DeathScythe386's Characters's Story

A lot of people were auditioning by singing, including a bunch of people they know. Setsuna and Ciel brought Misaki along to watch. When they heard that it was open for all, they promptly pushed Misaki on stage.
"W-waaa!!!"
"Good luck, Misaki-chan!"
"You can do it."
As Ayano was making her way back to the room, she saw Misaki on stage. She looked nervous as she stood but, something in the crowd allowed her to be confident enough. Ayano turned and saw Aokigahara wave at his younger sister, signalling her to go on.
"Go ahead...Misaki-chan..."
Misaki took a deep breath and proceeded with her piece. Surprisingly, she started from the middle up to the end of the song.
Tachidomatte furikaette mo
Ashiato wa mou kaze ni kieta
Itsu no hi ni ka kono unmei no imi wa
Mitsukaru kana

Tatoe totsuzen ni
Kono sekai subete kiesatte mo
Kotoba mo omoi mo
Nakusanai you ni chiisaku nigiri shimeta

Tsumetai yoru ni kimi to deai
Yatto ne wakatta koto ga aru no
Kasuka ni hikaru kono kibou
Kimi ni takusetara
Sore dake de mou imi ga atta no

Mou sono kokoro kizutsukenaide
Watashi wa koko kara mimamotteru
Ashita mo kitto samui kedo
Yuki ga futte keshiki ga hora kirei da yo

Hidamari no you na kimi no tonari
Atatakai nemuri ni ochite yuketa
Tatta hito toki no yasuragi wo
Kimi ga kuretanda yo tsutaetai yo
Arigatou tte...
Sayonara!!!
Misaki finished her piece and quickly left the stage. She was immediately greeted by Ciel and Setsuna.
"That was amazing, Misaki-chan!"
"I was so nervous..."
"Ah, your stuttering is gone."
"Really?!"
"All right, next is Ciel-chan!"
"..."
As Ciel took to the stage, a weird silence enveloped the audience. They weren't expecting her to sing. She usually has a monotonous tone to her, which led them to believe that she has no ability for singing.
Kaze no koe hikari no tsubu
Madoromu kimi ni sosogu
Wasurenai yasashii hohoemi
Kanashisa kakushita hitomi wo

Negau koto tsurakutemo
Tachimukau yuuki kimi ni moratta
Dakara yukune yume no naka
Mezametara mata aeruyo

Tooi kioku mune ni hime utau...

Hakanaku tayutau sekai wo kimi no te de mamottakara
Imawa tada tsubasa wo tatande yukkuri nemurinasai
Eien no yasuragi ni tsutsumarete love through all eternity
Yasashiku mimamoru watashi no kono te de nemurinasai
Waratteta naiteta okotteta kimi no koto oboeteiru
Wasurenai itsumademo kesshite until my life is exhausted...
Ciel finished with a bow and walked out of the stage, surprising Aokigahara who watched from the crowd.
"Ciel-chan--did better than expected."
He was quite sure now, as he can hear the loud applause from the people around him.

Setsuna smiled a bit to herself. She respected how Ciel sang out like that and it as quite good. She then wheeled herself to the center of the stage.
"If you do not mind, may I take over for the next song?"
Setsuna cleared her throat a bit before she began to sing.
"Me wo tojite kanjiru kodou
Mogaite'ru kiri no naka jibun no basho sagashite iru
Yamikumo ni kyou mo zutto

Itami no nai sekai nante nai yo
Tada furetai mamoritai dake
Akaku someru yuugure wo mitsumeru

Just look how beautiful is world
Itsuka mite'ta yume wa tooku mabushisugite
Chotto hazukashii kedo
Guuzen ja nai kono deai de chigau jibun mitsuketa kara
Atarashii ashita wo mukaeyou"
Setsuna bowed a bit before Ciel helped to wheel her off of the stage. Siren sighed a bit before deciding to stand up and sing.
"What song are you going to sing?"
Siren looked over at Amiya.
"It doesn't matter. I'm not about to take part in this play anyway."
Truth be told, Siren was still a tiny bit worried for Alexa. A majority of her said that Alexa could take care of herself, so she decided that she would leave Alexa alone. But, pieces of her still wanted to follow the girl and tell her that everything would be alright.
'What the hell is wrong with me...? The only people I've shown kindness towards is the other Spirits... Sans the Spirit Dancer of course, but why her? Why Domen too? Am I... letting go of my defenses...?'
Siren stood on stage and closed her eyes.
"Sono yume wa kokoro no ibasho
Inochi yori koware yasuki mono
Nando demo sutete wa mitsuke
Yasuraka ni saa nemure
Myakuutsu shoudou ni negai wa okasare
Wasurete shimau hodo mata omoidasu yo

Kono utsukushiki zankoku na sekai de wa
Mada ikiteiru koto "Naze" to tou bakari de...
Aa bokutachi wa kono tsuyosa yowasa de
Nani wo mamoru no darou mou risei nado
Nai naraba"
Siren opened her eyes and calmly strode off the stage. Amiya felt a bit stunned.
'Siren... You find this world beautiful...?'
Siren stared up at the ceiling, annoyed that she bared her feelings like that and waiting for the next person to stand up.

"A bit of time has passed already..."
Alto mentioned, walking over to the group now that Mikuru was awake.
"Hm? Where's Ataro-kun?"
"He went to chase after Alexa."
"Speaking of which, Kiro..."
Kanoko stared at him expectantly.
"No."
"Screw it, Tsubaki, help me out!"
The two girls stood up and promptly began to drag the squirming boy onto the stage. Which left a confused Alto.
"What's with them..?"
"Oh, hey."
Alto looked over to see a blonde-haired man- Alto noted that he looked like Kanoko, which was a little disturbing- come out of...uh, the shadows? He blinked, then remembered.
"Ah! Yoru-kun, right?"
"Yep~ Don't worry, they're usually hectic."
"Well, Yoru-kun, have you been with them for a long time, too?"
Yoru shook his head.
"Not really. I met that couple just a little while ago. But with Tsubaki....hm, maybe?"
"Maybe?"
"Nah, it's nothing."

