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 "Oh, well... I just heard he was supposed to arrive today, and he didn't." "It happens. His schedule is always changing, so we've learned to expect surprises." She laughs. "I guess if you expect a surprise, it's not really a surprise anymore." I try to laugh with her, but my stomach is starting to knot up. I feel really guilty for lying to her like this, but if the police don't want her to know, there must be a reason for it. "Anyway, I hate to push you guys out, but I really have a lot of work I need to do." "Sure, no problem." Right now, any excuse to go would be a good one. I don't think I can lie to her much longer... "Thanks."
Jupiter leans against the counter, examining something in her microscope. She sighs, leans back, and presses her thumbs against the bridge of her nose.  "You okay?" "No. No, not really." "What's wrong?" She purses her lips. "You didn't hear? Dr. Johansen is dead." "What?" "He died sometime yesterday." "There are police on campus right now, asking all sorts of questions. And the bell tower's been marked as some sort of crime scene." "The police are saying it was an accident, but they're behaving strangely. I don't know what to think." "It's probably not a good idea to try to explain it without knowing all the details." "I know, but after you guys took off yesterday, and Aaron didn't return any of my calls..." "I was worried something terrible happened." "Like?" "I knew you were heading to the bell tower. If you had found the body..." "Oh, well, um..." "You did!?" "Yeah. Aaron and Kizaki saw it first, but..." "So last night, you lied to me." "I'm sorry. We weren't allowed to say anything!" "I suppose I should have expected that." "What about Aaron? Is he okay?" "Well, he wasn't hurt physically, if that's what you mean." "But?" "He's still kind of traumatized from what we saw." "I'm not surprised. He was always uncomfortable when we had to euthanize the animals." I should probably go check on him sometime to see how he's doing." "I think he just wants to sleep right now." "Then I'll talk to him later."
"Why don't we ask Detective Gurski to look into it?" "Sure, if you want to do it the boring way." "If by boring, you mean legal, then yes." She shrugs and hands the papers back to me. "It's probably the fastest way, anyway. Go ahead and talk to him."
Miko can probably figure out those papers for you. Bring them to him.
 "And?" "Well, it looks like it might provide a motive. Dr. Johansen was planning to expel one of his students. Problem is, he doesn't mention the student by name. There's a printout of a bunch of access times with a single ID listed, though. Aki said you might be able to help. Do you think you could convince the school office to look it up for you? I doubt they'd let someone like me look at student records." "But if I asked, it would be a different story." "Exactly." "Well, it's the only lead we've got. Let's give it a go. Do you know where the administration office is?" "It's okay for you to leave?" "My assignment is a little... different from the other officers. My first priority is finding the murderer." "Well, I think Shawn mentioned all the main offices being in the University Center." "I'll look into it as soon as I can."
Got the info you needed about that ID card. Come see me.
 "So? Get anything on the note?" "Yes, actually. I took it to the school office, and they ran it. The student ID belongs to Nathan Holm." "He's one of the grad students working on Dr. Johansen's current project." "Where is he now?" "In the library, I think." "Then let's go speak with him." "Sure thing. Meet you there."
There are a LOT of pigeons around here, and they're fat! Are we going to talk to Nathan now?
 
Li Mei and I exchange glances. She shrugs. I glance out the window and sigh. He does have a point. "I guess playing it safe is a good idea." As we leave the University Center, I notice Shawn fidgeting with his phone. Strange...   "Something wrong?" "It's like you know." "I assume you didn't take up jogging for your health." "That's fair." "So what's up?" "Went through some of Aaron's photos and found something. It's Nathan. Turns out David was covering for him, but his alibi's shot now. Shawn says he's always at the lab this time of day." "Good work. Let's bring him in." As she approaches the lab, her steps slow, and I notice a worried look in her eyes. I feel a strange twisting in my stomach. Something doesn't feel right... "Upstairs, yeah." I swipe my card at the door and it unlocks without resistance. As I open the door, the uneasy feeling starts to solidify. Jupiter is still out, so shouldn't the door be locked? "I don't feel good about this at all." We make our way up the staircase carefully, listening for any signs of movement. Nothing. "Are you sure he's here?" "Shawn was pretty certain." Li Mei freezes and totters on the steps for a moment.  Suddenly my stomach begins to churn and my heart starts racing. My knees buckle, but I grab for the railing and pull myself up. "No..." I drag myself up the steps and throw the door open. His skin has turned a strange hue of blue, and his eyes look bloodshot. Detective Gurski squats beside the body and places his fingers on Nathan's neck. "Dead. Very recently." He frowns. "There's a puncture wound on his neck. Someone poisoned him." I reach out tentatively, but Gurski grabs my hand. "What are you doing?" "Oh. Um..." He frowns and coughs. He sighs, stands, and turns around. Did he just..? No time to dwell on that. I touch the body with the back of my hand, and Nathan's final memory floods into me. My heart is pounding, but it hurts. My chest feels tight, and I can't breathe. I'm sweating... Everything is so cold... My vision is starting to blur, but I can make out a slender figure standing over me. I stare at the person's face and her features slowly come into focus. She approaches me and kneels next to the couch. Chance leans over me and whispers gently in my ear.  She giggles. I gasp and open my eyes.  "What's wrong?" "It was Chance. She killed him." Gurski nods, not bothering to question how I know this. "But how did she know we were onto Nathan?" "The only other person who knew was Shawn..." My thought is cut off short by my phone vibrating. I snatch it up and look at the screen. It's a message from Aki!  "What's going on?" "Aki says Shawn and Chance just left campus." "Then they ARE working together." He sighs and rubs the side of his head. "We can't catch up to them, now." He scans the body again, and pauses when he sees Nathan's clenched fist. "Hang on..." He pulls a pen from his pocket and pokes Nathan's hand. Nathan's fist uncurls to reveal a crumpled card covered with brightly colored print. She kneels beside it and picks it up. I glance at Detective Gurski, but he doesn't seem concerned by her touching it. "To what?" She holds it up. "Yamazaki Ryokan." "That resort up north? Isn't that..?" "Do you think someone's leaving a message for you?" "It's more than that. It's an invitation." I sigh. 
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May 10, 2023 23:57
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| # ? May 2, 2024 18:41 |
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The main characters survived this ending, so that's a win in my book, even if we didn't really learn anything. I just want one of the routes to let us blame Chance so that we can expose her scheme.
