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AKB48 Fanfics => AKB48 Fanfics => Topic started by: LoyalFlutist on December 19, 2016, 06:49:56 AM

Title: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 3 ~ 02/05/17
Post by: LoyalFlutist on December 19, 2016, 06:49:56 AM
Lol, shoot me, I don't even know why I do this anymore This fiction’s theme is on delusions and truths. Action, mystery, and thrillers are highlighted. Unlike the previous image I had for this series, I completely revamped it with a different setting and plot. Each character will have their focus throughout the story, with the shown pairings be:

JuriMayu*
YukiRena*
AtsuYuu
SayaYui
Saeyaka

As a way to have my readers decide on what shall be the next choice of action, every time a chapter is uploaded, I will give readers about two weeks (14 days) to choose a response on what the characters should do. (With an exception of this prologue.) Ones with the most votes drive the story forward. Should there be a tie, I will determine how the story will run its course. Please discuss with others about your decision! Sometimes talking it out can influence other people’s choices. (Who knows, maybe you’ll have the characters’ hook up with each other at a faster rate.)

Whether you become insane with the characters or figure out the reality and face them with the characters is up to you readers.

When the final chapter is uploaded, I will post side scenarios of what might’ve changed if everyone picked a different response for each other. Think of it as extra side chapters.

Key points in the story:

** [TEXT] **
A hallucination/delusion is taking place. It is not true, but it is mixed in with a hint of reality to blend in for a world of confusion and satisfactory scenarios. When the ** ends, that is when the story resumes back to its normal situation. Who exactly is hallucinating is up to the readers to figure out as the story progress. It’s recommended to reread certain chapters to piece together the plot. Identity of who is hallucinating is answered within the next update or two through the plot advancement. 

~ [CHOICE A/B/C] ~
Readers will have the chance to make a choice, usually by the end of the chapter. Think carefully! You will have the option to make changes to your response until the deadline.

> [FACTS] <
Important facts will be highlighted in red. Pay close attention to them, and they will have annotated notes at the bottom of the chapter.

> [IMPORTANT CLUES] <
Important clues that will guide readers to a decision will be highlighted in blue. However, not every clue is important nor necessary to make a choice, and not every clue will be good/bad.

As a sample as to how this will work, the prologue will serve as a test to see how it goes. (Yes, the prologue will be part of the series. It’s not a useless piece of drabble.) If it fails exceptionally hard, then I’m going to remove the feature and write the fiction how I normally write them.

Thanks for giving this series a go! Let’s get crazy, folks.

- LoyalFlutist



“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.”
- Tim Burton

It was pouring. Each droplet splashed against the concrete ground, leaving no room for the pavement to be dry. It literally hurts listening to what seems like glass shattering endlessly on the ground.

Watery substances pounded on your head, hair wet from the severe storm, thunder rumbling from the distant. Sharp pain resonates for every raindrop that falls on your wet figure, every lightning strike causing the hairs on your neck to prickle upright.

Iron overwhelmed your sense of smell and taste. It was coming from inside your mouth after you’ve accidentally bit the inside of your cheek, hard, from earlier. You were barely able to control the nauseating feeling that bubbled from your stomach, threatening to make its way out of it.

Your eyes then squinted in attempt to see through the relentless downpour.

A man stood in front of you.1 **An umbrella in one hand**, his other grabbed ahold of a weapon. Its metallic features and structural shape was difficult to not comprehend what it was. Lower arm raised till the limb made a perfect 90 degree angle, the tip of the revolver was aimed at your direction. His index finger at the trigger, the old man gently smiled at you.

“I’ll end your pain.”

You shuddered at his words. His words terrified you. What does he mean by ending your pain? Was he being figurative or literal? You then tightened your hands into fists despite how agonizing it was doing so… But come to a realization that is something.

In your hand, you hold a kukri, a Napoleon weapon that could skewer the flesh of any organism that come into contact with its sharp, curved blade. You brought the lone weapon up for a brief examination.

An idea came to mind. You decided that, in this moment, you should...

[ Stab him ]
[ Question him ]
[ Do nothing ]



1It appears that there's a badge on his black suit. His badge states "HAA". What could this mean?
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Prologue (TESTING PHASE) ~ 12/19/16
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on December 19, 2016, 10:26:46 AM
It's not worth killing the guy when you don't know the context of the situation. It's better if you question him first before making any irrational decisions.     
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Prologue (TESTING PHASE) ~ 12/19/16
Post by: hackata48 on December 19, 2016, 02:28:06 PM
You have a F******** Koi Suru Fortune Kukri Cutta.



USE IT
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Prologue (TESTING PHASE) ~ 12/19/16
Post by: LoyalFlutist on December 31, 2016, 06:13:56 PM
[Replies]

@MaYukiIsLife:
I had actually chosen the same response as yours. However, let's see how that kind of choice goes... After all, wouldn't it be better if we run in and defend ourselves from a person who is going to potentially "end our pain"? It's easy to deduce that this character might get shot! (Key word: MIGHT!)

@hackata48:
Your response is interesting! I'm not going to lie, your response made me "r o f l". It's an interesting perspective that you have on running head on in order to save yourself from this man, but wouldn't it also be wise to see what he might be doing next? Not saying your choice of option is wrong since I would've done it too if I were in a state of pure panic. It's human nature to keep danger far away from us, after all!

[Poll Result]

(http://i65.tinypic.com/nnt8xv.png)
Look at what I chose, now I'm going to be a black sheep if people disagree with my option, cough.

[A/N]

Glad to see that the poll option hasn't failed so hard that it needs to be removed from the series! Since it is New Year Eve for some of us already, I would like to give you all a gift to make up for my horrible part as a writer with an early update. Please look forward to this series, and as an additional feature, I will stop by the thread 3 days before the locking and finalizing the poll to have a discussion with everyone. With that said, I hope you all have a lovely holiday, and may the new year treat you all with better kindness than this year.



[Chapter 1]

You chose to ask questions. You don’t even know who this man is, why you’re holding a sharp-bladed weapon, why you’re hurting so much from your surroundings1, or even where you are. There’s was just too many questions bubbling up in a short span of time, and you needed answers fast. A wince escaped your lips as you began to ask your questions.

Everything came out. Who, what, when, where, why, and how. Those key starting words were attached to all of your questions. You might’ve asked a little too much in the state of confusion. You couldn’t keep count of the number of questions that vomited out of your mouth. There’s a small hope that you he could at least respond to one of them. Any answer, any clarification, anything to keep yourself from further spiraling downward in puzzlement.

A gunshot was heard. You felt your body involuntarily jerk, forcing you to take a step backward. You weren’t so oblivious as to not know what caused your figure to move in that fashion. A glance down was all it took to confirm your assumption. There is a hole centered in your chest. What should’ve been a stream of crimson liquid seeping out of the small abnormality were constantly washed away from the downpour. You directed your gaze back at the man. You still see him gently smiling at your direction. Surprisingly, the infliction didn’t hurt. The only effect you’ve noticed was how heavy your entire being felt. Like a broken doll, you slowly crumple to the ground as your eyelids slowly closed.

But just at that moment, you barely managed to catch his mouth move. What did he say? You wanted to ask your final question. You tried to move your tongue and part your lips just one more time. Then, reality gave you the cruel truth by enveloping your entire vision in black, permanently shutting down all five of your senses. At least the anguish you’ve felt standing in the rain disappeared for good.

----------

“Mayu… Don’t tell me you slept through lecture!”

A university student lulled her head on top of her arms, eyelids fluttering open. She blinked a couple times, brown eyes adjusting to the new surrounding that she now arrived to. Another blink till her vision became crystal clear. White boards, a professor standing behind the podium, packing his belonging to a suitcase, a student conversing with her friends about lunch in front of her, multiple rows of rooted chairs and tables nearby, and most importantly, her best friend sitting by her side. It really does look like class ended. She certainly didn’t expect for a nap to last for more than an hour.

Watanabe Mayu stifled a yawn as she finally raised her head up, a hand barely covering her wide open mouth. At said-sight, Kashiwagi Yuki raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t this the fifth time it happened this week?” she continued to scold. “What have you been doing this entire week?” 

A shrug of Mayu shoulders. “Probably gaming too much.”

“Sheesh… You need to tone down on the gaming, and focus more on your studies.”

“Relax, mother. I haven’t gotten anything lower than a 90 in all of my examinations and quizzes.”

“For all of your classes?”

A nod. “For all of my classes,” she repeated.

Mayu clearly doesn’t understand why Yuki seems to be a worry-wart over her grades when she’s clearly doing much better than this student. The 20-year-old did put the 22-year-old to shame once a month of schooling was put in. Regardless, Mayu doesn’t think of her badly. **They’ve been good friends since last year.** Frankly, she’s Mayu’s only friend she can trust and confide in.

As the uniformed university student gather her belongings, the raven-haired female, still seated, leaned towards the other girl. This unexpected closeness forced Mayu to lean away from Yuki. Of course, seated right by the window, she can’t move away any further than she desired.

“You’re in my personal bubble, you know,” she didn’t hesitate to state the fact. “Could you please back off?”

“You’re my friend, but you’re acting so tsundere.”

“I’m not a tsundere, Yukirin.”

“Right right, but anyway, I need to ask you something… You heard anything about the ‘Human Advancement Agency’?”

**The Human Advancement Agency? That’s a peculiar name coming from Yuki’s mouth. Mayu proceeded to compile her notebook, writing utensils,textbook, and workbook into one neat pile. Brown eyes still focused on packing up her belongings, she answered, “I’ve heard of them. They’ve gone viral on the Internet.”

Yuki’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? I know they’re a secret organization, but are they really exposing their experimentation to the world?”

Finally, Mayu’s eyes met with her friend’s. She gazed deep into the pair, searching for any particular emotions that could make the Biology major utter a ridiculous notion. Sadly, she could not find one. With a loud sigh, she got up from her seat and scooped up the pile on the two-seated table.

“Secret? There’s nothing secretive about them. Unless you’re telling me that mixing random energy drinks and soda is supposed to be confidential.” Yuki’s expression changed: eyebrows raised, eyes widening, and blinking as if she’s a deer in headlights. Looking as though she didn’t believe a single word that came out of the student’s mouth, she emphasized one point about this so-called Human Advancement Agency. “They’re a YouTube channel. You don’t even have to be a frequent Internet user like me to know who they are. Just think of them as young men and women who do crazy things for a living.”

When her expression remained the same, the Computer Science major decided not to repeat herself again. If Yuki isn’t going to understand, then there’s no point in doing so.**

Mayu then dumped the pile into her already-unzipped neon green and black backpack. Slight adjustments were made on the black straps before she slid her arms through from the back. A small jump was all it needed to keep the container in place. She turned to look at her friend once again with a small smile.

“You got another class, right? I’ll walk you to it.”

Yuki blinked. Then, she scratched the back of her head. “Sure, just like always.”

There was no point in asking anymore questions from the Biology Major student. She got her answer from Mayu. Her brows furrowed during the aftermath, hand lowered. Maybe at another time, Yuki could properly sit down with her close friend and have a conversation at their own pace. It was wrong of her to toss it out right after lecture, especially when Mayu just woke up from her nap.

Soon, the two were spotted leaving the lecture room. Hallways full of students, noise, light, smell, and physical sensations were amplified. Luckily, Yuki’s next class was in another building. She has an Organic Chemistry lab, so that furthered the walking distance. It would take about five minutes by foot to get there. It would take another five minutes to get there if Yuki chooses to walk outdoors instead. Considering the situation they were in, both agreed to leave the condensed inside. A breath of fresh air during the Fall season is always preferable over the small numbered sweaty, greasy and smelly students.

“E-Excuse me!”

A calling. That was not part of their plan. Right as they were close to the glass double doors, the two college students directed their attention to the source. A young student ran towards their direction, looking out of breath. She barely has her loose-leaf notes, notebooks, textbook, and workbook secure at hand, the listed objects pressed against her chest for the sake of staying away from the ground. All accompanied by her newly disheveled hair, it was almost laughable, clearly coming out from an anime or movie scene.

Her head raised, she exclaimed, “C-Can… Can you both tutor me about this class? I’m really lost.”

“A lost cause, huh,” Mayu remarked. “Isn’t there someone else that could help you?”

“No…”

“I’m sure you have friends in the class. Why don’t you try asking them?”

“Well… About that… they stopped coming to class since the first day of lecture.”

Mayu and Yuki turned to look at each other. As if in sync, they said, “Yep, she’s a lost cause alright.” Clearly they stated that fact with the intention of having the other student hear it. If her neighboring seatmates nor friends could help her out, she’s going to get eaten alive once exams roll around the corner. They’ve already had their first two exams, so shouldn’t she have learned her lessons already?

An exhale came from Mayu’s mouth. Glancing at her friend, she shot a small smile. “You should head to your class right now. I’ll take care of her.”

Although Yuki would want to help her out, she was absolutely right. She has an upcoming class, and she cannot be late for it. A hand raised in the air, the older student finally made her way out of the building without another word. Mayu didn’t need to have visual confirmation on the woman’s response. She knew what the answer would be from her friend.

Now that they were left alone, the pony-tailed female extended both of her hands out. “Give me some of your books. You look like you’re going to collapse if you keep holding onto them any longer.”

