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Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion

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

0 · 937 views · located in Unnamed City

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

Description

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Name || Laeticia Celine Concepcion

Age || 22

Gender || Female

Sexuality || Heterosexual

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

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

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

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

Room Number || Room 102 (Solo Unit)

Roommate || N/A


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colors || Speech = Goldenrod / Thought = Orangered

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So begins...

Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Sunday - 10:00 AM

"Man, you'd expect that since it's a Sunday, it'll be a lot quieter!" Cel thought irritably as Aziz's loud music blared from the second floor. Normally, Aziz wouldn't have gotten access to the stereo upstairs but seeing that most of the residents had gone home, no one really was around to reprimand him or anything. Technically there is Cel but--she doesn't get paid enough to put up with his antics.

"Rowdy morning as usual." Cel looked up from her desk and saw one of the dormers, Sora, headed out. She had already bathed and changed into the clothes she usually wore to work on weekends.

"Hey Sora." Cel greeted back. "What's going on? Don't you usually leave around 12?"

"I need to stop by somewhere before that. Just need to check on a few things." Sora explained before her attention turned to the noise. "What's with this guy?"

"Don't know either. Anyway, is Nagisa awake? I got a new movie she might be interested in."

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I get kind of tired sometimes that I fail to notice things. Anyway, I'm off."

"Bye."

As soon as Sora had walked out the door, Aziz came rushing down the stairs, grinning to himself. "Hey there, my pretty consort~"

"Aziz." Cel calmly called out, giving him a stern eye. "You do know that messing with the second floor stereos aren't allowed?"

"Yeah but see, there was no one there when I came in so--I kind of just plugged in my Mp3." Aziz looked around the lobby to see if there were any other people around. "No seemed to mind."

"Umm, I kind of do mind? Granted this job's not the most exciting job in the world but I would at least like some peace and quiet? It's kind of hard to talk with all the noise."

"You mean you don't like my sick beats?"

"Not that I think your choice of songs are bad; everyone's entitled to what they like after all. But 'New Flame' isn't exactly something I want to listen to at, let's see...10:25 in the morning."

"Better than the yoga and zumba crap the swim guys listen to whenever they use the pool." Aziz explained. A few weeks ago, the pool was rented out to the Partisan Rose Male Swimming Team in order to bring in more income. Cel personally didn't mind if it meant getting a raise. "Anyway, I heard there's something going on at Bishop's Park. Want to come check it out?"

"Sorry, I'll have to pass. Can't leave the desk since my partner's not around. But what's happened there exactly?"

"Folks online said it might be a meteor! But I don't know. That's why I want to see it." Aziz explained.

"You'd be better off towing Makoto or Yoite along since this thing's up their alley. Kanade might also be interested, I suppose." Cel thought of some people she knew who might be interested in those things.

"Of course! What do you think the morning new flame is for?" Aziz turned to face the stairs, looking all excited like a child waiting for a toy. "Watch out Cel, the first wave of people approaching Cel's Complaints Desk is coming--Now!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Sunday - 10:00 AM

Hotaru was starting to wake up from a day long sleep she went through yesterday. It had been a particularly brutal week as most first weeks tend to go. She was adjusting slowly to life at the Kurogane Technical Institute and found it a lot harder than she had even expected. As she got up and stretched, Hotaru saw her roommate playing on her cellphone. She assumed the girl was talking to one of her online friends again.

"Hey, Menou?"

The black haired girl grunted a bit in a small response.

"I'm gonna go over to the pool. Did you want to get a swim in?"

The black haired girl only answered with a small shake of the head. Hotaru frowned a little, worried for her roommate but since the two weren't particularly close yet, she chose not to say anything.

"Alright then. I'll see you later then..."

Hotaru grabbed a swimsuit and walked over to the indoor pool. Along the way, she saw a girl with long white hair reading from a book.

"Ah, Noa. Good morning~!"

Hotaru chirped in a happy voice. Noa looked over and nodded slightly.

"The morning is hardly what I would consider good but it is nice to see you as well, Emirsdottir. I trust you slept well?"

"Ah, yeah~! A day long sleep is just the fuel I need to get back to work."

Noa blinked.

"I barely see why you would need a "day long sleep" if you just adjusted your sleeping schedule according to the world around you. It's not good to be denying your body rest."

"Ehehe~ I know it's not the right thing for me to do but I've been doing it for so long that it's kind of become a habit of me to just... forget sleeping."

Hotaru laughed nervously as Noa sighed a little.

"Well, perhaps at some point, I can provide you with an effective-"

No sooner did the suggestion start to leave Noa's mouth that loud music began to blare from the hallways.

"What is this screeching nonsense...?"

Hotaru sighed.

"Chris Brown is what it is. I mean, it's a change of pace from Zumba but I was actually looking forward to doing some Zumba exercises. Who messed with the stereo?"

"I've been around long enough to take a wild guess."

Both girls turned to see Yoite and Akeno in the hallway. Both of their hair was damp and their clothes were put over themselves. It was a bit obvious that the two were swimming together in the pool only to get out at the sound of the music change. Yoite laughed a little.

"But yeah, Aziz is the only guy I know that could do something like this. That guy sure does love trolling."

Akeno pouted a little but waved hello to Hotaru and Noa. Hotaru waved hello back with a smile while Noa turned away a little.

"I am going to go and have a little "discussion" with the man. Assuming no one else gets to him first, I'd like to reprimand him on his atrocious choice in music."

"I'll go with you."

Noa quirked an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

"Well, at least one person has to make sure no one murders him. Plus, maybe he just wants to talk and this is his... weird way of saying it."