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May 11, 2023 04:38
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"Could you not take quite so many? I'm kind of uncomfortable with it." Aaron sticks his tongue out at me. "Ah, you'll get used to it eventually. Everyone does." "Just... try to take fewer, if you can." "No promises, but I'll see what I can do." Naoki smiles gratefully at me and nods his head once. 
"I'll be in my room, then." Aki nods, and she guides Li Mei down the hall to their room.  Aaron lies in his bed, wrapped tightly in blankets. His breathing is heavy and labored, but he's clearly asleep. Naoki is sitting up in the bed with the covers pulled around him. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine..." "Leave the lying to your sister. You're terrible at it." "Aki doesn't lie." "Right. She just tells misleading truths." "She says what she has to." He glares at me. "Okay, this conversation isn't going so well. I didn't mean to come in and start an argument or anything." Naoki sighs and leans back. "I'm sorry." "Wait, why are YOU apologizing?" "Because I feel bad." "About what? It's not like this is your fault." "I shouldn't have gone alone." "What happened, anyway?" Naoki glances at Aaron's sleeping figure. He sighs and lowers his voice. "It's easiest to tell people I have a perfect memory, but it doesn't work the way you'd think. I don't look at a book and memorize all the words." "Instead, I remember what it was like to read the book. I remember the way each page turn feels, the warmth of the room, and what I think and feel as I read it. I memorize all of my experiences, and they stay in my mind forever, as clear as the day I first experienced them." He draws his knees up under his chin. "I won't just remember what happened today. I'll relive it all. The smell of the blood. The pounding of my heart. It's a part of me that I'll never be able to erase." He pauses to take a shaky breath. "It sort of pounds inside my head every day, as if I'm still experiencing it. It takes a little time for me to get used to it, but I'll live." "I'm sorry. I didn't know..." "It's okay. I didn't expect you to." He forces a smile. "Besides, I've had worse." "That doesn't make me feel better at all. In fact, I think that makes me feel worse." Naoki laughs sadly. "That's why Aki tries to keep me away from anything too traumatic." "I just didn't want to inconvenience her..."
"It's not an inconvenience if she loves you." "I know, but it won't stop me from feeling guilty about it." "Listen, dude. I don't know what you've been through or the sort of baggage you've got, but it's obvious Aki cares about you." "And if you keep feeling guilty about it, then you're pushing her away. It's like saying you don't want her to love you." "But that's not true at all!" "Then don't think of yourself as a burden. Find a way to pay her back. Take care of her too. Make it an equal relationship." He smiles sadly. "I know if I stay like this, it'll be harder on both of us. I just..." He sighs and puts his hand to his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I can stay up much longer. Is it okay if I get some rest?" "Oh, um... sure." "He, uh... looks..." She smiles a weary smile. "We've weathered worse." "Yeah, he said the same thing. I really don't think that makes things any better." "Do you have a moment to talk about what happened earlier?" "Yeah. I'm sorry." "Likewise. I expected you to know things you were never told." "Well, I know now..." "Naoki told you?" "About how his kansei works? Yeah." "He's got some pretty dark memories, you know. Our mother died during childbirth, and our father wound up blaming us for it." She sighs. "It's not a part of our history I'm especially thrilled to think about." She seats herself on the couch and leans back with a heavy sigh. "He really means a lot to you, doesn't he?" "He's my little brother. I'd raze the world to the ground if I knew it would keep him safe." She sighs. "I hope I don't sound crazy. It's kind of a protective older sibling thing." "I know. I'm the same." Aki regards me with a curious glint in her eye. "You?" "I have - well, I had a sister." Her expression softens. "Oh. I'm sorry." "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault." "What was she like? If you don't mind my asking..." "We grew up in the same foster home. We weren't related by blood, but it didn't matter." I pause for a moment to pick my words. I haven't spoken about her in so long... "She got sick a lot, so she didn't spend much time with the other kids. And I'm not exactly a social person." I smirk. "Like you couldn't tell." "I had a guess." "I avoided the others as much as I could, but she wouldn't leave me alone." "She always tried to make me happy, and I hated it." Aki raises an eyebrow. "Hey, don't judge. Sometimes you just wanna be angry at the world for no reason." "She never gave up on me, though. I still don't know why she'd care about someone like me. Maybe she felt a kinship because neither of us knew who our parents were. Maybe the other kids were too loud for her. All I know is that she was family. She always saw the positive side of things. I was a real pessimist back then." "Unlike now?" I laugh ruefully. "I was worse back then, if you can believe that." "We'd argue about everything, then stand up for each other when the other kids tried to pick fights. Everyone else thought it was weird. We used to have these daydreams where our parents would show up one day, and we'd discover we really were related, and we'd laugh at everyone for doubting us." I tug at a strand of my hair. "I even dyed my hair to match hers. Wanted to look the same. Still do. Once a year on her birthday." I shake my head. "It sounds so stupid when I say it out loud." "It doesn't sound stupid at all. You wanted to connect. There's nothing wrong with that." "But it was a fantasy. A child's dream." "You still love her. That's not a fantasy. Family isn't about blood or hair color. You're her brother." "I was her brother." "You still are." "But she's gone." Aki states it so simply, I'm at a loss as to how to respond. She straightens up and brushes off a bit of imaginary dust from her shirt. "Come on." "What?" "Older siblings unite?" She offers me her hand. I laugh and grasp her hand in mine. "Sure. Older siblings unite." The two of us stare at the ceiling for a few silent moments before Aki breaks the silence. "You can ask, you know." "What?" "About today. Looks like your first time having a blood reaction." "You mean when I woke up in that corpse?" "Yeah, basically." "You know what happened to me? Li Mei said it had something to do with blood." "Kansei are activated by touch, but if you come into contact with blood, the effect is amplified." "I don't see how reliving someone's death can be amplified as taking over their dead body." Aki chuckles, but there's no mirth in her voice. "Well, when you relive a death, it's like you're inside their mind. So for the blood reaction version it makes sense that you fill their body entirely." I frown. "I don't like it very much." "Yeah, it's pretty unsettling if you think about it." I shudder. "Then maybe I shouldn't think about it." "All things considered, I'm surprised this has never happened to you before." "I know it's hard to believe, but I don't go around touching corpses all the time." She stares at my head intently. "I can tell. You don't even have a single white hair." "What?" "In case you didn't notice." She laughs and curls a lock of her white hair around her finger. "So you got that white hair from your kansei?" "Well, not exactly. I absorbed all of this from Naoki." "Absorbed?" "I can project the thoughts of anyone I touch, but I can also choose which thoughts I project. I can amplify some and filter out others. Whenever Naoki's memories overwhelm him, I hold his hand and filter his thoughts. I strengthen the good memories and mute the bad ones." "But in doing so, you undergo the same stress he does." "It's a small price to pay." She inspects the white strands of hair entwined around her fingers. "Lately, I've been doing it for Li Mei, too. She's in a lot of turmoil, but she's working through it." Aki extends her hand toward me. "I can do it for you, too." I shake my head. "No. I'd rather not burden you any more." "It's an offer, not a burden." I run my fingers through my hair. "Maybe after I get some white hair of my own." Aki shrugs. "It's your choice." She stands and stretches. "Go to sleep, Kan. I get the feeling that tomorrow is going to be a rough day." "You don't have to tell me twice." I crawl into my sleeping bag and shut my eyes, but my dreams are filled with frantic memories. I see police rushing into the room. My sisters are both crying. Who am I? What am I looking at? It must be just the shock. Or the adrenaline. I try to shut my eyes even tighter, but the images won't go away.   I sigh and hold my head in my hands, trying to push away the thoughts, but something in the back of my mind keeps pushing itself forward. I lean against the wall and stare at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Aaron's labored snores mixed with Naoki's soft breathing. The sound of life. The sound I hated in that crowded house, then missed so dearly after it faded away.  Naoki has survived all this time. Li Mei manages to stand up under it somehow. I can do it, too. I will do it. Strengthened by my new resolve, I allow myself to fade back into my nightly battle.