Yoru looked away, spacing out.
"Hayashi, Domen and Aokigahara. Frankly, why do you all seem so peculiar to me...?"

---

Ataro finally caught up with Alexa in the hallways, panting. (Being a hikiNEET took its toll on his physical health.)
"Oi! Alexa! We need to stay in the theater until the auditions are over, you know!"
He called, then leaned against the wall.
"Ugh, Reika has better luck than me..."

---

"Do it!"
"Hell to the no!"
"Hold on to that promise, Kanato! No turning back!"
"Stay out of this, Hayashi!"
After a few minutes of bickering, they finally got Kiro to endure the stares at him- Tsubaki had punched him in the stomach. HARD. And as so-called punishment since he nearly broke a promise- as if the punch wasn't enough- the girls got to choose whatever he was gonna sing. They ended up with a song Kiro didn't usually play, and he grimaced at this. Nevertheless, he sang.


Itsukara konna ni ooki na
Omoidasenai kioku ga atta ka
Dou ni mo oboetenai no o
Hitotsu tashika ni oboeterunda na

Mou ikkai nankai yattatte
Omoidasu no wa sono kao da
Soredemo anata ga nandaka
Omoidasenai mama de irunda na

Kanjousen wa chikyuugi wo
Meguri megutte asahi o ou no ni
REERU no iranai bokura wa
Nozomi kononde yoru o ou'nda na

Mou ikkai nanmankai yatte
Omoidasu no wa sono kao da
Mabuta ni notta awai ame
Kikoenai mama shinda kurai koe

Nani mo shiranai mama de iru no ga
Anata o kizutsukete wa shinai ka
Sore de ima mo nemurenai no o
Anata ga shireba warau darou ka

Kantan na kanjou bakka kazoeteitara
Anata ga kureta taion made wasurete shimatta
Bai bai mou eien ni aenai ne
Nazeka sonna ki ga surunda sou omoete shimattanda
Umaku waraenainda doushiyou mo nai manma....

Bolting off the stage after turning off the music, he ran back to the group, knuckle-burning a still laughing Kanoko. As the girl rubbed the area on her head, Tsubaki finally asked.
"Without Hatsuyuki, we only have two people left to sing."
Yoru's eyes brightened.
"Counting me, you say?"
He dashed off to god-knows-where before Tsubaki could do anything. As she had started to stand up, the lights went out, startling the girl and making her cling to whoever was there- which just happened to be Kanoko, for that matter. Just as Tsubaki was starting to calm down, music suddenly started playing, and a spotlight rested on one figure onstage- Lo and behold, it was Yoru! In a... tux and a top hat? With a cane?

Tsubaki's grip tightened, and she heard a whimper from the girl beside her.
"T-Tsubaki, you're going to dislocate my shoulder..."
"I, uh, sorry."
Instead, Tsubaki settled for biting her wrist angrily. What the hell was that idiot doing!?

Doko kara kita no?
Donna sugata o shite iru no?
Dare mo shiranai
sou sa boku ga yumekui Shirokuro Baku

Kore wa ojousan
yonaka nemurezu ni iru no kai?
Sore nara boku ga
mahou o kakete ageyou ka?

...Hora yubikiri de yakusoku shiyou

Kowai YUME o mita? Boku ni makasena yo
Marugoto tabete ageyou
Mou shinpai nai Yukkuri oyasumi
Ya na koto zenbu wasurete sa!

Just then he took a bow, the spotlight disappearing and Yoru coming back, snickering and in his normal outfit. Tsubaki let go of her wrist- which was turning red and was bleeding slightly- and whacked him on the head.
"You idiot!"
"Haha, sorry..."
He looked at the other two. Misaki Aokigahara and Amiya Domen. Then he wondered.
"Wait, if Siren's here, then where's Aoi...?"

Siren groaned loudly at Yoru's performance.
"Get off the goddamn stage before I force you to come off."
Amiya looked at Siren.
"Don't hurt him! Besides, he did a good job~"
"Tch, fangirl."
"Seriously, why are you so mean to Yoru-kun anyway?"
"You've gone back to calling him kun. What happened to San?"
Amiya opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself.
'I really don't want to fight...'
Amiya sighed softly.
"I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what?"
"For fighting with you... I hate fighting..."
"Idiot. A fight involves bloodshed or yelling. You were just defending a monster for whatever stupid reason you have for doing so. No need for an apology."
"So... Can we be friends?"
"Why would I want to be friends with someone as naive and annoying as you? We're not enemies but so long as you continue to defend the Spirit Dancer, we will not be friends."
Siren walked over to a different seat away from everyone else, done talking with people. Mikuru walked over to Amiya.
"Amiya-chan...?"
Amiya's bangs shadowed her eyes. For a few moments she just mumbled to herself. She then smiled a hollow smile.
"I'm fine, Miku-chan. Just not good with rejection is all. Don't worry about me~"
Amiya's smile grew less hollow and more sincere as she spoke. Mikuru was still concerned.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Absolutely~ Though, what's taking Alexa-chan so long?"
Arata wondered the same thing. Misato poked Arata until he turned around.
"Amiya's not fine."
"You noticed her changing too?"
"I didn't even need to see a damn thing. I could tell by her voice. She gets this slight tremble that's barely heard when she's lying through her teeth."
"You seem familiar with Miss Amiya's mannerisms."
"Heh, I probably should. I did date her for two years."
That had taken Arata aback.
"You had dated Miss Amiya?!"
Misato stretched.
"Yep~ I was the one to break it off too. She hasn't felt positive emotions for 3 years now. Even though I tried to make her feel them and even though she tried too, there's just something in her that can't be shaken away so easily. So I gave up."
"How lazy of you..."
"You say that like I don't know."

