number of rumors as well.

Colors || Speech = Goldenrod / Thought = Orangered

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So begins...

Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion
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"Well, looks like the jury has spoken~" Aziz declares triumphantly as Menou opted to accompany him in helping the newcomer settle in. Makoto just sighed.

"Alright. Then I'll be heading off now." Having settled that matter, Makoto leaves for the market.

"Well, what a way to make a big deal out of nothing." Aziz stretched his arms as he yawned. "That guy has a habit of making a big deal out of almost everything--don't mind him. I hope he didn't intimidate you or anything." Aziz addresses Menou and the newcomer. He turns to Kanade this time.

"Why don't you tag along too Kanade? We'll need a lot more hands if we want to finish up early." Aziz invited Kanade along before following the two other girls.

"Anyway, have you received your room assignment yet Miss? If we can finish up early, I know of a special event going down at the West Harbor tonight. Maybe we could go there? A live jazz trio and a band would be performing too. Plus it's in an open space. No need to pay for admission tickets!" Aziz tells the three girls of an event going on as he followed them to the new girl's assigned room.

"I'm also planning on calling Kujo over so we'll have a lot more company. How about it? We can always bail out early if any of you want to be back earlier~"



Queen's Plaza: Strip Mall - 5:30 PM

Queen's is highly regarded to be the busiest place in town and it isn't hard to see why. With several shopping establishments and posh restaurants and hotels, a lot of people often flock here after school or work. In Makoto's case, he had gone over to the strip mall just a few meters south from Emerald Gardens, the largest shopping mall in the city.

"If it's top ingredients you're after, it is better to try the strip mall rather than the supermarket inside Emeralds. It's a lot cheaper there too." He recalled Sora saying something to that effect sometime ago, though he couldn't really figure out when.

"If Asagi's planning on reimbursing me--I suppose pasta's the way to go." Makoto thought as he strolled down the corridor, wondering what to make. Asagi hadn't really made any special requests either. Nor did Menou. Just as he was about to grab a pack of spaghetti noodles on the stand, a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind, taking him by surprise.

"Whoah! Who's this?" Makoto exclaimed as he tried to turn and look at the person in question.

"Guess who?" A girl's voice spoke up teasingly, making Makoto relax and manage a smile.

"Didn't expect to find you here."

"Same. What are you doing all the way over here?" Removing her hands from his eyes, Cel throws Makoto's question back at him.

"Oh, Menou asked if I can show her how to cook something. Figured it was also a good occasion to welcome Asagi, my new roommate." Makoto explained.

"So you've already met huh? Well, how about it?" Cel pressed on.

"Well--admittedly, I'm a little worried about spending nights with a guy who seems interested in--well, guys. But after talking to him, he didn't seem like a bad person. Plus, he told me I wasn't his type."

"Yeah, well--you're not exactly the hottest catch in the dorm no?" Cel teases him a little.

"Am I really that plain?" Makoto asked.

"Yep."

"I thank you for speaking up about your opinion--no matter how harsh it may have seemed." Nonetheless, hearing it only made Makoto laugh. "I don't think I can do anything about my image though--even if I may lose out to guys with tight abs, big biceps and nice hair. It's just the way I am."

"That's good. Great even." Cel mutters almost out of earshot. "Anyway, what do you plan on making?" She asked, eyeing the ingredients Makoto had gathered in his basket.

"Spaghetti's the best I can manage right now. A little out of the way of what I usually make but, it's a special occasion so why not?" Makoto answered back, showing Cel the ingredients.

"Neat! My mom always used to put hotdogs in with the spaghetti. Used to love it a lot when I was younger~"

"Heh, don't know much about the wisdom of that!" Hearing this though, Makoto immediately grabbed some hotdogs from a nearby fridge as well. "Never really tried mixing it in though. Might need some help."

"Sure thing~"

As they paid and walked down to the bus station, Cel noticed that Makoto's pace seemed a little slower. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing--just, a little tired." Makoto explained. "Long trip yesterday, cooking dinner, cleaning the dishes, school--hadn't gotten much rest yet."

"Ouch. Well, what are you doing all the way out here then? Don't you normally buy at the market near the dorm?"

"Well--I was initially going to look for stuff with Koizumi-san so I figured I might as well take her to some place lovely--the market near the dorm just isn't going to cut it. Things happened though so I just proceeded on my own." Makoto explained.

"Things? What kind of things?" Cel implored a little further.

"Let's just say the little gremlin managed to persuade her otherwise. Wouldn't bother arguing with that."

"Aziz huh?" Cel opted to leave it at that though, and ended her questions there. They walked towards the bus stop in silence and waited.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion
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Aziz walked back in the room just as Kanade and Koizumi started...flirting? He wasn't sure what to make of it but hey, he reckons girls do it all the time. Seeing that they were almost done in record time, Aziz gave the door a couple of light raps in order to catch their attention.

"Hey, you guys done?" Aziz called out. "Got our car coming soon. I reckon it'll be here in ten minutes. When you're done, just meet down at the lobby~ You're gonna like this one. I managed to book a Jaguar to ferry our asses there!" Aziz proudly shows off his knack for things like this before heading downstairs to wait for the girls.

He scrolled through his text messages as he waited, checking to see if Kujo managed to receive the invitation. A notification popped up revealing that yes, Kujo was coming along and that Nagisa was heading over there as well.

"Crap! Gotta look my best!" Aziz suddenly sprang up and fixed his getup. He immediately searched for any good restaurants or dining places he could treat the others to after the concert.




"I'm honestly surprised that a bus hadn't come to pick us up yet." Cel laughed as she turns to Makoto who had been waiting with her for around half an hour already.

"Yeah, me too. Maybe there's a road congestion somewhere? Or an accident or a construction." Makoto replied. Out of all days for it to happen. Menou and the newcomer are waiting as well.

"Hey, want to catch a cab instead?" Cel suggested. "It'll be a lot faster."

"Ehehe...I don't think I can afford the cab fare around here." Makoto explains by showing what remains of his wallet after purchasing the ingredients. "This is all I have on me right now. My ATM's also left in the room."

"Hey, it's no problem! I was planning to take one anyway had I not ran into you. Fare remains the same even if there's one or two people riding." Cel persisted, making Makoto feel a little uneasy.

"I don't know...I'd kind of feel bad if I let you pay for it all."

"Hey, we're friends right? Besides, you'll be cooking dinner for us all! Just think of it as my payment in order to eat. An entrance fee, if you'd like."

"But you'll be helping me cook it! You don't need to go that far for me." Makoto tries to reason but hesitated as he realized he was the one who wasn't being practical. Besides, he didn't want to annoy Cel seeing that she's kind enough to tag along with him. "Aaarrghh!!! Now's the times when I wish I was as rich as Aziz." Makoto sighed. Just in time, an idea struck his mind.