 "It looked like he was killed on purpose." "Murder?" "W-well... yeah. Maybe. I mean, it could have been an accident." "Not likely. He was a careful man, and had no reason to be in the bell tower in the first place. This all seems very deliberate. I'm inclined to agree with your assessment." She sighs and crosses her arms across her chest.
"So you really don't think it was an accident, then." "Honestly, I don't know what to think. It's entirely possible that this was an accident." "Maybe a heart attack. His heart is still experimental, after all." "He had a fake heart?" "Partially. It was built from a reproduction of his own tissue, but some parts were manufactured." "Wasn't Auten Engineering working on something like that?" "They're the ones funding most of our research." "William Auten donated a lot of money to this school. I think he cared a lot for his alma mater." "The heart was still in testing stages, but Dr. Johansen's heart was in such a bad state, he decided to take the risk." "As strange as the circumstances of his death are, I'm hard pressed to think of anyone who would want to kill him."
"Aki said you guys had a rough time with your father..." "That's putting it lightly." "Sorry... I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories..." "You can't bring up any memories. They're always in my mind." "Yeah... I'm sorry..." "It's not your fault. I simply am who I am." "When our mother died, our father didn't handle it too well. He took to drinking, and eventually it was all he knew how to do. All that pent up rage of his had to go somewhere..." "And you bore the brunt of it?" "I did. At least until Aki discovered her kansei." "She wasn't strong enough to stop him, but she managed to redirect his anger." "Redirect it? To whom?" "Who else was there?" "I'm so sorry..." "Aki's proud. She tries to carry the weight of everyone on her own shoulders. Even back then, she never wanted to accept help from anyone."
"The teacher called Child Protective Services, but they wouldn't let us stay together." "So we ran away." "Just like that?" "Of course. Wouldn't you have done the same thing?" "Yeah... I think I would." "Hey... mind if I ask you something?" "Go ahead." "Why are you telling me this? It's kind of a personal story, isn't it?" "Isn't it obvious? It's because you're family." "What?" "You're living with us now, aren't you?" "Well, yeah, but I didn't think..." "You don't plan on staying with us?" "I... I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it." "Well, you should." "Aki and I thought we'd be running forever. Same goes for Li Mei. But it turns out we like having a home and a family. It's less lonely."
"Where were you yesterday morning between 10:00 and 11:00?" "Here at the lab. Why?" "Just curious." "And by curious, you mean I'm a suspect." "Everyone is." "That's fair. Random killings are more unlikely, after all." "Yeah..."
 "It's just a hunch." "You sure have a lot of these "hunches." Are you sure it's not related to that thing I saw you slip in your pocket at Mr. Auten's place?" "Eheh... you noticed." "I'm good at noticing."
You're going to have to be honest with me eventually. I'm on your side.
 "What? Are you sure?" "Why not? We're a team, right? Besides, Naoki's good at detecting lies. It might be useful. We can talk to David later." "Fine. I guess it couldn't hurt. Let's make this quick." "If you say so. Race you." Aki drops into a flat out run before I can process her challenge. "A-again?" Naoki takes chase, and I begrudgingly follow. The twins outdistance me easily, but I force myself to keep running. "Keep up, Kangai!" Naoki leaps past her and waves his card at the reader. "Haha!" He grabs the handle and throws the door open. "H-hey!" Aki punches him playfully and he returns the gesture. I take the moment to put in an extra burst of speed into my steps, racing through the open door past the two of them. I taunt over my shoulder as I speed off towards the lab.
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May 21, 2023 00:33
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"Ay! What's going on?" Aki tries to lean casually against a counter, but the effect is marred by her gasps for air. "Oh, nothing. We just felt like running." "No, YOU just felt like running. I was all for walking..." "Don't tell me you didn't have fun." "I deny all allegations." "That still doesn't explain what's going on." "We had something we wanted to ask. Kan?" "Oh, um. Right." "Have you ever used Nathan's ID card to log in?" "You mean that childish game they play, swapping cards with each other?" "No. I do not partake in it." I notice the twins exchanging glances with each other. "So... you know about their system?" "They think they can, how is it said... defeat the system?" "I know they do not always arrive on time, but it is wiser to let them believe they are winning. Otherwise, they may devise a trick even harder to keep track of." "That makes sense." "And... I don't suppose you come here to work late?" "Of course I work late. You know that." "How late?" "Maybe 10:00 or 11:00. Why do you want to know?" "Someone's been logging in every other week. Late. Like, after midnight late." "Yes, Nathan. I brought that to Dr. Johansen's attention."