The student hesitated. “I think I’m fine--” Those words just left her lips when a notebook began to slide out of place. Her eyes widen at the sight. She desperately released a hand in order to grab it, but that allowed even more of her books and papers to slip through her grasp. All hope was not lost the moment Mayu’s extended hands instinctively snatched most of the pile. Straightening their backs, the young girl couldn’t help but flash a forced grin at the other.

“I, uh… Thanks, senpai.”

“If only you let me carry some of your things first, it wouldn’t end up like this,” she softly exhaled. Despite the trouble she was already causing, Mayu didn’t think of her as a bothersome or annoying individual. Since she already offered to lend a hand with her studies, they might as well get along with each other. “Let’s go to the library. I don’t have anymore classes today since it’s a Friday, so I can help you until you have your next class.”

“This is my last class for today, senpai.”

“That’s even better. We can take our time then.”

A young male standing nearby was kind enough to hold the door for the two ladies as they walked out of the building. After giving a thanks to the student, Mayu returned her attention back towards the other girl. It would only take two minutes to walk from their current location to their destination. However, two minutes of silence between them would be enough to warrant an awkward atmosphere. She definitely doesn’t want that to occur. Clearing her throat, Watanabe began to speak.

“So… I didn’t get your name.”

“O-Oh, I’m so sorry, senpai!” Flustered, the young girl lowered her head as they continued to walk straight ahead. She was so concerned that Mayu wouldn’t be able to accept her request that formally introducing herself never came to mind. “I’m Matsui Jurina, but you can call me Jurina. I hope we get along!”

A perky girl. Mayu couldn’t help but laugh in bliss as she gave a similar introduction to the girl. “I think you might already know who I am since you’ve approached me, but just in case, I’m Watanabe Mayu. I hope we can get along too.”

“So… what major are you going into?”

“Computer Science.”

The young Matsui let out a small gasp. “Same here!” That dimpled grin… Mayu could not help but stare at that specific facial feature on the student. It reminds her of a puppy considering the type of personality, energy, and physical traits she emits so far. How contagious. She couldn’t help but grin along with Jurina. Did she ever have a friend who is this gleeful? Mayu couldn’t remember if she had anyone like that in her life. It was a nice change of pacing, especially during schooling at a university.

Once they arrived in the library, the two were able to reserve the last private room for a group study session. It was located on the fifth floor, far away from any disturbances that occurs in the other four floors. No one liked to go to the highest part of the modern building. There was just to much hassle to deal with. For Jurina and Mayu, it was the perfect spot to study.

“Let’s check and see if you’re truly lost in this class,” Mayu said as she settled the pile down on the circular table. In this small, but brightly white lit room, the table was able to hold about eight students. Two desktop computers on standby at another nearby table with its two chairs, this was the perfect spot for any student to do a group work. A click was heard in the background once Mayu took out her cellular device and its charger. Jurina approached by her side, dropping off her load on the same table as the older student used the outlets located in the middle of the furniture to charge her phone. Without looking at Jurina, she added, “Hopefully you know the basics of mathematics fundamental to signing up for this class in the first place.”

A chuckle came from Jurina as she plopped down on the nearest chair. Waving her hand in the air, Matsui gave a nod. “I know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and count all of the fingers on my hands. I think I’m good to go.”

“Oh ha ha, very funny, Matsui-san.”

She slipped the black straps off from her shoulders. The backpack landing on the navy blue carpeted ground with a thud, Mayu proceeded to unzip the container. Appropriate materials were whipped out and placed on the table. Soon, the Computer Science student sat near Jurina with her own notes. Mechanical pencil ready at hand, she used the lead’s tip to point at the textbook.

“Start with the review from Chapter 0. I need to see how much you need to catch up.”

“Right right, senpai~”

[4 HOURS LATER]

Pages were heard being flipped in the isolated room. Not a single sound were produced other than their quiet breaths, papers being shuffled, and the scratching of pens and pencils. Faint sighs and sharp inhales occasionally occurred as the minutes ticked by. Sometimes Mayu would lecture Jurina about a concept that has already been covered in class as she worked on her own homework for another subject. There were also times the two exchanged personal information with each other. Spoke about their friends, their courses, their interests, and, most importantly, exchanged their contact information. Of course, based on Jurina’s hyperactive energy that exerted from her own being, the entire session wasn’t much of a smooth sailing. They crashed into a few large boulders here and there. However, they managed to squeeze down three chapters without many small breaks in between.

Mayu’s arms were outstretched above her head, letting out a groan from the amount of time her butt has been planted on the seat. Her feet was close to falling asleep, so when she stood up, she nearly stumbled from the lack of blood flowing throughout her legs. Palm of her hand resting on the table’s surface, the older student gazed at the younger one.

“It’s good that you have the basics down. We’ve managed to cover almost three chapters in one go for today.”

Jurina, who was yawning and stretching all four of her limbs in her seat, looked up at Mayu. “If I didn’t know the basics, I bet we would’ve been stuck here for much longer than four hours, right?”

“No, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. I would’ve left you alone if you don’t even know how to do simple algebraic equations.”

“You’re so mean, senpai!”

“Am not.” Mayu gathered her belongings and stuck her tongue out at Jurina. “I would’ve questioned how you got into college.”

The other student followed similar action as her tutor. Since there were additional papers tossed into the fray, the ponytailed female took some of the young Matsui’s materials into her hands. It was the least she could do to assist aside from the grueling process of their earlier session. A sly smirk ran across Jurina’s lips as she shot a glance at Mayu.

“Money. It’s as simple as that.”

“You’ll be stuck in college forever if that excuse runs by. Plus, you’re not even guaranteed an acceptance based on money alone.”

“It might be different in my case~”

“Only you would think of that.”

They began to laugh after the teasing remark. As if on cue, their stomachs rumbled at similar intervals. Everything was in sync for the next few actions. A blush crept on their cheeks, their brown eyes focused on each other, and another laughter erupted out of their mouth.

“We should go out and grab something to eat for dinner,” Jurina proposed. Index finger pointing in the air, she added, “I know this great place near my apartment. I’ll treat you to them.”

Mayu shook her head. “You don’t need to treat me, Matsui-san--”

“First, you can call me Jurina, senpai. Second,” she raised another finger to tally up the counts. “Please let me treat you. This is the least I could do to thank you.”

She wanted to argue back, but seeing how the other student is firm on her decision, she simply let out a small exhale. Based on the girl’s personality, it doesn’t look like the young Matsui will be budging anytime soon. A small smile formed on Watanabe’s face as she motioned her head.

“Let’s go then. Standing around here isn’t going to feed our stomach.”

“You got that right.”

Once again, they grinned at each other after grabbing the rest of their belongings. Any outsider would easily assume that they were close friends since their high school years. That’s not how it seems in reality. They’ve only met each other this afternoon. It was simply the result from Jurina’s cheerful attitude that created this sort of atmosphere.

Since it was nightfall, the two agreed to stop by a restaurant. There were plenty of them near the university, and since it was a Friday, there were a ton of students hanging around in this part of Shibuya. Large crowds and the lights from the district was enough to make the peaceful atmosphere within their university immediately erode once a step was taken out of the premise. Not like Mayu minds it, though.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you’re originally from Akihabara?” she asked the young girl as they waited for the go signal from the crosswalk sign.

Adjusting her hand on the school supplies with one hand, Jurina gave a nod. “Yep. Transferred here because my parents own a computer company here in Shibuya.”

“Did they force you to?”

“Nope. I wanted to come here.”

Mayu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Jurina was certainly lucky if she shared the same hobbies as the older woman. All of the figurines and limited edition anime DVDs she could be collecting had she lived in Akihabara… There wouldn’t be any need to browse so much on the computer then. However, she also felt proud that Jurina came here on her own accords. It wasn’t because her parents forced her, but because she wished to lend her parents a hand in their business. There needs to be more people like this student, Mayu believes.

Another growling sensation came from the two ladies, but it wasn’t heard thanks to the bustling sound of their surroundings. Many civilians began to fill up their side of the crosswalk. Had the two classmates stood any closer to each other, the sporadic shove and push from certain rude individuals would’ve squish them into an uncomfortable distance. They only knew each other since this afternoon, so unlike Yuki, Mayu didn’t want Jurina to be anywhere near her personal bubble. The same could be said for Jurina. They knew the distance that had to be put between each other.

Light finally giving the walking symbol, the two proclaimed, “Finally!” out loud at the same time. They walked towards the opposite end, starting up another conversation about what food they should be getting near their apartments. It eventually led to another topic about where they current reside at. Mayu and Jurina were able to receive more information about where they were living, and they discovered they didn’t live too far from each other. It was simply a five blocks difference. Grinning, Jurina pointed out that they should visit each other in the mornings before class starts during weekdays.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Mayu followed the idea. “Unlike Yuki, who lives much farther than me, I won’t have to walk alone anymore to school.”

“Yeah! The same could be said about me.”

“I’ll pick you up then--”

Jurina held out her hand, cutting off the older student’s sentence. “Nope, I’ll do the picking up.”

This almost made Mayu laugh again for the nth time today. An eyebrow raised, she placed one hand on her hip and adjusted her hold on the other books against her chest. “As someone older than you, I should be the one picking up my kouhai--”

A man in black passed by her. It was brief, but long enough for her visual sense to capture enough data about the passerby. Compared to most of the civilians who were wearing business attire, he barely stuck out like a sore thumb. However, it was like he intentionally slowed his walking pace when brushing by Watanabe. The golden badge on his shirt shone the title ‘HAA’.2 That was enough to halt the girl in the middle of the crosswalk, her blood running cold at the sight of the acronyms. Attention directed at the man, she couldn’t help but feel an impending doom falling upon her.

It was like chance. Luck is a foreign concept that couldn’t be explained by science, mathematics, or the supernatural. The randomest part of our life could be altered, and we would immediately refer to it as either good or bad luck. Heart racing, she kept her eyes plastered on the man’s figure. He continued walking. Could she have mistaken him for someone that evoked such reaction from her?

Then, he stopped upon reaching the end of the crosswalk. He turned around. Sunglasses concealed his eyes. Considering the time of the day, it was ridiculous to wear one right now. However, his face burned into her brain. She knew him. She knew who he was. No, it wasn’t to say that she knew exactly who he was. Rather, she knew where he came from. The name on his badge screamed it all.

It was far, but she was able to spot him devilish flash his teeth at her direction. Mayu almost screamed in pure terror when she saw it. Instead, she pressed the books even harsher against her own chest in desperate attempt to slow her rapidly beating heart. She’s trembling like a fawn barely able to learn how to stand on its four legs as the man resumed walking.

“Mayuuuuuuuu… Did you see someone you know?”

She finally tore her gaze away from the man. Brown eyes touching upon Jurina’s, she stuttered weakly.

“I… No… No… No no no no no…”

Mayu looked back at the male’s direction. He was still there, the back of his head still visible from within the crowd. She squeezed her eyes shut, reopening them after a few seconds to see if he was still there. The man in black is now gone. However, it did not provide relief. A wave of nausea overwhelmed the student as she covered her mouth. It took every ounce of her energy to keep the bile in her stomach from lurching out. Sweat that didn’t derive from the hot atmosphere were produced on her forehead, brown eyes barely kept in focus.

This concerned the young Matsui. Not only did Mayu stop right smack in the middle of the crosswalk, but she looked like she was going hysterical. She attempted to look in the same direction as her senpai, trying to figure out the sole cause of the sudden reaction. Since Jurina had zero clue on who or what she was looking for, she was unable to draw any conclusion. A glance back at Mayu, she still saw her pale, frightened expression. Jurina reached out to touch her shoulder.

“Mayu? Is something wrong--”

“No, I… I have to get going…” The tip of young, athletic student’s fingers barely brushed her classmate’s shoulder when she backed away. Books that belonged to the young Matsui were still in her grasp, forcefully pressed against her chest as Mayu slowly uncovered her mouth. Based on the way she was backing up from the touch, it was as if Jurina had smacked her out of resentment. This pained Jurina’s heart, her hand retracting back to her side. Watanabe continued to speak cryptically and shook her head. “I’m… I’m sorry Jurina, but I have to get going.”

“W-What about dinner?”

“No… I… No, I don’t want dinner… I have to go back home…”

A loud sigh came from the short-haired female. She pointed a thumb from behind her as she offered, “Well… Do you want to crash by my apartment then? It’s just a block away.”

The older student hesitated. Who knows what might happen, but it looks like her classmate just offered a valuable option for the night. However, Mayu doesn’t want to trouble Jurina. After all, they had just officially met and spoken to each other today. How could she impose a trouble that she only knows to an acquaintance? Biting the bottom of her lip, Watanabe Mayu decided to…

[ Stay with Jurina for the night ]
[ Go home by herself ]



1Compared to the other variables, why is it that you're being hurt from your surroundings alone? Looking back at the prologue, it's consistent that what is supposed to be harmless is actually doing the opposite.