---

Alexa jumped a bit at hearing Ataro. Her headache only worsened when Eradicator heard him.
"Ah, is that right...? Sorry. Could you give me a minute? Eradicator is acting up again and I'd rather he not kill everyone on the first day."

As the auditions are starting to slow to a crawl, a nudge from behind kind of urged Aokigahara a bit to the front. He turned and saw that it was Sora who probably wanted to hear him sing.
"You and your little antics!"
"Problem?"
Sora gave him a sharp smirk that said so as her intent was apparent in her eyes. Aokigahara quietly resigned to it and made his way forward. As he was walking on, he tried to come up with something that even he can sing. A thought struck his mind while he was on the stairs. He kind of remembered his dilemma with Mikuru, how he just couldn't see things that way. He decided that it was probably best to hide his farewell in a song.
A memory which goes away
A memory we have shared
Like a falling star
Fades away in the morning sun
Wanting to tell you "Farewell"
I remained silent

The days which go away
The days which got closer
Exchanging a kiss
I give you my today
Borrowing that day
I want to tell you "Farewell"
Embracing the lonely myself
I'll go somewhere

The last train has taken my dream aboard
And without emitting sound
It will run through the galaxy's sea...
He finished his piece there, and silently left the stage sighing as he did so. Some of the other guys applauded him for doing so but he just brushed them off with a fake smile and sat on an empty bench, far away from the civilization. Sora found him there and sat next to him.
"Ahhh...Now I'm depressed..."
"Well, me too. I guess that makes us even."
"Eh? What did I do to you?"
"That other day...at the bakery."
"Oh..."
The two sighed as they sat, wallowing in short-term sadness. In the meantime though, Ayano was headed out along with the crowd when the weird woman she saw earlier caught her arm.
"Let me go."
"You know, you're not gonna get anywhere at that pace."
"?"
"This world is rather vast. Why don't you try opening up a bit instead of bottling it all up?"
"I don't understand what you're getting at."
"Try going up there. Maybe by masking what you feel with rhythm and melody ought to calm your head."
Ayano glanced at the stage. The people supervising the auditions are somewhat having a hard time convincing some people to try it. She had nothing to lose so she sort of just went up there.
"Yay! We have a volunteer! Are you interested in a particular role? Or are you just here to let your feelings out? Maybe, to someone special?"
Ayano ignored whatever was said to her and started on her piece as the instrumental of the song she chose started.
Trampling on the remains of a left-behind dream
The whimsical death god stopped and stood
Passing by, it watches me coldly

As if to instigate a foolish sin
It shook and untangled its
outstretched hands

Devastating sadness
Overshadows my heart and
Is cruelly repeated over and over
We came to hate even those precious days we can’t return to
What can we do?
We didn’t understand the meaning of the glory we carried...
The announcer was rather shocked at her performance. Ayano wondered if its because she sounded bad as she sang. She felt a bit confused.
"Not good?"
"Ah! No, you were very good! Too good actually...Umm--"
The announcer looked puzzled as well. She made Ayano a small offer.
"You could get a role now if you want..."
Ayano merely shook her head as she made her way down the stage. The announcer followed her and asked one last question.
"Wait! Can I have your name?"
Ayano paused for a while, pondering on her question. After she felt confident enough, she decided against giving her real name.
"Lorelei..."
And with that said, she quietly left the stage.

---

"Great! Then let's all head once the shift goes to all girls time!"
Kanzaki replied enthusiastically as Grace took her offer. Chloe simply smiled as she remained in a lying position.
"Yeah, let's all go together. Before Kanzaki screws it up like last time."
"Urgh!"

Ataro nodded, finally managing to catch his breath.
"Sure. I-I could stay for a little to fight him if you want."
He said. Though the slight shake in his voice would give the impression he was weak, he was gripping at his scissors in his pocket while still maintaining himself.

---

"Hatsuyuki isn't back yet...."
Tsubaki sighed. Then she looked over at the oldest male in the group.
"Skyefield-san--"
"Ah, it's alright, just call me Alto."
"Okay, uh, Alto. We're gonna need you to come up there then."
Alto nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay, I'll do my best to impress you guys!"
Alto dug around in his pockets for his phone, walking up to the stage. He wanted everyone to feel that it was alright being around him, that he would welcome anyone. Finally, it came into his mind. Looking around in his phone for that one song, he tapped it twice and the instrumental began to play. Taking a deep breath, the young Skyefield began.

Kisetsu wa page wo mekuru you ni
Megutte iku tabiji

Kyou wa naitatte ashita waraeba
Atarashii hi ga kimi wo terasu

Tsukareta nara kata no ni wo oroshite
Ima dake wa iu yo, oyasumi
Yami wo saku MOONLIGHT
Michibiku hikari wo boku ga terasukara

Itsumo to chigau hibiya nakushita ima ni
Obienakute mo ii

Tsuyosa ni shigamitsuku koto ni kodawaranakute mo
Mae ni susunde yukeru kara

Kono te wo tsunaide omoi wo tsumuidara
Ima dake wa iu yo, oyasumi
Yami wo saku MOONLIGHT
Kimi wo tsutsumikomu hikari hanatsukara....


Giving a small smile and a bow to the audience, Alto walked off the stage- most of the girls in the audience were swooning over the oblivious boy- and back to his group.
"Alto, you--"
"Ah, I was really nervous...!"
"That was...actually...."
"Oi, Kanoko! Don't fall into a trance now!"
Yoru had sneaked away from the group, appearing just behind Amiya with his usual lazy grin.
"Hey, why the silence? You were pretty bubbly before."