"Is that what this is about?" "We're not sure. But we think the person was selling off information. Maybe to Western?" "I find that difficult to believe." "Then maybe it's something else. Did Dr. Johansen have anything else he was working on?" "Oh. That was just a hypothesis more than anything else. It wasn't a real project." "Mind telling us what it was, anyway? We're curious." "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."    "He wanted to make magic people? That doesn't sound scientific." "Too often we think that the scientific advances of today give us reason to ignore ancient observation. But the people of old still charted the stars and built pyramids. They possessed the ability to observe and record just as we do." "We cannot dismiss the account of superhuman feats recorded across centuries and continents. Instead, we should seek to find the cause of these. Can we recreate or observe them ourselves? He doesn't believe in people with special powers. He believes it is a possibility that must be explored." "Is it not scientific to attempt to observe what others have, rather than dismiss them without testing?" Jupiter shrugs. "Of course, even this is little more than speculation. We don't have enough information to try to recreate anything." Jupiter leans over her laptop and clicks through a few folders. "He has some old notes on it, if you're interested. They're from his private collection, but it should be fine." Before any of us can respond, the door bursts open and Detective Gurski strides in. He looks angry. "What? I'm sorry, Officer. I didn't mean to do anything wrong." "What are you doing here?" "Wondering the same of you. I thought I told you to talk to David." "We were going to. We just wanted to help Kan out." "We may have found a lead. Dr. Johansen had another project he was working on." "Just because the guy's dead doesn't mean you can poke around in his stuff." "There's no harm in it. He always wanted his work made public when he passed away. He hoped that someone else would be able to pick it up where he left off." "So it's fine!" "You're not even supposed to be here!" Gurski turns and forcefully herds us toward the hallway. "I'm taking you off this case." "Why?" "Because you're not listening to me. I cut you guys a lot of slack, but you can't just do whatever you feel like. Gurski motions for Jupiter to leave. "Everyone out. That includes you." "But I have work to do!" "And I'm declaring this a crime scene." "He didn't die here!" "But some of his work is here, and you've already said it might be evidence. It was a mistake for me to let it get this far." Detective Gurski turns to Jupiter. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to lock down the building." "I can do that, but do you really think this is necessary?" "I'm not taking any risks." "Thank you, Miss Celedon. I'm sorry to take you from your work like this, but I promise it won't be long." "As for the rest of you, go home." "But-" "No arguments. Get Li Mei and go straight back to the apartment." Aki glares at him. "I'll tell Schulz about this." "I don't care. Just go home." "Fine! Good luck solving this on your own!" Aki stalks off, and Naoki follows after her. With a final confused glance over my shoulder, I follow suit. I can feel Detective Gurski's angry gaze boring into my back as we leave. "I want to go back." "Are you kidding? Gurski's gonna be waiting right there!" "Then we sneak in through the side." "Isn't the door locked?" "Then we find a way around it." "Oh yeah? Like what?" "Like her." Aki casually points over my shoulder. I turn around to see Li Mei. "Um..." "That was quick. We need to get inside. Think you can handle it?" Li Mei scans the building and nods once. Aki grins. "I knew we could count on you." "Why are we here?" Li Mei points at the fire escape. "What, really?" "It's a good choice. The fire escape isn't locked by the security system, because it needs to be opened no matter what the circumstances are." Li Mei sizes up the ladder on the side of the building. "It looks like the ladder's rusted in place." With a graceful leap, Li Mei grabs the bottom rung of the ladder and pulls on it. It groans for a brief moment before sliding down with an unhappy squeal. Li Mei climbs the ladder swiftly and pauses in front of the door. "But it's still got a lock of some sort, doesn't it?" "Sure there's a manual one, but it shouldn't be a problem." "Really?" Li Mei curls her fingers into the space between the door and the frame, and gives the door a sharp tug. The door swings open suddenly with the sound of a harsh, metallic snap. "Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" "Probably." Aki nods at Li Mei. "See you at the back door." Li Mei nods and slips into the building silently. "What just happened?" "She opened the door. Obviously. Let's go." Aki glances around quickly before affecting a casual pose. She turns to me and frowns. "Don't look so suspicious." "We're kind of breaking in after Gurski told us not to..." "He's our handler, not our boss. Besides, aren't you even a little bit curious about what all the secrecy has been about?" "Well..." "You have to admit, it IS rather suspicious. He's stopping us from doing our job." I don't want to admit he's right, but Gurski's attitude during this case has me on edge too. The door swings open and Li Mei pokes her head out. "Good work!" Aki grabs the door's handle and swings it open with a flourish. The four of us hurry to the lab, and Aki grabs the laptop sitting on the counter. "Bingo. She's still logged in." "Isn't that a security risk?" "There are so many locks on the outside, sometimes people get complacent about locking up what's inside." She grins. "Especially if I distract them on the way out." "You were planning to look at these files all this time?" "I didn't know if I'd get the chance, but I figured it couldn't hurt to prepare for the option." "Sometimes you scare me." "I know." Aki scrolls through the files quickly, looking for something that might catch her eye. "Hm... see anything?" "Wait. There!" "What?" I point to one of the folders. Aki double-clicks on the folder, and a list of files flashes onto the screen. The four of us crowd around the computer as Aki opens the first file. "A project designed to unlock latent potential?" "That's what Dr. Johansen was talking about." "Looks like it was more than a hypothesis. He didn't tell Jupiter the whole story."  "If they still had his blood today, imagine what they could do with it!" "I think that's exactly what they were aiming for." Naoki's eyes dart back and forth across the screen. "They were trying to replicate Dragon's Blood?" "I've seen these before." "Where?"  "But that proves this was Auten's project! We found it!" "It was more than talk. They actually tried to do it!" "Did they ever manage to recreate this Dragon's Blood?" "Doesn't look like it, but..." Naoki catches his breath and his hand falls limp. "What? What's wrong?" "They were looking into alternative solutions." "Synthetic didn't work, so they looked for a way to make it naturally." "The first study was a failure. Of the twenty men they worked with, none had children who exhibited any traits of Dragon's Blood. Most of them passed away years later, all from causes eventually linked to the study. But in those years, they tried again. With women..." Naoki swallows and shakes his head. "H-how did you know?" "Marissa was researching it when we met. She said one of the women-" Detective Gurski stands in the doorway. I can't tell if he's angry or... scared? He strides across the room and reaches for Aki's shoulder. "I told you that you're off the case!" Aki pulls away from him. "But we found Johansen's old research! This could be the key we need to find the killer!" "It's not important anymore. Naoki! Close the computer and leave now." Detective Gurki's voice is laced with anger. He's definitely not in the mood to debate, but Naoki sits frozen at the computer. "Chie..." Naoki's voice is barely a whisper. He breathes in slowly and his chest shudders. "Chie Mizutani..." Aki spins around to face her brother. "Mom?"   