"Ah! In that case, I'll come along too~ Akeno, wanna say good morning to Aziz and Cel?"

Akeno's face brightened as she nodded happily in agreement. With that mild discussion, the four went downstairs to the front desk to find Aziz himself and Cel.

"Good morning, Cel~ Sorry you had to get Aziz'd again."

Akeno tugged a bit on Aziz's sleeve and started to sign to him once she had his attention.

'Hi, Azi! The music you played in the pool sounds really good! Is there any more songs you have that I can listen to?'

Noa frowned a little at the purple haired man.

"Harumi, I do not appreciate that incessant clatter you call music being blared across the hallway. I was fine when it was in your room where the only damage you could inflict was on yourself and Nobuyuki but not in a public area."

Hotaru just weakly chuckled. This morning was already off to a wild start.

"Good morning, Cel-chan and Aziz-kun..."

As soon as Hotaru said that, Madoka descended downstairs. He took one look at the scene around him, sighed heavily then focused his gaze on Aziz.

"Aziz, what did you do this time?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Sunday - 10:00 AM

Nagisa stared tirelessly at the unfinished drawing on her desk- a machine design she still hadn't finished up until now. Though she had been working for three hours on homework- she awoke at 7:00 AM; an oddity, as she usually woke up two hours earlier than that- and this drawing, she still hadn't the faintest idea of what to do with it.

Her gaze drifted to Chomper, who was sitting on her desk, staring with blank eyes. She reached over and instinctively switched him on.

While the robotic raptor's clear areas started turning blue, she heard loud music being played from the second floor. With a grimace, she watched as Chomper hopped off the table, staring up at her and reacting to the sound...just as his AI had been programmed to do. Nagisa hadn't programmed him herself, of course not. She wasn't that good yet.

The moment she stepped out of her room- Chomper following suit beside her legs- she immediately heard a sharp thumping down the hall. Looking over she recognized Kanade's shaggy hair; and besides, who couldn't mistake the heavy thumping her boots made?

"It's 10 in the morning-- who plays this shit in the morning?!"

This was going to be a good morning, Nagisa told herself as she winced. Looking around the area, the other girls weren't around to back her up.

"Clearly only one person in the dorm would, and his name starts with A and ends with -ziz."

"Hell-- don't get me wrong, I like this, but this shit should be played at night."

Kanade's insults and complaints droned on Nagisa's ears as they descended, joined no sooner than the other resident oddball, already wrapped up in his black coat and purple scarf.

"What is this ruckus in this hour?"

Soichiro grunted, his glare made worse by the fact that he seemed like he hadn't slept; Nagisa briefly wondered whether he had stayed up all night doing another one of his rituals.

She didn't realize she voiced that thought out loud until Kanade shot her a pitiful look and Soichiro's gaze hardened.

"Of course, manipulator of machines! I have not slept, for I have been trying to find my old nemesis!"

"And did you succeed?"

Soichiro hung his head and buried his face in his scarf.

"...No."

"You should just quit while you're ahead, oddball."

Upon reaching the first floor, Nagisa noticed the amount of people now gathered around Aziz. She got ready to reach out a hand to block Kanade's quickening steps, but then she heard another voice pipe in.

"Hey now-- what's up with y'all and complainin' about Aziz's sick beats?"

Oh god, it was him.

Kujo was stepping down from the stairwell, yawning and adjusting his draped jacket. He was grinning- yet another thing that annoyed Nagisa.

"Mornin' everyone. Takamine, I thought you'd appreciate it since-- you know."

"It's trap music? Shit, I can appreciate this but only at night, not at fuckin' 10!"

"Hmph, mortals and their music..."

Nagisa shook her head and completely bypassed her arguing companions, leaning against the reception desk and sighing deeply.

"Crazy morning as usual...did Sora leave already?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"And the cavalry has arrived!" Aziz proudly declares as most of the population had arrrived--a little less enthusiastic with the whole noise he caused.

"Hey guys. Guess it didn't take long for you to find the culprit eh?" Cel greeted them almost apologetic. Some didn't seem to mind like Hotaru, Yoite and Akeno, who was tugging at his sleeve, making him laugh a bit. Madoka and Noa were...not satisfied at all with the whole ensemble.

"Ah well, you see--" Just as Aziz started on his explanation, Nagisa, Soichiro, Kanade and Kujo arrived at the scene as well. "Kujo! Takamine-chan! I need backup!"

"I don't think they'll be backing you up here." Cel sighed as Nagisa leaned on the desk, asking about Sora. "Yeah she left a little before this grape showed up. But it's nothing new isn't it? Sora's barely around most of the time."

Befored Madoka and Noa could murder him, Aziz brought out his proposition. "The truth is, I heard there was something going on at Bishop's Park so I decided to come tell you guys. Some dudes online were saying it might be a meteor but I don't know. If it is, I'm sure it's going to be pretty valuable. If not, well, I reckon it'll be cool regardless."

To get away from the commotion, he leapt up at the coffee table in the lounge, in a vain attempt to look taller than he really is. "Since King-wannabe's not around and Cel's stuck minding the CDC, I figured I should ask you guys! One professor of mine always told me to work smart and not hard so instead of going door to door to your rooms, I decided to gather you here instead! Haha! My genius surprises even me!"

"So come on! Who knows? It might be a relic from Tyrannica! Or, or--maybe a fraction of an alien robot species from outer space! With a mustache~"

"And that concludes his report I guess. If you all want to head to the park, you should get going now while the sun's not too harsh yet."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Hotaru turned her focus over to Aziz after giggling over Cel's grape comment. Apparently, there was going to be an event going on in Bishop's Park. Hotaru knew a couple of co-workers who visited Bishop's Park around the night to look up at the sky. Perhaps she could talk to them if nothing else.