Amiya jumped a bit in surprise.
"Ah! Yoru-kun~"
Amiya giggled a bit in emberassment.
"Was I that obvious? I guess I gotta work on lying a bit better."
Amiya watched as Mikuru shyly walked over to Alto. A small chuckle went through her.
"I guess what Siren-chan said hurt deeper than I thought... Can I let you in on a little secret? I... I hate being alone. And I know what you're thinking "Well, so is everyone else". No, I really hate being alone. Being alone just helps dive into a deep fear of mine. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to have people not remember that I exist. I don't want that at all. I don't want people to keep being sad when I die, I just... don't want to be forgotten either, you know? And what happened with Siren-chan just reminds me that I will be forgotten. I'll be alone..."
Amiya's smile faded as she spoke and if one looked closely, they could see tears. Amiya blinked, shook her tears away and smiled.
"Wow, that was dark. Sorry if it seemed like too much. On a side note, your song really was great~"
Mikuru on the other hand shyly tugged Alto's sleeve.
"Alto-kun...? Um... Y-Your song was amazing!"
The poor girl's face resembled a cherry at this point. Misato and Arata silently encouraged the shy girl from behind.

---

Alexa shook her head.
"Yeah... You being here is actually giving me strength."
In a few minutes, Eradicator backed off, Alexa breathing heavily as a result of the internal struggle.
"While you're here, Eradicator had a few choice words when he took over earlier. He said "Hatsuyuki can take care of his family. I don't care about them. But Alexa's mind, body, soul, heart, all of her... is mine. Alexa belongs to me and only me. And if you get any funny ideas" I cut him off before he could say the rest but what he was thinking was "I will gladly carve that fact into you". Such a child... And yet he still terrifies me. But..."
Alexa hugged Ataro tightly.
"I won't lose to him. No matter what... I will not allow him to harm anyone I love. I swear it..."
Alexa let go after that. She stood up.
"We had better go then. The others saved the best for last."
With a smile, Alexa walked back with Ataro. Siren frowned.
"Did you touch my sister?"
"I thought I wasn't your sister~"
Siren sighed.
"If you're going to insist on saying that I am then I may as well act like a big sister."
"Ataro-kun and I merely had a nice chat to clear my head is all."
Siren understood the hidden meaning but frowned anyway.
"You're calling him kun now?!"
"Ah, you'd better get going. The audience can't wait forever."
Alexa gave Ataro one last hug.
"I believe the theatre term for good luck is break a leg so do that."
Alexa let go and sat down next to a seething Siren, looking forward to Ataro's song.

---

Grace laughed a bit at the two's bickering. She was both excited and nervous. The last time she hung out with other girls was with Finola.
"What time is the girl's shift?"

Alto was talking with the others when he felt a shy tug on his sleeve. Almost like a child looking for her parents. He looked over to see Mikuru, and she even complimented him on his singing. Laughing, he lightly ruffled her hair.
"You were a great singer too, Mikuru-chan!"
He complimented the same she did.
"Man, sometimes I wish you two were like Alto."
"Aw, shut up, Kanoko."
"Yeah-- Hey, where'd that idiot go?"

On the other hand, Yoru listened to her story with an unchanging expression. When she had finished, he laughed lightly.
"I know what you mean. I've been alone almost my whole life too, y'know? Sad. My family was chased down by nobles for years that they just kept ignoring and forgetting about me. And my only company was my sister...But no. Nobles just had to chase us all the way here and kill her."
Yoru grimaced at the memory.
"I was the sole survivor of the Yurasaki family..."
He murmured darkly, to himself.
"Whole point is, you won't be alone, since I'm right here. Plus, your song was basically my type of song, you know that?"

Just then Ataro finally came in, sighing. Tsubaki let out a sigh of relief.
"He finally showed up."
The hikiNEET walked over to the group slowly, his eyes staring them down.
"Stop that."
"Uh, sorry. I just need--"
Kiro tossed him his own iPod.
"Use it. There's a highlighted song there."
Ataro nodded to his friend and walked up onto stage, sighing as he heard the music start.

Hawatari suu senchi no fushin kan ga
Ageku no hate joumyaku o sashi chatte
Byoujakuna ai ga tobidasu mon de
Resu POLE sae mo kyouki ni kaete shimaimashita

NO FICTION

Suugaku to rika wa sukidesuga
Kokugo ga doumo damede kiraideshita
Tadashii no ga dore ka nayande irya
Dore mo fu seikai to iu ochideshita

Honjitsu no shukudai wa mu koseina boku no koto
Kafusoku nai fujiyuunai saikin ni ikite ite
Demo doushite bokutachi wa tokidoki ni iya mainichi
Kanashi itte iu nda sabishi itte iu nda

Kokuban no kono kanji ga yomemasu ka?
Ano ko no shinshou wa yomemasu ka?
Sono kokoro o kuroku someta no wa
Oi dare nanda yo?
Oi dare nanda yo!?

Soro ban de kono shiki ga tokemasu ka?
Ano ko no kubi no wa mo tokemasu ka?
Bokutachi kono manmade iindesu ka?
Oi dou sunda yo!?
Mou dou datte ii ya!

Itsu made tattatte bokutachi wa
Zonzaina saimin ni yotte ite
Dou shiyou mo nai kurai no kyougou o
Zutto kakumatte ita nda

Sakujitsu no shukudai wa aikawarazu to kenai ya
Kafusoku nai fujiyuunai saikin ni ikite ite
Demo doushite bokutachi no munamoto no katamari wa
Kietai tte iu nda shinitai tte iu nda

Kokuban no kono kanji ga yomemasu ka?
Ano ko no shinshou wa yomemasu ka?
Sono kokoro o kuroku someta no wa?
Oi dare nanda yo?
Oi dare nanda yo!?

Soro ban de kono shiki ga tokemasu ka?
Ano ko no kubi no wa mo tokemasu ka?
Bokutachi kono manmade iindesu ka?
Oi dou sunda yo!?
Oi dou sunda yo!?

Menseki hi no koushiki iemasu ka!?
Kodomo no toki no yume wa iemasu ka!?
Sono yume sura dobu ni suteta no wa?!
Oi dare nanda yo!?
Mou shitte ndaro!

Itsu ni narya otona ni naremasu ka
Somosomo otona to wa ittaizentai nandesuka!?
Donata ni ukagaeba iindesu ka!?
Oi dou sunda yo!?
Mou dou date ii ya!