Aki's face hardens and her eyes turn dark. "Success?" Her voice shakes, and I see her slowly clench and unclench her fists. "Aki..." Aki's eyes meet his, and I see a sudden light of recognition.  "I'm sorry, I just-" "You KNEW!" Mikolaj looks away from her and nods once. "I knew." "How?" "I stumbled on the report in a place I wasn't supposed to be." He doesn't bother to suppress a bitter smile. "You and I are both much too eager to learn things we're not supposed to know." Aki doesn't respond. "After that, I was assigned to Edgewater. To your case. I'm the only one who knows what you two are." "And what, exactly, are we?" "Children unfairly robbed of a parent. Adults thrust into a world without a lifeline. Human beings." Aki doesn't make any effort to hide the bitterness in her voice. "Why didn't you tell us?" "I wasn't allowed to. They would have taken me away if I did. I didn't..." Gurski stops and runs his fingers through his hair as he searches for the right words. "We still deserved to know. We could have kept it a secret. Why didn't you trust us?" "Because - I don't know." "You had no right." "I had no choice!" Naoki stands and faces Detective Gurski. His eyes are hardened. "You had a choice, and you chose not to. Did you think you were protecting us? Did you think we'd feel better spending life thinking our mother died because of us?" "But she didn't!" "He hurt us!" Naoki lets out a scream, and his face twists up in a mixture of fury and guilt. "He hurt us and we thought we deserved it." His body shakes and he takes a deep breath to steady his voice. Aki exhales slowly and looks Gurski in the eye. "Leave." "I can't let you stay here." Gurski takes a step towards Aki, but Li Mei intercepts. "No." "Please... I can explain." "Now's really not the time." I stand beside Li Mei and look Gurski in the eyes. "You're going to make it worse if you stay." With a frustrated scowl, Detective Gurski turns and walks to the doorway. He pauses at the door and whispers under his breath. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way." As soon as he shuts the door, Aki's hands relax. A series of red marks appear on the palm of her hand, perfectly matching the curve of her nails. Li Mei and I stand, unmoving. Neither of us is sure what to say. I open my mouth, but no words come. Should I even say anything at all? Aki wraps a comforting arm over Naoki's shoulder with a practiced ease. He mirrors the gesture, and the two sob quietly into each others shoulders. In the harsh glare of the artificial lighting, they look more real and honest than I've ever seen them. The girl forced to grow up too soon, desperately trying to protect the innocence of a boy plagued by demons. The brother and sister lost in an ocean with only the other to cling to. Something I understand.      
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May 21, 2023 00:34
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Odd ending since it doesn't resolve the Johansen case. I don't blame Gurski for keeping quiet since it's a hard topic to bring up to the twins, and I didn't think this was such a big reveal. Where did they think their powers came from anyway?
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May 21, 2023 08:06
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Presumably they assumed it's a random superpower, especially since neither the father nor any records of the mother would mention them having anything like that. This raises the question of where our protag got his, since he clearly has some...extra ideas on the matter. Also, what's up with Li Mei being an android but also apparently having feelings? I don't think we had anything about artificial humans quite yet.
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May 21, 2023 10:10
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"Yeah. I was at the coffee shop." "That's not possible! Our cameras caught you!" "Well, your cameras are wrong. I know what I saw." Chance stomps her foot on the ground, as if to prove a point. Jupiter doesn't seem impressed. "There's no need for your theatrics, Bertha." Chance flinches at the mention of her birth name. Looks like these two don't get along very well. I'm not sure I want to know the history. "Officer, you can't trust the testimony of a witness who is clearly biased towards the accused!" Whoa. I don't know if she's biased towards me, but it is weird that she'd go out of her way to help me out of this situation. Gurski looks at me with a critical eye. I turn my head to avoid his gaze.
 "My what?" "Every detective needs an assistant, right?" "It'll be perfect! I mean, we've already solved one case together." "I'm not sure I agree with your definition of "together."" "We could go around and solve all kinds of mysteries. It'll be fun!" "I'm not sure I agree with your definition of "fun," either." "See? We already have the witty banter part down." I don't know why she's so interested in me, but it's making me feel uncomfortable. And now she's trying to participate in the investigation? I don't want to share any information with her, but at the same time... keeping her close might be a good idea.
"Sure. I guess having extra help couldn't hurt." "Yaaaay! We're going to have so much fun!" "There's nothing fun about someone dying - accident or not."
"So what do you think of Shawn and Chance?" "Shawn is not happy. But he carries little anger. Instead... there is sadness. Smallness." "Smallness?" "As if the world has taken ahold of him, and he feels he is drowning." Wow. He looks like he could be the spokesperson for the happiest place on earth. "He looked pretty happy last night." Li Mei shakes her head decisively. "When Chance appeared, he changed. He had hope, but it was mixed with fear. And he did not want to fail." "And what about Chance?" "She is happy, but I cannot understand it." "What do you mean?" "When Aki is happy, I feel warm. When Naoki is happy, I feel warm. But her happiness is not warm. Li Mei pauses, searching for the words she wants. "She does not love Shawn. That much I know. I do not like her."
I eye the security pad. Would be nice to know the code... Chance works in the lab, right? She must know! Ugh... I'm not too thrilled about playing into her detective and assistant fantasy, but it looks like this might work in my favor. Thankfully, most prying eyes are focused on the bright yellow police tape of the bell tower nearby. Ah, morbid curiosity. You never fail. If at all possible, I'd rather not let anyone know what I'm doing. "Um... I kind of need your help with something." "I knew it! We're going to solve a mystery!" "Don't get so excited. I just need you to unlock the lab for me." "Oooh! What are you looking for?" "I'm kind of short on time right now. Let's get going." "No!" "No?" "We're supposed to be partners. You tell me what you're looking for!" "Chance, we don't have time..." "You're right. So you'd better hurry up and tell me." "Or you could just leave now, and I can tell Jupiter you tried to sneak into the lab while she was gone." "Fine. I promise I'll tell you after I get it." "I'm going to hold you to that." "Right, right. Let's go." "I expect you'll hold to our bargain." "Otherwise..." "I get it." 
"Hello, Mr. Detective!" "You seem cheerful." "Naturally! Tell me what sort of secret thing you discovered in the lab!" I sigh. "You don't have to, but..." "Yeah, I know." "So spill it already!" "I found a message from Dr. Johansen telling someone they're going to be expelled." "Ooh! Who is it?" "David." "Oh, dear! But he seems so nice!" "Hey, that doesn't mean he did it. You can't jump to conclusions like that." "Oh, of course not!" "It's just circumstantial, right? But it sure looks bad for David!"