2It's strikingly the same as the one in her dream... What exactly is the 'HAA' now that it's appeared in reality?
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on December 31, 2016, 06:23:46 PM
I say to go with Jurina. At least she isn't wandering alone into some bullshit situation that might cost her life if she went alone.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: ミサキ on January 01, 2017, 02:15:07 PM
@MaYukiIsLife-san : what if Jurina were part of HAA? :huhuh
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on January 01, 2017, 02:30:14 PM
@MaYukiIsLife-san : what if Jurina were part of HAA? :huhuh

That seems unlikely, if she was, wouldn't she be wearing the same badge that man was wearing at the end of the chapter? Also wouldn't she be acting... aggressive towards her if she was?
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: bunny_rabbit on January 01, 2017, 04:51:34 PM
just go home by yourself mayu, just go home... hand her stuffs back and leave...

you just saw another member of some tired secret organisation--HAA just sounds like the sfx of tired sigh for me :on lol: --from your dream in real life, you should know that there's something fishy about it and you need to give it a thought--a deep thought if I may add... with that energetic puppy around distraction is all what you gonna get... so leave her, go home by yourself... and don't you think it's kinda suspicious how J suddenLy jumped into the scene? think about that mayu, think about that too :kekeke:

B-but... what if I see that guy again? or anything bad happen on my way back? I'll be on my own then... it's scary for a maiden to walk home alone...

Yeah right, it's not like you've never done it before... anything bad happen? as if such thing gonna happen so earLy--I'm taunting ya Ly, I'm taunting ya :shifty: :kekeke:
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: LoyalFlutist on January 10, 2017, 01:12:54 AM
Five days more till the finalized result will be locked in, and the thread will be updated with the new chapter. Now, the results so far are fixated at a tie.

5 votes for Mayu to go with Jurina
5 votes for Mayu to go home by herself


Out of curiosity, I wish to ask for you all what made you decide to do so. I will respond to your comment on here one-by-one, and I encourage you all to reply back to me. (Let's face, it's nice to have a conversation going on between the writer and their readers.) The option that I chose have nothing to do with the right or wrong path for the fiction. It's nice to have someone like me dream a bit about what I want to write about... and that might not always be a good thing.




First all, I first picked the option for Mayu to go with Jurina. Why? I felt that we need more JuriMayu in this world. On a more serious note, I've seen plenty of thriller flicks that scream WARNING when a character decides that it would be best to not bunch together with someone they just met. Even if you're going to get killed... I suppose it's better than walking out blindly without knowing what matters might await for this character.

@MaYukiIsLife:
You took the words out of my mouth. As stated up above, my decision remains on being with the young Matsui. Yet... looking at bunny_rabbit's speculation and even ミサキ (Misaki)'s question pertaining to Jurina, there is a possibility that Jurina might not be as nice as she makes it out to be. Perhaps this is overthinking, but would the chance of being at risk be higher than if she were to wander back to her apartment by herself?

@ミサキ:
I know you were only asking a question about Jurina's possibility of being a member of the HAA organization, but I'm surprised you pulled that out. Where did that speculation come from, if you don't mind me asking? (I'm not saying she is or is not a member, but I'm just curious.)

@bunny_rabbit:
You literally made me laugh, my friend. I never know it sounded like the onomatopoeia for a tired sigh, lol! I'm somewhat surprised, just like with Misaki in my remark up above with the user, that you would start suspecting Jurina for being suspicious. I'm not saying you're wrong or right, but it's an interesting perspective to see the situation. Why do you tempt me with angst though, Bunny!? Don't poke a sleeping angst tiger!

@All:
This is just a thought... but is it possible that we might also be overthinking? Again, for the nth time, I'm not saying that what we are pondering about is correct or incorrect, wrong or right, but more on the matter of "what if". Since I'm playing the role as a reader with my own personal input on how I want this solidified story to move as, it even baffles myself that I first analyzed the problem as something bigger than it could possibly be. (Key term: POSSIBLY, NOT IT IS.) What if Jurina really wasn't a member of the Human Advancement Agency? What if nothing actually happened to Mayu if she decided to walk home by herself?

The next thing I want us to talk about for a little bit is the frantic state of Mayu's reaction. Honestly, the kind of reaction she gives off is something that borders heavily on PTSD symptoms. At the same time, exaggeration of a reaction can also occur if it's just out of fear alone. (Let's face it... When we're scared of something that's minor, we act like it's the end of the world for the most part.) Any thoughts on it? I think it's strange... especially when a delusional paragraph heavily implies that the HAA could or could not be a YouTube account famous for mindless experiment videos.



Thanks for taking the time to read the first chapter, choose an option, and express your opinion through a post here! Also, extra thanks for those replying back to this post of mine before the update! Would love to hear everyone's opinions about this progression so far.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: bunny_rabbit on January 10, 2017, 02:18:19 AM
I'm not poking, just give a tickle...  using a rapier :hee:

anyway, for those "WHAT IFs" if it goes as it is then that's good, at least Mayu will have another friend other than Yuki... but then, it will bring another "WHAT IFs"--which can go along with those PTSD symptoms--up

WHAT IF the videos posted by HAA contain subliminal messages? :on hypto:
WHAT IF Mayu was the one who has real connection with HAA?
WHAT IF Yuki was sent by HAA to monitor Mayu?
WHAT IF all of this only happen inside Mayu's head--while her body was locked in some padded room with strait-jacket on?

more things to think of eh? :kekeke:

here catch *throw some cute eight legged creature*
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: LoyalFlutist on January 10, 2017, 04:07:13 AM
@bunny_rabbit:

Excellent points you've made in your post. I'm beginning to think that we'll end up spiraling downward into a never-ending "what if"s, which can manipulate the situation even more than we intend to. Heck, are we the ones that will slowly become delusional like our character here?! :shocked Now we're going to end up doubting everyone in this series! I'm sure the next chapter will tickle your fancy with further confusion.

P.S. That tickle with a rapier is not appreciated, lol! It is further not appreciated by chucking that spider at me, thank you very much! runs away
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on January 10, 2017, 07:16:50 PM
@MaYukiIsLife:
You took the words out of my mouth. As stated up above, my decision remains on being with the young Matsui. Yet... looking at bunny_rabbit's speculation and even ミサキ (Misaki)'s question pertaining to Jurina, there is a possibility that Jurina might not be as nice as she makes it out to be. Perhaps this is overthinking, but would the chance of being at risk be higher than if she were to wander back to her apartment by herself?

Tbh, even though I ship JuriChuri nowadays (sadly Furuyanagi and Wmatsui don't exist as much as they used to used to), it's nice to have some variation of the Jurina harem we all know and love.

Heck, if I was in Mayu's decision, even though I just met Jurina earlier tbh I would rather someone I had just become acquaintances with kill me than someone I never knew existed kill me.

The HAA have probably already delved into her brain, if she was having dreams about them. Jurina and Yuki might be there to spy on her, or better yet they might be out to kill her for all I know. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if Mayu was going to a mental asylum later on because of all theses possible hallucinations she must be having.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: LoyalFlutist on January 11, 2017, 12:47:11 AM
@MaYukiIsLife:

We all need them harems since why not? :thumbsup Back to the topic at hand, that's an interesting outlook. At least you know who to haunt and curse at once you become a ghost, lol. Then again, it's a nice way to instill the setting of vengeance if you do survive some sort of assault or betrayal from a familiar acquaintance. As for Jurina and Yuki, it's possible... and it's also not possible for them to be an agent. Not sure if it's because of my reputation for literally making my oshimen suffer to the point of no return, but who knows! That odd delusion of being good friends for a year with Yuki might've hinted at something more... :sweatdrop:

I think you'll find the next update enjoyable considering how you mentioned Mayu being the character who is going coo-coo in the head. Maybe even complicate matters even more. :bleed eyes:
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: bunny_rabbit on January 11, 2017, 10:18:28 PM
:kekeke:

...

Eyes snapped open, she pushed herself to sit on her bed. Her body was trembling, her breath were ragged with heart pounding like crazy. Her sweat drenched clothes only added the unconfortable feeling she had.

Closing her eyes again, she took a deep slow breath.

Calm down okay, calm down. What you just saw was not real.

Time passed, her body slowly back to its normal state. Her breath no longer ragged, and her heart no longer pounding. But the scenes... it still there.

It would impossible for her to forget what she just saw--not with how vivid those scenes were. And the feeling... just thinking about it made her scalp numb.

Opening her eyes slowly, she shook her head. Squeezing her will power, she pushed the images to the back of her mind. She can't let it took control over her. She still have things to do, and she must to do it now.

Turning to the small cabinet next to her bed, she reached for her laptop. She opened the lid and turned the machine on. While waiting for the device to boot, she recall what she just saw--deliberately pushing the disturbing scenes out--and arrange her thought.

The bright and simple wallpaper on her desktop brought her back to reality. Clicking on the folder shortcut, she scrolled down to a certain file and open it. Skimming through the content, she made a slight adjustmet and start typing

Watanabe Mayu: Special Hidden Ending Walkthrough
-=Platinum Edition Patch Only=-

...

curse those LitRPGs I read on royalroadl.com :depressed: :err:
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 1 ~ 12/31/16
Post by: LoyalFlutist on January 14, 2017, 03:51:04 AM
[Replies]

@bunny_rabbit:
I had a good laugh out of it! Also, I commend you for writing it also since that is a nice possibility of what could happen in the story. (You got pretty awesome writing skills too as an added bonus.) As a special thanks for letting me read it, I can drop one hint for you. ONE hint about your favorite Yokoyama Yui x Yamamoto Sayaka pairing... (Highlight to see the response!) [Please look forward to Chapter 5 and onward. They will have an interesting development in this series, making them important supporting roles that might upscale to the main characters. (Mayu and Yuki.)]

[Poll Result]

(http://i67.tinypic.com/33u4pdk.png)

[A/N]

Oh gosh, for once, I'm actually on time with my updates. Since school is going to start on Thursday for me, I think only Hell awaits for this writer and... I just pray I keep it up with the 2 weeks update schedule. Thinking about it... I've been more focused on how this story is going to progress. It does remind me about how I only had one series to worry about, so I guess that isn't much of a bad thing. What about the other series? They're still being worked on... with its priority being in the back burner... :sweatdrop:

Anyway, as the chapters go on, more and more characters will join the fray. Thanks for reading this series and for supporting it! :thumbsup



[Chapter 2]

Her head rested against the soft, white pillow. Body slightly sinking in the same-colored mattress, both of her hands motioned in the air as she spoke out loud. Her pair of brown eyes remained fixated on the navy blue ceiling, its fan providing some form of comfort against the grueling heat of outside. Nearby, there is a white lab coat tossed on top of a wooden rolling chair as the tone of the female’s voice grew louder.

Another student sat on a bed across from the speaker, resting her back against the same-colored wall. A book called “The War on Science” by Shawn Otto was comfortably held in her hands. A page would occasionally be flipped as her roommate continued to vocalize her complaint about their recent lab session.

“They expect us to turn in our research report next week on Friday, but we won’t be able to get all of our results till Monday.”

An eyebrow was raised from the older Matsui. “So? We have plenty of time to work on it,” she answered in a mundane tone, eyes still staring at the text. “I don’t understand how you’re so worried over it--”

“Rena, I know you’re my lab partner, but we also have two other students in our group, and you know how they are.”

Working in groups may sound like a brilliant idea, and it is. The amount of content that is required from the students can be evenly split between one another to a bearable portion. It was enough for them to keep their sanity from plummeting downward even more than it already has in the STEM field. However, when there are individuals sitting in the backseat, kicking up their feet and chewing on their gum, eyes observing the frantic actions of their partners, that’s where the con factors come crashing in.

“You have me, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it,” Rena added.

Another groan slipped out of Yuki’s mouth as she concealed half of her face with one of the two hands. If it weren’t for her roommate, she might’ve gone insane from the workload. At least there’s the weekend to mull over this agonizing predicament that most students are bound to face.

Silence remained in the atmosphere. Seconds were physically heard ticking from a nearby wall clock. It only took a few of them for the Biology student to shift her attention over to the older Matsui.

The raven-haired female still kept her eyes glued to the page. As expected, she wasn’t the type to brood or mope over something as trivial as this. They got each other. That should be more than enough to make the large assignment bearable to accomplish. Yuki let out an exhale as she retracted the hand from her face, her mind wandering over to another topic.

“Rena… I know I’ve asked you this many times, but have you heard anything about--”

“The Human Advancement Agency? No, no I haven’t.”

A quick, sharp answer. Yuki’s brown eyes glanced over at the other female again. Just like the scene previously, Rena is still sitting against the wall on her mattress, reading the same-named book with the same concentrated expression. No physical reaction. Another sigh, though much louder, came from Kashiwagi.

“I see.”

Just when she was going to give up asking Rena about the agency, from the corner of her eyes, she spotted the other scientific student gently shut her book. The older Matsui briefly closed her eyelids, reopening them and directing her undivided attention towards the questioner.

“Yukirin, look,” she began, the tone of her voice much more considerate. “I… I don’t want to be rude, but it’s been almost a year since you’ve been obsessed over this organization that no one has ever heard of.”

“I know.”1

The book that was in Rena’s hands were settled down on the bed’s surface. Palm of her hands pressing against the furniture, it made a creaky sound as the student shook her head.

“I don’t understand. Why are you searching for… this agency anyway? Is there anything good that’s going to come out of it?”

**That question certainly rang a bell inside of Yuki’s head. Many questioned why she would talk about a non-existent group, and she would reply with the same answer: “I did it so I could acknowledge their existence.” But no one has ever openly questioned the consequence of her action.

