tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64873707315193544582024-03-15T08:06:54.184+00:00Jan Poo's LabJan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-71244959311217126232013-08-29T03:19:00.003+01:002013-08-29T03:37:32.788+01:00Chapter 6 (b)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/08/chapter-6-a.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><!---prev--></span></a><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/08/chapter-6-a.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
my darkest moment, a voice spoke to me. It was strangely familiar, as
if it came from a past that I had forgotten, but not completely.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Your
assistance is needed."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">When
I rose my eyes I saw something that wasn't of this world. On the
surface she had the appearance of a young girl. She had beautiful
silky long hair, and she wore a stylish black dress. Her almost
childlike visage was betrayed by a most cold and cruel stare.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
very existence there in that place defied rationality. Not only she
was completely unaffected by the violent storm and the rain, she was
literally levitating in front of me. The pleasure boat heaved and
swayed, while I pathetically tried to keep my arms fastened around
the railing, and yet that being didn't seem to move of an inch in
relation to me. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
unexpected appearance, her impossible revelation, filled my heart
with awe. I was at the climax of my desperation, and even the
smallest hint of an external help at that time would have seemed like
a gift sent from the heavens. At that very moment she was my hope, my
world, my life, my everything. Whatever she asked me to do, I would
have accepted it without a second though. I was prepared to give her
everything, if only she could rescue me from that hell. She could
have easily fooled me into believing anything that she wanted, and
yet she decided to be blunt and frank from the very beginning. She
didn't even waste any time for introductions or kind words, she
directly stated her own intentions. I was needed; in other words she
needed me, my 'assistance'. I had already understood that she was no
angel, she wasn't going to save me out of goodwill, and the way she
kept staring at me with that blank expression told me everything
about her cruelty, her disinterest for my pitiful existence. And yet
I found that even more endearing, because that was something that I
could trust completely. A smile is deceiving, kindness is
double-faced, indifference is always honest.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Who... are you?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"I am Bernkastel, I am the witch of miracles."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"A... witch?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
usual me would have laughed at that claim, never I would have thought
that I would be talking to a real witch before, but I had just gone
through a period of my life where I couldn't really tell fantasy from
reality anymore.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"My opponent is also a witch and a very powerful one. I need you
to assist me."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Me? Against a witch? How?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"You need to join our ongoing game, as my piece. I need someone
on the chessboard to act as my eyes, ears and hands."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
started to grow uneasy, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking
about, and she kept making requests, when I was the one who was in a
desperate need of help.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Can you... save me?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch of miracles eyed me with cruelty for a moment, and I could
almost read despise in her stare.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"As long as there's a chance for you to be saved, no matter how
small, I can save you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
rejoiced for a split second and then fell into despair again. How was
I supposed to interpret that statement? Did that mean that she would
save me, or did she just seal my fate? Was there even the smallest
chance that I could survive that predicament? The more I looked
around me, the less I thought it could be possible.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"How?! How can you save me from the certain death of this
typhoon?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">An
almost imperceptible movement of the witch's brows told me that my
question surprised her. Like that, she pierced me with her cold eyes
for several interminable seconds. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Then
she smirked, slightly. That was the biggest change in her facial
expression that she showed since her appearance, and I felt like my
heart was just ripped from my chest and thrown cruelly into a deep,
dark abyss.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
wasn't there to save me from my impending demise, she never had the
intention to, I was a fool for even thinking that. But then my mind
started to work, frenetically. In the lapse of a few seconds I came
to several realizations. The witch sneered at my own mortal
stupidity, my blatant shortsightedness. I was in the need of help so
much, and yet I didn't even realize what I really needed to be saved
from. There was something worse than the typhoon I was in the middle
of, my real plight was of an entirely different nature. What I really
needed to be saved from was the very reason that brought me there in
the first place.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">As
if the witch had followed my internal thoughts, she spoke.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"I have the power to alter probabilities. No matter how small
they are, I can elevate them to one hundred percent."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Something
clicked inside my mind, a gear that for a long time was left unused
and for the dust to cover it suddenly was put into motion.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then, can you turn doubts... into truth...?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Yes, I can show you the way to reach the truth that you seek.
That's what I need you for: expose the truth. That is the only way to
defeat Beatrice, my enemy."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"But..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Indeed, an absolute truth definitely doesn't exist in the world
of humans. However, the probability to reach a truth that will never
be denied nor questioned isn't zero. As the witch of miracles I
guarantee that."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
there I no longer had any doubts, she was a Goddess and she had
chosen me to reveal herself to. Her words were imbued with a
supernatural brilliance, and rapidly they dispersed the mists that
had been clouding my judgment.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"If I become your pawn... I'll be saved from doubts and lies and
I will reach the truth..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Pledge yourself to me and you'll receive my blessing. You'll no
longer know uncertainty and you'll find the answers that you seek.
However, if you refuse, you'll be swallowed by the maelstrom of lies
that surrounds you and you'll sink into the abyss of oblivion."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You don't need to speak any further, there is no other choice
for me and with joy I accept. You can use me as you please. I am your
servant, Lady Bernkastel, my master!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
deafening roar of a thunder sealed the Faustian pact.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Very well, Erika Furudo, I hereby bestow upon you my blessing.
You are now under the protection of the witch of miracles."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I am most grateful, Lady Bernkastel! However... what am I
supposed to do now?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch giggled sardonically.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"You don't need to worry about pointless matters. I'm a voyager
witch, I've traveled an enormous multitude of universes before
finally reaching this fragment. Your fate is a harsh one, but I've
seen worse. In almost every universe that I visited you eventually
sink into the ocean and disappear. However, I wouldn't have bothered
to show myself to the you of this world if that was going to happen
here as well."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then, I'll survive..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Don't get the wrong idea. That doesn't mean that you'll be
magically saved. I merely chose this world among the infinite
possibilities. The rest is up to you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes, master..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Listen carefully, Erika. You'll soon reach the shores of
Rokkenjima, that is the chessboard of a series of games that I've
been playing against Beatrice. The rules are simple, she will move
her pawn and commit several murders in overly complicated and
apparently impossible ways. Your objective is to explain who did it,
how the culprit did it, and why. She will claim that the crimes could
only be perpetrated by a witch through her magic; that is the source
of her own existence and power. You'll destroy her illusions by
showing the truth behind them. You'll bring to light the real
culprit, and in doing so you'll slay the witch."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This witch... Beatrice... is she trying to hide the truth...
with her lies?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"That's correct."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"With a preposterous claim no less? A witch did it? Is that so?