"I apologize, but I have a class I must teach soon. I need to close the lab while I'm gone." "I'll be back in a few hours. We can talk more at that time." "Well... David next, then?" "Uh, sure."  David is still at one of the tables, but Nathan is nowhere to be seen. Aki leans in and whispers in my ear. "Twenty bucks says I can get him to talk without using my kansei once." "How can I even verify that?" She blinks, surprised. "You can't tell when I'm using it? Your sensitivity is lower than I thought..." "Shockingly, I don't spend a lot of time honing my ability to experience death." "Next time, then." She skips past me and calls out to David. "Hey, David! Where's Nathan?" "Yo, Haru. He's out teaching a class - something I've gotta do in a few. If you want something, make it fast." "Oh, well if you're in a hurry, that's not a problem." Aki points at one of the nearby shelves. "I just need you to help me find something." "You mean like a book? I guess I can help?" As soon as Aki leads David to the shelf, Naoki hurries to the table and begins to rifle through David's bag. It's... potentially the least smooth thing I've ever seen him do. "Hey!" David marches toward Naoki, fists clenched. "What are you doing!?" Naoki jerks back, accidentally spilling the contents of David's bag across the floor. "Looking for something?" "No, of course not. I just... tripped." "Yeah, right. You were trying to take my stuff!" Aki places a hand on David's shoulder and pulls him back. "I-it was just an accident!" The twins are handling this with all the grace of a duck doing the tango. What's wrong with them? David spins on Aki. "Nice try! You were trying to distract me while he stole my stuff!" "I told you! It was just an accident!" David crosses his arms. "Tell it to the cops. I'm calling the police." "No! Please don't. You got us, okay? Just... what do you want?" "Let's start with you two telling me why you're trying to steal my stuff." Naoki hangs his head, defeated. "I was looking for money..." "We sneak onto campuses like this all the time. Students are less likely to report a theft." "Nice try. But you can't just sneak into the prospective student program." "Care to try again?" "Fine..." "Western University hired us to try to steal your research." "They handled all the details, like getting us into the accepted student register." "So you wanted to steal my notes?" "Um... your ID card, actually..." "We were planning to sneak into the lab later on." "Those guys at Western are even more desperate than I thought." "You go back to whoever hired you and tell them not to bother. They'll never get their hands on our research." "We're really sorry. It was just a job. No hard feelings, you know?" "Is there anything we can do to pretend this never happened?" "I don't know... that's a pretty big secret to keep." Naoki lets out a low whistle. "Wow, he really is in it for the money, isn't he?" "I wonder what would happen if we told Jupiter that he's willing to take part in a coverup for some cash?" "What? You wouldn't!" "If you tell her anything, I'll tell that cop you tried to steal from me." "It won't do you any good. We work with him." "What? But-" "We're not from Western. There's been a leak, and Dr. Johansen asked us to look into it." "What sort of leak?" "Someone's been sneaking into the lab late at night and logging in using Nathan's ID card. Dr. Johansen was afraid that this person was selling off information to Western." "What are you talking about? He knows that was-" David stops mid-sentence. "Knows what?" "Nothing." "I'd like to remind you that you were willing to accept a bribe from a rival school." "Fine, fine. It was me." "What?" "I'm the one who used Nathan's card. We switch off cards every day. So every other week, I'd sneak out while Aaron was away at his card game." "Oh..." "Wouldn't have called that one, actually." "Johansen knows about it. He caught me like last month or something." "And he didn't kick you out?" "He gave me a second chance, because he's a decent person." "So you didn't, say, kill him to keep him from expelling you?" "Are you jaggin'? Who kills a guy over something like that!?" "You've got to be pretty messed up to kill someone like Dr. Johansen." "Anyway, I've really gotta get to class. Am I free to go, or are you going to keep blaming me for stuff?" "We couldn't keep you here if we wanted." "Then I'm out." "Well... that went well?" "It did, didn't it?" "Not to question your methods or anything, but what was all that nonsense about you guys selling stuff to Western?" "Just testing to see if he was the rat or not." "If he had been selling information to Western, he would have been protective of his territory. Instead of telling Western that it's useless, he would have ordered us to back off." "But he didn't! He was offended at the very notion of selling Edgewater secrets." "By making him think he caught us, we gave him the higher ground. We were at his mercy, so to speak." "And thus, he was willing to make himself vulnerable by demanding a bribe, because he thought he had leverage." "Oh. Well, I guess that works." "But we just eliminated our most plausible motive. What are we going to do now?" "We'll just have to go over everything again. Maybe we'll see something different now that we know what we know." "Well, we don't have many options. Nathan, David, and Jupiter are all out somewhere teaching." "Then we'll start with who we have." "Li Mei's going to talk to Aaron..." "That leaves Shawn and Chance." "Which one do you want?"
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May 28, 2023 01:22
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That was a cute trick. The twins are really done much better than the previous game.
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May 28, 2023 04:26
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"Your what?" "Chance." "Um..?" "Long story. Don't ask." "That's fine. You take Chance, and we'll talk to Shawn." "Meet up at the fountain afterwards?" "Sure." I quickly make my way to the cafeteria. "Do you really have to call me that?" "We ARE partners, aren't we?" I kind of regret agreeing to this... "You look pretty worn out." "Well, I thought I had a lead, but it wound up being nothing..." "Would you like a coffee? I can get something for you from the cafeteria." "Oh. That actually sounds pretty good..." "Great! Hang on a sec. I'll be right back!" Chance scurries off, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a group of college kids playing a board game about colonizing space. Okay... I pace back and forth, trying hard not to eavesdrop on the space colonials. Apparently they're trading supplies with aliens now. Li Mei approaches swiftly. She looks serious. Then again, when does she not? "What's up?" "We have found something..." "We? You mean you and Aaron?" Li Mei nods slowly. "He showed me his photos. He said it would help him calm down." "And?" "Here." Li Mei hands me a printout of one of the photos Aaron took yesterday. It features Naoki and I mid-sentence, acting as a convenient frame for the bell tower. A sleek, blue bike is propped against the brick wall of the bell tower. "I don't remember seeing that when we found the body..." "Someone was there yesterday morning, right in the middle of our time window." Li Mei nods. "That's one of the campus bikes, isn't it?" "Shawn could tell you for sure." Chance pops up over my shoulder and smiles. "Is that a clue?" "Maybe. I don't know." I try to hide the photo from her, but she's already seen enough. "Let me see it! It's not fair to keep your assistant in the dark like that!" Li Mei flinches slightly, but she makes no comment. "If it's one of the campus bikes, Shawn'll know for sure. His family donated them, after all!" "Let's go talk to him!" "Oh. Yeah, that's a good idea..." "See? I told you having me around would be useful!" With a smug smile, Chance holds out a paper coffee cup to me. "Coffee AND crime solving! I do it all!" "Um, okay..." "Um..?" "Case first. Drink later." Chance giggles. "Okay, okay. You don't have to be so bossy about it! Let's go find Shawn." Chance marches purposefully toward the student lounge, and I follow closely behind.