"That actually sounds like fun, Aziz. Sure, I'd like to go with you~!"

Akeno meanwhile had a more exaggerated reaction. Her eyes widened at the idea of going to see something potentially out of the ordinary at Bishop Park. She started to sign excitedly. Madoka quirked an eyebrow.

"What is she saying?"

"She's saying "take me too" and "Can I go too?" Haha, of course you can go too. Aziz did invite all of us so he meant you too."

Akeno smiled widely before jumping a bit in joy and hugging Yoite. Yoite laughed a bit and ruffled Akeno's hair a bit as she let go and hugged Aziz as if thanking him before letting him go. Yoite hummed a bit.

"It's been quite a while since I went to Bishop Park. I don't see why not. After all, there is beauty in the world that's just waiting for my canvas. Even if said beauty comes from a mustache sporting alien robot."

He laughed a bit. Madoka hummed a bit.

"I have nothing better to do. Sure."

Hotaru flinched a bit at how blunt Madoka was in his answer, laughing a little nervously.

"I-Is there any way you could have said that a bit nicer...?"

Madoka turned his gaze to Hotaru before caving.

"Count me in..."

"Well count me out."

Akeno pouted a bit at her roommate but Noa ignored her gaze.

"I have a lot of homework I need to catch up on, someone has to house-sit Blue Lotus with Concepcion-san and the idea that the thing that fell to earth is a robot is frankly somewhat naïve of you to think."

"There's Menou! She's still in the house."

Noa frowned a little.

"I understand that Koizumi is in the house too but, frankly, I wonder about her perception of things."

Hotaru sighed.

"Well, it's your choice in the end. So, looks like Yoite-kun, Madoka-kun, Akeno-chan and I are coming along with you, Aziz~ Is there anyone else who wants to come along?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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At the prospect of a meteor crash, the group's attention was immediately caught. Nagisa rolled her eyes- though it was obvious that the other three she had come down with here were already thinking of going. Well, she couldn't blame them- they were socialites, except for maybe Soichiro anyway.

"Did you say-- a relic of Tyrannica?!"

And there he goes.

"Then I must, by all means, investigate this! If it turns out to be something very valuable then I must see it for myself! Fuahahahah!"

In a whirling mess of black and purple, Soichiro was already out the door, faster than any racer they've seen. Kujo laughed a little.

"Hell yeah I'm going! I need a little morning air to freshen up you know?"

"Shit-- if there's any valuable scrap there I'm taking it! No one can stop me!"

Nagisa suddenly felt rather...unnerved. Turning, she noticed Kanade and Kujo's stares landing right on her. With a grimace, she started to turn around slowly.

"...What?"

"Are you coming along, Nagi?"

She wanted to avoid this question. She did plan on leaving, but not to Bishop's Park. She leaned down and picked up Chomper, lightly stroking his head and listening to the low rumbles he emitted as his tail swayed to calm down.

"...Maybe, but I'm not going to be staying to see the rest. I have some business to take care of."

"Awesome! That's almost all of us...well, aside from a couple of killjoys."

Kujo spoke the last part quietly, more to himself if anything before crossing his hands behind his head and grinning.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Aziz grinned upon seeing the number of people he managed to string up together. Eight people plus him. With this, he finally jumped down from the table.

"Cool! Well, last one to the park buys free drinks--!" After that declaration, Aziz practically stormed off, leaving the others to catch up with him. Seeing this, Cel sighed.

"And there he goes. Well, everyone knows the place at this point but just to refresh your memory, Bishop's Park is a little beyond Partisan Rose. Once you reach the school, you just take a ten minute walk up north." She explained to the others, seeing that the instigator's already stormed off. The other people did not seem to be very interested in going. Once the others have vacated the room though...Cel noticed something...off...

"Ah! That idiot left his Mp3 plugged in!"



Bishop's Park - 11:05 AM

A bunch of people have crowded on the site where the unidentified object crashed. A news van belonging to a local media station was parked, bringing out equipment needed to film the event. The park has both an open field and a children's playground with a couple of fountains going off at set intervals. Statues of historical people also adorned areas of the park. One statue, which was of a hero, was badly damaged. From the looks of it, it was where the unidentified object crashed through. The statue's head was blown clean off.

"Cool!" Aziz yelled as he picked up the statue's head lying on the meadow. Most of the people's attention was on the unidentified object so no one saw him as he picked it up. "This stuff's made from real bronze! Hey Ikeda! How much would you think this will sell when we pawn it off?" Aziz asked, tossing the head towards Kujo, his "sales associate".

"But check out that wreck! I'm guessing the souls of hero's enemies here did not like the adoration he received now." Aziz muttered as he ran closer to the commotion. Most of the people stood taller than him so he had quite a hard time trying to see what's in front. "So they called down retribution from the heavens--hey, watch the shirt!" He brushed aside another man aside as he finally made it through.

"Shit! Look at that!" Aziz pointed to a large rock sitting squarely on the hero's platform. From the looks of the smoke rising around it, it seems like it was quite hot. "Guys, you seeing this?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"Yeah! Hope you got a big room--Wait, all the other rooms are standard sized right? Only Cel's room is bigger since she's technically an admin." Aziz grinned as he saw everyone, save for Nagisa, agreed to visit Menou.

"Let's go after we finish this then! I don't know about you guys but I'm getting seconds. All that running must've depleted my energy~"



Blue Lotus - 3:00 PM
"Well, guess who's back!" Cel greeted Makoto as he strode inside the lobby, bags in hand.