At the end Ataro was left breathless as he staggered offstage, pressing the iPod into his friend's hands before collapsing on the floor, on his hands and knees.

"Ack....never...again.."
Kiro walked over and sat next to him, patting his back.
"It's alright, I share your pain."

Amiya smiled gently at Yoru's words.
"Thank you... I needed that..."
Mikuru smiled as Ataro finished singing.
"That should be everyone. Now we should decide who gets what part in the play and the intermissions."
"Miku-chan? Take a look around. People are separated in different groups. If we're gonna put on a show, we should all be comfortable with each other. So~"
Amiya walked up on the stage.
"We should play a game of Truth and Dare~! What better way to break the ice than that? Come on, everyone in a circle~! Here's the rules. After every three times you pick Truth, your next turn must be a Dare. Same thing applies to if you pick mostly Dares~"
Everyone seemed reluctant but went in a circle anyway.
"God this is stupid."
"Relax. It could be fun."
"Truth and Dare, eh? That could be really fun~"
"I wonder what kind of dares will be used?"
Mikuru was just silent.
"So, who wants to go first?"

Probably, out of all the people in the room, the three were the most reluctant.
"Do we really have to..?"
"Pointless."
"Yeah..."
Though that was nothing to the other three. Alto grabbed Ataro by his hoodie and dragged him into the circle nevertheless. As Tsubaki was about to make a stealthy escape, she heard a haunting voice.
"Oh Tsubaki-chan~ Where are you going?"
"YURASAKI NO--"
Later everyone could see Yoru humming to himself with a squirming Tsubaki slung over his shoulder effortlessly. On the other hand, Kiro was restraining himself.
"I said I--"
He froze.
"Shit! She knows my weakness!"
Growling in defeat, he let Kanoko drag him into the circle. She had jabbed him in the side when she pretended to grab at his hoodie to prevent him from escaping.

When Amiya asked who was going first, Yoru felt a little grin creep onto his face. This was going to be glorious, but he would let the others move first. After all, he still abide by the rules of an elegant dance.
Tsubaki was at his side, burying her face in her hands and silently praying that she didn't get dared to do anything...embarrassing. Ataro was perfectly neutral, but he was gripping at his scissors so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Kiro was....well, trying to lose himself in his own world, but the lingering pain in his side still bothered him. Kanoko and Yoru's eyes met, and sparks flew from a distance.

"Kanoko Sei, huh? She thinks she can beat the legendary prankster of the Yurasaki family? Ha! She can try!"
"Yoru Yurasaki? Ha! Just because he has the last name of a known family in this forsaken place doesn't mean he can overthrow me!"

Bring it on!

Amiya clapped her hands.
"I figured no one wanted to go first so that's why I have this app~!"
Amiya pulled up her cell phone. She pulled up a random selector app.
"For the first round, we'll settle who goes in what order through this app. I'll just input everyone's name in here and press the button and... Miku-chan, pick a person~"
Mikuru's eyes widened.
"E-Eh?! Please r-roll again!!"
"Nope~ Come on, Miku-chan. Choose, choose~!"
"O-Okay..."
Mikuru looked around trying to find someone to ask the question to. She eventually found someone.
"A-Alexa-san, T-Truth or D-Dare..."
"Dare."
That had shocked Mikuru.
"D-Don't you w-want to think a-about it?"
"It's alright~ Alexa-chan can use two more dares before she has to tell a truth."
"T-Then... P-Please prove th-that you meant w-what you s-said about your in-infatuation for A-Ataro-san..."
Alexa raised an eyebrow.
"Okay."
Alexa pulled Ataro in for a kiss. She kissed him for about 20 seconds before pulling away.
"That was easy."
Mikuru's face turned red.
"O-Okay, y-you've c-c-convinced m-me..."
"You've convinced all of us. I mean holy crap..."
"Okay, let's see who's next..."
Amiya removed Mikuru's name from the list and then pushed the button. The wheel spun and spun until...
"Yoru-kun's up next~!"
Despite her cheery tone, Amiya was kind of nervous. She was worried about being asked the question.
"Well, Yoru-kun, who do you want to ask?"

Ataro quickly became flustered at this, and when she pulled away he was leaning back, just trying to think of what just happened.
"Great job, Soda. You just got yourself a girlfriend."
Kiro thought, staring at his friend.

Yoru grinned darkly at this. The two competitors had already planned out their fight. Whoever manages to embarrass their respective victims- which means the two, hooded and shaking people just right beside them- more would win the fight.
"Well, it looks like I'm up, so..."
He turned to the girl beside him.
"Tsubaki-chan, truth or dare?"
He grinned at her, trying to infuriate Tsubaki and activate her pride so she would choose...
"Dare."
Yoru was partying in his heart and mind already.
"Yes! All according to plan!"
Then he looked straight at her, putting on a parody of a serious face though you still see a grin tug on his mouth.
"Alright then, Tsubaki-chan, I dare you to wear a bunny girl outfit for the rest of the game."
This literally turned Tsubaki red in the face as her left eye twitched uncontrollably.
"W-WHAT THE HELL!?"
"Tsubaki-chan, it's a dare! You have to do it!"
Alto pointed out, a little too innocently. And Tsubaki knew she could never turn down a dare. After all, she was still someone of the Hayashi bloodline. The eldest daughter, in fact. So black sheep or not, she still had to maintain that name. Sighing, she glared at Yoru and headed off to a room to change. Yoru followed her, keeping the door shut- he could hear Tsubaki banging on it for a few minutes before she shut up- and when he heard nothing else, he headed back to the circle, waiting.
A few minutes later the leader of the Thesis group came out, completely red in embarrassment. She was tugging at the bunny ears on her head, glaring at Yoru every now and then. The other boys were actually shocked.
"I never knew Hayashi would actually..!!!"
"Holy sh--!"
Alto's eyes widened only slightly while Yoru's grin widened. He practically looked like the Cheshire Cat. Running over he playfully hugged the flustered girl, laughing.
"YURASAKI! GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!"
Ataro turned to the others, covering his nose and mouth with an arm.
"C-Call the next one! QUICK!"