Yuki hasn’t actually thought that far about what might happen if she did learn about its existence. Knowing that they did exist might do what? What might happen? Will her life change again or will nothing come out of it? Will it simply be a fruitless attempt?

There wasn’t any answer for the question. She couldn’t answer it. At least, not right now.

The young woman eventually sat up from her spot. Yuki lowered her gaze, unable to formulate a thought about the result of her pursuit. Fingers curled inward and crumpled a small part of the furniture’s sheets, she clenched her jaw.

One thing is for certain, and that is the burning desire to acknowledge their existence. Then, and only then can she be at ease. She won’t suffer from the same delusions as Watanabe Mayu. Her other friend has gone delusional ever since she gave an inappropriate answer about the HAA. They have to exist. They’re not some YouTube phenomena... Yuki just knows it. The HAA… Human Advancement Agency… is something more than that.

Delicate fingers soon came into contact with her cheeks. This startled the wits out of the 22-year-old female. Yuki raised her hand and nearly smacked the hands when she realized how close her roommate is to her face. It was at an uncomfortable distance, popping more than just her personal bubble. Warm breaths tickled Yuki’s nose as the raven-haired female had leaned down towards the now-flustered woman. Both hands, the gentlest she has ever felt, cupped her cheeks, Rena forced the other student to scoot backward till her back bumped against the navy blue wall.

“R-R-Rena… What are you… What are you doing?” she stuttered. “You’re too close to me.”

“I don’t think I’m that close to you, am I?”

Whether that should be taken as a metaphorical or literal statement, it didn’t matter. Yuki felt her entire face burn up, the back of her head beginning to go light as she watched the university student climb onto the mattress and, eventually, straddle on her lap.

They knew each other for nearly a year, yet the closest they’ve ever been physically was residing in the same bedroom as roommates within an apartment. A huge leap of advancement with their relationship, and Yuki didn’t like it one bit. This wasn’t the Rena she knew… was it? Could Rena have an erotic side hidden from the public?

Her brown eyes tried to look away, but the pair were fixated and locked with Rena’s. Then, the older Matsui leaned in. Lips brushing against one another, chilling pleasures ran through Yuki’s body as her heart pounded hard against her chest. Kashiwagi wanted to push away Rena, but found the inability to do so. Since that failed, she wanted to raise her voice and tell Rena to go away, but that too ended in vain.

Noticing that there wasn’t any more reaction coming from Yuki, the dominant figure giggled. “You know, since you’re desperately looking for a way to prove the HAA’s existence, there’s something you might want to know.”

Yuki’s breath hitched upon the warm sensation enveloping her front body. Rena pressed against Yuki, her breasts notably pushing on the same area as the other female. The blush that colored Kashiwagi’s cheeks darkened as her focus became distorted. It took a couple seconds for the Biological student to grasp the information that flowed out of her roommate’s tender lips, each movement sparking pleasant electric currents on own.

“There has been cases of young females going missing here in Shibuya.”

“M-Missing…?”

“Yes… and they’re all between the age of 18 and 25. Isn’t that strange?”

“No… I actually don’t find that strange.”

“How so? You sound as if you know why the kidnapper would pick their targets at that age range.” Rena’s fingers now traced Yuki’s jawline, slowly sliding it down to the end of her chin. “Tell me something, Yukirin… So far there’s been five cases. Five, and the perpetrator has yet to be caught. What are you going to do?”

That question snapped Yuki back to the very reason why she asked the question about HAA. Any signs of embarrassment eroded away as she stared back at the seductive woman. She finally raised her hands and firmly grabbed Rena’s wrists. “I will stop the kidnapping. I will stop the kidnapping and make sure the agency isn’t kidnapping anymore young women.”

Determination evoked from the speaker. It was as if she was an entirely different persona. As if on cue, the older Matsui giggled and remarked, “Oh Yukirin… That’s what I love about you…”

Soon, her lips pressed against Kashiwagi’s. It was a passionate kiss that would’ve driven the other end insane from lust. Usage of sucking, licking, nibbling, and pressing can lull anyone into cloud nine. But Yuki kept her composure the same. She simply watched the devilish woman toy with her mouth as it lingered on for half a minute.

When they finally parted, a trail of saliva formed between the two. It eventually broke. Yuki remained unfazed as Rena smirked.

“What’s the first step, oh Miss Detective?”**

“We’re going to investigate this matter.”

The older Matsui raised an eyebrow. Sitting on the edge of the bed with her back facing the other, she let out a huff. “Do you even know what time it is right now? It’s nightfall!”

“But I have to investigate it.”

Rena grimaced. It was just a rumor about the kidnapping case. Just because young females were disappearing doesn’t mean that it was actually true. The news media are at fault for blowing up the problem to a grand scale, making mountains out of mole hills. She even laid it out towards Yuki, but her roommate appears to have taken it far more seriously than she had anticipated. (Though it was an oddity to see the other student flushed in the midst of their conversation. Rena almost predicted that Yuki was succumbing to a fever.2)

A slight, but brief dent was seen on the mattress upon getting off from the bed. Both of her hands resting on her hip, the older Matsui turned to look at the serious student. Seeing that there was no way Yuki was taking back her words, she lowered her head.

“Since you’re so intent on going… I’ll go with you, okay? But under one condition… We need to go tomorrow morning. Since it’s a Saturday, there shouldn’t be any issue. Plus, it’s less dangerous.”

Compared to nightfall, there would be more pedestrians and certainly daylight to ward off any potential dangers lurking around the corner. Having another person, especially someone close to Yuki, may be helpful to the investigation regarding this kidnapping case. Two heads are better than one. Yet Yuki realizes that it might be dangerous for Rena to lend her a hand. If there’s ever a slim chance that the criminal would be present during the investigation, then it would be plenty of trouble having two individuals in the predicament. Then again, even if there isn’t any kidnapper walking around in broad daylight, wouldn’t the investigation be more of a hassle knowing there’s an outsider assisting with her search? All sorts of trouble could be avoided if it were just Yuki.

Yuki scooted up to the edge of her bed. Still glued to the furniture, she declared to…

[Have Rena help Yuki out]
[Not have Rena help Yuki out]

----------

Mayu chose that it would be best to crash at Jurina’s apartment. Shaken from the man’s appearance, there would be, undoubtedly, a high chance for him to present himself once more to the university student. She didn’t want to see him again. Not again, not ever. If she went home by herself… Watanabe doesn’t want to know might happen. She just needs someone to be with her. If she’s alone, she might drive herself insane out of pure terror.

As for Jurina, she patiently awaited for a verbal response. Although it would be nice to have a quick answer, considering how terrified Mayu reacted, there was no reason to hurry. Still… Comfort. The young Matsui wanted to comfort her. Even though they had just met today, it would be wrong to not do anything to better the situation. What better way to do so than to spend the night at her place?

A small part of the young woman also didn’t desire the older female to leave on her own. She even went so far to tilt the decision-making to her favor as to extend a free hand out towards her senior, a gentle smile drawn on her lips.

“Mayu, let’s go to my apartment, okay? We can talk about it if you want with me when we get there.”

That charming smile. It was the same one that she wore when they first met today in school. Upon laying her gaze on the girl’s pink lips, Mayu felt a small portion of her panic attack erode away. The books that were harshly pressed against her own chest loosened. More room was given for her lungs as she felt her racing heart’s pace slowly press on its brake. There was also Jurina’s hand stretched out to her. Mayu looked at it, then back at her.

“O… Okay…” she whispered and, allowing one hand to be free from carrying the young student’s belonging, took ahold of Jurina’s.

It’s warm, Mayu noted. As for Jurina, she noted that it’s cold. Then, Jurina’s fingers curled in a manner that brought her mentor’s hand in a firmer grip, hoping to cease further trembling from the said-body part. The smile that was plastered on her face widen into a grin, her eyes following a similar notion. With a tilt of her head, she said,

“I won’t let anything happen to you, senpai.”

Ah, just like a prince… Those words smoothly trickled out from Jurina’s lips. They might not mean much, but to Mayu, it was another attempt to ease the panicky female. Mayu didn’t say anything about it though. She was still bothered by the male with the HAA badge. His presence vividly flashed its image within her mind. However, at least her violent shivering came to an end.

Jurina, on the other hand, still had zero idea on the strange and abrupt development that occurred with the other woman. Going from a friendly classmate to a fragile and scared individual is concerning.  Those words of consolation were just her making it up on the spot and assuming that something might’ve been out to hurt Mayu. It might be something more minor, but a violent reaction of horror coming from someone makes it highly unlikely it’s something like that.

Gently the young Matsui tugged Watanabe along. They walked at a snail-like pace, but they traveled on the pathway to Jurina’s apartment. Thankfully, since it was only a block away, it only took five minutes taking into account of their slowness. Many pedestrians were seen walking past them in both directions. This hinted the high activity that surrounds Jurina’s temporary home.

She lived on the tenth floor of the twelve-story building. Since her parents owned a computer company here in Shibuya, the apartment was no ordinary premise. Luxurious would be the best terminology to describe the interior and exterior design. Had Mayu not been delirious with the lingering fear, she might’ve made a remark on how beautiful and rich it was. A golden fountain present both indoor and outdoor? It must’ve cost a fortune just to rent a room for a day!

The bellboy greeted the two once they walked inside the front entrance. Jurina gave a quick bow of her head towards the staff as she continued to drag Mayu towards one of the two working elevators. She briefly released her hold on her mentor’s hand as she mashed the ‘up’ arrow button.

It took half a second for the door to slide open. No one present in the boxed vehicle, they filed inside and proceeded to click on the tenth floor.

Thanks to the fancy interior designing by an architect and engineer, the back part of container that holds them were fully see-through glass. Just reaching the fourth floor as it climbed high showcased a wonderful scenario for the two students. Lights from the busy part of Shibuya littered the land like decoration.

Jurina reached out and grabbed ahold of Mayu’s again. This time, her hand was as warm as Jurina’s. Knowing this caused the younger of the two to tenderly squeeze.

“Are you feeling better…?” she asked, looking directly at the student.

Mayu didn’t look back. Instead, her sight were fixated on the landscape spread out before their eyes. Then, in a small voice, said, “I… I guess.”

The female was still scared. She wanted to do nothing other than to curl up in a fetal position and pretend that today didn’t happen. However, having Jurina by her side made her feel a bit better than earlier out in the crosswalk.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Another squeeze of her hand. “Seeing you scared like that… I… No, it’s nothing.”

Any pondering on the man came to a momentary halt for the older woman. She finally tore her gaze away from the scenery and glanced at Jurina. Their brown eyes met with one another. What did she mean by that? Mayu opened her mouth, but was unable to ask the question as the elevator has reached its destination. She decided not to pursue the subject of interest. It doesn’t look like the student wanted to talk about it anyway.

She was soon led into the apartment that Jurina owns. It was a mostly empty studio room, with one bathroom and the furthest wall replaced with glass. Just like the elevator they came from, the sight of Shibuya from high up was seen once again.

A loud yawn broke the silence that hung between the two. Shoes kicked off in a sloppy fashion, they were left disorganized by the closed front entrance as the books from the young Matsui were then tossed at a nearby desk. Jurina returned back and snagged the remaining supplies from her senior’s grasp with her signature grin.

“I’ll be taking back my things, thank you very much~”

Despite the somewhat heavy atmosphere that weighed upon Mayu’s shoulders, Jurina did her best to uplift it.

So far, it did very little to budge it.

Disappointment scrawled all over Jurina’s face upon notice once she turned her back towards the other. Instead, transferring to the sofa after taking off her shoes, the older classmate in their mathematic course pulled her legs close to her body, hugging them. She buried her face into her knees. Then, she remained that way for a full minute.

Jurina didn’t think it was a problem, too busy looking through the small fridge for a microwavable meal till she realized just how long Watanabe kept that position. A faint sigh came from Matsui’s direction. Any sign of hunger that once plagued the student was gone, appetite soiled at the uncomfortable situation. She immediately clicked the cool container’s door closed after snatching a bottle of water. Straightening her back, she approached Mayu.

Now sitting across from the couch and placing the drink on the clean, wooden floor, the palm of her hands rested against the edge of the twin-size mattress as she kept her eyes on Mayu. Still no movement from the other. Jurina let out a soft hum in hopes of a physical and/or verbal reaction. Just like previously, there was nothing coming from the fellow Computer Science student. She bit the bottom of her lip and crossed her legs. Clearly this is going nowhere.

“So,” she began to speak to the silent woman. “Do you… want to talk to me about what’s bothering you?”

No reply. This is going to be more difficult that she had assumed. Jurina reached down to grab ahold of the fresh water bottle. A single twist with her other hand cracked through the safety seals of the plastic cap. She brought the now-opened container towards her lower lip, tilted it and and gulped as much as she could in one go. Bottle plopped back onto the smooth ground, her brown eyes flickered back towards Mayu. Then, she scrunched her eyebrows.

“What made you so scared, senpai? I know we only met today, but you made it seem as if someone or something was going to hurt you.”

Finally, Mayu lifted her head. She looked at the other-- No, that wasn’t right. It seems as though she was staring into space. Not a single sign of attention was given to Jurina. Even if she were to wave her hands over Mayu’s eyes, she wouldn’t be able to recognize and pick up her action. Her lips slowly parted.