"Yeah, I decided to come home a little earlier since I wanted to beat the traffic." Makoto sets his bags on the floor for a bit in order to write on the log book. "A little quiet today huh? Where is everyone?"

"Oh, they all went to Bishop's to check out the meteor. Knowing Aziz though, they may have gotten involved in something. Again." Cel sighed as she explained.

"Meteor? You mean the plane engine?"

"Is that what it was?"

"That's what I read up on the news. Only thing is, no planes were reported to have been around the area and no airline reported anything missing from their planes either. It's a total mystery." Makoto finishes writing. "Anyway, I'll just drop these back at my room then I'm going out again."

"Hmm? Where? You gonna check it out as well?"

"Nah, I've already read the news. I'm going to stop by the farmer's market and pick up some stuff. Was thinking of cooking something for everyone. The kitchen's available right?" Makoto asked as he explained his plan. Cel could only laugh.

"Normally it isn't but since you'll be feeding all of us, I guess I can talk to the guys on your behalf."

"Thanks. Would've talked to them myself but you're much more popular. And older." Makoto teases her a bit before making his way to the stairs.

"The way you said that made it sound like I'm some kind of grandma."

"No, that's not what I meant. That wasn't my intention." Makoto laughed as he made his way to his room. He walked around the quiet halls which was quite strange considering Aziz always played his music the loudest during this hour.

"Well, all the more advantageous for me."

"I'm heading out now. Want to come along?" Makoto passed Cel in the lobby again as he made his way out.

"Sorry." Cel turns down the offer. "As you can see, my hands are tied."

"Alright. Don't tell anyone I'm back 'kay? Especially Menou."

"Is it supposed to surprise them?"

"Maybe. Well see you later!"



"Uh...is it just me, or was that King-wannabe just now?" Aziz led the others back to the dorm once they had all finished their lunch. He was holding a brown bag containing some takeout to give to Hotaru's roommate and chatting with Kujo about their next scheme when he noticed a familiar figure leaving the dorm.

"Oh well, guess he's back then. Lead the way to the room then, Hotaru-chan!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"Oh...so this is what it looks like!"

The look on Aziz's face practically screamed amazed when he stepped into the room. It was actually the first time he had gone into one of the girls' rooms--Menou's room at that. He wondered how much of this girl he's not seeing yet though as she admits, Hotaru probably chose most of the colors.

"So what do you often do around here? Late night chat? Discussing crushes? Comparing breast sizes? Just kidding about the last bit though~" Aziz asked in a teasing manner, making himself comfortable on one of the beds. "Akeno, you should take it easy. We're in the presence of a cryptid!" Aziz teased once again.

He noticed Kujo checking out the game consoles so he went over to give them a look as well. "Cool! Any of you play CS: GO? I may not look like it but I'm pretty beast with an SMG! Anyone up for a round?" Aziz asked Menou and Hotaru, though the question may have seemed too out of the blue.



Seeing that almost everyone had gone up to Menou's room and Makoto's off to the farmer's market, Cel practically spent her time in silence. Some old tunes were playing on the radio she kept by the desk so she would occasionally sing along to the songs she knows should they come up. In the middle of the song "Terrified", one of the other admins approached her from one of the rooms.

"What's up?" Cel greeted.

The admin nodded back and the two made small chat for a while. He handed over some papers to Cel who gave it a quick scan.

"Tomorrow? This is quite sudden. Was "he" notified about this in advance?"

"Ryota-san went up to his room yesterday but he wasn't around so no. He was hoping you'd be the one to break the news when he comes back."

"Figures. Well, he often goes home on weekends. Maybe that's why you're unable to reach him."

"Yeah. Well, you know how it is with this feeling big shots. They often do not pay attention to other's schedules. This one doesn't seem to be too much hassle though."

"Hope so. I don't think I want to settle another room dispute sometime soon."

"Alright. Leave it to you then, Cel?"

"Sure."



Blue Lotus - 4:00 PM

"I'm back." Makoto greeted Cel again upon arriving from the market, grocery bags in hand.

"Well you sure took your sweet time." Cel waved back and took out her log book. "By the way Makoto, Mr. Ryota told me that you might be getting a roommate soon. Well--tomorrow actually. He came up to your room to tell you yesterday but, you had already gone home the night before so--"

"Whoah! Slow down--what?" Makoto was visibly surprised at the announcement.

"Hey, don't look at me--I'm just the girl on the desk. I don't know the details myself but--looking over the person's file, they don't seem to be too bad."

"I don't really want another Aziz incident in the room though..."

"Well, we'll never know. Guess you'll just have to adapt. Anyway, what is that?" Cel asked, pointing at the bags Makoto held in hand.

"Hmm? Oh, I was thinking of cooking a simple stew with these. Figured almost everyone's been eating dry food and all for the past few days. Personal favorite of mine as well."

"Need any help with that? Would it take long to cook?"

"I'll be using tenderloin so I don't think it's going to take too long. I may need some help with the rice though. But are you fine with just leaving the desk?" Makoto asks.

"Rise just arrived so she can take over my shift in the meantime. Besides, I've been here since morning. Need to get my ass off the chair and exercise a bit." Upon saying that, Cel rose up and did some stretching. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up with you. Just need to tell Rise."

"Alright."

Like what Cel told him, Makoto was allowed to use the bigger kitchen on the second floor in order to cook dinner for the night. He started by cutting most of the ingredients into smaller pieces and arranging them in a large circular plate. Cel came up afterwards to help out with the rice and the cleaning. The two made small talk as they worked, moving meticulously around the kitchen like they were working on some cutting-edge machinery. Most of Makoto's inquiries were about his new roommate. Clearly the incident with Aziz never really left his mind.