"Well, if you insist then I guess it's okay. In exchange, I'll let you have a bigger share of the spaghetti." Makoto offers in return, raising a fist at her.

"Deal!" Cel answered back as she bumped his fist with hers. "Now then, next obstacle." Cel stood up to check out the surroundings. "It's hard to find a good taxi these days. One with clean interiors, polite drivers..."

"You mean it's hard to find a taxi period." Makoto laughed as he walked on over to her side. His stomach suddenly grumbled in protest, reminding him that he hasn't eaten a proper lunch since he got back.

"Heehee~" Cel giggled upon hearing Makoto's stomach grumble.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten anything yet. Is there a sandwich or takoyaki stand around here?" Makoto wondered as he scanned the place for the stands in question.

"Hmm...I think I know just the place. Come on!" Cel takes him by the hand and drags him along with her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi
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"Alright, let's go! It's a Jaguar ladies! A Jaguar!" Aziz cheered as he led the others down to the car waiting outside their dormitory. "Driver, think you can play some songs from this?" As the vehicle cruised down the street, Aziz hands his mp3 player over to the driver.

He hoped the girls would appreciate his "music" selection.

Upon arriving at West Harbor, Aziz could see that people have already started crowding around the place. Thankfully, being a public place, they didn't need to fight for seating or anything like that. However, Aziz did recall Fuyumi's request. It would be quite difficult to find a place like the one she described at this time.

Being so close to the sea, there was a nice beach area where the trio would be performing. Tents were set up, stalls on the side were peddling food and wares. On the right of the stage was a rather posh dining hall, reserved for special guests. Judging from the food and silverware being passed on, it was obviously catering to a rather high-end clientele. Aziz was sure he could afford it but, these kinds of concerts aren't really his style and he prefers being in the company of friends...even if they have to settle for something less nicer for their seating--

Which was becoming a bit more trouble than it's worth.

"No matter where we go, there's bound to be people." Aziz sighed as he opted to pass up on some nice benches near the lamps upon seeing a group of high school girls chatting on the side. "Not giving up though!"

Taking out his phone, he immediately messaged his comrade-in-arms.

"Yo man! Can you scout for a nice area we could chill at? Somewhere cool and quiet yet with a nice view of the performance? Hold the fort until we arrive.

P.S. If you're with Nagi can you...you know?"




"Ta-da!" Before he knew it, Cel had led Makoto into a comfy looking sandwich shop. It was quite small with only seven tables for four but it was well-lit with air-conditioning. "Not too posh but, at least the food prices are reasonable."

"As long as it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg then I'm down for it!" Makoto leans in to look at the shop's selection.

"Haha! Of course it won't! Hmm..." Cel also leaned in, standing by Makoto's side. Having chosen her sandwich, Cel calls on the attention of the server. "I'll have the bologna please!" She then turns to Makoto. "You?"

"Hmm...I think I'll just go with a ham and cheese--oh, and can we have it to go?" Makoto reminded them that they should get back to the dorm. "Koizumi-san's waiting after all."

"Is Koizumi already good at cooking? Spaghetti's not something you can easily prepare everyday since it's very time consuming. Definitely not something a beginner can handle."

"Yeah. Still, we do have an occasion. Might as well bring something special to the table."

"You're right."



The two finally managed to catch a cab back to the dorm as soon as their sandwiches were served. Upon arriving inside, Makoto wondered at the apparent silence that greeted him.

"Uh...Koizumi-san?" Makoto called out to the lobby. No answer. "Hmm...maybe they're still helping out at the room."

"Or maybe they're in the kitchen...Hey, Ritsuka! Have you seen Koizumi?" Cel asks Ritsuka, who had been on desk duty since morning.

"Hmm? Oh, she just left with Takamine, Harumi and Miss Hirabayashi around...twenty minutes ago, I think? Apparently there's a concert going on over at the West Harbor." Ritsuka explained.

"What?" Makoto was taken aback. "I thought she wanted me to help her out with cooking."

"Oh? Well, they just left. Is that spaghetti?"

"Well, what are you going to do now?" Cel asks Makoto who just sat defeated on the sofa. "Hey, there's still Wednesday. You don't have class until later in the afternoon on that day right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But--" Makoto could only sigh. "I guess you win this time Aziz."

"Is that spaghetti?" Makoto turned around and saw Asagi standing by him in the lobby.

"Asagi?"

"Yep! You were taking a while so I thought I should wait for you here." Asagi explained. "Hello again Miss Cel!"

"Hello!" Cel greeted him back. Seeing that she didn't come to any misconceptions means that the two already met and cleared up any misunderstanding that could have risen.

"Yeah." Makoto rises up to his feet. No point in feeling down now. "This is still your welcome party after all."

"Huh? You mean this is for me?"

"It's for all the newcomers. Makoto thought of throwing a little dinner to welcome you all~"

"Hehe...yeah--wait, newcomers?" Makoto thought Asagi and the other girl were the only ones coming.

"Nope. We have three new residents this time."

"Hope you brought lots of grub!"

Seeing all this, Makoto was able to manage a smile. Even if Menou's not around, at least it won't be a lonely dinner.

"Alright! I'll make you guys so much food you won't be able to move afterwards!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi
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Fuyumi felt a little bad for the trouble she was causing Aziz. She heard the mass of people surrounding the area and felt incredibly guilty about her request. If her hearing was a bit damaged, she decided it wouldn't matter as long as they had fun. Though, she did get separated from the group due to the loud chatter of the other people around them. Luckily for her, she had Menou holding her hand the whole time.

"Koizumi-san? Do you happen to know where the others are?"

"J-Just a-a-ahead..."

Even if her hearing was slightly impaired, the tremors being felt through Menou's grasp indicated to Fuyumi that the introvert was not having a good time at all. Fuyumi seemed rather concerned.

"Koizumi-san??"

Menou barely heard a word. The introvert was on a verge of a bad panic attack with her shallow breathing and shaking body.

"I can do this... I can do this... I can't do this! What was I thinking?!"

Menou shut her eyes in a very desperate attempt to shut out the voices and the more panicked she was, the worse her inner thoughts got. The thoughts berated her for her useless attempts at finding happiness and continued their merciless onslaught as she struggled to control her breathing. Fuyumi decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Miss Tachibana? Miss Koizumi doesn't appear to be doing too well... Would it be terribly alright if we got to a more private place?"


Akeno came to her dorm and heavily sighed to herself. Noa Arai had already been given medicine and she watched the girl sleep carefully. She grit her teeth a little as she remembered her failed attempt at reaching another person. If she wasn't just a doll, maybe people would actually accept her. She coughed a bit herself as she looked around the room.

"It should be close to dinnertime. Makoto's probably making some food. Maybe to get a good first impression on everyone. If nothing else, I should at least go."

Akeno frowned to herself as she remembered her mother's words; to always make a good impression and accept food. But not too much food, she wouldn't want to come across as a pig.

