Part 22: Chapter 4(Part 2): Ellie, Narika, Chloe

~Bonding Focus: Chapter 4(Part 2): Ellie, Narika, Chloe~

So last time some stuff happened. Various kinds of stuff.

Ellie is some kind of Church assassin. Narika was uncharacteristically flirty and in control. Chloe held a concert for sick kids and made a little girl walk again.

We will now check out how all three of those events will unfold. After that, you guys have a big choice to make.


-Shooting Range-

I'm going to stick to this reverse order thing and open with Ellie. No need to change it up for what could be Ellie/Narika/Chloe's last update.

No surprise to find you here. Look, I brought some tea. Take a load off for a second.

Ooh, thank you.



Do you carry those things with you everywhere?

Mmhmm, ever since I made them for you.

I may have no sense of taste, but I've gotten hooked on this unique sweet smell. Please feel free to have one, if you like.

Sure, why not?

Aheheh... Well, I'll have one too. Thanks for the tea. *crunch*



Bleargh!?

Well, looks like my snack break is now ruined.

L-Lucian!? What're you doing here...

G-Guards! We have a trespasser! Guaaaaaaards!

Cut the crap.

*Lucian bops Ellie, I think*



(This little moron has no idea the kind of fire he's playing with.)

I-I'm against violence!

Really? Even in your current position?

Seriously, why'd you come here?



I can finally start searching for Heretics and get some results. Yours is parked out front. Ride it home. That's all I came here for.

N-No way. That thing's so ugly! There's no way I'm riding that thing home. I've been walking in and out of the Academy up until now so I wouldn't stand out... Now all that work's going to be for nothing!

Spelling/grammar errors are still cropping up regularly. "That's thing's" being one of them. I was going to put a sic in since it was official dialog, but I couldn't in good conscious leave it uncorrected.

Enough whinging. Do your job.

*Lucian hits her again*

St-Stop hitting me like that! He's the only one allowed to hit me like that!

Excuse me!?



Wh-What do you mean, "into"?

What are you doing here, God's Gift? I thought I told you to stay away from Ellie.

What makes you think I'd listen to your barking?



C'mon, come at me, bro.

I can't believe you just said that. You really need an ass-kicking now.

This is gonna be fun...

Hey!

*Ellie hits Lucian*

Ow.

You too, Wake.

Hey!



That isn't happening, Ellie.

Dammit, this is payback from earlier, isn't it... Well, fine, "God's Gift." Don't get all high-and-mighty just because Gracia won't let use erase your memories. You just try saying a word about what you've learned. If you do, I'll wipe your brain until it's as smooth as a billiard ball. Got it?

You have no idea who it is you're fucking with.

Lucian, you'd better ride the X-Machina back, or else!



*Lucian leaves*

Ugh... I'm exhausted. My school life was so peaceful... Then he had to come destroy it...

So, Gracia has a ban on trying to memory wipe me, huh? Smart move on their part.

Eep! Damn it, Lucian, you just had to open your stupid mouth again... Can he really be that stupid...?

If that's the case, then why don't you just tell me everything?

I-I can't. There's so much that you don't need to be told.



Ellie.

I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to raise my voice. But I want you and me to stay the way we are now... There are things in this world that you're better off not knowing...

That's bullshit, Ellie. Why can't you just trust me?

Huh...?

I've already found out a bunch of stuff, but even though we are friends you still try and conceal the rest.

But fine, forget about it. If you don't want to say it, then I'm not going to force you. I am going to pay you back for hitting me though.



C'mon, do it! Go ahead!

Alright then.

What are you waiting for!? Do it!

*Wake taps her on the head*

Huh...?



I saw him bop you on the head, I figured I might as well get in on that. Except I'm not an asshole... okay, not a complete asshole. So you just get a tap.

...Why?

As much as I might hate him, the two of you seem to be pretty close.



I like people who are kind, like you and everyone else here. I'd rather be close to people who are kind to someone tiny and stupid like me...

Okay, okay, stop that. We're not going down that street again. You're not tiny and stupid.

*Bell rings*

Oh... That's the end-of-lunch bell. You should hurry back to class, Wake.

You're not going to go?

Um... I'm going to take a quick look around before I head back.