“It’s... “

Him. She wanted to confess that it was him. The man in black… The old man. Mayu didn’t know who exactly he was, but something was tickling her memory bank. He occurred in her dream. It shouldn’t be that much of a big deal. It wasn’t like her to make mountains out of mole hills. However, her body went into full alert mode. She just knows that he’s dangerous. She can’t explain it, but she just believes in it… and he’s someone that evoked an emotional response from her that fits his existence.

Her five senses…

A flashback. She immediately clutched her head and shook it. Once again… her entire figure trembled as tears began to well up from her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of ridding the effect. The sensation of past events weren’t coming to a stop though. Images and experiences kept flickering by as if the nightmare had just happened yesterday.

Chair…

She began to sob. Mouth opened, she also felt a panic attack incoming. Assaults wracked her entire body into a state of numbness. Tears that were pouring out of her closed eyes came nonstop. Head lowered, Mayu tightened her grip on her head in vain attempt to rid of those flashbacks. That devilish smile from him. White teeth aimed at her direction in the crowd, he sparked another part of her memory.

It hurts so much…

Her legs were pressed against her chest in yearning effort to protect herself. Shaking her head once more, the sound of her heart thumping echoed into her eardrums. Aches began to accumulate within her skull, threatening to become more than a potential migraine. The numbness spreading throughout her shaken body forced the woman even deeper into the painful recollections.

“Mayu!”

Loud thumps were vaguely heard in the background. Then, reality slapped her across the face.

Mayu’s eyes widen when she felt a pair of warm hands resting on her cheeks. She slowly raised her head, lowered her legs, and immediately noticed, at this point in time, that her kouhai kneeled down in front of her. Their face on the same level, Jurina’s worried expression soon came into focus. Both of Jurina’s eyes held no aggressive nature. Compared to the HAA member, it was nothing like it.

Mayu blinked and clamped her jaw shut. The adrenaline that shook her consciousness then faded away as the other female embraced her mentor into a tight hug. Face buried into Jurina’s shoulder, the young kouhai whispered to Mayu’s ear, “You don’t need to tell me anything. I’m sorry you’re hurting like this.”

They stayed put in that same position for a full minute. Then, after separating by Watanabe’s will, Jurina’s thumbs tenderly brushed against the woman’s wet cheeks. A weak twinkle formed on young Matsui’s face.

“I won’t ask again, okay? You’ll be fine with me... I’ll make sure no one hurts you.”



1How odd... Yuki knows she's been chasing after them for a year. It is a fact that she has been doing so. What's her reason for doing so?

2The blush is an abnormal placement in their conversation.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on January 15, 2017, 11:19:12 AM
Maybe they'll find the cause of Mayu's madness if they work together. Yuki's been working on it for a year, right? A year with no proper answerrs
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: sakura_drop_ on January 17, 2017, 08:04:24 PM
after exams I shall vomit out some theories, this is great  :wub:
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: LoyalFlutist on January 22, 2017, 07:06:50 PM
Some more days till this series is updated. (May school and my poor health please not hinder me anymore than right now...) So, here comes the discussion and whatnot. I encourage those to converse with me and possibly the others about what you think about the current chapter, and as to why you did (not) make certain decision from the poll. The results so far have been largely bias towards us needing them YukiRena action:

8 votes for Rena to go with Yuki
1 vote for Rena to NOT go with Yuki




First of all, I wonder who the heaven voted for Rena to not go with Yuki? Surprisingly, that wasn't me who voted for that option. (I'm not THAT sadistic, okay.) Whoever that is, is there a particular reason as to why? It just interest me why you made the choice to have Yuki not have the older Matsui assist her in the investigation of the rumor. Or are you secretly desiring some heavy angst? :shocked:

For myself, I chose Rena to help Yuki because I need some shipping fuel, and two heads are better than one. I just need more YukiRena in my life.

@MaYukiIsLife:
Yes, you are absolutely correct. Kashiwagi has been working on this for a year, yet never came to a solid conclusion. I came to the same conclusion as you. The two of them could work together to find out. Though what marks me as suspicious is the amount of time she's desiring to know more about the HAA. Why is she even interested in the first place? How did she even come to find out about them if they're so secretive in the first place?

@sakura_drop_:
I know you haven't posted your theories yet, but I have spoken to you before about the choice you've made on the poll. Is there any reason as to why you wanted Yuki to have Rena help her? (Aside from shipping fuel... Unless that's your only reason, lol.)

@All:

Let me refer to you all this. I totally forgot to highlight it in blue, so I apologize about it:

Quote
She won’t suffer from the same delusions as Watanabe Mayu.

But... There's the delusional "**" effect going on. Could it be Yuki hallucinating or could it be Rena? If you look deep into the text, it actually states who is hallucinating at that moment. It can't be Mayu since she's nowhere near their apartment, or heck, even with them in the first place. Also, I would like to ask that if it's possible for more than one person to have the effect. I will stated this in red fact: It is impossible for me to write about a hallucination when the character hallucinating isn't there. It is NOT my role to confuse readers this way.

So what exactly is going on?

We also have that... rather... borderline-risque action from Rena. Looking back at the footnote, the blushing is abnormal. Any idea as to why the older Matsui would take such action? Finally, we have Mayu's sudden flashback. Something definitely occurred in her past... right? I won't lie, had she gone home by herself, she probably would've driven herself insane. Probably. :sweatdrop:



Thanks for reading the second chapter of this series! Looking forward to what responses bubble up from you all. If you also have questions and/or concerns about this, you may direct them to me, and I'll answer them so long as it doesn't spoil the story.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on January 22, 2017, 10:24:02 PM
I swear my answers and logic are the same as yours, author-sam
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: sakura_drop_ on January 23, 2017, 08:22:23 PM
So, let's do this!

I read this three times. Once was a skim, second time, I read properly, enjoying it all, then third time I payed attention to details and whatnot. Now, here is what I have to say (wihtout reading any of the comments)

Mayu clearly doesn’t understand why Yuki seems to be a worry-wart over her grades when she’s clearly doing much better than this student. The 20-year-old did put the 22-year-old to shame once a month of schooling was put in. Regardless, Mayu doesn’t think of her badly. **They’ve been good friends since last year.** Frankly, she’s Mayu’s only friend she can trust and confide in.

first things first, I noticed right away that MaYuki being friends is a delusion and that makes me wonder why Yuki has befriended Mayu in the first place, if what I am assuming is correct. From her my logic derives that Mayu interacts with Yuki to more of an extent than anyone else (before Jurina) thus she assumes they are friends but in reality are they really?


“I’m not a tsundere, Yukirin.”

“Right right, but anyway, I need to ask you something… You heard anything about the ‘Human Advancement Agency’?”

**The Human Advancement Agency? That’s a peculiar name coming from Yuki’s mouth. Mayu proceeded to compile her notebook, writing utensils,textbook, and workbook into one neat pile. Brown eyes still focused on packing up her belongings, she answered, “I’ve heard of them. They’ve gone viral on the Internet.”

Yuki’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? I know they’re a secret organization, but are they really exposing their experimentation to the world?”

Finally, Mayu’s eyes met with her friend’s. She gazed deep into the pair, searching for any particular emotions that could make the Biology major utter a ridiculous notion. Sadly, she could not find one. With a loud sigh, she got up from her seat and scooped up the pile on the two-seated table.

“Secret? There’s nothing secretive about them. Unless you’re telling me that mixing random energy drinks and soda is supposed to be confidential.” Yuki’s expression changed: eyebrows raised, eyes widening, and blinking as if she’s a deer in headlights. Looking as though she didn’t believe a single word that came out of the student’s mouth, she emphasized one point about this so-called Human Advancement Agency. “They’re a YouTube channel. You don’t even have to be a frequent Internet user like me to know who they are. Just think of them as young men and women who do crazy things for a living.”

When her expression remained the same, the Computer Science major decided not to repeat herself again. If Yuki isn’t going to understand, then there’s no point in doing so.**

Mayu then dumped the pile into her already-unzipped neon green and black backpack. Slight adjustments were made on the black straps before she slid her arms through from the back. A small jump was all it needed to keep the container in place. She turned to look at her friend once again with a small smile.

“You got another class, right? I’ll walk you to it.”

Yuki blinked. Then, she scratched the back of her head. “Sure, just like always.”

There was no point in asking anymore questions from the Biology Major student. She got her answer from Mayu. Her brows furrowed during the aftermath, hand lowered. Maybe at another time, Yuki could properly sit down with her close friend and have a conversation at their own pace. It was wrong of her to toss it out right after lecture, especially when Mayu just woke up from her nap.

now here, if we take out the text in between ** **, what do we get? a story proceeding without any weirdness... Well, that's what I thought until later Yuki mesntioned she doesn't think Mayu is right about HAA being just some Youtube channel. That got me thinking more about these delusion things, more so after YukiRena scene, but before I discuss the two, lemme think a bit more about this particular scene.

I am still thinking on how to treat the delusions. Do they happen/occur in one's head, do they actually happen in real life but for us readers are altered in such a way we can only see the way it is written in between ** **?

I am stil unsure how to treat them but I am curious to see if I was right about Mayu nonchalantly replying a sentence and then nothing else happening what was described in between ** **, it would make so much more sense and would explain the meaning of the delusions better than it actually happening, then why the delusion marking?

I still think Yukirin's involvement with this HAA thing is suspicious, why would she question Mayu about it? Does she know what actually happened to Mayu (which we can only assume that happened, as Mayu's dream lead me to believe it is her memory which she thinks is only a dream)? but then we as readers would know that in her thoughts...right? then what are her reasons for looking so deep into HAA for a whole year now, if my memory serves me right?


“Money. It’s as simple as that.”

“You’ll be stuck in college forever if that excuse runs by. Plus, you’re not even guaranteed an acceptance based on money alone.”

“It might be different in my case~”

“Only you would think of that.”

They began to laugh after the teasing remark. As if on cue, their stomachs rumbled at similar intervals. Everything was in sync for the next few actions. A blush crept on their cheeks, their brown eyes focused on each other, and another laughter erupted out of their mouth.

Maybe it's just me, maybe you influenced me too much oh le great shachou, the godLy, but seriously, that blue text, I know it could be a hint, and it could be a misleading sentence, so let's see.

If it is a misleading sentence, then I see no problem. Nooooooow if it is a hint, it makes me worried.

Then I start thinking: what if Jurina's behavior is an act? what if she has something to do with HAA, infiltrated the school to reach out for Mayu, acting all cute and trying her best to go for help not to just anyone but Mayu herself? it all seems very suspicious to me, but then again, this is only if this blue text is a correct hint. Could Jurina act that well, pretend to be a dumvb student and get under Mayu's skin, get her on good terms and then betray? or does she know about the happening we assume might have happened that le dream indicated and she is here to protect Mayu, aaaah, so many questions and possibilities

the blue text a bit further on in le update only proves my theory, if it is correct, that is  :nervous

“Wait, you’re telling me that you’re originally from Akihabara?” she asked the young girl as they waited for the go signal from the crosswalk sign.

Adjusting her hand on the school supplies with one hand, Jurina gave a nod. “Yep. Transferred here because my parents own a computer company here in Shibuya.”

“Did they force you to?”

“Nope. I wanted to come here.”

it could be more into it, I don't know why my brain doesn't want to believe it is the truth she is saying, but then again, it could be simply my brain was corrupted by shachou over the course of years I started reading your stuff and being coached by you  :O


This almost made Mayu laugh again for the nth time today. An eyebrow raised, she placed one hand on her hip and adjusted her hold on the other books against her chest. “As someone older than you, I should be the one picking up my kouhai--”

A man in black passed by her. It was brief, but long enough for her visual sense to capture enough data about the passerby. Compared to most of the civilians who were wearing business attire, he barely stuck out like a sore thumb. However, it was like he intentionally slowed his walking pace when brushing by Watanabe. The golden badge on his shirt shone the title ‘HAA’.2 That was enough to halt the girl in the middle of the crosswalk, her blood running cold at the sight of the acronyms. Attention directed at the man, she couldn’t help but feel an impending doom falling upon her.

It was like chance. Luck is a foreign concept that couldn’t be explained by science, mathematics, or the supernatural. The randomest part of our life could be altered, and we would immediately refer to it as either good or bad luck. Heart racing, she kept her eyes plastered on the man’s figure. He continued walking. Could she have mistaken him for someone that evoked such reaction from her?

Then, he stopped upon reaching the end of the crosswalk. He turned around. Sunglasses concealed his eyes. Considering the time of the day, it was ridiculous to wear one right now. However, his face burned into her brain. She knew him. She knew who he was. No, it wasn’t to say that she knew exactly who he was. Rather, she knew where he came from. The name on his badge screamed it all.

It was far, but she was able to spot him devilish flash his teeth at her direction. Mayu almost screamed in pure terror when she saw it. Instead, she pressed the books even harsher against her own chest in desperate attempt to slow her rapidly beating heart. She’s trembling like a fawn barely able to learn how to stand on its four legs as the man resumed walking.



2It's strikingly the same as the one in her dream... What exactly is the 'HAA' now that it's appeared in reality?

Here, see? Me thinking the dream could actually be the memory she has lost seems to hit the bull's eye, well, I don't wanna go ahead of the story or anything, or even ahead myself, but I am simply saying that I think her dream is her memory and that she has ran away from that HAA for whatever reasons we still need to find out, maybe they were doing experiments on her or intended to do them... Oh, so many possibilities, now Jurina protecting Mayu doesn't seem like a bad theory, nee?