"Screw it all. Maybe something interesting will happen for once."

She went down to where she knew the kitchen was located and saw Makoto, Cel and an unfamiliar person. The person was dressed in women's clothing, had a noticeable white streak in otherwise long pink hair tied in a braid, striking purple eyes and a cat like smile accompanying their face. She blinked, unsure of the new person but it didn't matter. They would only see her foolproof mask accompanying the porcelain doll known as Akeno Furuya. They wouldn't try to dig deeper. They wouldn't help, no one would help. They only wanted the doll to be admired or shunned. No one wanted her to become someone she wants to be. So, for now, she would smile and hug the stranger. It was part of her character after all. After hugging the stranger for a good while, she flashed them a wide smile, loaded up the text to speech app and started to "talk" to them.

"Hey there~! I'm Akeno Furuya! Who are you?"


She tilted her head curiously.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi
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Just as the day seemed to spiral into further oblivion, Aziz spun around and turned--to find the girls gone. He looked around the crowd left and right but he didn't recognize anybody who resembled any of them.

"Great! Socially awkward, Miss no-vision and sailor mouth all got lost in the crowd! Now what am I going to do?"

For a moment, Aziz wondered what to do. He asked them out to go on this little journey. They were his responsibility. And he royally fucked it up. Somehow, he wondered if it would've been better for Menou if she had stayed with King-wannabe. At least she wouldn't have to bother with big crowds.

"Urghh...what's so wrong with crowds anyway? It's not like any of them are minding you let alone checking you out..." Aziz wondered just how bad Menou's condition was. "Hopefully it's not bad enough that she freezes up helplessly..."

A text from Kujo told him that Nagisa's gone to follow Kanade so there was that at least. This put him a little at ease since he knows that despite her health condition, Nagisa should've already found a good spot for them. Still, he didn't want to leave all the responsibility over to her. These times are the times when a man's gotta act cool.

"So let's shine the way only Aziz Harumi could shine!"

Wherever they are, Aziz knows everyone came here to watch the beachside show. So naturally--

"Sir? I think I saw some suspicious people wondering around the back of the stage. Could you go check?" Aziz asks the bouncer watching over the stage. Fortunately, the guy took the bait so he took this chance to sneak into the stage and head on over to the microphone.

"Umm...hello!" Aziz addresses the crowd through the microphone. "Can we please all rise for the national anthem?"



"Oh hey Akeno--whoah!" Makoto saw Akeno descend from the stairs and turned to greet her but was visibly taken aback when she immediately hugged Asagi, standing a little off to the side.

"Whoah! Is she your little sister or something man?" Asagi asks, a little surprised.

"No, she's--" Before Makoto could introduce her, Akeno whipped up her app and introduced herself to Asagi. "Yep, you heard. She's also a resident up in the girl's quarters."

"Oh, is that right? Hello then! I'm Asagi Arakawa but you can just call me Asagi~ I'm Makoto's new roommate and I just want to lay it out here as to not cause any misunderstandings: I'm a guy. So it's not as if Makoto suddenly got a prompt for an eroge opportunity or anything." Asagi introduces himself to the girl. He couldn't help but notice her speaking through the app though. His eyes turned to Makoto for an explanation but debated against it.

"You didn't go with them Akeno?" Makoto asked, referring to Aziz's troupe that left the dorm a few moments ago.

"What do you mean? Oh, are you talking about that girl who visited the room a couple of hours ago?" Asagi recalled Menou's visit.

"Yeah. They went to the park to watch some live thing or whatever. Don't really know the details myself."

"Great! More food for us then!" Ritsuka declares.

"Since when did you cash in on this?" Cel reprimands her.

"No matter. I should be able to make enough for everyone here. Well then, I'm going." Makoto excused himself as he went up to the kitchen.

"I'm helping him out. Catch you upstairs Ritsuka~" Cel followed shortly after. With the two heading up, that only leaves Asagi, Ritsuka and Akeno down at the lobby.

"First day here and everyone's already nice to me...I may enjoy my stay here more than I thought." Asagi grins as he muttered those words to himself. "Akeno right? Do you know a nearby convenience store that sells ice cream by the tub? I kind of feel bad that I'm not bringing anything to the table save for some coffee candy while my roommate cooks up some spaghetti for everyone. So, mind tagging along with me? You've lived with them for a while. You know what flavors they dig right?" Asagi invites Akeno to tag along with him. He was still new in the area and he'll need someone to help him navigate.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Menou was rather confused as to why everyone was doing the national anthem but focusing on the lyrics and song helped calm her down quite a bit. She supposed she had to thank Aziz for helping her calm down along with the others but she was unsure if she wanted to go out in public any time soon. Still, she turned her attention back to Fuyumi, who smiled at her.

"Do you feel a little bit better, Miss Koizumi?"

"Y-Yeah... Thanks, everyone... Still, how the heck is Aziz going to get out of that spot?"


Akeno flashed him a grin. Truthfully, she was very excited to get to know the young man standing next to her. But first things first, she needed to introduce the others.

"Oh, right! Yeah, I can tell you a little bit about everyone."

Akeno didn't know too many details considering no one really wanted to get to know her better but she could at least tell him the basics.

"Let's stat with the girls first. I can't tell you about any newcomers but I do know a little bit about the other girls. First is Hotaru Emirsdottir. She works at a maid café, graduated from Seven Stars and is taking some classes in Interior design. She's really sweet and wants the best for everyone around her. Her roommate is Menou Koizumi. I think if you know Makoto then you know a bit about Menou but she's a bit of a shut in. No one really knows why though, but try to be careful around her. Ah, there's also my roommate Noa Arai. She's really smart but people don't like her much because she can be blunt around other people."

She seemed a little bit sad.

"I find it kind of unfair. Noa-chan should have friends too, which is why I'm trying to be her friend. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Next is Nagisa Makinami. There's a bit of a rumor going on that she's the assassin but don't take it too seriously. She's pretty quiet but she's not a shut in like Menou is. Her roommate is Sora Kyousuke. No one really knows much about Sora Kyousuke because she's almost always out on her job. But, I've seen the job she works at and it's really nice. Lastly, we have Kanade Takamine. She..."

Akeno looked down to think of a good word to describe her without being mean.

"I think a good word to describe her is... unique. She speaks her mind a lot and can be a bit mean but she's the perfect person to be around if you want to have fun. Now let's move on to the guys~"

She grinned a bit at him.

"Since you already know Makoto, let's start off with his ex-roommate; Aziz Harumi. Aziz gets a bit of a bad reputation but is otherwise a decent guy. He's charismatic in his own right but he's a bit of a trickster so watch out. His roommate and partner in crime is Kujo Nobuyuki. I heard he's part of a gang so be careful there but he seems like a really cool guy to be around if you're friendly to him. And then there's Soichiro Tanizaki. If you meet him, don't freak out if he speaks in a weird language about Tyrannica and relics and ascending to higher powers."