She wants to replace the truth with a fantasy that only an idiot
would believe in?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Yes... that is the nature of the golden witch Beatrice."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Aha... ahaha..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
almost couldn't believe it. The more my master described the one that
I was asked to defeat, the more she appeared to me as the very
personification of what I hated the most. I hadn't even met her and
yet I was already feeling an irresistible desire to confront her,
fight her, and in the end crush her mercilessly under my feet. In
spite of the cold rain that relentlessly kept falling on me, I felt
my whole body burning with a growing excitement, the rush of the
predator.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Until
then I had been always thinking that I was at the mercy of an
invisible enemy, an immaterial law of the universe that I couldn't
oppose in any way. Everything changed at that very instant. I
suddenly realized that there was a way for me to fight back and to
exact my eagerly sought revenge.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">To
the world that denied me the truth that I wanted to know, I would
show it the worst possible truth that I could find! Bernkastel, my
savior, just offered me the weapon that I needed, she showed me the
path. As a way to repay my debt, and for my own amusement and
enjoyment, I swore that I would make use of my newly found abilities
against Beatrice, the golden witch.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I want to fight her! I want to destroy her! Bring me to her, my
master! This is no longer something that I'll do for your sake, this
is something that I desire!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"How endearing! My little piece is so eager to fight! I knew
that choosing you was the right decision. However don't underestimate
Beatrice. She knows many clever tricks in spite of her dumb outlook,
don't let her fool you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It won't happen! I promise you, my master!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Good, because failure isn't an option. If you disappoint me,
I'll throw you back to the abyss I salvaged you from."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I understand... I won't fail..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
was indeed a most cruel being, and yet I couldn't help but loving
even that side of her. The uneasiness that her threat brought was a
surprisingly pleasant ache in my heart.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Funny that you're so confident, considering that you know
nothing of Beatrice and her games!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I'll find out... I'll definitely learn everything about her and
the truth that she hides!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"You're showing the right attitude, but that isn't enough. I
want you to absolutely crush Beatrice and I don't want to wait until
you figure out how. That's why I'm going to tell you everything that
I already know about her and her games."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Master! I would never dream to ask so much from you! Even
without that advantage..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Silence! I don't care about how much you want to prove your
worth to me. You will win the next game, and you will make use of any
advantages at your disposal. Our enemy does not value sportsmanship,
and neither should you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"As you desire... master... I will gladly accept your gift..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Very well, it's time to show you the sea."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"The... sea?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
could only be puzzled by such statement, because as far as my eyes
could see there was absolutely nothing but the vastness of the ocean
around me, and it wasn't a soothing sight.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch of miracles giggled.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Bernkastel:
"Not this one, the sea where we're going is not of this world.
It's the sea of infinite possibilities, the sea of fragments."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
before I could make sense of those words, my soul was snatched away
from my reality. That was my first travel to that zone that lies
beyond the physical realm: the metaworld. However the witch of
miracles had a different perspective on that matter. Reality is only
real and worthwhile for those who belong to it, but for my master who
exists between the many possible worlds, reality is as relevant as a
passing thought. She had no reasons to treat me differently from a
character of a fictional story.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-30713445867021200572013-08-19T04:37:00.002+01:002013-08-29T03:25:23.282+01:00Chapter 6 (a)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-u.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><-prev</span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
was a most terrifying storm.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
the middle of nowhere, between the turbulent sky and the tumultuous
ocean, I was a small, helpless, and insignificant little creature. I
was alone in a hostile and alien world, a place I didn't belong to, a
place where I wasn't supposed to be.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Nature
itself was furious at me for that unforgivable trespassing. The sky
incessantly roared with its thunders, menacing me, yelling at me with
ferocity. The sea, with its giant waves, was a gargantuan beast,
shaking its body with an increasing frenzy, desperately trying to get
rid of the annoying pest. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">There
were no signs of civilizations for as far as my eyes could see, not a
single trace of humanity. No one could reach me, no one could help
me. It was just me against the rage of the elements.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Rain
poured on me mercilessly, draining my life force with each drop.
Water from above, water below, I was completely surrounded. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
day I understood how does it feel to stand before the creatures from
the Cthulhu mythos, the unspeakable horror that they represent. I was
at the mercy of forces that I couldn't even be compared with, forces
that could not understand me, forces that I could not negotiate with,
shapeless and yet gigantic beyond human comprehension. All that I
could fathom was that they desired my death, my total annihilation.
The mere thought of those boundless masses engulfing me was enough to
erase from my mind any traces of rationality and self identity. I
couldn't help but thinking how meaningless and inconsequential was my
existence when compared to them. I was nothing, absolutely nothing.
Just a dot in the universe. No, even less than that, not even a dot,
something smaller than that. I was smaller than the very concept of a
geometrical point. When compared to infinity even the thought of
being something, no matter how puny, is a heresy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
while my fear was great, more than I ever experienced before, in my
heart there was acceptance. It was fine, I had gone there by my own
free will. This is the story of Erika Furudo that everyone knows. On
that day, October 4th 1986, I boarded a pleasure boat and sailed to
the open sea. Of course, I was fully aware of the incoming typhoon,
there was no way I couldn't have known. That led most to conclude
that Erika Furudo on that day planned her own death, however some
were still left with doubts. Aren't there easier and faster ways to
end one's life? Why wasn't any message left to testify the suicidal
will? </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">As
of today the world still doesn't know the answers to those questions.
That is only natural, they would need to know exactly what was on my
mind that day, they would need to know my heart. But only Erika
Furudo knows, and since I am Erika Furudo, I know.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
the midst of the twisting despair, on the shaking vessel unsteadily I
stood. Raising my arms and head to the roaring sky I prayed:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Take
me. Take me away to a world of nether. Drag me down into the abyss of
oblivion." </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was my only wish, my only hope left: disappear, completely.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
thunder answered my call, and simultaneously a giant wave pushed me
up closer to the ominous sky. But the boat still floated, and my
hands, defying my will, were holding fast onto the railing.
Surprised, I realized that I still had lingering attachments to that
shadow of a life. Even after I went that far, even after I had
already crossed the point of no return, somehow I still wanted to
live. I loathed myself for my own weakness, I despised my lack of
resolution at that crucial moment. I had to embarrass myself right at
the time of my death. So pitiful.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
yet my fear had grown stronger. It was so fast, sudden, and
overwhelming, that everything else faded in its darkness. None of my
afflictions mattered anymore, and all that I knew was that I wanted
to live.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Like
I child I helplessly cried for help: </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Someone,
somewhere, no matter who, no matter how, may it be a god, an angel,
or a demon, please... Please! I beg of you! Save me!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
true wish became apparent, but I was alone in the middle of a raging
sea. Nobody could hear me, nobody could see me. Nobody even knew that
I was there, and even if they did, even if they wanted, they couldn't
have possibly helped me. The typhoon would have killed them as well,
I was beyond salvation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
yet I couldn't stop wishing for the impossible to happen. My mind
just refused to accept reality, my heart didn't want to listen to
reason. What I longed for couldn't possibly exist in the real world.
<br />What I longed for... was a miracle.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">When
we are born into this world, we know nothing. We can see, we can
touch, we can hear, we can taste... We use our senses to learn about
our surroundings. We assimilate all those inputs and then use that
information to create our world. Then we learn even more complex
concepts and facts from our parents, our friends, our teachers. How
we act and how we make decisions is determined by what we know. All
that we do, all that we believe in is shaped by what we trust to be
true. In a way, our very self, our very identity, depend on what we
have learned through the course of our existence.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
do we actually possess the truth? Is it something that we grasp with
certainty?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
is a terrifying though the idea that all that we always believed to
be correct could be completely wrong. If that happened to be 'true',
then we would have to admit that everything that we did in the past
was the consequence of an error. Could it even be said that our
choices were truly ours if they were based on false information? That
would be the same as to realize that we never truly lived, it would
be as if we just acted a part scripted by someone else.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
alone would be enough to drag even the stoutest man into an
existential crisis, but at least it would be a revelation. I can
think of something worse, for example: the persistent thought that
everything that we know could be wrong, while not having any way to
confirm it or to refute it. Or, again, the realization that we lack
any possible means to know something that is absolutely vital to us.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">When
you consider all this, it is not a wonder that people hate to be lied
to. Why? Because in the end living inside a lie is the worst form of
slavery. The realization that someone lied to us, or that someone
withheld important information to us, is degrading, it is
humiliating. And there is an even more dreadful consequence: it robs
us of our trust. And when we start disbelieving, it becomes a
slippery slope. Soon enough we realize that we cannot trust anyone.