"W-Wow... I wish I could pull that off..."
Mikuru just shyly hugged herself.
"We just started the game and already I feel like smacking the monster upside his head."
"Eh, it could've been a lot worse. Still, 8 out of 10 figure wise."
"And, you just sealed your fate... I will not be attending the funeral."
"Seriously, Amiya? Call the next person!"
"Okay~ Going, going and... huh. I thought it would land on someone different. Ayano-chan~ It's your turn!"
Arata looked at Ayano curiously while Alexa inwardly began to sweat.

Ciel, Setsuna, Misaki and Ayano all joined in a little game of Truth or Dare that the others suggested. They did it backstage once all the other people have left to enjoy other sights around Crescent. Aokigahara, on the other hand, wasn't able to join them as he was still outside, helping out with some of the preparations. In Ayano's point of view, the dares were a bit harmless, like Alexa giving Ataro a kiss. But for the others---
"That's a rather daring display."
"Tsubaki-san...looks great..."
"Hehehe...your ears kind of remind me of my stuffed toy at home..."
"Though, your chest is not that stacked so it's a little plain up front--"
Setsuna and Misaki immediately rushed over to shush Ciel lest she says anything else. Ciel somehow noticed this and decided to keep quiet, for the sake of everyone else.
"Ciel-chan--you don't have to be so frank with everything..."
Ayano looked on without much thought. She glanced at Tsubaki for a bit.
"Well, it's not like anyone here can match Ciel's anyway..."
"Okay~ Going, going and... huh. I thought it would land on someone different. Ayano-chan~ It's your turn!"
She heard Amiya call out her name. She turned around, looking for someone she can dare. Or truth. While she was choosing, Aokigahara suddenly came in.
"Oh? You guys are still here?"
He asked as he placed down some bamboo scraps that he was instructed to tidy up. As he brushed the dirt on his hands on his jacket, he was startled by Tsubaki's weird and daring---well, cosplay.
"Ummm...Are you guys doing a punishment game of any sorts?"
"It's truth or dare..."
"Oh."
As he sat beside Ciel and Setsuna, Setsuna whispered something to Aokigahara.
"What do you think?"
Aokigahara also replied in a whisper.
"Hmmm...she looks fine but, who would come up with a dare like this anyway?"
"It's that guy with beady eyes."
"That Yoru kid eh? Good thing I didn't say anything about Hayashi's you-know-what."
"All right..."
Everyone faced Ayano as she made her decision.
"Ciel-chan, truth or dare?"
Ciel thought for a bit. Then she just looked at them rather bored and replied.
"Truth."
Suffice to say, Ayano wasn't expecting that. She thought that most would choose dares since secrets aren't anything that people are proud of. So she just opted for a simple question.
"Is it true that you work as a waitress in your family's cafe?"
"It is true."
Setsuna, Ayano and Misaki all sighed in unison. Aokigahara just chuckled a bit at their reaction.
"Well, you did choose the girl with the emotional length of a teaspoon. Ciel-chan isn't really the type who'll flip over something as trivial as that. Though, I wonder what she looks like with her uniform on though... Damn! I have to stop this train of thought."
"Aren't you embarrassed or something?"
"No."
"Well, what if the guys here requests to see you in your waitress uniform?"
"Our branch's uniform is protected by Intellectual Property Rights. If anyone wants to see me wear it here, they have to pay per the law. Or they could drop by our cafe instead. Though, I won't always be there and you can't go there just to stare at the waitresses. You'll be asked to leave if you just sit there grinning like an idiot without ordering anything."
"All right, then I rest my case here."
"Aww...you're not too fun Ciel-chan."
"It's not really the fault of my response that you didn't get a satisfactory level of entertainment but rather, the nature and context of the question is not really something that stimulates me to be embarrassed therefore, leading to a lackluster response and an answer that doesn't satisfy you, compared to Tsubaki-san's rather, exotic display."
"Okay, I admit, my question wasn't that good. I don''t know anyone here that well, save for Misaki and Aokigahara-san."
"Where did you get that info anyway?"
"I ate at their place once. She was the one who served me."
An awkward silence, occasionally pierced by hushed chuckles and silent laughter.
"Well, who's next?"

Amiya pushed the button and watched it roll.
"Ciel-chan... I-I had no idea..."
"Damn... I really wanted to see a maid Ciel~"
"Don't be a pervert, Misato."
The two silently argued while Siren rolled her eyes.
"Idiots, it's just a uniform she has to wear. Who the hell cares?"
"You have not been near many guys, have you? I don't get it either but for some reason, they go crazy around maids. It's supposedly a symbol of purity... I think."
"Up next is Aokigahara-kun~ I guess he arrived just in time, huh?"

Setsuna tried to stifle her laugh when Aokigahara was chosen as the next person to ask another. Ayano just sighed and retreated to Misaki's side.
"All right, then I choose---Setsuna-san."
"Oh, what's that Aokigahara-san?"
"Truth or Dare?"
"Hmmm...I think I'll do a dare for now."
Aokigahara sighed. This time, he was kind of expecting her to choose truth.
"All right, then--I dare you to---"
MIsato paused for a bit. Of course, he had to consider Setsuna's condition as well.
"She can't do a lot of stressful stuff, that's one thing..."
"All right, then I dare you to act out of character until this whole round ends."
"So she has to act out of character until the next person is chosen?"
"Exactly."
"B-but what i-is out-of-character for Setsuna-san?"
They turned around to see Setsuna clear her throat and fall silent. They were puzzled by this development.
"Ummm...S-Setsuna-san?"
Misaki tried to tug at Setsuna's sleeve but---
"Huh? What is it Misaki-chan?"
Aokigahara noticed something a bit off. She seems to be faking her kindness now, rather than her usual dose of kind.
"Ummm...I was just wondering how you plan to the dare..."
"What are you talking about, Misaki-chan? I just have to act differently than usual."
"O-okay..."
"By the way, want to know a romantic fortune? I have a simple one that we can try."
"Okay. So what is it?"
"Grab any digit on your left hand with your right hand."
"Okay."
Misaki did as she was told. She chose her ring finger and looked at Setsuna for more instructions.
"So what next?"
"Now, pull that finger towards you as hard as you can."
Misaki tried and attempted it but then she realized---
"Ah! It will break!"
"Hehehe..."
"Setsuna-san...you're mean..."
Misaki crouched down in front of Setsuna. Setsuna leaned in closer and comforted Misaki.
"Don't worry, I wasn't trying to hurt you. There, there..."
"Y-you a-aren't?"
"I'll teach you about finding pleasure through pain..."
Misaki couldn't say anything else. She could just stare at Setsuna with a hint of fear on her face. The fact that she was saying it while smiling nicely doesn't help one bit.
"A-all right, who's next?"
Amiya rolled the app and Setsuna's name popped out.
"Well, my dare ends here. As for who---I think I'll ask Yoru-kun. Truth or Dare?"