She let out a very weak and almost breathy laugh, coughing afterwards.

"In any case, Soichiro imagined a world of his own and that's really admirable. I really like how he can be himself without worrying about others judging him... But I'm getting off track again. There's also Madoka Ikeda. Madoka is quiet and anti-social except when he's around Yoite and Hotaru. Still, he's really passionate about films and filmmaking so if you want to be friends with him, maybe start off with a conversation about movies? Lastly is my good friend Yoite Arakaki! He's a super sweet guy who always tries to communicate for me. I'll get to myself after I'm done with Yoite, but he's also an incredible artist who loves all kinds of paintings~ Definitely get to know him better if you're looking for instant popularity. Though, I'm not too interested in that stuff. I'm more interested in being friends with people who seem nice."

Akeno spun around to flash Asagi a happy grin.

"And that just leaves me~ So, I'm not entirely sure how to describe myself. My mom wants me to be the perfect girl that always gets good grades so I can marry a doctor and start a successful career in a perfect household. But... I don't really want that. I'm more interested in music but that's about it. I haven't really gotten enough time to develop too many likes so sorry. But, I can say that I'll be a lifelong and loyal friend if you'll have me~ Ah, you're probably also wondering why I'm using a text to speech app? That's mainly because I'm mute. But, I'm working on getting my voice back. The reason why I lost it is a bit too complicated to talk about though..."

Well, Menou put her real self out in the open and she was hopeful Asagi would accept it. He seemed like a nice enough guy.


Message to: DJ_HoundCity

From: CandySlayerPhantom

Oh, yeah! Absolutely! Completely spaced on that. Haha~ I'll meet you in the lobby to help you out and we can talk about the other people in here when you show up~ See you soon!

Message sent


Hotaru squealed happily, causing Madoka to sigh a bit.

"So I take it she's almost here."

Hotaru quickly hid the cake and put out the candle before taking his hand.

"We're meeting her in the lobby, come on!"

After a couple of protests, Hotaru dragged Madoka down to the lobby where the two of them waited.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Asagi Arakawa Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda
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Having cleared up the earlier misconception, Asagi shrugged the incident off with a laugh. "Haha! Yeah, I knew you looked familiar! Been a while right? Anyway, you should've just called out--I mean, it's not like we're going to bite you or anything. Come on!"

Asagi practically dragged Misaka with him towards the aisle where Akeno was waiting. He decided to introduce the "stalker", just so any remaining misconceptions can be cleared up. "Yo! Apparently the person tailing us is this girl right here. Her name's Misaka and check it out! She'll be moving in with us as well! Talk about amazing coincidences eh?" Asagi introduced the Akeno to his fellow Seven Stars alumnus.

"Misaka, this is Akeno. Hope you two can be good friends from now on!"

Having finished with that, he turned his attention to the ice cream tubs. "Yep! That does it for the shopping, I guess. We should get back now!"



"Yahoo! We're back! Oh? You guys are a pair of faces I've never seen before." Asagi greeted Hotaru and Madoka as he strode into the lobby, tugging the two other girls along. Immediately, he approached Hotaru.

"Remember me? Well, we didn't really talk much back in high school since you had your own little group. It's me, Asagi~ I played bass during battle of the bands back at Seven Stars remember?" As he jogged up Hotaru's memory, he extended an arm to drag Misaka up front. "And guess who decides to show up too!"

Turning to Akeno, he continued. "We've already met Akeno here who was nice enough to show us around as well. She even helped us choose the flavors of the ice cream. See?"

"Lively bunch eh?" As if on cue, Cel descended down from the stairs and saw the small gathering in the lobby. "Me and Makoto just finished up. Come on! It looks great, I'm telling you."

"Only cause you helped out." Likewise, Makoto followed Cel downstairs too. Hotaru and Madoka had already arrived but of course, those who watched the harbor live wasn't around yet. "Hope none of you mind spaghetti. As per Cel's request, we added something different to it but I can assure you, it tastes fine just the same."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi
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Hotaru's eyes brightened the second she saw Misaka walk through the doors with Akeno and an unfamiliar girl. She squealed in delight before hugging Misaka tightly.

"Misa-chan~!!! I'm so happy to see you again! Ah! I should probably help you out with registration!"

Hotaru dashed off to work out Misaka's paperwork causing Madoka to sigh a little.

"I swear, it's never a dull moment with her... So, I take it you're Emirsdottir's friend? I'm Madoka Ikeda. You probably already know Akeno Furuya if you two were together coming in. And, you are...?"

"He's Asagi-kun~ He's going to be living with us too."

"Is that- Huh? He??"

Akeno nodded with a bright smile as Hotaru finished with a happy smile before hugging Asagi as well.

"Asagi-kun~! I remember you too! Sorry we never really got to talk much but hopefully we can catch up on lost time here."

She giggled happily at him and then noticed Cel and Makoto.

"Ah, right! Guys, my uncle let me bring over some sample cakes to welcome you to the dorm! Looks like it's become a giant party, huh~ Misa-chan, our plan had a small dent."

She giggled a bit sheepishly.

"But it's alright! I can talk to you about the others while we're enjoying Makoto-kun's cooking~"

Akeno smiled warmly at the scene, slightly looking forward to the party while Madoka just sighed a little.

"I'm going to go see if that idiot's around."

"You mean Yoite-kun?"

Madoka nodded a bit before leaving. Hotaru smiled.

"While we're waiting for Madoka-kun, do you need help with your bags, Misa-chan?"


When Kujo announced that Aziz made reservations for dinner, Menou froze. Yep, she wasn't going to be able to enjoy dinner with Makoto after all. It really upset her but she didn't want to make Aziz mad at her for being flakey.

"I'm in..."

Fuyumi, on the other hand, seemed to have brightened up considerably before clearing her throat.

"I'd be delighted to go~! I wonder what kinds of cuisine they have over there? Perhaps Bulgarian cuisine? Maybe Italian? American? Ah, this is exciting~"

Menou stepped back, surprised.

"You, uh, got really excited all of a sudden..."

Fuyumi smiled warmly.

"Of course. I do aspire to be a chef so even going to a diner will be enough to expand my culinary knowledge. Tell Mr. Harumi that I'd be delighted to go, Mr. Nobuyuki."

Menou just weakly chuckled at Fuyumi's antics, still startled.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Misaka froze, ready to whip out her Mirror Force card, when a weight all but tackled her. She almost felt her breath be knocked out of her lungs when she felt arms wound around her tightly. She lightly tapped Hotaru's shoulder.