Furthermore, it doesn't even take a very high degree of education to
realize that our senses aren't that reliable either.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
how can we even tell the difference between truths and lies? What is
true, what is false? No, the question is even more fundamental than
that. What is the meaning of 'truth' in the first place? How can one
even define it? And even if he did, how could he even know whether
his definition was the 'true' one? </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
suppose that most people simply do not think about these
philosophical matters, or, rather, they avoid them the same way they
avoid thinking about unpleasant memories. I despise that attitude,
but at the same time it's not like I don't understand it. It is a lot
more alluring to simply pretend to know what you do not, than
accepting that in fact you know nothing for certain.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
I didn't quite have that option, not since the day that I asked that
fateful question: </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Do
you love me?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">His
answer was predictable, but I didn't like it one bit. It didn't ring
'true' to my ears, and so I demanded proofs.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Prove
it! If you love me, then prove it! Show me something that can confirm
beyond any doubts that your feelings are true! Show me something as
much as solid as that long hair that I found on your shirt, or the
expensive cologne you still smell of, or the receipts in your pocket!
Can you prove your love with something equally evident? You can't,
right? There's no way you can! And yet you keep denying the truth!
You still deny it! No matter how many evidences I bring up, you still
say that I'm just being paranoid! You still dare to claim that you
love me! Ah, of course! I'm the one at fault here! Figures! I must be
crazy, I guess! No matter what, you can't even give me a proper
closure, can't you? You must making me live with this doubt for the
rest of my life, that's just how narcissistic you are! What does it
mean that we're through?! You still didn't show me the proof that I
wanted! You still haven't admitted the truth! I'm not crying! No, I
won't stop shouting! I don't care! I don't care! I don't care
anymore!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">After
that, it was just a long descent into the realm of pure paranoia. I
had just realized how fragile that assortment of facts that I called
reality was. In the end, when confronted with the task of proving
which was true or false, I was completely powerless. So I started to
wonder just how much of what I was told could be trusted. What if all
those crazy conspiracy theories were true? I was amazed to learn how
many of those exist and the number of people that believe them to be
real. For example it could as well be true that Neil Armstrong never
landed on the Moon, perhaps it was just a hoax as some claims. Who am
I to deny that? I wasn't there on that floating rock when it
happened, I wasn't even born. There's then some who claim that the
HIV virus is just a blatant invention. The whole world was fooled by
pharmaceutical companies so that they could sell their costly
medicines to treat a syndrome that doesn't even exist. Whatever can I
say? I can't possibly see viruses, they might as well not exist.
According to some sources Paul McCartney died long time ago, the man
that currently claims to be him is just an impostor. Why not? It's
not like I ever met him. The world is actually controlled from behind
the scene by a few selected, powerful men known as the Illuminati. Of
course aliens have already landed on our planet, but the American
government is covering up the whole story. The spaceship and the
alien corpses are held in a secret military base known as Area 51.
Soka Gakkai has already infiltrated several government institutions.
It will soon rule over Japan and then the whole world.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">If
only I could find a way to fight back, but I had none. I was
defenseless, helpless. There was no way for me to prove or disprove
anything without trusting a source or the other, and I couldn't trust
anyone anymore. So, I was lost, completely.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
desperately needed a solid ground, some kind of certainty to base my
beliefs on. I needed a truth that couldn't be denied, I needed an
absolute truth that wouldn't leave any possibility for doubts to
exist. However no matter how hard I searched for it, such truth in
the world of humans doesn't exist. The truth that I was looking for
couldn't possibly exist.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
hurt. The uncertainty I was living in was nibbling at my soul and my
sanity each passing day. I wasn't even alive. I was essentially a
ghost that roamed in an ethereal world devoid of any substance. And
for all I knew at that time, that could have really been the truth of
my existence. I was angry at the whole world, I hated it for denying
me that simple and yet vital element that I desperately needed in
order to survive. My request was legitimate and the refusal to grant
it was a blatant affront. In the end I couldn't explain that in any
other way if not as a deliberated attack against me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Yes,
the whole world was my enemy. They all knew the truth, and sneered at
me. They knew everything and behind my back they ridiculed me. They
kept the answers that I sought for themselves so that they could
enjoy watching me crying, struggle and despair. It was all conspiracy
against me. Every single person that surrounded me was part of it. I
could see that through their lies, their fake smiles, and their badly
playacted empty kindness. They planted invisible camera in my room so
that they could always keep me under control. They knew everything
about me, and I knew nothing. At one point they even found a way to
listen to my thoughts. Somehow they could broadcast them so that they
could always know what was going on in my mind. It was terrifying,
but I had no way to deny it, I had not way to prove with absolute
certainty that I wasn't simply imagining it. And then I realized that
if that was true, then they knew that I was suspecting them. I
couldn't even sleep at night anymore, I couldn't even eat without the
fear that my food was poisoned. I had to react, I had to do something
in order to survive. I couldn't stand that situation any longer. I
even thought to fight against the whole world for a while, but soon I
realized how unrealistic that plan was. And then I had an epiphany.
The solution was so simple that I almost couldn't believe my
shortsightedness for not thinking about it before.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
is murder in the end? It's just a way to erase someone from your
world. Through the act of killing you sever the existence of an
unwanted individual from yours and your world. It is pretty simple.
Once I realized that destroying the whole world was beyond my powers,
I just had to reverse my approach. If I killed myself, I would obtain
the same result, I would permanently sever my connection with all
those people, and perhaps I could finally find peace, I could finally
find the truth that I sought. The more I thought about it, the more I
couldn't find a justification for my prolonged hesitation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
was settled, I only needed to decide how, but it wasn't simple. I
couldn't do it in my room or in any other familiar place. I had to do
it somewhere where they couldn't reach me, some place far away where
not even them could follow me to. More importantly I wanted some sort
of revenge. They deprived me of the truth that I desperately needed,
I wanted to do the same to them. I wanted them to forever wonder if I
really decided to kill myself, why, how, and even if I really was
dead or not. Especially that man, I wanted him to live for the rest
of his life with those doubts, just like I did after he broke up with
me. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
then I found it, the perfect way to forever seal my last moments into
a box that could never be opened. Once again, it was very simple.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/08/chapter-6-b.html">next-></a></div>
<br /></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-55293346244387720342013-07-28T01:05:00.002+01:002013-08-19T04:42:14.536+01:00Chapter 5 (u)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-t.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is unexpected. Teramoto is crying, she is shamelessly crying in front
of me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Why did you do this to me?! You knew already of the
consequences, and you still did it! Why?! I did many wrong things,
I've been a bad person! I'm sorry! But you know! Even you should
know... I don't deserve what's going to happen to me!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You don't... deserve it?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah! I don't deserve this! Why do I need to be punished to
that extent?! That's not fair!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Pfft..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Don't laugh! Why are you laughing now?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Aha... ahahahahahaha!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Stop it! Don't laugh!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh my! Ha ha ha ha!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What's so funny about this?! What's so amusing?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Not fair?! You don't deserve it?! And how did you get this
foolish idea that the world is a fair place? Who exactly deserves to
be bullied, Teramoto? At least you actually did something wrong. Do
you have any idea how many people get victimized while being
completely innocent? And now here you complain because your
punishment will be too harsh! If that isn't a laughable, what else
is? Sorry, but this is just how this world works. The faster you
adapt to this reality the better it is. You thought you had it bad so
far? You have no idea. Whatever you think you suffered in the past is
outrageously trivial compared to what true pain is."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Stop! I can't take this anymore! That's it! My life is over! I
won't even go to school tomorrow!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's a pity, you'll miss out on a most amusing show."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I'll drop school entirely! There's no way I'm going through
that hell! I don't want to be bullied! I don't want to become
everyone's scapegoat! I don't want that! I don't want that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Calm down, crybaby!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Then what am I supposed to do?! You ruined my life, you
destroyed everything I had!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's right. I completely destroyed that hateful castle made
of illusions that you built."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Uuuaaaargh!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"By the way, your little friend Hibari told me something quite
interesting about your so called 'philosophy'."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What do you want from me still?! Leave me alone!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's right, there was no point in responding to her, those
are your theories, right? This is how you justified your shams and
your tricks. What was that again? Yeah, I remember now. You claim
that some people have the need to believe in magic. You seem to think
that believing in something, even if completely false, is better than
accepting the crude reality. But somehow you realized that this world
with its rationality is systematically destroying the myths and
legends of the past. More and more mysteries are solved each passing
days. People can no longer fantasize about ridiculous explanations
for natural events. Everything is denuded by the relentless
scientific progress. All traces of romanticism are forcibly removed
by the merciless jaws of empiricism, all that is left are the bare
bones of facts and proofs. Few superstitions and beliefs survived the
giant meat grinder of methodical experimentation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">All
that left you with a profound sadness, your precious dreams were
snatched from you and you cried and despaired. That's when you
thought that you could reverse the flow."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's right! The truth is too cruel, the truth is hideous!