"And it's done!" Makoto proudly declares as he shuts off the gas valve.

"Looks good--Hey! I used to eat this back home!" Cel remarked upon seeing the stew Makoto made. "Catering to my tastes eh?"

"Huh? I didn't even know you liked this." Makoto laughs. "Unlike Sora, I can only know how to cook a handful of things that doesn't just involve frying or putting in the microwave."

"Even still--think of it this way: If you know how to cook, you'll never go hungry in your entire life. You'll always be able to find something."

"Yeah, I guess. We should probably call the others though. Food might get cold."

"I'll give them a holler. You can arrange the plates. They're all up in Menou's room anyway."

"Wait--even Aziz?" Makoto looked rather worried.

"Yep." Cel answered back. "Guess I gotta hurry huh?"

After three sharp knocks on Menou and Hotaru's door, Cel called them over to the second floor.

"Hey guys! Food's ready downstairs. Better get it while it's hot and free!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Menou blushed heavily at Aziz's question. She confessed that she was a bit lacking in the topic of boobs and Hotaru's were bigger than hers but she would never admit it. Akeno grinned a bit at the topic. Hotaru shook her head rapidly.

"Aziz-kun, I think you watched a bit too much anime. We don't really compare boobs."

Menou blushed even redder.

"E-Emirsdottir-san, please don't say those things so casually..."

Akeno tilted her head at the word cryptid and looked over at Menou curiously.

"D-Don't worry, Akeno... I-I'm alright..."

Akeno grinned as if to say "I know" and hugged her again much to Menou's chagrin. Hotaru seemed a little concerned when Aziz and Kujo found her stash of games though.

"Ah, those are-"

"Don't go through Emirsdottir's stuff like that."

"I mean, it's fine. Just ask first before you do it next time, okay? Still, I have Counter Strike but I'm warning you, I'm a little bit rusty when it comes to this kind of thing. I'm more used to JRPGs, rhythm games and fighting games. Still, I'd like to take you on, Aziz-kun."

Hotaru grinned, accepting his challenge. Madoka sighed heavily.

"Isn't this all distracting for the supposed main reason why we came here?"

"Oh, right! Menou-san, you've been to the rooftop recently, right?"

A brief dark look crossed Menou's face. She remembered her plan vividly but wouldn't execute it until after her birthday. Shaking it off for now, she looked over at Yoite.

"Y-Yes, I have. Why?"

Yoite grinned a bit and presented the strange rock.

"I'm not sure if you heard of this or not but we went over to Bishop's Park today to discover the head of a statue cut off along with this mysterious object. Did you happen to see anything, Koizumi-san?"

"I-I'm sorry but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary last night... Hopefully we figure out what it is though..."

Menou looked off after that, a little bit frightened with this many people in her room. Yoite noticed and decided to give her space.


Blue Lotus 4:00 PM

"Yes~! I finally won!"

Hotaru cheered after finally winning a match against Aziz. She had to admit that he was really good at this game. Maybe he would make for a good co-op partner in any Let's Plays she did involving two players. Menou smiled a little as Akeno got into a handheld game and played that for a little while. Yoite was trying to talk to Madoka about the object but Madoka refused to hear it. They were all interrupted by a knock from Cel who told them that food was ready. Akeno grinned and sprinted away instantly.

"O-Oi! Akeno, don't run so fast!"

Yoite chased after her while Menou's stomach growled.

"Well, I am hungry... Hopefully no one will mind if I ate a little..."

Menou walked, a bit cautious. Hotaru grinned.

"I could always go for some food. Come on, guys!"

Hotaru walked out while Madoka followed behind her, briefly wondering a bit about Noa.


Bishop's Park 4:00 PM

Noa Arai made it to Bishop's Park once she was certain the others had left.

"Hm..."

She briefly inspected the headless statue.

"From what I can see, the head is missing. It doesn't appear to have been modeled that way. Still, part of it looks like it's cut off. Perhaps the object was hot enough to have sliced through the metal but cold enough to not melt the rest of the metal surrounding the statue..."

Noa frowned a little.

"Still, I don't see any trace of an object capable of doing that. Did they steal the item for themselves? That makes things a lot harder to understand..."

Noa just sighed irritably, cursing herself for not being able to figure out what made the statue headless.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"You sure you don't compare sizes? They're impressive. Not as much as me but hey--"

"Alright Kanade, that's enough."

Kujo grinned and raised a hand.

"Hey, let me in on the game too! I'm great at it!"

"Yeah-- by hanging behind the lines and just watching as all your teammates die! Let me on!"




"Dammit!"

"That's what you get for camping in the same spot all the time!"

"It works for Makinami, why not me?!"

The gaming session was ended when Cel came around to tell them that dinner was ready. Kujo immediately stopped, looked over and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Did you say food?"

"We just-- never mind, more food is great! Come on!"

Kanade dashed out almost instantly. Soichiro scratched his neck.

"She must be preparing to not get any sleep so that she can diagnose that mysterious relic."

"Yeah-- but Takamine's in Architecture isn't she? Shouldn't we leave this up to Makinami?"

"Humph! Two pairs of hands are always better than just one!"

Soichiro and Kujo continued chatting as they left the room, proceeding downstairs.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"Sorry to keep you waiting! We were just playing around upstairs--Whoah!!! I've never seen stew made like this before! Did you make this Cel?" Upon stumbling down on the dinner table, Aziz immediately took a sip of the food in front of him.

"No. Makoto made it." Cel explained.

"Is that so? Looks a lot less appetizing now..." Aziz's enthusiasm suddenly took a nosedive as he went back to picking on his meal. "And is this pork liver?"