"I--I missed you-- t-too but I can't br--eathe--"

When Hotaru let go, the girl abruptly ran off to handle her paperwork. Before Misaka could catch her breath and call out, someone called her again; she hesitantly looked over to see a red-haired guy who seemed to be acquainted with Hotaru, who introduced himself as Madoka Ikeda. Asagi's companion from earlier apparently was Akeno Furuya but Misaka almost felt like the world was spinning all around her; it was overwhelming, almost, the welcome in this dorm. At least, for a NEET like herself.

"U-Uhh, M-Misaka Amamiya. T-Thanks, gotta go."

She dashed over to where Hotaru had apparently finished, taking a bit of time to skim through the needed info; so she was in Room 302, apparently...and she'd have a roommate.

She barely caught the name Kanade on one glance. She really shouldn't be basing things off names, but that sounded friendly enough, she supposed.

They were soon joined by a rather mature-looking blonde with a braid and a brown-haired guy. They provided some sort of normalcy to the rather bright and cheery colors of the dormers so far.

When Hotaru offered help, Misaka glanced down at her bags and smiled sheepishly.

"Probably...I mean, with my equipment and all."




"Cool! Well, it's just around here. Just follow me!"

Kujo walked on at a leisurely pace. Kanade shrugged.

"Well, ya heard him."

"Hey, Aziz, when we get there at least meet us up at the entrance, man! We're heading there ASAP!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi
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A rather small reunion unfolded, particularly from the Seven Stars alumni. Cel wondered how it was back in that school. Normally, one would think that a prestigious school like that would breed some rather...difficult students. Seeing Misaka, Hotaru and Asagi though, almost everyone seemed amiable.

"Oh, come on. We can settle her bags in later. You'll have a lot of hands to help you out with that." Cel taps Hotaru's shoulder and faces the two new residents.

"Misaka-chan, right? I'm Laeticia but everyone just calls me Cel. You'll usually find me on the front desk so if you have any concerns, you can always run it by me, 'kay~ Don't be such a stranger now~"

Madoka walked off to look for Yoite so Makoto took charge in leading everyone to the dinner table. He was only able to prepare spaghetti and some garlic bread but thankfully, Asagi and Hotaru covered all their dessert needs with some delicious ice cream and cake. A simple dinner all things considered but, at least it wasn't as lonely.

"Well, dig in! Plenty enough for everyone." Makoto urged the others on when everyone had gathered around the table.

"So, do we like--name ourselves like in class?" Asagi asked, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Just tell us your name and anything you might want to clear up. That would do~"

"Alright! In that case, hi! My name is Arakawa Asagi but you can just call me Asagi! I'm sure Cel-san, Makoto, Hotaru and Misaka knows this but, just to put it out there: I'm a guy~" Asagi introduced himself with a wink.



"Hey, there you are!" Aziz called the group over once he saw them pass by. "Come right in. I've already ordered for the rest of us so we shouldn't have to wait long. Speak of the devil--"

Before long, a waiter carrying heavy trays laden with food appeared before them. Most of the menu was comprised of grilled seafood, complimenting the whole beachside theme. Salmon and tuna belly were the main course for the evening along with some stewed mussels. On the side was a platter of bakes scallops and some beef dishes.

"For those who aren't a big fan of the bounties of the sea, of course~" Aziz explained. Like those who remained in the dorm, Aziz stood up once everyone had taken their seat and, raising a glass of Fanta in the air, he started a small speech.

"Well...I'm no poet or emcee but, I just wanted to welcome Hirabayashi-san as a resident of Blue Lotus. I know I'm not exactly in any position to do so since I'm known to be quite the troublemaker but, Hirabayashi-san! Welcome to Castle City!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Hotaru smiled warmly as Asagi introduced himself. She then turned her attention to Misaka.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself if you'd like, Misaka-chan~"


Menou was almost impressed with how easily Aziz managed to get the food and beachside service. She supposed it must have been one of the perks of being rich. She soon heard Fuyumi sniffing.

"I can smell salmon, tuna belly, yellow tail, mussels that have been stewed, baked scallops, Harami Miso beef, Waygu beef seasoned with Cajun spices and teriyaki chicken. Always a classic."

"You got all that just from smelling the air?"

"Well, I do aspire to be a chef and since I can't really see the food well, in regards to cooking, I have to rely on smell. They all smell delicious and I imagine they're cooked to perfection."

Menou just shook her head. It came across as a little weird to tell apart food based on smell. Still, she supposed she couldn't complain. Fuyumi heard the speech and smiled.

"I'm happy to be here, Mr. Harumi. I hope we can all get along. Perhaps we can cook wonderful meals together or go on fun outings?"

Menou smiled weakly. She wasn't really sure if she was going to go on any outings anytime soon after what had happened.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Misaka froze in place almost immediately. It wasn't like she had already shrank back when Cel had come up to them, and now they were doing introductions, almost like back in school. It was strange; it felt like she was visiting a completely unknown person's house and having dinner with their family. Still, Asagi was almost flawless, so she had to step up her game! She was trying to not be a NEET all the time!

But how? Introductions in front of everyone was still nerve-wracking even after all of those years; all through elementary, middle school and high school. She was in college dammit, and an online developer, she had to at least know how to introduce--

"That's it!"

That thought in mind, when Hotaru asked her to introduce herself, she stood up and envisioned the camera and screen of her computer and her breathing calmed.

"I-- I'm Misaka Amamiya, I guess. There's nothing much to clear up, aside from-- well, I have a tendency to s-stutter--"

There it was. Goddammit this was supposed to be perfect. A clear of the throat. Keep it together, Misaka!

"--A-And I may have to switch to an app sometimes to speak. Just a small reminder."

She had to control herself to not completely collapse on the spot because after she was seated again, the camera and screen disappeared and she felt like she almost had a heart attack.

She just hoped everyone was friendly...




After Aziz had stolen the spotlight of "Who gets to welcome the newest resident", Nagisa shrugged a little. Kujo was quick to speak up a little bit afterwards, drowning out Kanade's stifled snickers over the fact that Aziz had Fanta.

"Alright, alright! We could go clear some time and plan outings when our schedules are a little bit lighter!"

"Well...I guess..."

Kujo laughed a little.

"C'mon, Makinami, don't be a buzzkill just cause you're busy half the time. You should have fun too!"

"I'm having enough fun doing work."

"See, this is why I feel sorry for you."

Nagisa pouted a bit- a rare expression, before sighing.

"...Fine, I have enough fun playing War Gunners."

"See, that's better."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Aziz found Fuyumi's aptitude for food quite interesting as she was able to decipher which dishes were which with just a simple whiff.

"That's so cool! I can't even tell if I'm eating salmon or tuna and it's already in my mouth to boot!" Aziz complimented her in-between mouthfuls of food. "There's a girl in the dormitory who's also taking up culinary arts as well. She's Makinami's roommate but she's often out late." Aziz remarked at Fuyumi's suggestion of cooking meals with the rest.

"I guess there's also King-wannabe but--he's nowhere near Kyosuke's level yet." Aziz suddenly thought of a scheme to somehow start some sort of challenge between the three. "That would be fun to watch."