What kind of worth is there in a world that loses its ability to
dream? If the sky is gray, why do I need to accept it? What kind of
good can come from that? Better it is to paint the sky of many
vibrant colors, and who cares if it's fake? Who cares if it isn't the
truth?! All I did was trying to stop the rapid descent into a world
of despair. I may have fooled people, but I did it for their sake,
and for mine! And it's not like I robbed anyone from anything! If
those people truly didn't want to believe they would have noticed the
tricks, just like you did! Don't you think so, great detective?! Can
you really say that deep down it wasn't the very fact that they
wanted to believe that it prevented them from realizing the truth?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Certainly, you do have a point... as stupid as they are, even
they wouldn't have taken you so seriously if they really used their
brain. So I can agree to a certain extent that deep down they wanted
to be fooled."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's right! Then in the end I didn't do anything wrong! Just
like I said!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"In other words you just wanted to rekindle in people their
inner desire to believe in magic, their ability to fantasize and to
dream which is constantly under the perpetual attack of truth, facts,
and reality."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Then you do understand! That's not something that people want,
it's something they are victim of. They have no choice but to accept
the truth, they have no choice but to refute magic!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And since the truth is horrible, that just robs them of their
happiness. Because there's just no way for someone to be happy about
the sorry state our world is in. With magic, however, you can just
pretend the world is a fantastic place. With magic... you can see
beyond facts. With magic you can see beyond the crude and boring
reality. You can still believe, you can still hope, you can still
find happiness in the darkest hole of this deranged universe."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Who... the hell are you? How can someone like you understand
all of that and yet..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I know the theory all too well. Don't think you invented or
discovered anything, Teramoto! But you know what? All of that is
wrooong. All of that is utterly stupid! Worthless! Pathetic!
Ridiculous! It can't even be redeemed as a joke! Do you really
believe in that nonsense? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I seriously
have no words to state my incredulity. This is embarrassing! Look, I
even feel embarrassed for you! That's how awkward this is! Do you get
it? This is dumb! Completely idiotic! There should be a law to forbid
people from even thinking that. Like you should be sentenced to death
for atrocities against human brain cells or something. If there
was..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I got your point already! Stop that!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then you see..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I see nothing! You just insulted me and my theories like every
other so-called rational thinker did! You said that's wrong? Well,
why is that wrong? Explain it, if you can! Explain how one can be
happy without magic!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Happy?! What are you even babbling about? Of course the truth
won't make you happy."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Then... why..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Who the hell cares about happiness, Teramoto? Happiness is
grossly overrated. Those who speak of happiness are the biggest
fools, they don't even know what they're talking about. All it takes
to be happy, Teramoto, is a few pills. Is that what you hold in so
high regard?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wait... no... that's not what..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then you should understand that valuing happiness in itself is
utterly stupid. Isn't the reason to be happy what really matters?
Let's just make a stupid example. If you take a good grade you're
happy, right? If you take a bad grade you're unhappy. But what really
matters here, what really you should look for is the good grade, in
other words the reason to be happy. Happiness has only a value if it
corresponds to an event that is actually deserving of joy!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Now
with your so-called magic, Teramoto, you can be happy regardless. You
just fool yourself into believing that the world is a fantastic place
when it is not! You just idiotically laugh and rejoice without a
reason! And the worst part is that it will be short lived! Reality
doesn't change just because you wish for it! Your pain won't go away
just because you pretend it doesn't exist! It will return! It will
return stronger than ever! You can't fight against reality! You can't
fight against the truth! They will catch up no matter how far you
escape! That's why you're an idiot! You don't understand!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"But then what if you can't change your reality?! What if you
can't do anything about that? Isn't it better to escape with your own
mind? What good can come from acknowledging a desperate situation?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You're approaching the issue form a completely wrong direction.
You say that the sky is gray, but so what of it? What's wrong about
the sky being gray?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Huh? No matter how you look at it, a colorful world is ten
times better!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And who decided that?! Look, you can't change the color of the
sky, you just need to accept it for what it is! If it's gray, it's
gray! Deal with it! If you think you can paint it of your own
favorite color, you're just going to make a fool of yourself. But
that doesn't mean that you can't change absolutely anything!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What do you mean?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You can change yourself! If you're unhappy about the world,
then adapt, evolve! If you live in filth, then learn to love filth!
If all around you is filth, then become filth yourself!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I can't do that! What you say is pure madness! It's crazy!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"No, Teramoto, that's what it means to be a witch of truth!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"A... huh?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Don't you wish you could look at the truth and appreciate it
for what it is? Don't you wish you could accept any truths and
survive them no matter how terrible they are? I can do that and much
more."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I don't care about that..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This is just the surface, Teramoto, there's a lot more to that.
You see, you were deemed to fail whether I met you or not. That's
because your magic was inherently weak. I observed you, you didn't
care about the fact that some people would always deny your theories.
You thought you could simply ignore them forever, and that's where
you've been terribly naïve. Magic is a fragile thing, it takes very
little to break it. Why do you think people were killed simply for
challenging a dominant belief? You don't really need to worry about a
fool stating what everyone knows to be wrong. The real problem comes
when someone challenges a lie that everyone deep down knows to be
false. What you created with so much effort could be taken away from
you at any moment in a single instant, and I demonstrated that. You
can't deny that I did."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Then... then what do you want me to do? Are you saying that I
should just give up?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"No! What I'm saying is that you should stop valuing fleeting
stuff like your feeble magic. Something that only a few people
believe in is worthless. What truly holds power is that which
everyone believes in! In other words: truth!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Truth..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You may think that I hate you, Teramoto, but that's false. I
don't have anything against you, what I truly hate is the magic that
befouled your mind. In fact I think that you and I are similar in
many respects. You're not much different from what I was before
becoming what I am, and you'll soon experience the same hell that
I've been through. Don't fear it, Teramoto, if you embrace the truth,
that hell won't destroy you, it will make you stronger. Become a
witch of truth and you'll survive anything, just like I survived far
worse tragedies."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"How... how should I do that? You make no sense!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Don't worry, I'll help you. Just give me your mail address.
There is much I can teach you, there is much you can learn. Your
journey is just beginning."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
trembling, shaky hesitation is soon replaced by a twisted resolution.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
devilish thought walks past the shattered remains of the wall of
sanity.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
serpent's whisper has tainted the core. There are no more doubts,
there are no more worries, and not a single care for what the future
may hold.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">At
this point, what is left to lose?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
contract has been signed, the ticket to the world of perdition has
been presented. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Certainly
I have received it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I must have gone crazy for doing this..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"If that's what the truth is, then just welcome your new found
madness with a smile!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"A ha ha..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/08/chapter-6-a.html">next-></a></span></span><br />
</div>
</div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-46199776306178589272013-07-27T03:49:00.004+01:002013-07-31T02:40:16.653+01:00Chapter 5 (t)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-s.html"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></span></a> </div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
seems that Satsukawa is a bit disappointed, he probably thinks that
we have reached yet another dead end. We have learned a lot of many
interesting facts, and we now have a clearer picture regarding the
crime scene and the murder weapon. However very little progress has
been made toward learning the identity of the culprit, and the whole
situation that led the murderer to commit this crime is still
uncharted territory. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Teramoto, during our present and past conversations you showed
an extraordinary knowledge about this school and its students. It
seems to me that you managed to create a very efficient network that
let you know everything about everyone here. Is there really nothing
that you can tell us about Gotsuji?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
he was thinking about that. That wasn't a bad question at all anyway.