I'd hate it if Lucian really left me X-Machina outside...

What is that thing, anyway?

I-It's just a vehicle! It looks, um...

Well, it kind of stands out...



Th-That's all it is, really! Well, please excuse me!

Oh, Ellie. One more thing.

Hm?

Just a warning. I don't care if you tell him about this or not, but just keep this in mind. This city is crawling with my Star Children, and I'm adding more of them every week. If they ever happen to catch Lucian threatening me like that, they will descend on him like a nest of fire ants and rip him limb from limb, then scatter those limbs throughout the nearest Labyrinth.

...O-Okay...

I'm not sure why she tap dances around the X-Machina thing. It's just a fantasy motorcycle. She's got to have some way of getting around this island in a hurry after all.

Oh well, at least Lucian is out of our hair for a while. That's something to be happy about.


-2nd-Year Classroom-

We haven't seen Chlotz in a while. Well, I mean in sub-events, not so much story stuff. What's been happening with him?



Bye, Luce.

Hey there, Chlotz.

Hm? Oh, hey man.

Having a little private time with Luce, huh?

Dude!? You stalking me? Don't stalk me man, that's not cool!

Stalking is such an ugly word. I was simply wandering. I just happened to wander by around the time that you two were getting close.



Yet? Is that so.

You know what I mean!

*sigh* Geez! Thanks to my sister, everybody thinks "Oh my Star God, Chlotz looooooooves Luce." Just... don't be like her and start spreading rumors.

Please, like I would do that. Regardless of what I might be, I am not a gossiper.

I've got my eye on you.



*Chlotz leaves*

Huh, so this is what it feels like. I'm starting to see why Chlotz does this to me all the time.

Teasing Chlotz is fun. It's nice to see him with an innocent schoolboy crush as opposed to his pervy drooling over Ruby, Narika, Feene, and make-believe S Ranked girls.


Ignoring that for now, it's Strategy Conference time! The final vote is here and Narika is pumped up. I'm hoping for some sweet Sasami bashing myself. I want at least one of these jerk NPC's to get what's coming to them.

-2nd-Year Classroom-

The third conference is finally here.

I know. I've been counting the days...



You mean for the Grand Conference thing?

The Disciples will review the proposals from each conference, including this one.



And the one that wins gets submitted to that Anti-Monster Strategy Council, right? Seems like a big deal.

It would be a great honor.

You know, if your plan wins then you're going to be the center of attention at the Academy, right?

That would be a little embarrassing, but I plan on doing my best.

You really have gotten better. That would have shaken you up a few months ago.

In any case, this is going to be our last chance.



So do you see why this is such an important day for me?

Of course I do.

Well, let's make our way to the conference.


-Auditorium-


[Council President]: Now that each proposal has been made, we will proceed to the second phase.


Permission to speak?


[Council President]:Go ahead. I'm looking forward to an active debate on the proposals.




(Looking forward to this so much. Come on, Narika.)

...So you can see how there might be many obstacles to this approach. Could you share with us your ideas on how these obstacles might be overcome?



So... you don't have an answer now?

Erm...


[Male Disciple B]: It's rare to see Sasami cornered like that.


[Female Disciple A]: Narika's really feisty today. Who is this and what has she done with Narika...?


Sasami, I'm waiting on an answer.

*sigh* I admit, there are some flaws with the proposal as submitted.


[Male Disciple B]: Wow. Narika's completely outclassing Sasami.





[Male Disciple A]: Wh-What!? Me!?


Just because you're an upperclassman doesn't mean I'll go easy on you.

Why do you have to pick on third-year guy? He seemed alright. I mean, I guess it is a debate, but he hasn't exactly been a force of reckoning during these things. Just let him enjoy Sasami's defeat with you, Narika.


[Council President]: This ends the debate phase. We will now commence the voting.


[Male Disciple A]: I never realized there were so many holes in my proposal... Narika's got a scarily sharp eye.


*Later*


[Council President]: The votes are in and we have a winner. The proposal that will advance is... Our second-years' proposal to eliminate the monsters through siege tactics.




Hold up. Narika's proposal was to use siege tactics? Isn't that what they're already doing? Can we not revisit the whole 'supply lines' and 'medivac' issues? I feel like those are really important.