"Yeah. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to you know?" Makoto, having heard the arrival of the others came walking back to the dining room, wiping his hands with a clean towel.

"That's not what I meant. We just don't eat something like this where I'm from. Not that we don't eat it per se." Aziz explained his side.

"Huh? What does that mean--Oh, right." Makoto realized.

"Well, you're a long way from home so you might as well dig in!"

"Yeah sure! Thanks King-wannabe!"

"King-wannabe?" Makoto sighed as he went over to where the others are. "Here Menou. I hope you don't mind eating pork for today?" He showed Menou to a spot on the table, bringing out a chair for her to sit down on.

"By the way, I haven't seen Arai and Nagisa around. Where did they go?" Cel suddenly remembered, asking the others about the whereabouts of the two other residents.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Menou was a little curious about Aziz's comment on Makoto being King-wannabe but thought it might have to do with him and Makoto not being roommates anymore. Still, she smiled warmly but shyly at Makoto.

"N-No, I don't mind at all. Pork is delicious... T-Thank you, Makoto."

She gently sat down and watched as Akeno ate her food happily along with Yoite. Her stomach growled in anticipation and she slowly ate at the food. She didn't really remember how good pork tasted until now and continued to eat slowly, savoring her meal. Hotaru looked up at Cel with a bright smile when she asked her question.

"Ah, Nagisa-chan? Well, she said she had to help her friend on a school project so that's probably where she was. I'm a little worried about her though. Hopefully she'll be okay coming home. As for Noa-chan? I don't really know in all honesty..."

Madoka grunted a bit at the mention of Noa Arai. He and that girl just didn't get along at all and it frustrated him that the others were somewhat worried for her.

"I'm sure she's fine."

Hotaru looked over at Madoka, still worried.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Menou looked over at the two and small nostalgia went through her. Shaking it off, she just continued to focus on her meal. Yoite hummed a little bit.

"Actually, Cel-chan. I'm a little bit full. The meal was pretty delicious though~ I'm going to go find Noa-chan."

Hotaru looked relieved.

"Thank you, Yoite-kun~"

"Don't worry about it, Hotaru-chan. Go ahead and turn in for the night without me."

He then left the others to continue their meal, walking over to where he had a feeling Noa Arai was.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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While everyone was eating, a few conversations started taking place.

"Hey, don't worry about it Emirsdottir. Nagi's made these trips alone for a while and she always comes back unscathed! She'll be fine."

"That's a must for an assassin."

Kujo snickered through another bite. Soichiro cleared his throat.

"And what of the relic--?"

"Huh? Oh right, that. I'll diagnose it when Nagi comes back, no matter what time that may be. If it's a mechanical part maybe an engineering student from Kurogane would be able to help. Though, I am a damn genius so if she doesn't show up or resists me, I'll just check it myself! Hah!"

"You could always call on me if it were a relic! I am sure that my power is enough to crack any barrier possibly surrounding that!"

"Yeah, we'd consider that after. No Satanic rituals, though, edgelord."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"No problem!" Makoto glances at Menou with a smile. "It's nothing too complicated to make actually. You sauté some onions, garlic and ginger first. Then you add in the pork and liver along with some fish sauce to bring out the flavor--" Makoto explains parts of the recipe to Menou.

"Hey, don't stay out too late!" Cel calls out to Yoite, just before he left. "I plan on hitting the hay early as well."

"Yeah, it's Monday tomorrow." Makoto recalled. "You should turn in early too Menou. Wouldn't want to be late tomorrow!"

In the middle of the meal, Kanade mentioned something about checking out a mechanical component and about asking Nagisa to help out.

"Oi Kanade, don't keep Nagisa up too long either! She's got a physical condition so don't push her too hard!" Surprisingly, Aziz, the troublemaker, was vouching for Nagisa's health condition.

"I don't think a few hours brainstorming would be enough to trigger that." Makoto sighed. Sometimes, Aziz could get a little too obvious. "Takamine-kun, I'm no engineer but I think I can help out with your little examination too. Why don't we just work on it tomorrow afternoon when I get back?"

"Uhh...don't you usually have classes until 4? How about I help out instead?" Aziz volunteers instead. "After all...you're not that good in technical stuff are you?"

"Yeah, whatever."



Blue Lotus - 7:45 PM

"That was exhausting!" Makoto slumps down in his bed. In addition to the long travel, he also had to go to the market, cook and clean the dishes. Fortunately, Cel helped him out with most of it.

"Well, I'm still not that tired yet..." Makoto rose up from bed and headed downstairs to the lobby. As usual, Cel was there and he immediately called out to her.

"Evening!"

"Well, well...What happened to turning in early for tonight?" Cel asks him as she puts down the tabloid she was reading.

"I still have some time." Makoto gazed at the scenery outside the window. "Yoite, Noa and Nagisa not back yet?"

"No. I wonder what's taking them so long?" Cel wondered about it as well.

"Hey Cel? I ran into something weird on my way home."

"Hoh? Tell me about it then."



Somewhere outside...

Sora wandered around the nearby strip mall, shopping for ingredients she needed for a dish she is to prepare in the restaurant in a couple of days. Being an apprentice was tough and competition was fierce. If she slows down her pace, she might be overtaken by the other proteges. So even if it wasn't due for a couple more days, she wanted to get a headstart and practice as early as now.

"Turmeric eh?I wonder if Nagisa would mind the smell?" Sora wonders as she inspected a tray of spices for sale on a shelf.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Yoite Arakaki Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Menou listened to Makoto's instructions and smiled warmly. She was impressed that he knew so much about cooking and briefly wondered what else he knew how to cook. Before she could ask, Madoka stretched.