If there is one person that would know about any possible rumors
regarding Gotsuji, that one is certainly Teramoto.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Hitomi Gotsuji... I think you're giving me too much credit by
saying that I know everything about everyone. I did have several
followers that would act as my eyes and ears... That's how I learned
of Kubota's hobbies. Even so, I only know what other people tell me,
and everything I know about that girl, I learned it from Kagami. You
should rather ask this question to her. I'm sorry I can't be of much
help..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I see... thanks anyway, Teramoto."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wait a moment though..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Interesting.
She seems to have suddenly recollected something from her memories.
The look in her face suggests that she is taking an effort in piecing
the facts together. My detective instinct is telling me that a
relevant clue is about to be revealed, I can sniff its smell in the
air.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yes... I think that was..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Don't rush it. Think about it with calm and tell us all the
details."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's not something that happened at school... it was a few
months ago... I think it was the day after Christmas."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
end of December of the past year. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Around
that time Gotsuji grew a sudden interest in dating sites. In
addition, that's when she started purchasing more expensive stuff
than she could normally afford.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
can't be a coincidence. Something must have happened between December
and January, something that triggered a chain of events that
ultimately led to the crime I need to solve.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I had just arrived at Shinjuku with my friends. Since we live
on the suburbs, we don't really have many chances to hang around the
most famous wards and districts of Tokyo. Shinjuku, Harajuku,
Shibuya, Akihabara, they're like myths to us. We always dream of
going there to have fun. So it isn't unusual for the students of this
school to visit those places during long school holidays. I was with
Kagami, among the others, and then suddenly she told me that she
spotted Gotsuji. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
usually don't pay too much attention to everything that Kagami says.
It wasn't very likely that she actually recognized one of our
schoolmates in the middle of that crowd, but then I followed the
direction where she was pointing at with her finger, and I remember
that I thought that she was probably right. To be honest, the girl
that I saw was walking away from us, so I didn't even see her face,
but Kagami seemed to be pretty sure that it was her. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">We
just went on our way then, and so I never put that much thought into
that. However just a while back I remembered, and I just realized
that if it was her, then she was all alone in that place. But there's
more, because, now that I think about it, from there she could only
be heading toward Kabukichou..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"... Are you sure?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"No... not really..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Kabukichou...
of all the places. That's a well known red light district, under the
control of the yakuza no less. That's the place to go if you're
looking for hostess clubs, soaplands and love hotels.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Don't
tell me that the Sumadera are involved again. Those people are
everywhere... they are behind everything... they...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">No,
calm down, Erika. Think rationally. This is a murder mystery,
criminal organizations are forbidden. Besides killing people in such
a conspicuous way is not in their style. They aren't amateurs.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I find it very hard to believe that a teenage girl would
adventure there all alone."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah... you're right... It was probably someone else."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">No,
it actually matches perfectly. Everything points into that direction,
it can't be a simple coincidence. Hibari must have some kind of
special ability to recognize people to compensate for her substandard
intellect. Still, what a funny coincidence, this is definitely
something that I can use for my plans.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Do you remember anything else about that girl? Even small
particulars are important."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"No... I don't think so... I have very fuzzy memories of
that..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Go back with your mind to that time, focus on the image that is
still imprinted in your little gray cells. Remember what you saw that
day. Are you sure she was alone? Do you remember how she was dressed?
Was there anything off about her?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"She wore casual clothes, I don't know... there were people
around her of course... She was in the middle of a crowd..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I see, well it's all right..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wait... I think I know why she somehow stood out. She was...
She was acting suspiciously."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Suspiciously?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"As if she didn't want to be seen."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is really interesting.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Today
Satsukawa brought me the recovered data from Gotsuji's personal
computer. According to those files the victim made several searches
regarding dating sites, especially those meant for people residing in
the Tokyo area. I checked the dates of when each of those files was
first downloaded in her hard disk, and the earliest were from
December 27 of the past year. In other words it started exactly the
day after Teramoto allegedly saw Gotsuji heading all alone toward
Kabukichou. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Just
what happened exactly that day? According to Teramoto it shouldn't be
surprising if a student of this school went to Shinjuku during
holidays, but alone? It would make more sense if Gotsuji was with one
or more friends, unless she was up to no good to begin with.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
what about that last part? Acting suspiciously? She didn't want to be
seen? While in the middle of a huge a crowd?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"...Erika!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Uh? What are you yelling for?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I've been calling you for a while, are you still with us?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Sheesh, I was just thinking. You should try that sometimes."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I wanted to know if you had more questions. I think we should
call it a day, it's pretty late. Teramoto's parents will begin to
worry, if she stays any longer."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I have no objections, I don't think we'll get anything else
from her."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Okay then. Teramoto, I'm going to give you a ride back to your
place."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Eh, that's not necessary..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I insist, it's the least I can do to make up for keeping you
here. Don't worry, I have no intention to climb all the stairs up to
your family's shrine."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That's
a nice way to say he doesn't plan to talk to her parents, which is
what Teramoto was worrying about.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"All right, just let me make a call first. I'll be back in a few
minutes."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Be quick, a gentleman should never make ladies wait."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Before
leaving the room, Satsukawa leans briefly toward me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Be nice."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Yeah,
sure. I am not going to eat the witness alive, I promise.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
it's me and Teramoto now, the two of us, all by ourselves. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Awkward...
and yet, decidedly amusing. Because between the two of us, Teramoto
is certainly the one who is feeling more discomfort. She is the
defeated and I am the victor, this is only natural.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
gleefully observe her nervous gestures. This is actually a pretty
funny sideshow.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Surprisingly,
it seems that Teramoto is trying to start a conversation. So that's
why she was so restless.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You know what's going to happen to me starting from tomorrow,
right?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
see, this is what she was brooding over.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Let's see. According to my predictions, not even you have the
power to keep the extraordinarily crazy event that has just happened
under wraps. It was too exciting and gossip-worthy to expect those
first year students to keep silent about it. Most of them are
probably already spreading the news by phone. Tomorrow this will be
the hot topic of this school. By the start of lunch break there won't
be a single student left that won't know about it, including boys.
Naturally that means everyone will know that you always lied,
everyone will know that you're just a vulgar trickster. More
importantly, everyone will know what an unsightly defeat you suffered
against me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
goes without saying that any kind of power you had before today will
be gone. Most of your 'loyal' subjects will probably turn against
you. They'll claim that they were tricked as well to save themselves
from the inevitable scorn and hostility. Don't worry, though, Hibari
isn't smart enough to abandon the sinking boat. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
think you should prepare yourself to face even harsher accusations.