Ataro pat Alto's back as the taller boy laughed nervously, looking warily at Setsuna. On the other hand, Yoru grinned as he was asked.
"Well~"
"If it's Yoru, who expects him to say truth?"
Tsubaki pointed out. Yoru looked at her and snaked an arm around her shoulder, grinning idiotically.
"Don't mind Tsubaki-chan, she's just tsundere. Anyway, I'm going with dare."
Tsubaki tried to push the boy off of her, scoffing angrily at him. Yoru simply poked at the bunny ears on her head, causing her to get even more flustered.
"Stop that!"
"Why not?"
The others looked on at the two.
"Those two seriously look like lovers."
"Hey, do you think--"
"No."
"Man, what a lucky bastard."

"Ara, dare eh? Let's see---"
As Setsuna thought about what dare she'll make Yoru do, Aokigahara went to his little sister.
"So, you guys doing okay back at Taketori?"
"Yeah...aren't you gonna come home yet?"
"I still have classes so, not yet. Maybe during the break."
"I see..."
Setsuna finally decided on a dare for Yoru.
"I dare you to dance the Waltz with Tsubaki. In matching outfits."
Aokigahara coughed at the suggestion.
"I protest against having a guy dress up like Tsubaki."
"Why not?"
"It's just not the same...besides, does anyone here actually want to see a guy dress up like that?"
"I would. If just for the entertainment."
"Ayano, you shut up."
"Geez...It doesn't have to be Yoru-kun who has to dress up similarly. I know! Why don't you two dress up like newly-weds?"
"Makes sense. It's all right with you, right Hayashi?"
"Tsubaki-chan...wearing a wedding dress...."

---

"The stars eh? They are very pretty. When I was a kid, I used to think that they are the representations of our souls, and that somewhere, out there, your soulmate's star is hiding. If you can find him, then every time you look up at the stars, your two stars shine more sweetly than ever."
Kanzaki blushed as she recovered a nostalgic memory. She realized that she didn't have much of a childhood back then, given that she had to engage in training as early as possible. Not to mention the experiments...
"I wonder if angels like Iruga have souls in the sky too?"
Chloe adjusted her position as she glanced up to look at the sky.
"Eh...so that's what they are. I always thought that stars are balls of gas burning a million miles away, emitting light in different spectrum."
"Urgh!"
Kanzaki suddenly dunked Chloe's head into the water. Chloe struggled for a bit and eventually managed to break free.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You have no sense of a romantic atmosphere. Why do you have to ruin the mood like that?"
"I mean, isn't that what stars are? Burning balls of gas?"
"We know that! What we mean is, what do the stars mean to you? Remember a certain incident or feelings or whatnot?"
"Hmmm..."
Chloe thought about it for a while. She just couldn't seem to recall any memory that makes her fond of the stars. All her life, she just trained hard and entered the Faction Wars at such an early age. She hadn't had the time to really appreciate the stars.
"I guess, they give good directions when you are lost..."
"Ugh... must you ruin the mood any further?"
"Oh! That's right! I remember! It was a starry night like this that I first--"
"You first what?"
Kanzaki leaned in too close to Chloe now, her eyes as wide as saucers, eager to hear whatever memory Chloe comes up with.
"That I first flew in the sky. Aaahhh... I can still remember the rush of flying. That was the first time I flew while not holed up in a vehicle or an mech. It was when we tested the new fight modules. It was rather impressive, able to hit up to 3 Gs while--"
"Haaaa...boring...what's so special about that memory anyway?"
"Right, to the both of you, it doesn't really matter much. But, to be able to fly in the sky, that was the greatest dream of humanity for a time. That was our ultimate goal: Flight."
"I see..."
Kanzaki sunk a bit deeper. She smiled softly to herself.
"I don't think I really get humans..."

Grace giggled at the two of them bickering. Later on, she nodded as she listened to Chloe's story.
"I see. I've almost forgotten that back then humans have always dreamed of flight. I can appreciate the sentimental value in the stars for that reason. Still, I can understand Miss Kanzaki's apreciation as well. It seems that everyone can still bond in this war over some things."
Grace looked through the water to see her number. 48... Frowning a bit, Grace nodded to herself.
"That's it. I refuse to accept that death is the only thing that could happen when I run out of spells. I'm going to find out if there's any other possibility. After all, there must be some bits of history somewhere out there. After all, our bloodline is only recorded in common history books from my grandparents onward. There has to be more people out there with more information."
Grace then realized that what she said probably came out of nowhere.
"Ah, forgive me if that seemed out of the blue. I just... found that I have much mor to live for than I previously thought. So, I want to try everything I can to live."
Grace smiled at the two.