"Well, thank you for the food but I'm going to head off to sleep. I don't really want any part in your illegal activities and I need to get to class early today. Later."

Madoka went back upstairs to bed. Hotaru hummed a little.

"Madoka-kun might be out but I'm definitely in~ Akeno? Menou? Do you want to check out the rock with me, Kanade-chan, Nagisa-chan and Soichiro-kun?"

Akeno nodded excitedly. She really wanted to have some fun and this looked like fun. Menou flinched.

"U-Uh... I-I have classes at 5 in the morning but I don't really sleep anyway so sure."

Hotaru cheered.

"Looks like you have some spare hands, Kanade-chan~"


Yoite looked through Bishop Park and smiled a little as he found the white haired girl.

"So this is where you are."

Noa blinked and looked over at Yoite with a small frown.

"Hello, Arakaki. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Yoite laughed a bit.

"Well, I was looking for you. People were wondering where you went and I had a hunch you'd be right here looking for answers."

"Huh. You aren't as airheaded as I thought. But yes, I was discovering the mystery. No one would want to be with me to discover the facts and disprove any mysterious elements."

Yoite nodded.

"Sorry if you couldn't figure it out. We stole it to figure out its secrets. If you want, I can get the information for you."

"Hm... Well, it's illogical to reject such an offer."

Yoite grinned.

"Great~ We should probably get back to the dorm though. It's dangerous to be out alone."

Noa huffed but nodded as she folowed Yoite. She supposed Yoite wasn't as bad as the other dorm members, at least.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"Well ain't that something-- Mr. Dictator vouching for Nagi's condition!"

As a few other people started wanting to join in, Kujo turned to Kanade with a grin.

"You'd better start cleaning up the room to fit the amount of people going to check out the rock!"

"Shit, it's not as messy as you think it is, man..."

Kanade stood, pointing arouond the table.

"Right, then after a few, we'll do a premature check on the rock, try to figure out what the fuck it is before Itsuna and I crack the thing tomorrow! No backing out, we die like men!"

"Alright!"



Room 302 - 7:50 PM

"Watch the fucking kits, man!"

It seemed impossible to stop Kanade from figuring out whatever the rock was- so a few people, namely Kujo and Soichiro, had started filing into the room. Kanade herself was already carefully taking the found rock from her backpack, clearing a spot away on what seemed to be her workdesk to place it on.

A satisfied grin rested on her face as she pulled down her goggles.

"Look at that-- actual loot! I can't fuckin' wait to find out what the hell this is!"

"Takamine, calm down, the others aren't even here yet."



Outside of someone's house...

"I find it oddly convenient that there's a vending machine literal inches away from your house, Ichinose."

Nagisa leaned tiredly on the vending machine, head pressed against the glass while waiting. Her friend- Akame Ichinose, practically a splitting image of wild fashion and glamour, may have dragged her to other shops that weren't exactly related to the project they were working on. She had to suppress a grimace; how many times had she been tricked by the simple "let's go out to Queen's to get stuff for a project" ruse?

Still, she had to blame herself. She'd only really met Akame through Kanade. Of course crazies hang with crazies. It just so happened that they were both in Kurogane.

A small can of coffee dropped down. She picked it up, opened it, took a long swig- felt her head spin for a moment before her heavy eyelids opened just a bit more. Now for the trek back home.

She trudged on, the night breeze blowing her neatly trimmed brown locks in her eyes. The weather managed to get her to be a bit more awake though- at least, that's what she thought as she took several sips from the can in her hand, Chomper turned off and tucked under her free arm.

She only had a few more blocks to clear when she came to a nearby strip mall. Crushing the empty can, she tossed it in a trash can nearby before noticing what seemed to be a familiar figure walking out. Looking closer, she recognized purple hair and a blue ribbon.

Was that Sora?

Ah, what the hell- nothing wrong with getting a greeting up, or asking to just walk back together. With that thought, Nagisa approached, waving a bit once she was sure she got the other's attention.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"Hmm...Whoah! Someone actually agreed with my idea! Guess that's a score for me~" Aziz proudly exclaimed upon hearing Menou validate his claim. "Ah! But where would you hear about something like that? Did you perhaps--?" Aziz felt a little embarrassed given that if Menou saw the news, she would see him trying to get away from an angry mob with a bronze head in hand.

"Hmm...I think I'll take some small pieces with me when I go to school. I may know a few people who specializes in things like this. Don't worry, I'll tell them it came bundled with a bunch of car parts!" Aziz assures the group with a sly wink. "So uh...what else do we know?"

While the investigation was going on, Aziz listened in on their conversation regarding Akeno's want of a text to speech app. "Oh! I don't know much about that but I do recall some kid's toy you use to write with a special pencil of sorts and erase it after? Saves a lot of paper. But if it's apps...well, I'm as much in the dark as you guys are."



"Alright, I'll be taking it then." The transaction went on smoothly on their end as Sora purchased an entire spice set from the strip mall vendor. "Sorry. I'll let you be the first to try it as compensation." With her business in that part of town finished, Sora opted to head home to rest up for today.

"Why don't we walk home together? It's rather late after all." Sora urges her roommate, pointing at the estimated direction of their dormitory.



"I see. That certainly is a troubling experience. Glad to see you weren't hurt. Curiosity killed the cat you know?" Cel sighs in relief, followed by a short reprimand.

"Yeah. I've been trying to wrap my head around it but I can't seem to figure out what she wanted." Makoto explained, glancing at the window again. "Anyway, it's pretty late. Wonder what's taking them so long? Yoite and Noa have already returned a while ago!"