Once it will be decreed that you're a villain, everyone will find
convenient to use you as a scapegoat. I have no doubts that you'll be
accused to be Gotsuji's murderer. Trust me, I have quite some
experience about this kind of stuff. Hibari won't have it easier,
they'll say that she's your accomplice. Some will even suggest that
she killed Gotsuji following your orders. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
whole school will turn against you, people will talk behind your back
and sneer. Wherever you will look, you'll meet malign stares,
accusing you, despising you, besmirching you.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">You
see, Teramoto, what you said about the fact that everyone deep down
is a bully is indeed one of the sad truths of this world. However
some people are bound by what they call 'morality'. That basically
means that they won't easily commit 'evil' acts, because that would
tarnish the image of rectitude that they have of themselves. But that
doesn't mean that they lack the same primordial and barbaric impulses
of everyone else. So those upstanding and praiseworthy people
subconsciously look for morally questionable scapegoats. Against
those they can safely unleash their repressed sadism. It's all right,
because those are evil, they don't need to feel bad about scum. It's
eye for an eye, right? Even if they aren't the offended party,
they'll feel entitled to be the executors of that distorted
vengeance, and then they'll call it justice or karma. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
I'm getting at, Teramoto, is that you can't even count on those so
called 'good-willed' persons. They will all gang up on you. Even
those who normally wouldn't bother will jump on the bandwagon just to
follow the flow. They will all rejoice for the advent of a special
scapegoat which they'll be able to bully with no remorse."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto: "St<span style="font-size: small;">op!!! STOP IT!!!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-u.html">next-></a></div>
<br /></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-91382690990547025642013-07-26T01:14:00.000+01:002013-07-27T03:53:34.223+01:00Chapter 5 (s)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-r.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Do you believe me if I say that she never showed any grudge
toward me? It was really as if nothing happened, not that we became
friends or anything though. When I first explained my projects to
her, she listened attentively and then she approached the issue as if
she was a machine that was just given a mission. She never questioned
stuff like 'why should I do this', 'why do you want to do this', and
so on. All that mattered to her was what kind of tool I needed and
how she could perfectly create it."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Just as I thought. Then let me confirm something, it was Junko
Andou and not you who came up with the idea of that elaborated lock."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yes... what I suggested back then was something similar but
simpler. Andou then insisted to know exactly what kind of purpose I
needed that for. Then she rejected my project and proposed her own.
She became suddenly talkative when she started to explain all the
reasons why my idea was wrong and her was better. It's as if she was
an expert on locking devices or something. She kept repeating that
the best lock is a lock that you can't see to begin with.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Naturally
it's not like she suddenly gave a damn about my cult, she just wanted
to do a good job for her own sake."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I think this is a pretty relevant point. In other words you're
confirming that Andou knew how to open that door."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Obviously so, she's the very person that came up with that
system... Wait... are you suspecting that she killed Gotsuji?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That's
a pretty good question, but she should have realized this sooner.
Certainly what she told us so far doesn't really help in mitigating
our suspicions. Is Andou the kind of person that would kill someone
in cold blood? I still lack conclusive evidences, but everything
seems to indicate that yes, she is that kind of person. However we
still lack any proofs regarding a possible relation between her and
the victim. Is Oda really the only connection?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"To your knowledge, how many persons knew the trick to open the
shed's door before the crime occurred?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Everyone in the occultism club knew... plus Kagami and Andou."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's too many people. Any of them could have told this secret
to someone else."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I think you're forgetting something relevant here, great
detective. Even if someone knew how to open the door, there was
nothing he could do without the proper tool, and only two of those
exist. Kagami has one and I have the other."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"... Of course it's not like I forgot anything, I was just
getting to that."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Liar!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Silence! Anyway Junko Andou could have made more of those
without telling you, or she could have created another one later. I
think she gave them a specific name, if I'm not mistaken..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah... how do you know? When she gave me mine she said that it
was 'Slim Jim'. That made me laugh, to think that she would give a
cute name to a tool she made..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Just
as I thought.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"What if someone stole your Slim Jim or Kagami's and then put it
back before you noticed?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I can't think of many people who could do that with mine
without being ninja."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"However in Kagami's case I think it would be pretty easy.
Whenever she plays basketball her stuff is completely unattended, and
she's not bright enough to notice if someone rummaged through her
belongings."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"So in the end there are still a lot of possibilities..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"The simplest solution is still the more probable though. Don't
you agree, Teramoto?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Why are you asking... me?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika is suggesting
that the culprit is more likely someone who already possessed both
the knowledge and the tool to open the shed's door.</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I thought you said that Kagami isn't the culprit! Wait... that
leaves me, doesn't it?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I'm glad that you finally realized where you stand."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"It wasn't me... I didn't do anything wrong... I mean, apart
from all the wrong things that I did... But I never killed anyone! I
could never! I'm not a monster!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Does that mean that you made someone else to do that?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Neither! I'm not such a fool to not realize that I'd be still
guilty!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"And you never happened to give the order to 'punish' Gotsuji,
just like you did with Andou and anyone who stood in your way?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"No! There was absolutely nothing between me and Gotsuji!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Interesting. Perhaps you're telling the truth, and you're
completely unrelated to the crime, but what if you're the culprit and
you're simply denying your responsibility in a desperate attempt to
save yourself from the consequences? You sure showed that tendency
with all those: 'I never did anything wrong'!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's different! You must believe me! I'm not lying!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"So... it's not like you're telling us all these things about
Andou to divert our attention from yourself, right? I just want to
make that sure."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What?! I... I wasn't even thinking about that! Everything I
told you about her is the truth! You can ask my friends to confirm my
version of the facts, if you wish!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"That's enough, Erika. Like I said, this isn't a trial, and this
isn't an interrogation of a possible culprit either. Right now we're
just collecting Teramoto's statements. Whether they're true or false,
that's something that we'll evaluate later."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Fair enough. You heard him, Teramoto. So please, be at ease.
*giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Gh..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"So, is there anything left that you need to tell us about
Andou?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Nothing much... Of course the inner mechanisms inside the
statue of Pazuzu were also made by her, after she improved my
original project. She made me spend even more money because she
insisted that a cheap infrared remote wouldn't have worked. Kagami
was usually the one that operated that."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I really feel like an idiot now for wasting that much time
checking the shed a few days ago. That Hibari really pulled a nice
prank on me."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Sure she did."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"You knew it all along, didn't you...?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I suspected that. It didn't hurt to check that place carefully
though."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Yeah, of course..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ah, I almost forgot! We still need to ask you about the murder
weapon. Surely you're not going to confirm that ridiculous story that
you told us before."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That sword is cursed..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Are you still saying that?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wait... let me explain! I didn't make that up. At the very
least I'm not the one who did."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What do you mean?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I found it among my family heirlooms. There's a storeroom back
to my place that I'm not supposed to enter, and you can't imagine how
many antiques have been lying there forgotten for who knows how many
years! I was looking for some kind of treasure that could impress my
friends and our guests, and I found something that surpassed my hopes
by far. It was sealed inside a box, and when I say 'sealed' I mean
that there was an actual magic seal placed on it."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"In other words one of those piece of papers that are meant to
seal curses."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah, one of those."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And naturally you didn't think twice before breaking it,
considering how much you believe in all that stuff."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"It... it was already broken and all tattered! I told you that
it was really old! Anyway once I opened the box, I found the
wakizashi inside. There was a letter too and it was written by the
former owner. He wrote that he believed that sword to be cursed. He
stated that there was a demon lurking inside with a thirst for
innocent blood. If one was to carelessly wield that sword, he would
be possessed by the evil spirit and he would kill the closest person.
Fearing that destroying the wakizashi would cause an even greater
calamity, he asked the priest of that time to seal it and to keep it
forever under his watch inside the sacred grounds of the shrine."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Is this all real, Teramoto? You aren't telling us another of
your stories, aren't you?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"No! I swear, this is the truth! I still have the letter
somewhere! It's authentic! Can you imagine how ecstatic I was after
such a rare find? That's why I brought it with me to my secret place.