  "Hey you two. Getting along, I hope?" "Of course! We just had something to ask you." "Seems like I'm in high demand. Haru and Kizaki were just here." "Well, we probably have something different to ask." I hand Shawn the photo. "That's one of the bikes your family donated to the campus, right?" "Is there anyway to figure out who was using it?" Shawn runs his fingers through his hair nervously. "Um... not really. Sorry, dude." Shawn shifts his weight uncomfortably and tries not to look Chance in the eye. "Are you sure? I mean..." "Trust me. It's fine." "Well, it's kind of hard to tell, but I don't think this bike is one of ours. Not anymore, at least." "Not anymore?" "The bikes at this school undergo a lot of abuse, so my family donates new bikes every few years." "The old ones are sold to students at a heavily discounted rate." "And this is one of the older bikes?" "Yes. This looks like it came from a fleet we retired five years ago. Whoever owns this must have bought it back then." "But-" "What's wrong?" "I know who killed Dr. Johansen!" "You do?" Shawn coughs uncomfortably. "Whoever left the bike there must have been in the tower at that time. Which means whoever owns the bike is probably the killer." "Nathan did it." "Nathan? Are you sure?" "He's the only one who's been at this school long enough. The only person who was around to buy a bike five years ago is him." "Well... I guess that makes sense... but why would he do it?" "We'll ask him when we confront him about it." "Then let's get going." "Wait, both of us?" "Of course! The detective can't just leave the assistant behind when confronting the culprit! Besides, you don't even know where Nathan IS right now." I bite my lip to hold back an unpleasant exclamation. She's right. "Fine. Where is he?" "At the lab. He always goes there to sleep after he teaches his class." "He leaves the building locked, so you'll need me to open the door for you." "Okay, okay. Let's just go." Chance pumps her fist into the air and cheers. "Yay! This is going to be fun!" I pull my phone from my pocket and select Gurski's name from my contact list. "Ooh, who are you calling?" "No one. Just sending a text to the police officer. It's kind of a good idea to alert the police, don't you think?" Chance tries to peek over my shoulder, but I pull away from her. I dash a few paces away from her and hurriedly type out It's Nathan - going to lab now." Chance is watching me closely, and I suddenly feel very uneasy. I send the text and shove the phone back into my pocket before Chance can do anything else. "So, uh... let's keep going."  "Sure thing, partner!" Chance offers a cheerful salute. "Right. Um... I'm heading upstairs, then." I tread up the stairs slowly, trying not to make any sound. I think I can hear someone moving around upstairs, but it might just be my imagination. "Nathan?" The door slams against my head, which, in turn, slams against the wall. "Agh!" Nathan leaps out from behind the door, brandishing his light sword at me. I duck his first swing and grab for him, but he lightly steps out of my reach. "How did you figure it out!?" He snarls at me, keeping me a sword's length away from him. "The bike." "What about it?" "You were in a hurry to meet Dr. Johansen, so you used your bike to get there. Aaron snapped a picture of it." He scowls and takes a few hurried steps down into the hallway. "What happened, Nathan? It was an accident, right?"  "I pushed him. Just wanted to give him a little incentive, but he hit his head on the wall." "And what? Did that knock him out?" Nathan looks sullen. "I didn't expect him to be so delicate." "But why destroy his body?" "Because he was still alive, and he wouldn't listen to reason." "Sort of like you!" With a sudden burst of speed, Nathan turns and races down the hallway. "Chance! Gurski!" Nathan bursts out the lab's back door and turns on me immediately. The door behind me slams shut, and he punches a button on the number pad. On the other side of the door, I hear a resounding thud followed by frantic pounding. "What did you do?" "Don't blame me. It's not my fault the sensors don't work." He smirks. "Nah, I'm being too modest. It really is my fault." I grab Nathan and push him against the door. "Open it!" He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm gonna do that." I can hear Detective Gurski and Chance conferring hurriedly. "What is he talking about?" "The doors are always locked, but the sensors inside are supposed to unlock them any time someone wants to leave." I yell over Nathan's shoulder. "I don't suppose you can turn them back on?" "I-I think the computer in the lab controls it?" "Then let's get going!" The voices on the other side of the door fade quickly. "Nice call. Too bad I'll be gone by then." With a sudden heave, Nathan twists from my grip. He offers me a mocking salute before turning and racing down the alleyway towards the street.   Aki strolls around the building, hands resting casually in her pockets. Nathan skids to a halt. "Let me go." "Oh, you know I can't do that." Nathan draws his sword and smashes the end against the wall. The glass shatters, leaving a pointed glass blade. He levels the fractured sword at Aki. "I will kill you." Naoki appears from the street, placing himself squarely between Nathan and Aki. Nathan glares at him. "What are YOU going to do about it?" He rushes Naoki and thrusts his sword at his neck. Naoki calmly sidesteps his attack, catches Nathan's sword arm in his hand, and spins him around. Nathan stumbles toward Aki. She skips back a few paces, hands still in her pockets. "Why did you kill Dr. Johansen?" Nathan steadies himself and aims his sword at her again. "That's why he came back! He wanted to get rid of it all!" With a ferocious growl, he dashes towards her, sword at the ready. She ducks his thrust, and his sword finds nothing but empty air. She kicks his legs, and he trips over her. He rolls on the ground and springs back to his feet. "Of course not, but a kid like you wouldn't understand." "Maybe. Maybe not. Try me." Aki jogs backwards and leaps lightly behind Naoki. "You're a smart guy, Nathan. You know the concept of fight or flight?" "Of course I do!" Nathan practically spits the words at her. Aki beams at him as if he just offered her some freshly baked cookies. "Which one are you, Nathan? Fight or flight?" She cocks her head to the side. "What do you think, Naoki?" Naoki's voice is steady. Almost... teasing. Aki nods at the path behind Nathan leading directly to the street. Nathan doesn't even bother to turn. "I think it's because we challenged him, Aki." "Oh, Naoki! He can't stand the idea of losing!" "Shut up! Both of you!" Nathan tightens the grip on his sword and his eyes dart back and forth as if he can't pick which one he wants to impale first. With a wild scream, Nathan raises his sword and charges toward them. The twins exchange a brief glance and Aki nods approvingly at Naoki. Nathan retaliates with a punch, but Naoki pushes his fist aside with a practiced