“Rena… I know I’ve asked you this many times, but have you heard anything about--”

“The Human Advancement Agency? No, no I haven’t.”

A quick, sharp answer. Yuki’s brown eyes glanced over at the other female again. Just like the scene previously, Rena is still sitting against the wall on her mattress, reading the same-named book with the same concentrated expression. No physical reaction. Another sigh, though much louder, came from Kashiwagi.

“I see.”

Just when she was going to give up asking Rena about the agency, from the corner of her eyes, she spotted the other scientific student gently shut her book. The older Matsui briefly closed her eyelids, reopening them and directing her undivided attention towards the questioner.

“Yukirin, look,” she began, the tone of her voice much more considerate. “I… I don’t want to be rude, but it’s been almost a year since you’ve been obsessed over this organization that no one has ever heard of.”

“I know.”1

The book that was in Rena’s hands were settled down on the bed’s surface. Palm of her hands pressing against the furniture, it made a creaky sound as the student shook her head.

“I don’t understand. Why are you searching for… this agency anyway? Is there anything good that’s going to come out of it?”



1How odd... Yuki knows she's been chasing after them for a year. It is a fact that she has been doing so. What's her reason for doing so?

Here we are told that Yukirin has been obsessing over this HAA for over a year now and we can only start questioning ourselves. WHY? It is a big question and most of the time it is one of the big few questions people try to answer when solving mysteries? Who? When? Why? and here we have a why, because in no way I will believe she has been searching for OVER A YEAR anything she could find about HAA just out of CURIOSITY. No no no, girl, you ain't gonna trick me, I sense something more serious lying right there but I cannot still pinpoint what it is, that makes you search for answers so frantically, even Rena knows to the point she can finish your sentences.

which brings me to this scene:


The book that was in Rena’s hands were settled down on the bed’s surface. Palm of her hands pressing against the furniture, it made a creaky sound as the student shook her head.

“I don’t understand. Why are you searching for… this agency anyway? Is there anything good that’s going to come out of it?”

**That question certainly rang a bell inside of Yuki’s head. Many questioned why she would talk about a non-existent group, and she would reply with the same answer: “I did it so I could acknowledge their existence.” But no one has ever openly questioned the consequence of her action.

Yuki hasn’t actually thought that far about what might happen if she did learn about its existence. Knowing that they did exist might do what? What might happen? Will her life change again or will nothing come out of it? Will it simply be a fruitless attempt?

There wasn’t any answer for the question. She couldn’t answer it. At least, not right now.

The young woman eventually sat up from her spot. Yuki lowered her gaze, unable to formulate a thought about the result of her pursuit. Fingers curled inward and crumpled a small part of the furniture’s sheets, she clenched her jaw.

One thing is for certain, and that is the burning desire to acknowledge their existence. Then, and only then can she be at ease. She won’t suffer from the same delusions as Watanabe Mayu. Her other friend has gone delusional ever since she gave an inappropriate answer about the HAA. They have to exist. They’re not some YouTube phenomena... Yuki just knows it. The HAA… Human Advancement Agency… is something more than that.

Delicate fingers soon came into contact with her cheeks. This startled the wits out of the 22-year-old female. Yuki raised her hand and nearly smacked the hands when she realized how close her roommate is to her face. It was at an uncomfortable distance, popping more than just her personal bubble. Warm breaths tickled Yuki’s nose as the raven-haired female had leaned down towards the now-flustered woman. Both hands, the gentlest she has ever felt, cupped her cheeks, Rena forced the other student to scoot backward till her back bumped against the navy blue wall.

“R-R-Rena… What are you… What are you doing?” she stuttered. “You’re too close to me.”

“I don’t think I’m that close to you, am I?”

Whether that should be taken as a metaphorical or literal statement, it didn’t matter. Yuki felt her entire face burn up, the back of her head beginning to go light as she watched the university student climb onto the mattress and, eventually, straddle on her lap.

They knew each other for nearly a year, yet the closest they’ve ever been physically was residing in the same bedroom as roommates within an apartment. A huge leap of advancement with their relationship, and Yuki didn’t like it one bit. This wasn’t the Rena she knew… was it? Could Rena have an erotic side hidden from the public?

Her brown eyes tried to look away, but the pair were fixated and locked with Rena’s. Then, the older Matsui leaned in. Lips brushing against one another, chilling pleasures ran through Yuki’s body as her heart pounded hard against her chest. Kashiwagi wanted to push away Rena, but found the inability to do so. Since that failed, she wanted to raise her voice and tell Rena to go away, but that too ended in vain.

Noticing that there wasn’t any more reaction coming from Yuki, the dominant figure giggled. “You know, since you’re desperately looking for a way to prove the HAA’s existence, there’s something you might want to know.”

Yuki’s breath hitched upon the warm sensation enveloping her front body. Rena pressed against Yuki, her breasts notably pushing on the same area as the other female. The blush that colored Kashiwagi’s cheeks darkened as her focus became distorted. It took a couple seconds for the Biological student to grasp the information that flowed out of her roommate’s tender lips, each movement sparking pleasant electric currents on own.

“There has been cases of young females going missing here in Shibuya.”

“M-Missing…?”

“Yes… and they’re all between the age of 18 and 25. Isn’t that strange?”

“No… I actually don’t find that strange.”

“How so? You sound as if you know why the kidnapper would pick their targets at that age range.” Rena’s fingers now traced Yuki’s jawline, slowly sliding it down to the end of her chin. “Tell me something, Yukirin… So far there’s been five cases. Five, and the perpetrator has yet to be caught. What are you going to do?”

That question snapped Yuki back to the very reason why she asked the question about HAA. Any signs of embarrassment eroded away as she stared back at the seductive woman. She finally raised her hands and firmly grabbed Rena’s wrists. “I will stop the kidnapping. I will stop the kidnapping and make sure the agency isn’t kidnapping anymore young women.”

Determination evoked from the speaker. It was as if she was an entirely different persona. As if on cue, the older Matsui giggled and remarked, “Oh Yukirin… That’s what I love about you…”

Soon, her lips pressed against Kashiwagi’s. It was a passionate kiss that would’ve driven the other end insane from lust. Usage of sucking, licking, nibbling, and pressing can lull anyone into cloud nine. But Yuki kept her composure the same. She simply watched the devilish woman toy with her mouth as it lingered on for half a minute.

When they finally parted, a trail of saliva formed between the two. It eventually broke. Yuki remained unfazed as Rena smirked.

“What’s the first step, oh Miss Detective?”**

“We’re going to investigate this matter.”

The older Matsui raised an eyebrow. Sitting on the edge of the bed with her back facing the other, she let out a huff. “Do you even know what time it is right now? It’s nightfall!”

“But I have to investigate it.”

Rena grimaced. It was just a rumor about the kidnapping case. Just because young females were disappearing doesn’t mean that it was actually true. The news media are at fault for blowing up the problem to a grand scale, making mountains out of mole hills. She even laid it out towards Yuki, but her roommate appears to have taken it far more seriously than she had anticipated. (Though it was an oddity to see the other student flushed in the midst of their conversation. Rena almost predicted that Yuki was succumbing to a fever.2)



2The blush is an abnormal placement in their conversation.

Now once again if we remove the text in between ** **, we can just simply proceed reading and the text would be just fine, if not the fact the details that were discussed in that excerpt were obviously noted by Yuki and talked about in between the two. But then again, I am pretty sure Yuki's mind was delusional when it came to the kiss, I think it was her who was imagining all of that, or well, having hallucinations. We can clearly see Rena stated for a fact it was odd to see Yuki blushing, meaning the kiss didn't happen or she would know why Yuki was blushing i nthe first place. This made me think on ho should I treat these happenings in between ** **. I realized that while all the spoken text that characters exchange is actually happening (with some exception when the dialogue solely is in between ** **) the non-dialogue things might be not happening at all!!! but I could also be wrong... It is confusing, but this is also why this story is so great, you can have so much theories and never know what to expect, and it seems like you just have to wit for the story to unravel itself as if a ball of yarn was tossed while holding onto the yarn's one end, and you see it unraveling.... is this too deep?  :nervous

As much as I was flipping about the kiss scene - MIND YOU, I LOVED IT - I think it was a hallucination...or not...ugh, see what I mean? I am not sure which parts in between ** ** I should take as delusions and which ones are real, but I guess that is your goal with the story, right? to make as confused and guessing, burried under our theories while you slowly update bit by bit, remoing the theories from the top of us one by one and either discarding them or approving, while the remaining theories still weigh us down...


“Since you’re so intent on going… I’ll go with you, okay? But under one condition… We need to go tomorrow morning. Since it’s a Saturday, there shouldn’t be any issue. Plus, it’s less dangerous.”

Compared to nightfall, there would be more pedestrians and certainly daylight to ward off any potential dangers lurking around the corner. Having another person, especially someone close to Yuki, may be helpful to the investigation regarding this kidnapping case. Two heads are better than one. Yet Yuki realizes that it might be dangerous for Rena to lend her a hand. If there’s ever a slim chance that the criminal would be present during the investigation, then it would be plenty of trouble having two individuals in the predicament. Then again, even if there isn’t any kidnapper walking around in broad daylight, wouldn’t the investigation be more of a hassle knowing there’s an outsider assisting with her search? All sorts of trouble could be avoided if it were just Yuki.

Yuki scooted up to the edge of her bed. Still glued to the furniture, she declared to…

[Have Rena help Yuki out]
I think it is obvious that not only I want more YukiRena happening, but for some reason I think having Rena helping Yuki out might bring us the results we did not expect, I for some reason sense Rena will be a big part of us all finding out more about HAA...



The MayuJuri scene just proves to me that Mayu's dream was reality and she simply has lost memories... It also lets me continue questioning Jurina, but a bit less warily, because she was seriously concerned about Mayu, and none of her actions or thoughts - as far as we could guess what she was thinking from what the text inclined - indicated she had but a clue to why Mayu was acting like that...


I cannot wait for the next update, curious to see what happens next and intrigued by what exactly is HAA and what happened to Mayu in her past. Also, cannot wait to share more of my theories, if you are interested  ;)

Keep up the good work, shachou~ :rock:

Peace out~  :peace: :cathappy:
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: bunny_rabbit on January 24, 2017, 06:56:37 PM
aww... thanks for the compliment Ly :shy1: can't say I can make something off of that, just wrote it on a whim, I even don't know why I wrote that in the first place :on lol:

have I ever told you how much I love you Ly??? I.LOVE.YOU.SO.MUCH.LY!!! :luvluv1: WILL YOU MARRY ME? :luvluv2: there, I said it--okay just ignore the last part :sweat: :kneelbow:

but seriousLy, I love you... please make MY BELOVED YokoYamamoto as badass as supporting characters can be--though their assess are quite nice :on bleed: well, you got my points :kekeke:

okay let's get started :glasses:

no wonder that organization sounds tired, working on human advancement is a tedious task :smoke: and it seems like Yuki also had had her own share of contact with HAA :hehehe: yes or no we don't know yet... but one thing for sure, something is wrong with her head--her obsession for HAA is ridiculous... she spent more than a year conducting her so-called investigation about the agency only for the sake "so I can acknowledge their existence"?! that's it? just for thag? but, that line of reasoning MIGHT because

1. she got some mental disorder like schizophrenia maybe? though no other symptoms stated for now, but who knows...
2. she WAS one of their failed(?) test subjects
3. she WAS one of their "scientists" who know more than what she should know and got her memories altered

and Rena... for someone who said know nothing about the agency you're quite updated for the "news" about them eh :hehehe: what you said and done were kinda fishy...  are you planning on something girl? like using Yuki as a bait maybe? :hehehe:

and yes, it was ME who voted for not letting Rena to help Yuki :kekeke: why? obviously
because I WANT IT :kekeke: well, not really... like I said, Rena MIGHT planning on something...

1. she know about Yuki's obsession for the agency and questioned her reason... it might sounds just like a normal question from a concerned kindhearted friend but if you look from another angle, it can be a kind of "encouragement" for Yuki...
2. for someone who said she know nothing about the agency, she's quite updated about news/rumor about them... using the news/rumor about the kidnapping, she lured and "encourage" Yuki to dive deeper into her obsession--which of course she did

now, IF Rena really planning on something, by being away and not helping Yuki on her investigation she can keep herself save IF something bad does happen to Yuki, it can also serve as her alibi when she got questioned--add their still-on-progress group project into the mix and she'll just fine :kekeke:

but IF she's not planning on something, by being away and not helping Yuki on her investigation, she can become Yuki's life-saver IF something bad happen to her--again, their still-on-progress group project can be used as alibi
 for not being with her :kekeke:

indeed, two heads are better than one... but WHAT IF one of the head had a hidden agenda? :kekeke:

as for JuriMayu... I'll keep my suspicion on J until further explanations are given...
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: sakura_drop_ on January 24, 2017, 08:07:27 PM
yes, I agree with Bunny, Yukirin's obsession over this HAA is very serious one and questionable, and yes, I agree, we cannot let our guards down when it comes to Rena or Jurina, they do seem suspicious, even if Rena a tad bit more so than the puppy girl
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 2 ~ 01/14/17
Post by: LoyalFlutist on February 05, 2017, 07:57:44 PM
[Replies]

@MaYukiIsLife:
Looks like we think alike! I wonder if it will continue once we get further into the story.