It became one of my best pieces to impress our guests!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yeah, I can imagine. I bet it killed at your parties."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You don't think that the curse was... real?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Now are you worrying about that?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"But it happened! Someone actually killed with that sword, just
like the letter said!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"No, Teramoto, how stupid can you be?! The murderer used that
sword because you worked your way to make half the school know that
it was a cursed weapon. Because he or she wanted to make it look like
the crime was related to your occult club, thus directing the
investigations on the wrong path. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">As
for what concerns the owner of that wakizashi, he was psycho! He
killed an innocent person under some sort of crazy compulsion,
because his mind was all messed up! But of course you can't expect a
deranged individual to simply admit his crimes. So, very much like
you, he started telling to himself that it wasn't his fault, that he
never did anything wrong! Then he came up with a convenient fantasy
to put all the blame onto something else. 'It was a demon! This sword
is cursed! It's not my fault!' He convinced himself so hard that he
ended up entrusting the wakizashi to a shrine, and so he washed his
hands off his crime! Case closed!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Damn...
did I overreact? I was caught up so much in the excitement that I
ended up saying more than I wanted to. I just can't stand it when
people act so idiotically when the truth stares them in the face. I
lost it, I couldn't stay silent any longer. That's not good, I need
to exert on myself more self-restraint. I have the bad habit to let
my excitement take over me causing me to act against my better
judgment.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"How... how do you know all that?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's the only logical deduction that one gifted with a decent
brain can make, come on! Do you think that any sane person would come
up with such a story?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That apart... didn't you just imply that the culprit is
completely unrelated to my club?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Tch..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
said too much.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Anyway... regardless of curses, what were you thinking when you
brought a real sword to school? Do you understand how irresponsible
that was?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I... I'm sorry..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Well it's not like it would have changed anything. Sword or
not, the murderer would have killed anyway."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Why didn't you tell us this since the beginning?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"My father will kill me when he'll know what I've done..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That seems appropriate."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Why?! I didn't kill anyone! You think so as well!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I never said that."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto: "Liar!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-t.html">next-></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-83489938729885488692013-07-25T00:59:00.002+01:002013-07-27T03:59:23.177+01:00Chapter 5 (r)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-o.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto
frowns immediately as soon as she hears the name of that strange
girl. She looks a bit surprised and she seems indecisive about what
to say.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Junko Andou... just how much do you know already? How did you
even learn that she's involved?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's just a matter of logic. Anyone with enough intelligence
and a bit of initiative would have been able to acquire this simple
information."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Did you talk to her already?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes... or, more precisely, Dlanor did."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Dlanor? You mean...?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes, it looks like she and Andou immediately bonded. They must
be kindred spirits. *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I respectfully disagree, I
do not think we have much in common at all, Miss Erika.</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Aaah... I give up... I don't care anymore..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's the way I want you. So, is Andou one of your followers
too?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Ha! That's what I wanted, but no matter how much I tried, she
always refused."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"I thought you never pressured anyone into becoming one of your
adepts."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Normally yes, but as soon as I realized that there was a girl
with those skills in our school, I really wanted her to join my
group. She was always alone, she had no friends, she was just a first
year student. I thought I could easily manipulate her."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Junko Andou... she's surprisingly a tough one, isn't she?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You have no idea! Just trying to get her into a conversation
was a challenge. From the very beginning she told me clearly that she
didn't want to join my group, but I'm used to that. I can be a very
patient person, and I thought that I would eventually break her. I
was very wrong on that. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
started to feel an increasing hatred toward her. She wasn't simply
rejecting me, she was defying me, and I couldn't accept that. I
decided that she had to be punished for her insolent behavior. Of
course that was also for her own good, she needed to learn her place
in society."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"So in other words you started to bully her."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Bully her?! Tch... well I guess that you can say that we did
bully her, if you really want to put it that way..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"See, Satsukawa-san? She's such a nice girl, she never did
anything wrong at all! *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"All right, I get it! I'm a horrible person! But why don't you
listen to my whole story before concluding that Andou was just a
victim and I was evil incarnate? I might have done many wrong things,
but who doesn't?! It's easy to point the finger at bullies as if they
are the only bad persons in the world, but you know what? Everyone
deep down is a bully! The only difference is that some have power and
some do not. Give them the chance and even the bullied will become
bullies before you can even notice! Even those who overtly despise
bullies have probably bullied someone and they don't even remember
it, or they justify it with some kind of rationalization. Perhaps
they think that their case is different, because they deserved it.
Well guess what? I also think that Junko Andou deserved it, okay?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha! Calm down, Teramoto, who said that I despise bullies?
If anything I despise the stupid people that let themselves be
bullied."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Come to think of it, you're just a big bully yourself, aren't
you?! Are you having fun?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes. And what is most satisfying is seeing you reaching this
kind of self-realization. You finally see yourself for what you
actually are, you're not pretending to be someone worthy of
admiration anymore. You came to understand the true nature of
yourself and the world. You're embracing the truth at last. I'm proud
of what you've become, Teramoto!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Go to hell!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Now stop that, both of you. Teramoto, please continue with what
you were saying. I must admit that I've become curious to know more
about Andou."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah, okay... What do you expect that I did? I started by
spreading rumors about her, I wanted to make sure she'd remain as
friendless as she was. Everyone started to avoid her as if she had
the plague."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Seriously? That's what you did to 'punish' her?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I get your point! I actually did her a favor! I didn't know her
that well back then! How could I imagine that she'd actually be happy
to be a loner forever?! I had no choice but to make her life even
more miserable than it already was! Soon she had to deal with pranks
almost every day. Her desk was filled with insults and scribbles, her
textbooks were stolen, and I'm not going to mention what she found in
her locker. Naturally I never did those things myself, I made someone
else..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Of course not, you'd never stoop so low!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah, it's not like... Aaah! That was sarcasm, wasn't it?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Good grief... Let her talk, Erika..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I know, I get it! Give me a break already!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Calm down, ignore that comment and continue."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I don't feel like talking about that anymore!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Why? Are you afraid to face the truth of your actions? You
disappoint me, Teramoto! Aaah! And here I was having so many hopes
for you! *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Erika... are you sure you don't have a personal grudge against
bullies? It sure doesn't look that way..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What's that even supposed to mean? Can't you see that I'm the
one bullying here? But I'm not shamelessly denying my
responsibilities."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"And how does that make you a better person?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It doesn't. What makes me a better person than all of you,
Teramoto, is my brilliant mind. Now, if you please, would you care
continuing? I haven't had my fill yet."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Gh... gh... ghhhhh!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Clenching
your fists and gritting your teeth won't do you any good, Teramoto.
If anything that only increases my amusement.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Aaah! Enough! Enough! Damn it! Have it your way, I don't care!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then, are you ready to expose the pathetic and shameless
account of your misdeeds?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah, I'm ready! Feel free to laugh and sneer to you heart's
content, you witch!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Aha ha ha ha ha!!! Well said! Well said indeed!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa
sighs, but doesn't comment.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"So I let Andou simmer in the hell that I prepared for her for a
while. Then I approached her, and without being too explicit I made
her understand that I could make the bullying stop, if she only
accepted my offer."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Clever, and what did she say?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"At first? Nothing! She said nothing! She completely ignored me,
as if I didn't even exist! Simply thinking about that fills me with
anger all over again! I confronted her more assertively, I demanded
an answer, and you know what she told me? She said that she didn't
even understand what I was talking about! She totally looked down on
me, as if she couldn't even be bothered!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Nice..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Really? What kind of person is this Andou?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"As if I knew! She's still a complete mystery to me, and you
haven't even heard it all! That day I was completely defeated, I was
at a loss for words, and she went her way, like that. And there I
asked to myself, what did I represent to her? She made me feel like a
mosquito trying to hurt an elephant. It became personal. If what I
did to her until that point was just a small nuisance, then she left
me with no choice but to seriously mess with her. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
few days later, I gathered my friends and we waited for Andou on her
way out of her club. We took her to an even more isolated place. I
was seriously going to hurt her, you know. I was furious!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"What did you do?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
change in Satsukawa's tone is almost hilarious, he became so serious
all of a sudden.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"She followed us without saying a word, without ever looking at
us, but I could almost read her thoughts. She was thinking: 'what a
bother', 'I just hope they'll be done quickly'. She wasn't scared at
all.<br />We cornered her with her back against a wall, where nobody
could see us nor hear us. I started talking to her, you know, to make
her understand her situation, to make her know why I had to do what I
was going to do to her, why she left me with no other choice. It was
like talking to a statue, she didn't even react. She was like in
another world, or so I thought. I soon realized how wrong I was."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"What do you mean?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"After a few minutes without seeing any reactions from her, I
lost it. I remember I moved my right hand, almost subconsciously,
with the intention to slap her as hard as I could. And there, for the
first time, Andou looked at me. You can't imagine how scary that was.