---

Amiya felt her heart clench a bit in jealousy. Mikuru noticed this and held Amiya's hand gently. When her jealousy subsided, Amiya found herself feeling bad for Tsubaki.
'Geez, Tsubaki-chan... I feel like everyone's just picking on you.'
Alexa on the other hand was not faring so well with her emotions... Or rather, Eradicator's emotions. Trembling, Alexa's eyes kept switching between pink and purple as she found Eradicator humming Outer Science to himself.
'Eradicator, calm down.'
'Fuck calming down! You pour your heart out to Hatsuyuki bastard and he's ogling other women in your fucking face! You're too good for him, I ought to show him what his insides look like!!'
'Okay, here's a few things that I have to say about that. 1. Sure I confessed and he never responded back but he poured his emotions out too. 2. Anyone would stare at her, she's wearing a bunny girl outfit! 3. It's his choice on who he ends up with. 4. What happened to "Alexa is mine"? 5. If anything, he's too good for a monster like me. And 6. You are not coming out!'
'If I'm going to have a rival for the love of my life, the least he can do is put up a goddamn fight! And come on! She does not have the figure to pull it off.'
'Her figure is fine and if he likes her, that's his choice!'
The two continued to debate in her mind. Arata warily looked on but said nothing.

Yoru's eyes widened in curiosity and excitement.
"Dance the Waltz, you say?"
He stood up and grabbed Tsubaki by the arm, running frantically towards the room she was in before. Tsubaki was struggling as she was helplessly dragged inside. After a while of yelling and Yoru cackling, they finally came out. Yoru was grinning like an idiot in his tuxedo- Gotta keep one at all times, he was the Spirit Dancer after all- and Tsubaki was blushing furiously, now out of her bunny girl costume but in a white wedding dress. As they positioned themselves in the middle of the circle, Tsubaki glared up at him.
"Can you turn off your spirit powers so they stop looking at us!?"
She whispered furiously, making sure that only Yoru heard her. He grinned lazily at her.
"No can do, Tsubaki-chan~"
Just then Yoru heard the familiar music passing through his ears. Glancing to the side he found that the music came from his opponent's phone, and she was grinning at him.
"For once, you and I will be comrades."
He thought as he shifted his attention back to his partner.
It was just a simple dance, really, and little by little the Dancer obtained information on his partner. He knew she was the eldest daughter of the Hayashi family, and she was the black sheep, but he didn't expect that she actually knew how to dance pretty well. As the music ended, Yoru abruptly picked Tsubaki up bridal style and ran away, laughing as Tsubaki screamed at him to put her down.
"Now that's what I call a runaway."
Kiro sighed.
"I feel bad for Hayashi."

In the other room...
"Can I get my hoodie back now?"
Yoru wagged a finger in front of her face, grinning.
"No can do, Tsubaki! I said you were to wear the bunny girl outfit for the rest of the game~"
"For the love of God, Yurasaki!"

The button was pressed and the names were rolled, landing on Tsubaki who was back in her bunny girl outfit. At first, the leader of the Thesis group considered taking revenge on Yoru, but she saw something...
"Oi! Sei! What're you laughing about?!"
Kanoko stopped laughing and calmed down, flashing a sly grin at her friend.
"Nothing, Tsubaki. So are you gonna ask me or what?"
"You think this is alright for me!? Well why don't you try this?!"
She raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"Are you daring me?"
"Hell to the yes I'm daring you!"
"Ah well, I was planning on choosing dare anyway. Well then~!"
She disappeared, and Kiro glared at Tsubaki.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, HAYASHI!?"
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?"
The two bickered for a little while, Ataro watching with an amused look and Alto laughing nervously, trying to calm down the two opposing sides. The sliding open of a door startled them both though.
"Oh master~"
"K-K-KANOKO!?"
This was way more daring than Tsubaki. Who thought she'd actually do it? Except she wasn't a bunny girl, no, she was a cat girl. Which caused Kiro to die a little inside- Her acing like a cat was one of his guilty pleasures. He turned to Tsubaki, glaring at her with a red blush on his face.
"I'm sorry! I didn't see that coming!"
"HAYASHI!!!!"
Ataro was practically doubling over laughing as he struggled to stifle his laughter. Alto's eyes widened as he watched the scene. Kanoko had walked back to her place with Kiro there and even pounced on him. The boy threw off his hoodie, covering the girl with it.
"If I'm not going to wear my hood, you will! No retaliations, you hear me!?"
Ataro and Yoru went over, Yoru clapping him on the back and Ataro placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You are a lucky bastard."
"You are destined for greatness, my friend."
"Shut the hell up!"
Kanoko had settled for burying herself into the boy's chest, and she wasn't letting go anytime soon. Tsubaki jabbed Yoru in the side as he came back.
"Roll the next one, Amiya."

---

"Oi, Basileus!"
The dragon flew off before Skye could utter another word. He sighed, then followed anyway. The dragon automaton had told him to come outside and follow him, so why not? As he ran on, he saw the dragon lower himself into a nearby forest, disappearing in a sea of trees. It took Skye a few moments before he detected another life form in the forest.
"Oi, Advent!"
He heard Basileus's raspy voice, but when he looked, he saw a human. The man was well built, wearing only pants with blue hair and green eyes. Scales littered his body here and there, and his eyes were like that of a dragon's, and his fangs were sharp, but otherwise, he looked human.
"Basileus? Why are you...human?"
Basileus shrugged.
"This has been with us dragons for a while now, you know? This is to aid in mating, since there aren't many female dragons out there."
"But it's not even mating season for dragons. Why?"
"Aw c'mon! You know how hard it is to wriggle out of my mechanical shell and scrub my scales clean?"
Skye sighed. He knew what Basileus was implying.

--later--

The two were in a nearby spring, relaxing in the water.
"Yo, Advent. Who do you think is the hottest from all the girls?"
Skye looked at his friend.
"I'm in no place to say so because I'm--"
"On the borderline of getting married, I know, I know. But you gotta let loose once in a while, ya know?"
Skye sighed, massaging his temples and staring straight at him.
"Are you kidding me, Basileus?"
"In my opinion....well, Chihaya-san's pretty hot."
"Basileus!"
"Sorry, sorry..."