@sakura_drop_:
Wow, that is one long comment you have about the last update, lol. I must thank you for breaking down into the nitty gritty part of the update to share your perspective on what goes on so far. You have some interesting theories and speculations as to what the premise is trying to hint at. In regard to the delusions, anything is possible. However, I've reread the past three posts I have made with this series and realize that it might be a little too hard to define what might occur and what might not. I've taken it into consideration and made it a bit easier to digest and narrow down the options on what needs to be focused on. (Thanks for it.)

Mayu's memories, huh. Might sound like an obvious clue, but I'm glad you brought that up. It could be a fragment of her memory, or could it be something else...? :shocked:

@bunny_rabbit:
You don't even know why, lol!? You've surprised me yet again as to what comes out of your writing skills! I'm certain you'll enjoy their development once their roles are integrated into the story. You also brought up some good theories and speculations as to what might occur with the characters, especially with Yuki and Rena. I won't say you're right or wrong, but perhaps it wouldn't be inappropriate for me to say that your remark is hitting close to certain themes. (It terrifies me slightly, lol!) It isn't wrong for you and Saku to be weary about Rena and Jurina. Heck, even Yuki and Mayu themselves are already suspicious enough on their own if you take their actions into consideration.



[Poll Results]

(http://i65.tinypic.com/2zrmdfk.png)



[A/N]

I'm grateful to have this series updated once again. It's receiving a much better fate than my other work, in which one chapter will probably take a year or two to manage. hopefully Disappearance S2 will resume its activity after this series Anyhow, hope you all enjoy this update. I will say for certain that things are going to get really spiced up from here on out. Expect to see key supporting casts enter the fray after this chapter. They will play a vital role that means more than just standing around as an informative NPC from a game.

Thank you very much for supporting this! Comments, criticisms, and/or a single glance at the title are appreciated.



[Chapter 3]

None of her senses were actively functioning.

Touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight. All five were put out. Only darkness exist to have Watanabe Mayu believe she doesn’t exist in this world. Consciousness coexist with existence. Without existence, consciousness would not exist.

That is, until her nose managed to catch a whiff of something. It was foreign in an environment that has surrounded the female. Yet at the same time, it was a key component to awakening one of her five senses. Consciousness began to trickle back into her figure. A soundless ground left her partially parted lips as the university student eventually focused all of her energy to her sense of smell.

Something smells like eggs.

Her sense of touch and taste returned as a bit of saliva wetted her dry lips, the aroma of freshly cooked eggs awakening the desire for nutrients. The woman’s fingers curled inward, digging into an unbreakable soft material that too rested against the side of her face.

Something smells… burnt.

Her sense of hearing made its comeback as she heard a loud bang from afar. Someone made a loud grunt. A tone filled with irritation were made, but none of the spoken words were digested by her brain. Mayu scrunched her eyebrows, and attempted to bury her entire face into the soft material. Both the noise and the bitter odor combined created nothing more than distaste.

Something sounds like the door has closed.

It was then, at that point, all five of her senses began their operation. Watanabe’s eyelids were slowly raised. At first, she was met with a blurry sight. Colors of white blanketed her entire vision. Raising her head, different hues were incorporated into the scene. Both of her eyes squinted, blinking a few times in silence. Soon, it dawned upon Mayu that she was resting on a bed. Stomach laid flat on the same-colored mattress, her arms went to work and allowed the palm of her hands to push her body up into a sitting position.

Right, this is a studio room. On the bed, the young Computer Science student noticed that the glass wall nearby had its curtain slid open for a full view of Shibuya. Daylight came pouring into the premise. Given the clue by its outdoor weather and the sun’s position, the morning has arrived. Coming to this conclusion forced Mayu to get out of bed. She scooted herself to the edge of the twin-sized furniture, arms stretched above her head as a loud yawn escaped from her wide open mouth.

In a single motion, she got off and is now standing on her two feet. Bare feet resting against the warm wooden floorings, her brown eyes fell upon the couch. There were traces of someone having slept here. A disheveled sky blue blanket was seemingly tossed on the left half of the furniture as a lone pillow remained in place on the opposite end. Mayu let out a soft exhale.

’Huh. Jurina slept on the couch…’

The young Matsui seems to be a nice classmate. For her to let the older female sleep on the bed as she stayed on the couch… Usually it would be the other way. How ironic considering the fact that Jurina is younger than her. A senpai should’ve been the one resting on the couch, not the opposite. It didn’t help her cause that the pajama she’s wearing is from Jurina’s wardrobe. (Luckily, the t-shirt and sweatpants fit just right.) The least she could do is prepare herself for a sleepover.

Mayu pressed her forehead with the palm of her hand, gathering some of her memories about last night. She stayed over with Jurina, and she felt like there was something important they had discussed. What was it though?1 Mayu can’t put her finger to it. It was certainly crucial, but her brain decided not to acknowledge it. Both of her eyebrows furrowed as she walked over to the only bathroom located in this studio. The harder she thought, the more she was beginning to forget what it was about. Thus, after ten minutes of brushing her teeth and washing her face, Watanabe concluded that it was better left alone.

When she exited the bathroom, feeling refreshed, she next approached the dining table.

All of the annoying smell and sound from earlier were produced from this very location. Eyes scanning the area, on the center of the wooden table fit for four seaters was a small plate of food. Two eggs and a single piece of toast accompanied by metal utensils and a written note by the plate. Mayu picked it up and skimmed through the content.

To Mayu,

I made you breakfast! Sorry it isn’t much. I realized that I don’t have enough ingredients to make anything more than eggs and toasts. I burnt two of the four slice of breads. Sorry about that.

If you’re wondering where I am, I’m out shopping to restock my refrigerator. When I come back, let’s hang out and buy some lunch!

Here’s my number if you need to contact me.


She lowered the paper and glanced over at the modest dish. So Jurina made it… It’s no wonder why her nose and ears captured the morning action in the kitchen. And considering the amount of time she spent just getting up from bed and cleaning herself, the food must’ve cooled down drastically. Either way, it’s the thoughts that count.

The note placed back on the dining table’s surface, Mayu seated herself, snagged a fork, and was about to dig into her meal till she felt her heart race. At first, she tried to ignore it. A racing heart? Could she be nervous about the meal’s taste? Maybe she was thinking the toast presented before her was one of the two that were burnt. However, that shouldn’t be enough to cause her strongest organ to slam against her chest.

Then, it hit her. Why was she even here in the first place? There wasn’t any reason to come over to the young Matsui’s home. After all, they’ve only met each other yesterday in school. It was strange that they’re almost as close as best friends in this manner. What exactly happened last night?

Mayu clenched her jaw, the loose grip on her fork causing it to slip through her fingers and loudly clatter against the wooden furniture. Bits and bits of her memory bank were leaking out of its invisible barrier. She remembers being terrified and having Jurina assist her… or was she? The student wasn’t sure of what caused her to violently react in that fashion. Could it have been someone or something dangerous? There’s also the possibility that Jurina is the dangerous one. She might’ve manipulated the situation and persuaded the older female to her place.

Once that potential scenario crossed her mind, the ponytailed female suddenly stood up from her seat.

She has to get out of here. There’s no point in staying cooped up till the other student returns. Who knows what might happen. Mayu soon rushed towards the front entrance. Without a care about her attire, she rapidly put on her socks and shoes, and, with trembling hands, unlocked the door.

There’s no time to waste. Lingering around here isn’t going to do her any good. If Jurina wasn’t as bad of a person as she had thought… Then she’ll apologize to the young girl. Otherwise, she’s made the right decision.

Leaving the building in a t-shirt that advertised an idol group and black sweatpants was the least of her worries. Even if the residents and staffs suspiciously eyed or spared pitiful glances at her direction, Watanabe just wanted to go back to her apartment.

The walking pace sped up at an interval of one minute. High volumes of pedestrians surrounded the young woman, which gave her a slight sense of relief. More people meant less chance of being placed in any danger. Yet another flashback interrupted that sensation. It wasn’t about imagery. It was as if her instincts realized that this situation was even worse than in Jurina’s room.

The 20-year-old female respiratory rate increased at a dangerously fast pace.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

She was breathing so fast that her mind began to go numb, the quivering growing even more uncontrollable, noise level squished into unbearability, and consciousness becoming a blur. Mayu wanted to squat down, cower, and screech for help. Yet she can’t do that. Her mind’s voice rang in her head. It rang that it wasn’t the wisest action to conduct. Her best bet was to return home. There and only there will she feel safe.

It was a difficult transition. Both of her arms hugging her own frail figure, the young woman hurried onward in the bustling crowd. Everything moved as if she was the only slowpoke around. No matter how fast she moved her legs, everyone moved faster than her. Beads of sweat ran down the side of her face, the warm weather not the sole cause of her glands activation. Mayu wildly glanced over her shoulder at an interval of three seconds, constantly smacking and bumping into nearby civilians by accident.

Fifteen minutes felt like agonizing hours to the student. The crowds that surrounded her eventually dissipated into nothing the further she traveled. A quieter atmosphere hung in the air, yet the discomfort clung to the woman’s skin like a leech. This is the hardest part. In between the busy streets of Shibuya and the peaceful haven of her apartment, anything could happen. It would not be much of a surprise if Watanabe got mugged right here and now.

Fingertips dug into her exposed arms, the hunchback female desperately swallowed the potential bile that crept into her throat as she shuffled to her home, waves of nausea coming stronger the more time passed by.

By the time she’s arrived to the front of her apartment, her entire figure could barely keep standing. On the third outdoor floor of the five-story apartment complex, the black door representing one of the two rooms on the same level marked her numbered address. She wheezed and tried to prevent hyperventilation from occurring.

’I-I just need the keys.’

Mayu stuck her hand into her pant’s pocket… only to remember that she wasn’t wearing her clothes. T-shirt and sweatpants belonging to another owner, her eyes widen.

“No…” she hoarsely whispered. Her belongings were all left behind in Jurina’s home. How did she let this happen? Backing away from the wooden barrier that stood between the outside and inside setting, her hands frantically roamed her entire body in a vain attempt. “No… no no no no!”

With no access, the university student unstable state intensified. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face as the Computer Science major turned around. Where could she go? She can’t return to Jurina. God forbids what might unravel if the young woman takes a step back into the building. But if she can’t unlock her own apartment’s entry, should she just coop out at a busy intersection or public premise? Considering her earlier violent reaction, that wouldn’t be a wise choice. Besides, she--

A chill ran down her spine, the hair on Mayu’s neck abruptly standing up. Another nauseating wave, much heavier than before, overwhelmed her gastrointestinal tract. She almost felt the acidity climb back up to her mouth. Almost. Instead, a dry heave came from the ponytailed female as her consciousness nearly wavered. Left hand grasping ahold of the metal railings, Mayu made an effort to straighten her back upon regaining control of her lurching stomach.

Then, she looked towards ground level. **No one was seen. However, a shadow from the nearby trees was spotted. Although one could easily brush it off, it looks like someone might be watching her.

Someone? Watching… her?

All of the bells rang in the girl’s head, a weak scream slipping past her quivering lips. Mayu’s entire posture nearly collapsed into a clump at the sight. Someone was down there and she needed to get out of here. Going back down is like committing suicide. Mayu would come into direct contact with the mysterious individual. If she is lucky, she might get away from them, If she wasn’t, only trouble would greet her with a smile. Heart racing, Mayu decided there was only one way to be free.**

Instincts kicked into her system. Not a single manual control were made as the Japanese student rapidly, but clumsily, ran up the stairs. Her shoulders smashed against the metal railings and concrete walls as she escalated, wincing with every contact. The pain was nothing thanks to adrenaline pumping as much energy as possible into the frail body.

Up and up she went till the rooftop was stumbled upon. She slowed her pace and stopped at the middle of the area.

A wave of fresh air only found from above ground welcomed the Asian. Other than a few supplies from the janitor left abandoned on the side, it was all clear. Not a single person was to be seen. Mayu was breathing fast, brain unable to hastily register the logical point of being in a pure state of terror. Immediately acknowledging that she’ll be safer here, she let out a weary sigh and nearly slumped down to her knees.

“Sa… Safe…”

Eyelids lowered, she allowed the rest of the epinephrine that coursed throughout body parts. All of the sweats that leaked out of her pores dripped down to her chin. Droplets splat on the grey ground, evaporated instantly due to the intense sunrays. Everything is going to be fine now.

**”I was looking for you.”

A male’s voice. Mayu’s eyelids snapped open. Then, she gasped.

Black suit, sunglasses, faint wrinkles featured on his skin, mature aura emitted from his figure, and the golden badge clipped on his right breast pocket... HAA. It was him. Him out of all people. Mayu took a step back, arms raised as her gaze were fixated on the agency’s member.

The man stood near the metallic railings. An umbrella in one hand, his other grabbed ahold of a weapon. Its metallic features and structural shape was difficult to not comprehend what it was. Lower arm raised till the limb made a perfect 90 degree angle, the tip of the revolver was aimed at Watanabe’s direction. His index finger at the trigger, the old man gently smiled at her.