[Female Disciple A]: That was amazing, Narika! What a comeback!


[Male Disciple B]: Even I voted for her. She was so cool up on stage.


[Council President]: Narika will submit this plan to the Anti-Monster Strategy Council... which will include the Academy, the Church, and AngelMarker Industries.


But not the government? Do those guys do anything in this world?

Understood. And I will be sure to act properly as the Academy's representative.


-Hallway-

Oh, Wake...!

Congratulations, Narika. You really pulled it off.



That conference was all yours, Narika Shina.

Oh, Sasami.

(Gonna enjoy this.)

It's just as I thought! When you apply yourself, you're amazing. I always looked up to you... I was so honored to be up on that stage with you for the conference.



(That's the excuse she's going with? Really?)

I know it might be too late to ask for a favor, but... may I shake your hand? I'd like to remember this as the day that I had a spirited debate with you.



Huh?

It was only natural that I won. I see no need to fraternize with the enemy.

B-But...



*Narika leaves*

...Why would she act that way? That's not the Narika I admire...

She gave you a taste of yourself, that's all. You sort of deserved it after that tearing down you did.

...I... I just...

That being said, yeah, something is totally going on with her. She is not herself.

Wait, you agree with me? Then why didn't you say anything earlier?

Are you kidding? I've been waiting to see you get dunked on since the first conference. I wasn't going to interrupt that.

You're such--

--an ass. Yeah, I know. Congratulations on catching up to the rest of the class. Anyway, I'll keep an eye on Narika and figure out what's going on. Maybe it's just her "nerves", right?

Did Narika and Sasami swap personalities or something?

Also, screw you Sasami. You can't go and tear someone down twice and then go 'that was just me being nervous. Oops.' I could understand that during the debate, but you went out of your way to interrupt her practicing in order to shit all over her. I know you can't go helping competition, but if you looked up to her and admired her then you could have at least wished her the best.

What is wrong with the students in this Academy? Must be something in the water.

Speaking of things wrong with the students at this academy, let's check back with Chlotz for an update on the Trigger situation.


-2nd-Year Classroom-



Nothing new unfortunately. Leads kind of dried up after we cleared that Nest.

Same here.

I started asking around the other grades and the Standard classes too. It's amazing how hard it is to find this stuff when you start looking for it.

Though I did find out one thing... Nearly half of the student body knew about Trigger, even if they thought it was a rumor. Both Standard and Elite classes.

No surprise there. Stuff like that tends to spread like wildfire once students start hearing about it.

Some idiots thought I was selling it. I played along but they didn't know anything.



People around here are kind of stupid, Chlotz. Combine that with the belief that being an Elite or S Rank will set them on easy street for life, and it's understandable why people would take the bait.

Unfortunately, that means it's up to the reasonable people to put a stop to all of this. We need to keep up the search.

I'm going to keep asking around.



Sherlock Homes and John Watson are on the case. I'll let you decide who is who. Hopefully these two will have better investigative luck in this next event, because this one is a doozy. Prepare for some bullshit.


-Faculty Office-

Chloe, you--

*Chlotz busts in*

Whoa! Hey, watch it Chlotz! What's wrong with you?



What can possibly have you so worked up?

We can't talk in here. Both of you, follow me.

That's always a good sign. Looking forward to this.


-Hallway-



You mean in the hallway? Sure, Chlotz. Totally privacy here.

I meant teachers. Just shut up for a second.

Take a look at this.

A picture...? Wait... That's me!

Wait, where did you get this? Is someone spying on Chloe?



Wh-Why would anyone do this!? I don't want to doubt my students, but...!

I bet your sudden rise in popularity has brought out the worst in some people.

What should I do?

We have to contain this before it spreads any further.

How would you handle it?

We should be able to track down the person behind it fairly easily. Take a closer look at the picture.

You better not be looking at what I think you are.

Chlotz, it's your turn to shut up for a second.

I meant the row of lockers behind her. This picture was taken in the dressing room, and those are normally locked. So the prime suspects are the people who have the keys.

You can count on me to find the culprit!



*Chlotz fucking books it*

Chlotz! That's just a starting point! Don't start assaulting random--

Why do I bother? He isn't listening.