Nagisa, Kujo and Kanade were all talking about the outings Fuyumi mentioned.

"Right...well, if we do go out, we should try to make it out of Castle City. It's a good place but, live here long enough and the novelty does wear off over time. I know someone who feels that way at least."

After the hearty dinner, Aziz decides to make some plans with the rest after bringing Fuyumi and Menou home.

"Makinami, Takamine! What do you say to a two-v-two with me and Kujo after we take Hirabayashi-san and Koizumi-san home? Sitting on silver's not doing any good for my reputation so I want to try for gold this time." Aziz invited the two, referring to War Gunners--a game he frequently plays with the rest of the other residents.




"Yeah, nice to meet you to Misaka-san! Well, nice to meet you again, hehehe!" Asagi pats Misaka's back as she finishes introducing herself. "Anyway, all the meals here look great so, you won't mind if I dig in already right?"

"Of course. It's your welcome after all."

"Yay~" Asagi happily devours his own plate of food as the others did the same. Asagi, Misaka and Hotaru. It seems they were all from Seven Stars--that rather prestigious high school on the east. Makoto wondered how life was for them in that kind of school. Although he was no Seven Stars alumni, being in Kurogane is quite similar. Maybe even higher.

"So how's life in Seven Stars? Is it really that hard to get in and stay?" Makoto asks this from any of the three.

"I heard it segregates students based on academic performance. Is it true?"

"Hmm? Oh, I guess you're talking about the Star Section and the Reserve Section. Well...it's not that big of a thing really. The Star Section is where students scouted by the academy itself are placed. Reserve Sections are for regular students who got in by passing the required entrance exam. Once you're in the Star Section, you have a certain average to maintain. We actually get a lot of people moving back and forth between sections." Asagi clears up the misunderstanding.

"I see. But why the hassle though?" Cel implores further.

"I don't know. Scouted students tend to have heavier loads than non-scouted ones. I guess it's to make it easier to see where is whom? Rankings are done per section anyway so we don't have any discrimination based on grades or anything."

"It's that high-tier huh? I don't really recall a lot of Seven Stars students enrolled in my course though." Makoto recalled. "Well I suppose it's because my course is rather niche on its own. How about you Hotaru-kun?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Fuyumi started the slow walk home, smiling warmly after the food she had eaten. It had been quite a long time since she had eaten among a group of newly developing friends like that. Perhaps the dorm she was with would be a nice bunch. However, when she heard that there were two people who also knew how to cook, Fuyumi's brain immediately shifted into rival mode. Though, she couldn't help it. With rivalries, she could learn more about culinary arts and improve her craft. Still, she closed her eyes as they all walked back to the dorm. When they arrived, she heard Menou exhale a quiet sigh of relief. Fuyumi frowned a bit. How bad was Menou's anxiety?

"Uh, thank you... I mean, it was a bit fun... So, good night..."

She then heard Menou all but run back to her dorm room. She felt a little bit bad for the girl. She heard her go through a panic attack and awkwardness throughout her day. Still, Fuyumi decided Menou probably needed time to herself.

"Please, do not take Miss Koizumi's actions with any form of malice. She did suffer a panic attack. I feel that she thinks she's embarrassed herself and would like to be alone for a little bit."

She smiled warmly, bowing a bit in front of the four.

"That said, I did end up having an excellent time~ I'm really glad you considered my outing idea. I was already thinking of a couple of ideas, like maybe going to the beach, hiking trips or maybe going to another country. Ah, but before I leave you..."

Fuyumi tilted her head a little.

"May I ask what War Gunners is? If a lot of people are playing it, even if I'm blind, I'd like to try it out for myself."


"E-Eh?"

Hotaru smiled warmly.

"Ah, well, my time in Seven Stars was certainly a huge amount of fun~ I got in by passing the entrance exam but moved up the ranks as a Star Section student once I decided what to do with my talent. I made a lot of friends in both the Star Section and Reserve Section. One of my best friends ended up being the local nurse at the school, a popular musician there too, a transfer student that came in from Spain and of course, Misaka-chan~ Still, there was this one guy in the Reserve section that I liked but he was into my best friend. I decided to let him go after a while since I couldn't get his attention beyond friendship and we were pretty good friends too~"

Hotaru sighed fondly as she recalled Yurin, Ridou, Victoria, Misaka and Shingen. The memories just kept flooding back and she ended up going through a small nostalgia phase while Akeno could only feel small bitterness underneath her mask. While a lot of people seemed to have good memories and could recall them fondly, Akeno's good memories can only be tainted by what could have been and the truth. Still, Hotaru pouted a bit, causing Akeno to tilt her head.

"But, in my classes on Kurogane, there's not that many people from Seven Stars. Maybe it's just because a lot of people aren't into interior design."

Hotaru giggled optimistically as she heard the door open to see Madoka dragging in a confused Yoite who had small smudges of paint on his clothing.

"Found him. He was making a mural of some sorts."

Hotaru grinned happily.

"Hello, Yoite-kun~ The food's just about ready for you!"

Yoite rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry for being late. I just didn't think we were having new members. Anyway, my name is Yoite Arakaki; it's good to meet you. Who are you guys?"

"Come on, try to be a little bit more aware of things."

Yoite laughed a bit sheepishly as Akeno smiled at him, pulling out her phone.

"Our new residents are Misaka Amamiya and Asagi Arakawa~ Asagi-kun's actually a boy so don't be fooled by his clothes and Misaka-chan's like me in that we both talk with the app!"

Yoite smiled warmly at the two.

"Great~ Well, hopefully we can all get along together. Now, where did you guys come from anyway? What was your high school?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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After the dinner was done and over with, they made the trek back home. Nagisa stretched a bit- a somewhat good day at school, good jazz performance and a good meal. Now all that was lacking was a good fight in War Gunners and this would be a nice day overall.

Her chance came when Aziz offered a 2v2 fight in the game.

"Yeah, I've been waiting to bust out the Space Man again! Come on, just a quick match to get my buddy to gold."

"I'm not sure about Makinami, but I'm definitely in! I've been meaning to test out the new experimental weapons I just got off the market~"

"Ugh, Kanade, you're not using the nuke again are you? You nearly cost us the match with that ridiculous set-up and cooldown time."

"Hey! At least I killed the towers!"

The bickering was broken when Fuyumi asked about War Gunners. Before Kanade or Kujo could talk, Nagisa raised a hand to silence them.

"Ah...War Gunners is an MMO we've all been playing for fun, but it's sci-fi in which your characters are mchas and machines instead of fantasy races like elves. It offers a high degree of customization, for both the machines and weaponry, and while most of us compete in Player-VS-Player events, there's also a single-player campaign."