"Heh~ Why don't you go on and sleep now? I'll still be up until later. Don't worry about it. Sora often comes home late and Nagisa might've decided to crash at her friend's place instead."

"But...are you fine holding down the fort here by yourself?"

"You better believe it."

"Then I'll be off then, thank you. Good night!" Makoto resigns and heads upstairs, bidding Cel a good night before vanishing to the upper floors.

"Well then--!" Cel grunted as she decided to do some stretches while waiting. "What is taking you two?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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"You guys sure get along well as roommates huh?" Aziz managed a laugh before yawning once again. All the events that happened has left them rather tired. He heard Kujo calling him to throw in the towel for the night.

"Yeah, sure. Be right there. G'night ladies and gents! Let's take a swig at this thing again tomorrow!" Aziz bids the remaining people good night before departing for his room with Kujo.




"Yeah, let's." Sora herself was also rather sleepy and tired--well, she always perpetually is. Towing her roommate along, she made her way back to Blue Lotus. Work had been rather hectic and all she could think about was reaching the comforts of her bedroom.

Cel was the only person up when they returned from their excursion.

"Great! I guess I can close up now." She exclaimed in delight as she rose from her desk, stretching and yawning as she did.

"Sorry. Were we the only ones unaccounted for?" Sora asks as she checks in the log book.

"Yeah. Everyone's all here and--probably asleep I guess." Cel informs her. "Makoto was still up and about around--fifteen minutes ago? Don't really know."

"I see." Somehow, Sora had a slight feeling as to why Makoto did that. Regardless, she opted to let it slide. It wasn't her business after all.

"He must've been waiting for you Nagisa. We're all kind of used to the boys, Sora and Hotaru coming home late sometimes but, you should really be careful outside."

"No--I don't think that's it." Finishing up, Sora takes out a small container of food and handed it over to Cel. "Here, for you."

"Oh, we just ate together. Can I refrigerate it and heat it up for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not." Sora bids Cel good night as she headed up to the room she shared with Nagisa.



Next Day - Kurogane Technical Institute

"A new roommate huh? Wonder what they'll be like?"

The class they were taking was history. Normally a subject he'd be interested in, Makoto found it hard to concentrate as he thought about the new person coming in.

"Hopefully it's someone decent. I wouldn't want another Aziz incident occurring again." Makoto hoped as he shrugged it off and concentrated on the lecture for now.

He'll just have to cross that bridge when he gets there.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Hotaru Emirsdottir Character Portrait: Madoka Ikeda Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Soichiro Tanizaki Character Portrait: Sora Kyousuke Character Portrait: Noa Arai Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine

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Next Day- Blue Lotus Dormitory

"Just one last touch and... Ta-da~!"

Hotaru grinned as she looked at the mirror. On top of her Kurogane Technical Institute uniform, she wore a giant brown fleece hoodie that had pink and brown bunny ears on the hood. She grinned. Now she could brace the cold and look adorable doing so.

"Menou-chan~ I'm headed out! Good luck with school today~"

Menou just shyly nodded as Hotaru got up and ran downstairs. She grinned, feeling like today would be a great day.


Today was already a horrible day, according to Noa Arai. Not only did the girl get no sleep, she ended up getting a fever for her troubles. She noticed her roommate peering at her worriedly.

"Ah... Don't worry, Furuya-san. I require rest but I'll be just fine after that. Go to class and I'll just stay here."

Akeno still seemed worried but nodded as she walked downstairs. She looked around for someone to help her out with Noa.


Madoka was already at St. Gabriels and working on editing a movie he and his club started to make last week. He was a bit curious on what the object was but not curious enough to find out. He then noticed Yoite in the room with him.

"What? Need a computer for something?"

"Nope. Just wanted to say that you'll be late for class~"

"... Shit, seriously?!"

He quickly saved and started to book it to Modern Arts with Yoite following him. The green haired man was mainly trying to stop his chuckles.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi

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"Well, looks like the jury has spoken~" Aziz declares triumphantly as Menou opted to accompany him in helping the newcomer settle in. Makoto just sighed.

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

"Didn't expect to find you here."

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

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

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

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

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

"Am I really that plain?" Makoto asked.

"Yep."

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

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

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

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

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

"Sure thing~"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi

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Aziz walked back in the room just as Kanade and Koizumi started...flirting? He wasn't sure what to make of it but hey, he reckons girls do it all the time. Seeing that they were almost done in record time, Aziz gave the door a couple of light raps in order to catch their attention.

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Asagi Arakawa Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi

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"Alright, let's go! It's a Jaguar ladies! A Jaguar!" Aziz cheered as he led the others down to the car waiting outside their dormitory. "Driver, think you can play some songs from this?" As the vehicle cruised down the street, Aziz hands his mp3 player over to the driver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

"You're right."



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Asagi?"

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

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

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

"Huh? You mean this is for me?"

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

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

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

"Hope you brought lots of grub!"

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

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

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Asagi Arakawa Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi

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

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

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

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

"Koizumi-san??"

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


She tilted her head curiously.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Laeticia "Cel" Concepcion Character Portrait: Makoto Itsuna Character Portrait: Aziz Harumi Character Portrait: Menou Koizumi Character Portrait: Akeno Furuya Character Portrait: Kujo Nobuyuki Character Portrait: Nagisa Makinami Character Portrait: Kanade Takamine Character Portrait: Asagi Arakawa Character Portrait: Fuyumi Hirabayashi

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Just as the day seemed to spiral into further oblivion, Aziz spun around and turned--to find the girls gone. He looked around the crowd left and right but he didn't recognize anybody who resembled any of them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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