*Chlotz returns a very short time later*



Wait, really? It hasn't even been an hour. Who was it?

The freak is a first-year on the Combat Team. He even sold copies to his friends. He pled guilty the minute I confronted him about the hidden camera.

Damn... I hate to admit this, but I'm impressed.

What a relief! I don't have to worry about this anymore.

Hey, I get the job done sometimes, y'know. So, what are we going to do with him?



Hell yeah. I like this Chlotz.

Come on now, that's way too harsh! I want to hear what he has to say about it. I'm going to talk to him, face-to-face. Don't do anything until then, okay?

Boooo...

*tsk* You're way too soft, Sis...



Sure... Can you guys wait here for a bit?

Watts looked really concerned about something.

I've got a really bad feeling about this.



Yes... I apologize for all the trouble.

Hey, she's back!

Get out of my way!

*Watts bumps or runs into Wake. Probably deliberately, because he's a dick*

Whoa! Hey!

Listen to me: you are Ms. Chloe's student. You are not her manager or anything else.



Five seconds.

Excuse me?

You have five seconds to get out of my sight before I gut you like a fish. Understand?

...

*Watts leaves*

Man, he's a dick as always.

Let me guess. He saw that photo, right?



That's complete garbage.

It gets worse. I'm also banned from all Choir Club concerts. I can't believe I let this get so far out of hand. I should have known better.



What!?

Why the heck should you be suspended!? You're the victim! Why does Watts get to act like such a tyrant!?

That's what I want to know! Who the fuck is this Watts guy!? He is not the Headmaster. We already know the Headmaster of the Academy is Mattero. Random-ass teachers can't just go around suspending their co-workers!

Mr. Watts used to be an elite Disciple. He was actually quite strong in his prime.



I don't care about his life story. I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind!

Count me in, too. I don't give a rat's ass how he thinks things should be.

Wait! Don't worry about it, I've already accepted full responsibility.

And we're supposed to just sit here and take Watts' crap!?



What the fuck, Chloe!? You were the victim of a crime! Why would you do something like that?

I honestly can't believe what I'm hearing. *sigh* I should have done more to cut this fan club off earlier.

It's not your fault. You've done everything you could.

Still, I wish I could go to the concert. I promised Millica I would be there.



...Great. Just great.

There are so many things wrong about what just happened. I want to say that there was a translation error and Chloe was supposed to say "under the condition that he pursue the culprit", but this is Chloe we're talking about. She's too nice for her own good, so she almost certainly tried to protect the voyeur.

I hope everyone had fun with those bonding events! So many good times, and fun characters, and illegal as shit activities that are not being punished.

Let's shift gears to something else. Something important. I've been mentioning it since the end of Chapter 3 and now is finally the time.




-Heroine Focus: Vote #2-

We've followed the chosen focus heroines through three batches of Bonding Events. Now that Feene has completed the group, it's time to take another vote and see if the LP will stay the course or mix things up.


-Current Focus Heroines-



-Other Heroines



Here's where things currently stand. Chloe, Narika, and Ellie have been focused on up until now. Fuuko, Serina, Feene, and Torri have been on the sidelines, but I provided a summary on what all of them have been up to in their routes. The question becomes: Has the thread gotten bored enough of Chloe, Narika, or Ellie's route to want to replace them?

Maybe one of the other Heroines seems more interesting now? We did get to find out what happens when their routes finally start kicking into gear.

In case you need a refresher, here:

- Chloe
Bonding Events: Update 3.5, Update 4.5, Chapter 2 Bonding, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 2, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 2 (This update)

Short Summary: Chloe is super smart and has a a ton of fans. She eventually gets roped into singing, then being a DJ, then performing charity concerts at a Field Hospital and magically improving everyone's health. Then a scumbag took secret pictures of her while she was changing and through some fuckery she has been suspended from her teaching duties. She is also banned from being a DJ and doing concerts, which is going to be a bummer for the little sick girl that really wants to hear her sing again.