Misaka managed a small smile as Hotaru retold their stories- but then another person came by, followed by Ikeda from earlier. She kept her mouth shut for a little while before shakily mentioning-

"We came from Seven Stars..."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi
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"Makinami's right! However, you also get the chance to play with something called an Automata which is a lot more humanoid in appearance so you can pull off some crazy customizations if you want!" Aziz gushed on, having played around a lot as an Automata himself.

"It's got quite a bit of a learning curve though..." Aziz recalled the time he was still starting out. "I had to bust out my P2P privileges just so I can get the stuff I want~"

Once Menou had gone on ahead of them too, Aziz turned to his fellow players. "So, want to head out to the Divide now? Hirabayashi-san can come along to wa--err, I mean, listen in to the gameplay." Aziz laughed, forgetting his language for a moment. "If I get to gold, I'm buying~"



Madoka soon joined the small table, towing Yoite along with him. Akeno took the courtesy to introduce Asagi and Misaka on their behalf.

"Ahahaha! Yeah, Akeno-chan's right, I'm a guy~ I'm actually Makoto's new roommate as well. Nice to meet you~" Asagi introduces himself again with a smile. Yoite asks which school they came from to which Misaka answered.

"Seven Stars Academy. It's that big high school in the east. Currently, I'm enrolled in Partisan Rose under Fashion Design." Asagi added in his current university as well. "Akeno's also told me quite a bit about you guys too!"

"Hotaru-kun also brought some cake along. Asagi and Akeno bought some ice cream too so if anyone wants some dessert--"

"Ah! I'll have some of the cake and ice cream." Cel immediately raises her hand. "It was rather hot outside too. Speak of good timing."

"Hotaru-kun, what do you say about helping Misaka get settled in her room?" Asagi asks Hotaru. "Ah, but the dishes--"

"You can leave that to me." Makoto willingly volunteers for the task. "You go help Misaka-chan."

"I'll help him out instead."

"Yay! Thanks guys~ Come on Misaka-chan, Hotaru-kun. Akeno-chan, you come along too!" Asagi drags the three girls along while Makoto and Cel tidy up after dinner.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Fuyumi smiled warmly as she clapped her hands, tilting her head with a warm smile.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Mr. Harumi~ I can't wait to hear this incredible game."

While Fuyumi would be at a severe disadvantage considering she couldn't see the game being played, there could be certain audio cues that would point her in the right direction of where to go, so she was looking forward to at least getting a feel for that.


Yoite rubbed the back of his head and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Now I feel bad for making you guys wait so long. Still, at least there's still cake and ice cream to enjoy."

Madoka just sighed.

"Took me damn near an hour to find you. Also, I'll help out with the dishes too."

"Same here. I feel bad for taking so long to get here. Ah, Akeno? Where's Noa?"

Akeno frowned a little.

"She's really sick... I gave her some medicine and she's asleep right now so it's best not to wake her."

Yoite frowned a little as well, somewhat worried for the know it all.

"That's terrible... Well, I'll try to get her some cake if she's awake. Would you mind going to check up on her after you've helped with Misaka?"

Akeno nodded and followed Hotaru, Misaka and Asagi to Misaka's new room. Hotaru grinned.

"Alright, Misa-chan~ Just tell us where you want your things to go and we'll do our best to help you out!"


Menou just sighed sadly as she curled up on her bed. She couldn't believe she had a panic attack at the concert and didn't get to do much due to her stupid anxiety. She shook her head, looking over at her phone. Maybe she could have been a normal girl if she just acted like one, but it was too late for that. Now she was just stuck as garbage. She loaded up the local forum and typed out something on a new thread.

"Worst night of my life. I feel like absolute shit and it's all my fault. I wanted to try and get out more often and try to break out of my comfort zone by going to a concert. I figured maybe if I go, I could try to be not total garbage. It didn't work. I had a panic attack, barely talked to anyone and the day was just awkward for me. Also, I'm scared I got one of my friends mad at me and don't know what to do."

She posted it and saw an influx of people reply to the thread. Some were trolls that she dismissed because they weren't saying anything that she didn't already feel, some were giving her advice on how to help Makoto but there was one response that stuck out to her.

"Why should you feel like trash? You looked really beautiful at that concert."

That reply sent shivers down her spine. Why did that person word it like that? Was he trying to comfort her...? Regardless, it gave her the creeps and she locked her phone for now, sighing softly. She struggled a bit before deciding to try and talk with Makoto tonight to apologize.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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"I'm not bribing you guys. I'm just saying it'll be my little celebratory gift. I'm not gonna head down that route. Cliche as it may sound, I want to beat you guys while you are fighting me in earnest." Aziz laughed at Kanade's joke. En route to the Divide, he overheard Fuyumi wanting to try the game out for herself.

"I guess you can catch audio cues faster if you don't turn on teamspeak. Where we are going though--it might be a little difficult to do that." Aziz warns Fuyumi as the silhouette of the Divide looms into view.

From the outside, it was almost difficult to tell that the Divide was a computer gaming shop if it wasn't for the various signages and lights. The shop itself was on the second floor as the first floor is mostly devoted to printing services. Upon entering, one had to take a rather steep stairwell in order to get to the shop proper. Inside though, it was very up to spec. All units are standardized and all are state-of-the-art. The pricing is a little higher than most shops but seeing that they also offer snacks, drinks, a bathroom and air-conditioning, it was pretty much understood by everyone who comes in. Sadly, most of its clientele can be a bit unruly.

"It's always a pigsty here. It's like they're all patrons of some low-class computer shops outside Castle." Aziz remarked as he walked up to the register to refill the credits on his account.

"Sorry Hayashibara-san, this is what I meant earlier. As you can see, it's often this noisy so it might be hard to pick up on the audio cues when playing." Aziz explained when one of the louder patrons apparently picked up on his remark.

"Hey! Who let the kid in?"

"This shop's only open to 16 above kid!"

The remark immediately got to him and, despite his lacking stature, immediately walked up to the man who was clearly twice his size.

"Oh I'm sorry. I thought you looked familiar there for a moment." Aziz answered back, catching the man by surprise.

"Oh? Have you seen me from somewhere?"

"Yeah, I do remember. Let me think...Oh! You were the pig that was lined up to be slaughtered in that supermarket! Great job at escaping bro! Don't worry, I won't tell the slaughterhouse owners where you are~"

"Oh, you picking a fight eh?"

"What did you think I came here for? Eat bacon?"

By now, it was pretty clear that both parties were half an inch away from a fight. Luckily, there was the proper avenue just around the corner for them to do that.

"You got four people with you. What do you say to settling this on Chronos? My troops vs your uhh...cheerleading squad."

"Oh, you're on!" In an instant, Aziz started gearing up his player character in preparation for the fight, gesturing for his friends to do so as well. The character selection screen popped up, prompting him to choose which one of his characters he'll use for the fight.

"Chronos is predominantly a desert stage with several turrets. In that case--" Having realized that, he hovered away from his first machine and opted to deploy his Automata character.