“I’ll end your pain.”2

It was the same exact sequencing as her dream, it’s almost laughable. The amount of stress that accumulated since she left Jurina’s room is enough to make her veins burst from the insane high blood pressure. Trembling hands slowly tightening into fists, Mayu decided that it was best to…**

[Run Away]
[Question Him]
[Fight Back]

----------

Shibuya is a bustling premise. The number of pedestrians could rival those from Akihabara. What makes a contrast between the areas are the types of civilians that live within the city. Fashion lines, the nightlife, and music played an integral part of Shibuya’s development. Saturday morning, Kashiwagi Yuki and Matsui Rena didn’t hesitate to leave their dorm for a visit into the busiest part of the area.

Takeshita Street is one of the many places where both tourists and civilians alike wander about. A shopping block that gives literally no room for any personal bubble whatsoever. Yuki’s expression soured by the close proximity from multiple strangers that surround her figure as she trailed after Rena. Combined with the heat of the late morning sun and sweaty people brushing by, this entire experience is close to being unbearable. However, there are **possible clues in this area. After all, the discussion with the older Matsui from last night narrowed down the possible settings where the crime would take place.**

A total of five females, all between the age of 18 and 25 went missing. **Four out of five of them went missing here in this area. Although it’s one of the busiest parts of Japan, it doesn’t mean that kidnappers couldn’t get away with their attempts.** It was, however, a bit strange to see the other student groan about coming to this place. Didn’t they discuss and agree about it anyway?

“How much longer are we going to get there?” Yuki asked as they continued onward. “I don’t really like being in these kind of places for too long.”

“Why are you asking me that?” Rena loudly proclaimed from the front. “You told me that if we came here, we’ll find something!”

A loud groan came from Yuki’s direction. This is contradictory. Anyhow, they were here, and her dormmate was half right about that statement. The Asian did initiate the idea that they should stop by Takeshita Street first.

It took them almost ten minutes to cross from one end of the street to the other. Their brown eyes scanned the premise in hopes of picking out anything suspicious or abnormal. So far, there hasn’t been anything. Breaking out of the massive crowd, the older Matsui wiped her forehead and glanced over at her friend. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“I haven’t found anything. Have you?”

No response came from Yuki. Instead, she was focusing her attention onto a nearby shop at the corner of the street. When Rena followed the other woman’s gaze, she found absolutely nothing in their interest. A bakery that sold all kinds of sweets and breads. Though the sight of it did make her stomach rumble a bit for her craving of some melon bread… Nothing pertaining to the rumored disappearances blown up by the media were hinted to be in or on the business. Both hands resting on her hip, she let out a loud sigh.

“Look, let’s just grab some melon bread, okay? Not sure why you took the rumors I told you so seriously last night… but at least it’s confirmed that there’s nothing going on.”

Still no reply from Yuki. Not even a reaction. The 22-year-old female kept her vision aimed at the shop. Then, without warning, walked towards the building.

**There’s a clue. Certainly there is one! She knew it, there’s one hidden in the trash bin located right by the bakery. As the chef with his signature white hat walked inside his bakeshop, the young student approached the steel container. Most of the waste produced a sour smell predicted to derive from expired milk or sweets. That would’ve bothered the general public if they stayed anywhere near the disposal, but not to Kashiwagi. Her eyes fell upon a single piece of paper. Isolated from the other objects that were meant to be in the trash, she didn’t hesitate to reach out and snag it.

It’s clean in contrast to the dirtied products. White backgrounds and black prints fit for a business card. A single glance at the text held confirmation of her suspicion.

“HAA…” she mumbled. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?” Those words were spoken gently into Yuki’s left ear. Yuki’s heart increased its pacing as Rena wrapped her arms around the woman in an embrace. Chest pressed against her back, the older Matsui rested her chin on top of Kashiwagi’s shoulder, eyes staring at her face. “Did you find something important, Miss Detective~?”

“Of course I did.” Trying to ignore the seductive actions that were coming from her friend, she raised the card up to a level Rena could read. A symbol (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4tTI_X5cvg/TyeCDnvZmlI/AAAAAAAACgg/T0KogooYJPo/s1600/Fate_Prototype_Command_Spell_04.png) was printed right behind the title “Human Advancement Agency”. It was accompanied by the contact information of the secretive agency with both its e-mail and phone number. Although there wasn’t a name to showcase who it originally belonged to, this much information is enough to prove its existence. She knew that symbol all too well. “This is it! This is something that will help us move onward to discovering their existence. I knew they were the ones that did the kidnapping.”

Finally! Now she can determine and finalize the organization’s presence in this world. By giving them a call, that should confirm it. How easy! Then, and only then will the scientific woman be able to… to what? Stop the kidnapping? But she’s only thought of that last night. Surely there must be another reason as to why she seeks them out so much.

Thinking about it… There is actually something she could do with this information. Watanabe Mayu had known her for one year and vice versa. Hallucinations frequently appears with the young girl, and Yuki’s known about it since the day they’ve met.

Lab…

Running…


Yuki tightened her fingers’ grip on the sturdy material. Those flashbacks... Yes, she remembers. She remembers there’s a reason as to why she needed to search for them. Not only did she need to acknowledge them, but to make the connection with Mayu and herself. Only she retained information as to what happened with the organization, and needed valid evidences to prove that they exist. Otherwise, she might be written off as a patient fit for the mental ward.

A giggle came from Rena’s direction. Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and nuzzled against the bare parts of Yuki’s left shoulder. The gentle, yet ticklish, sensation of the woman’s nose brushed against the smooth skin. Every exhale that came from her nostrils sent bits and bits of pleasure crawling underneath her exterior. A shudder soon ran down Kashiwagi’s spine as she attempted to get a good look at her sly friend.

“R-Rena…”

The older Matsui slowly reopened her eyes. She separated her figure from the other’s. Then, once Yuki turned around to face the female, Rena leaned forward to plant a smooch on her lips. Unlike the ones they did yesterday, this was brief. Maybe a little too short since the STEM student secretly yearned for something more. Yet she kept her external self poise despite the romantic confrontation. A hand stretched out to soothe Kashiwagi’s cheek. Taking a good look at the young woman, her sweet tone uttered, “Oh, you silly girl~** I think you really need to get your eyes checked.”

The raven-haired female blinked. She immediately saw the other student stand right behind her. Hands still on her hips, both of her eyebrows scrunched together at the sight of what was held in Yuki’s hand. Rena motioned her chin towards the card.

“Seriously. That’s a contact information from one of the architects for the bakery shop. They probably redid the exterior design of the shop.”

She eyed the card again.

**No, Rena’s wrong. Only a fool would mistaken the strange feather-like symbol to be from an architect. Right there, the contact information listed that it was from the Human Advancement Agency. The person that needs to get their eyes checked is Matsui Rena. A scowl was scribbled all over Yuki’s facial features as she deposited the card inside of her pant’s pocket.

“I’ll keep it anyway…”**

Object now pocketed, Yuki pointed her thumb towards the shop they’re standing in front of. “You said you wanted to get some of those melon breads?”

The older Matsui raised an eyebrow. Eventually, she loosened her tensed shoulders and hung her head. “Yeah… Let’s go get some.”

Then, they entered into the building. Half an hour was well spent in the bakery. By the time they popped back out into the busy street of Takeshita, the two were each holding a paper bag, assortments of breads and cookies to their own taste buried in the container. Both females were grinning from ear to ear at the pick. Anything that pertained to the HAA was momentarily forgotten in this blissful moment.

“I can’t wait to eat some of this~” Rena hummed as she stuck a hand in the bag. Upon retraction, a melon bread came into view. Her eyes sparkled at the sight, almost as if she received a gift from God Himself. “One bite wouldn’t hurt~”

“...”

Yuki couldn’t say anything. Or rather, she chose not to utter a word about the manner, blankly watching her friend munch on one of the baked goods. Compared to the usual poise composure that emits from Rena… This is extremely out of character for the Biology student. Is she secretly a glutton? A glance at the woman’s figure spelled the opposite of what she was witnessing. How in the world is this Matsui fit? And wait-- She’s done with the bread already!? Rena’s taking out another one!? The corner of Kashiwagi’s lips twitched as she saw the second melon bread being consumed. If only this Japanese female could share the secret to retaining a lean figure… maybe she wouldn’t have to be so strict about her own diet plan. An exhale came from Yuki’s direction as she motioned towards the outer district.

“Rena… You should hold off on the eating and wait till we return to our dorm.”

“Or maybe to a park.”

“A park?”

A nod. “Today’s Saturday, Yukirin. We shouldn’t be cooped up inside our dorm for the weekend…”

“Coming from someone who likes to read books and doesn’t like to go outside often? How ironic.”

“Hey, I like to have some fresh air too, you know. Don’t judge a book by its cover-- AH!?”

Sirens startled the university students that were still standing in front of the bakeshop. Their brown eyes diverted to its source, they widen their eyes as a man was pinned down on the ground by two cops. One of them is barking orders into his communication device as another forcefully handcuffed the struggling individual. Police vehicles blaring their red lights as news reporters shuffled onto the scene. It was all happening too fast for the transition. One moment it was beginning to brighten up, the next resulted in a potential criminal planted on the concrete ground with enforcement on top of his body.

“Looks like we need to get out of here before it gets any worse,” Yuki muttered as she took ahold of her friend’s hand.

Without thinking twice about what the other might say, she dragged her along and out of the premise. There was no need to linger around any longer than needed. Besides, a large crowd from the unbearably clumped street full of pedestrians were beginning to move towards the scene of the arrest. Last thing Kashiwagi desired is to be stuck in the middle of it all.

They hurried off to another destination, and successfully made it. Now, behind the scene in the loud commotion, a young lady held up the microphone and stared straight into the lens of the camera. Make-up artists quickly making their last adjustments on her blonde hair, the reporter cleared her throat.

“Here we have the abductor of the five females, all who range between the age of 18 and 25, from Shibuya. Police has caught him thanks to the help of the forensic team deducing the identity of the culprit. A man in his mid-20s who works at the supermarket, no one knows why he kidnapped them. However, the five females were recently rescued and released from their imprisonment from the man’s home a block away from Takeshita Street. They have not been harmed and will be receiving emergency medical treatment if necessary. Now back to the newscasters.”

“And… we’re off the line!”

The stiff stance eased into relaxation as the business attired lady lowered the microphone. She spared a glance at the hectic setting. “It looks like he won’t be causing any more problem now…”



1Mayu really can't remembered what happened last night. There is a correlation to the previous chapters about this if you reread certain segments.

2The terminology of "pain" has been brought up again. What could this mean?
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 3 ~ 02/05/17
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on February 05, 2017, 09:13:32 PM
I'm sorry, but I've decided to steer away from the majority so far. Even though she's going mad, I'd like to believe Mayu's a very curious person in the inside, however I would love to see where it goes from there
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 3 ~ 02/05/17
Post by: LoyalFlutist on February 20, 2017, 10:47:46 PM
I apologize for the rather late discussion! My early Spring Break will arrive this weekend, so fear not about the update falling behind. as if it isn't already So far, we have:

3 votes for Running Away
2 votes for Questioning
1 vote to Fight Back


It seems like there's a mix with the three options, especially in favor of questioning and running away. Although I personally voted for running away from the situation, I would like to summarize an important concept on prediction and time: We cannot predict the future. It's impossible. We are, at best, making assumption based on concepts that originally stem from assumption in the first place. For example, eating cereal is a daily part of breakfast. Eating cereal gives us energy to get through the morning. Yet we just made an assumption that by eating cereals, we will be getting the energy required for the morning. Is that a fact? Well, it is when we assume our body isn't malfunctioning in the digestive department & assume that we are eating the right kind of cereal. Anything could happen, and not everything will be a repeat of the past. To further my decision, it's because I believe it is the best option in this case. I'm making an assumption that this is going to end bad just like her dream, so I decided to pick it.



@MaYukiIsLife:
That is an interesting response! A curious person deep on the inside, huh... I won't say you're right or wrong, but that is a good take on the character. Perhaps questioning might actually work in this situation... or maybe it'll be a repeat of the dream. Let's hope things go well for our character regardless.

@All:
\I like to bring all of your attention to the last chunk of the update. Looking at the report given by the woman, it seems like they caught the criminal. However... is it really THAT criminal that was rumored based on Rena's explanation, or is it really just a normal criminal? The answer will be shown in a future update (it won't be in the next chapter), but just wondering what you all think about that last chunk, especially when it's in regard to both Yuki's and Rena's role in the story as a whole.

Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 3 ~ 02/05/17
Post by: MaYukiIsLife on February 20, 2017, 11:15:00 PM
Who knows, there isn't any other logical way then for Yuki and Rena to find out themselves. Plus in terms of Yuki and Rena's roles here... I'd like to believe that either of them would betray the other later on, and would both play pivotal roles in Mayu's current state.
Title: Re: Hidden Truth [Remake] - Chapter 3 ~ 02/05/17
Post by: LoyalFlutist on July 18, 2017, 02:39:29 AM
I am so late on everything lately. Well, now that I'm on summer vacation... and probably the last of it since I will be graduating from college this year, I should really kick myself back into gear.

Checking back on the polls, I realized that there's a tie!

4 votes for Running Away
4 votes for Questioning
1 vote for Fight Back


I'll lock it tomorrow and, if the tie is still there, I will do a random coin flip as the deciding figure as to how the story will progress onward.