- Narika
Bonding Events: Update 3.5, Update 4.5, Chapter 2 Bonding, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 2, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 2 (This update)

Short Summary: Narika is really shy, but wants to not be shy. She works hard to be a better public speaker and eventually ends up getting roped into presenting at a series of Strategy Conferences. She blows the first one and Wake has to step in, her 'rival' rips into her, Narika refuses to give up, and she proceeds to do a little better in the second conference. Then she suddenly gets uncharacteristically flirty and confident, destroys the competition during the final Conference, is chosen to represent the Academy at the big Conference, then her personality completes its 180 and she starts acting like a complete dick to her formal rival that was trying to make amends.

- Ellie
Bonding Events: Update 3.5, Update 4.5, Chapter 2 Bonding, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 3 Bonding Part 2, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 1, Chapter 4 Bonding Part 2 (This update)

Short Summary: Ellie is really mysterious, and kind of stalks Wake. Wake eventually remembers her as a girl that he met when he was young. Ellie was dying, but Wake's Ether managed to keep her alive long enough for the Church to save her life. Once he remembers who she is, Ellie then starts being mysterious in other ways. She's doing secret work for the Church and keeps saying that she can't tell anyone about it. Wake eventually catches her talking to her co-worker and the reader (not Official Wake, because he doesn't piece the incredibly obvious signs together) comes to learn that Ellie is a Church Assassin charged with hunting down something/people called 'Heretics'.

- Fuuko
Bonding Events: Update 3.5, Update 4.5, Route Summary (Bottom of Post)

Short Summary: Fuuko is really average, or at least she thinks she is. Wake basically drags her to the pool in order to get her to join the club that she would actually enjoy, the Swimming Club. Fuuko and Wake then discover that a ghost is haunting the Academy pool at night. Fuuko lets the ghost possess her body to try and let the ghost live out her final regrets in life so that she can finally move on to the afterlife. The ghost then immediately starts hitting on Wake. Fuuko gets jealous. Dating Wake doesn't work, and Ms. Ghost is still tied to the mortal world. Fuuko and Wake then continue searching for a way to free her.

- Serina
Bonding Events: Update 6.5, Route Summary (Bottom of Post)

Short Summary: Serina is really angry, because she's not tall and busty. Serina is angry at Wake for accidentally touching her chest and she wants to make sure that both him and the audience knows that she will never let that go. She chugs Milk all the time in the belief that it will help her grow very fast. When that doesn't seem to be panning out, she turns to spells from a trashy tabloid. The transformation spell actually works, because Wake's crazy Ether levels make it work, and Serina's body becomes everything she's always hoped for. Unfortunately the spell doesn't let her use Star Energy and burns out after an hour. Nonetheless, Serina is very pleased with herself and tries to rub it in people's faces, including that of her sister who seems like a really nice person undeserving of any spite.

- Torri
Bonding Events: Update 8.5, Route Summary (Bottom of Post)

Short Summary: Torri is weird and not knowledgeable about the world. Wake keeps an eye on her and feeds her because she keeps blowing her allowance and Ruby is kind of a neglectful guardian. Torri thinks Wake is really nice, so when Wake briefly mentions a soup his mom used to make using a rare herb, Torri runs off and almost gets herself killed trying to obtain it. Later, Torri carves a small bird out of wood, then modifies it to fly using her Star Energy. Wake checks on her again sometime later and finds that she has constructed an entire plane from scratch. The plane gets some lift, but Torri doesn't have the Star Energy left to make it really get altitude. After almost crashing into the school (and some Disciples), Torri vows to improve the plane. Alternative Summary: Torri likes birds because Birds = Flight = Symbolic of Freedom. Therefore, Torri wants to fly.

- Feene
Bonding Events: Update 10.5 (Bonding and Route Summary)

Short Summary: Feene is perfect and all the clubs want her. Feene doesn't want to join them though, because she feels she has a more important calling. Feene also has a love of Photography, which she won't have the chance to do if she goes joining the sportsball teams. Like Fuuko, Wake needs to get behind Feene and basically shove her towards her dream. Once she gets on board with the Photography Club idea, Wake joins up and begins taking pictures of her for her friends back home. Feene takes something stupid that Chlotz says as a fact, and resolves to pose naked for Wake one day, once he has learned how to take artistic pictures. There's also a girl on the Starball team that definitely wants to get some Feene lovin' and is doing what she can to drive Wake off.