"Hello, Marleena~" Aziz grinned as he strapped on his headset. A 5-vs-5 would net him more points in the game after all.

"Just to warn you, I'm a Gold rank!"

"Pfft! Gold? I don't see any gold around here."




"Waaahh!!! This is a very cool room!" Asagi gushed upon seeing Kanade's various wares and gizmos littered about. "Do you guys have a resident mad scientist or something?" Asagi asked as he helped with most of the heavy stuff like some gaming equipment. As they finished up, he couldn't help but be quite curious about the person who lived here.

"Hey Akeno? The resident here is that Kanade girl right? The "fun" girl? What is her concept of fun anyway?" Asagi asks as he checks out a particular mech-tank hybrid in the room. "She seems really cool~"



With all four working on the dishes, the task was finished almost in no time. Makoto looked over and saw he still had some pasta left over in the big pot.

"This may go bad tomorrow since I used tomato sauce on it. Cel-san? Do you think we can give this to the others downstairs?" Makoto hands the platter over to Cel. "Just tell them it's my thanks for letting me use the kitchen all the time."

"Oh, alright. I'll bring it over to them." Cel took the platter and vanished downstairs for a bit, while Makoto finished up with the other guys. Once they finished up however, Cel had already returned, carrying a green bottle with her.

"Hey look guys! Tohno-san traded us this bottle of creme de menthe for the pasta."

"Liquor--! Cel, we can't possibly drink in the dorm are we?"

"Eh? Why not? We're all the right age."

"Still--"

"Come on! Let's drink in my room if you're too panicked. Arakaki-san, Ikeda-kun, you guys come along too!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Fuyumi was very confused... She was suddenly thrust into a world of complete noise and from what she could make out of the noise, Aziz was challenging someone to a 5v5 match. Well, whatever the case, she had a small solution to the problem at hand. After managing to find a computer that wasn't occupied, she plugged in noise cancelling headphones. Her father had given these to her on her birthday as something to help calm her down. Back when she was just struggling with her blindness, her father noticed that she was listening to a lot of music to calm her down. However, she couldn't enjoy the music because her heightened hearing meant she could listen to other people as they spoke. So, to compromise, her father gave her a pair of headphones that cancelled noise but allowed her to listen to her music. She's never been seen without them ever since. Plugging them in and turning the "music" switch on, she looked up the name of the game online and turned on a text to speech function so she could hear the results. Once she found the site, she logged on and started up a new account, working on her character. She was still a little unsure on how all of this worked and hoped one of her friends would help her out.


"Ah, Kanade-chan?"

She hummed before grinning.

"Well, she likes to play War Gunners with Nagisa-chan and the others, likes to build models and likes to invent things~ I don't really speak with her that much though, sorry! But I'm sure you guys will get along great~ You both are awesome!"

Akeno giggled softly as Hotaru gushed over Kanade while moving a couple of boxes to help with setting up Misaka's room.


"Pass."

Yoite sighed a bit as Madoka, rather bluntly, refused the offer of alcohol.

"Why not? It's fine if you drink a little bit of it."

"Drinking is bad for your health and I'm not going to sacrifice my health."

"Drinking's only bad in excess. Plus, you need to have some form of fun in your life."

"The films I make are fun for me."

Madoka narrowed his eyes at Yoite, causing the green haired male to sigh.

"I'm going to go see if that girl needs any help."

With that, Madoka left while Yoite grinned a bit at them.

"Well, he's out. But I'll drink with you guys."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi
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Most people have commented that Cel's room is easily the most comfortable unit in the dorm and it was pretty easy to see why. Good air-conditioning, carpeted floor and the whole interior design is very pleasing and easy to move around in. The lights she use aren't too harsh on the eyes either. She also has an HD flat screen TV. For someone who supposedly just works reception,
Cel sure had accumulated quite the stash of items.

"Your place never ceases to amaze me." Makoto compliments the room's resident as he took his spot on one of the cushions around the coffee table.

"Thanks! I do my best to keep it that way~" Cel replied from the other side of the partitions, having gone there to get her and her guests a couple of glasses. She returned with three wine glasses and a small bowl of ice, setting them down along with the liquor. She poured two full glasses for Yoite and herself and only half for Makoto, upon the latter's request.

"Cheers~"

"Cheers." He doesn't exactly drink often but he had seen how tasters sample their ways from his excursions with Haruto and Inori so he did the same, amusing Cel somewhat.

"So how is it?" Cel asked.

"Weird I guess. I'm not exactly a big fan of mint-flavored stuff." Makoto explained as he felt a slight buzz on his fingers.

"You're not a mint guy and not a coffee guy. In my opinion, your tastes can be pretty extreme." Cel teases him a little.

"Maybe. Hey! Don't just pick on me because I'm the youngest in the room!" Looking for some way to divert Cel's teasing, Makoto hones in on Yoite. "Arakaki-san, how about you? Do you drink often?"



"And we're done!" Asagi cheered as they finish setting up Misaka's stuff in the room. "Plus, we didn't break anything!"

"Dorm rules say I can't linger in the opposite sex's room for too long though." Asagi wraps an arm around Hotaru and Akeno, flashing them his biggest smile. "I'm heading back to my room now. Akeno-chan, Hotaru-chan,
finish up for me alright? See ya!"


With that, Asagi bids the girls farewell and ascended back to his room.



Dhat_BOI:"Yo, Hirabayashi-san! Welcome to War Gunners! Makinami had already explained some of the basic stuff so let me get in depth with the other things:

Automata frames are like androids in that they very closely resemble humans the most. They usually have low combat ability but are quite good at hacking and infiltrating bases as well as seeking for treasure.

Machine frames can be further categorized into three: Basic, Variable and Vehicle. Basic frames are your usual Real Robot styled military war machines. Variable frames can toggle between robot and vehicle and Vehicles are just well...vehicles like tanks and jets. Machine frames aren't as ergonomic and sleek as Automatas but have better combat capability, stats and armor.

Weapons can be classified into three categories: Ballistic, Energy and Special. Ballistic weapons are solid rounds which require ammunition and of course, replenishing. Energy weapons are beam weaponry which do not require ammo but use up the energy bar you also use for moving your machine around. Special weapons are...well, it's hard to explain. You don't have it at the start of the game so I'm not gonna explain it today.

With Kanade taking the top, you can assist Kujo in the bottom lane. It's a little easier to move around in since I know this game isn't exactly the easiest for you to play. Me and Nagisa would take the middle lane.

Hoy Kujo! Take care of Hirabayashi-san okay! We can't afford to lose this match!"


Having finished relaying the information over to their new comrade, Aziz finally placed on his headphones and orbweaver and started moving his character through the ruined buildings. He didn't want to take too long to finish but the game could get a little too engrossing at the best of times.

"Alright you bastards! It's game time!"