swipe. "It's not fair!" He screams at Naoki, his voice laced with hatred. The door behind me bursts open. Looks like Chance fixed it. Nathan doesn't even bother to fight back. His eyes show a mixture of defeat and rage. "Good of you to join us." Aki smirks. Gurski rolls his eyes, but I can tell he's smiling. "You really should have run when you had the chance, Nathan." Aki crosses her arms and leans casually against the wall. "Then you could have at least ten more seconds of freedom before we caught you." "It's not fair!" Nathan screams viciously. His face has lost all trace of compassion. It's almost as if something broke inside him. "Yes, I think you mentioned that already. Care to elaborate?" "Johansen picked that woman over me!" "Jupiter?" "I should have been in charge! I'm the oldest! I'm the smartest!" "And then she has the gall to choose David as second in command? He never takes anything seriously!" Nathan's getting more and more worked up by the minute. "Aaron came from that second-rate school, and they welcomed him without a thought. I'm better than all of them, but they treat me like a joke." "You killed him because you wanted a higher position at school?" Nathan laughs derisively. Detective Gurski's eyes suddenly darken. "What did you say?" Nathan glares at us.  "She? Who are-" A sudden knot forms in my stomach and I turn back to the lab. Chance is nowhere to be seen. "Kan! Where are you going?" I yell over my shoulder at the closing door. "It's Chance! She's the one who set it up!"   "That took longer than I thought. Maybe I overestimated you." "Sorry to disappoint you." "You should be. Do you have any idea what a bore it is to babysit you?" "Who are you?" "You know, I wanted to kill you from the start. I probably would have if you had gotten too close." "But..?" "You can be arrested for conspiracy, you know." "If you can catch me. And if you're wondering about your friends, they can't get in. Their cards have expired already. There may have been a little typo in the database when Shawn issued them." "What is Dragon's Blood?" "Why does Nathan want it?" "All these questions! I think you already know the answer, but you're just afraid to say it."  Chance flicks a crumpled sheet of paper at me, and it bounces along the ground harmlessly. "Until next time." Chance turns and strides toward the front door. "Wait!" I race forward and grab her wrist.     A car pulls up and she opens the door. Shawn is sitting in the driver's seat. He glances at me with an air of cool disinterest. Chance steps into the car and slams the door shut, leaving me to watch them disappear down the street.   I rub my head slowly, but the pounding headache from Chance isn't going away. "No idea where they went?" "I barely had any idea of where I was. Whatever she did really hurt..." "Please try to relax." "What do you think I'm doing?" I try not to snap at Naoki, but I still feel miserable. Li Mei knowingly places her hand on mine and smiles reassuringly. "You did well." "She's right. We lost Chance and Shawn, but at least we caught the killer." "Yeah, I guess that's a good thing. How did you two even know where to find me?" "Li Mei." "She came to us after you and Chance went off together." "If not for her, Nathan would be long gone by now." "I find it hard to believe Nathan would do that. Did he really hate me that much?" Jupiter sighs and shakes her head. "If I had just known... Maybe if I had chosen him instead of David..." "You can't blame yourself for his decisions." "At least we have a lead to follow now." "That's right! We still didn't manage to collect Johansen's old research!" "Oh, I can help you with that." "Really?" Jupiter walks to the computer and types in a few lines. "What did you need?" "Nathan said something about Dragon's Blood. Do you know what that is?" Jupiter nods, and her fingers fly across the keyboard. "As far as I know, Dr. Johansen didn't get much further than a few odd notes, but they might be useful." "Are you sure you can give this to us? Aren't they classified or something?" "In Dr. Johansen's absence, I'm qualified to give the government anything I deem pertinent." "That includes this."  "Technically, I'm the only government employee here." "Awww, Miko! That's mean!" "You'd be required to turn it in to me, anyway. I'm just saving you the trouble." "You're an enemy of fun, you know that?" "Call it what you want." Gurski pockets the drive before Aki can protest any more. "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, just let me know." "Um... I do have one strange request..." "Ask." "Your rabbit. The one Li Mei caught the other night. Can we have it?" "I suppose it would do no harm. We're likely to be disbanded and sent to work with other people now." "Why do you want it?" "Um... I guess everything that happened these past few days got me thinking." Jupiter sighs. "Noble indeed, but it's not always that simple." "Maybe not. But this time, it is."  "Alright, kids. I'm glad we all had great fun, but it's time to go home." "Well, there's still one more thing..." "Oh?" I hold up the crumpled paper that Chance tossed at me. "A flyer for a resort? Don't tell me you need a break from this relaxing job, Kan." "Cute, but no. Have a closer look." Naoki leans forward and reads the flyer's cheery message.  "You're kidding." "You know this place, Miko?" "No, but Kangai does." "It's the place where I... where we solved our first case." "So this... is an invitation?" "It is. And I'm going to accept it." Aki grins and pats me on the back. 
Gallery:  Director's Notes:  Epilogue:       
    
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Jun 2, 2023 |
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May 29, 2023 23:20
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A much more complete ending this time! Thanks for the LP! Does this game have a sequel though? I thought it was a trilogy.
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May 30, 2023 04:02
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NeoRonTheNeuron posted:A much more complete ending this time! Thanks for the LP! The op says: "The fourth game in the series, Shinsei, is currently in development, with no estimated release timeframe at the time of this post."
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May 30, 2023 04:05
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Ah, I see. 2013 was the last release... I doubt Shinsei is gonna happen at this rate.
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May 30, 2023 04:15
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As of 3rd July, the bulk of the writing for Shinsei is done. Sprites, backgrounds and music are complete. CG's, voice acting and playtesting are still works in progress.
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Jul 8, 2023 00:54
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Fingers crossed.
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Jul 8, 2023 02:53
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