She never looked anyone into their eyes before, but at that very
moment she did, and I could feel a murderous intent from that
piercing stare. Andou realized that I was going to hit her, I hadn't
even raised my hand above my shoulder, but she knew, she read the
subtle movements of my body, she knew the pattern. I thought she was
ignoring me, but she was actually observing me closely, with her full
vision, without focusing on any place in particular.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Then
I realized that some kind of pointy tool was dangerously close to my
throat. I didn't even notice the movement of her hand. I should have
taken away that tool belt from her before threatening her. Only then
I realized my mistake. I wonder why they let her keep that on all the
time. They probably think that she would never use that to hurt
anyone, but they're wrong. Back then she clearly showed the intent to
use that tool as a weapon."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Intriguing..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Wait... are you telling me that Andou, after being so passive
and unresponsive for all that time, finally snapped and attacked
you?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's not it, Satsukawa-san. Andou gave Teramoto a clear
message: 'you can prank me and bully me all you want, I don't care,
but don't you dare to touch me'."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yes, that's what I think as well. Andou didn't even open her
mouth, but I received that message with clarity."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Then... what happened after that?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"My friends were taken off guard as much as I was, and I feared
that I could lose my authority more than I feared that I could lose
my life. I mustered my courage and I calmly confronted Andou. In
retrospect it might have been foolish to believe that she wouldn't
seriously hurt me, that girl isn't normal. Or perhaps it's because I
knew that as long as I wasn't threatening to physically harm her, I
had nothing to fear. I don't quite remember what was going on in my
mind back then. Faking confidence, I simply told her again that all
of that could be solved pacifically if only she accepted to work for
me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
answered like her usual: 'I won't join your club'. I was losing hope
and patience, but then she surprised me again. She told me that if
all I wanted was to put her skills into use, she could do that."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"So... in the end nothing happened?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's right, we reached an agreement. She accepted to work on
whatever project I had in mind, in exchange I promised to make sure
nobody would bother her anymore. I still wonder why she didn't
propose that earlier, it could have saved a lot of troubles to both
of us. It was still a compromise though, she never accepted to become
one of my subordinates. I think you can see why that was troublesome
for me. I was going to entrust my tricks and my reputation to an
unrelated person. But then I thought, who is she even going to talk
to? It's not like I expected any loyalty from her, but she had no
friends and she couldn't bother to expose my shams or anything of
that sort."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika: "So, that's how your cooperation began."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-s.html">next-></a></div>
<br /></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-26282829407122490062013-07-23T16:49:00.000+01:002013-07-31T02:38:14.348+01:00Chapter 5 (q)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/06/chapter-5-p.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Good. I think we've talked enough about the circumstances that
led you to this point, Teramoto, I have a complete picture now."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Still, to think that you actually had such plans... I just
don't get it. You're a high school student, right? Girls of your age
are supposed to leisurely spend their days having fun with their
friends. Why were you so obsessed with something like that?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh? Is that what bothers you the most, Satsukawa-san? I think
the main problem here is that Teramoto's doings were dangerous on a
criminal level, don't you agree?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Well, of course that's also an issue, but it's never the
criminal mind that disconcerts me. I can understand why someone would
break the law for personal gain. What baffles me, however, is the
irrationality, if not outright stupidity, of certain crimes."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wait a moment! Why are you talking as if I actually committed a
crime? I never broke any laws!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You still say that after all that you've already confessed?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What are you talking about? That's completely wrong! Even I
recognize that what I did wasn't perfectly okay, and I can understand
why one would condemn me from a moral standpoint, but aren't you
exaggerating? Why are you talking as if I was a criminal?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Relax, Teramoto, we still haven't concluded anything yet, this
isn't a trial. Still, from my point of view, no matter how you look
at it, that cultist stuff just sounds absolutely wrong. You'd think
that a smart person like you would know better than treading in such
shady waters."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Why?! Why is everyone so prejudiced against groups of people
that just want to believe in something? Why?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Stop sugarcoating the bleak reality, Teramoto. You aren't a
prophet, and you aren't a seer either. You're just a con artist."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Don't pair me with those despicable individuals that are only
interested in the vile money!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's the same thing. Whether it's for money, popularity, or
power, you're still fooling people and exploiting their gullibility
to pursue your own end."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Wrong! I did it for them too! I..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
doesn't sound very convincing, and in fact she can't even fool
herself.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is no longer a witch, after all. Maaya, the witch of power, is dead.
What's in front of me is just a broken vessel.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
was brought to this empty classroom, alone. Satsukawa used his
authority to send all the other students back to their families.
Stripped of her supporting clique and of her delusions, Teramoto,
just as I predicted, became a lot more cooperative. At this point she
doesn't have anything to lose by telling the truth, or so I think.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Teramoto, it's a bit late, so let's just get to the important
stuff. Exposing your lies was just an interesting side trip, my real
purpose here, as you're well aware, is to find whoever killed Hitomi
Gotsuji."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"An... interesting... side trip? A ha ha ha..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's right, so why don't you tell us more about that shed?
When did you start using it for your phony rituals?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You destroyed my life! You destroyed everything that I worked
so hard for! And now... now you..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yeah, sure! And I found it a mildly enjoyable experience, so
what? Do you expect me to feel compassion? For you?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Erika..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What about you, Teramoto? Do you not feel any pity for the girl
that actually lost her life?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Ugh..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then begin to talk. If you still think that spirits exist,
perhaps you might want to do something useful for once and help me to
find the murderer. Then maybe Hitomi Gotsuji will find some rest."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Oh
my, I can't believe I said that with a straight face. The whole
thought that a criminal must be found or the spirit of the victim
won't be able to ascend to heaven is so cliched. The truth is that
Hitomi Gotsuji simply doesn't exist anymore, I don't get why people
still need to indulge themselves in such childish and comfortable
fantasies. There is absolutely nothing heroic or redeeming in
catching a criminal. That's just a hunt, a cruel and merciless hunt.
The dead won't get any benefit from it, the criminal will have its
life destroyed, and those who wish for retribution will just get
their bitter and trivial satisfaction. The only one who wins is the
detective, for solving another case and receiving the well deserved
praises.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
other words, this is just for my own delight.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Erika is right, Teramoto, we need to know the truth, for
Gotsuji's sake."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Sure,
what he said.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I... as you might have guessed... as soon as I became a student
of this school... I tried to create a new cult here..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Good, continue."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I started by founding the occultism club. Finding members was
easy because many of my friends from middle school followed me here."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"But your club has never been about studying the occult from the
approach of a true believer, am I right? It was really about learning
everything about all those phony supernatural events, and then
reproduce them to impress your classmates, isn't it? Stuff like
bending spoons with the power of the mind, levitation and all that
stuff."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Tch..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"So?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yes! That's right! That's just what you said! That's really
what our club was truly about! In the end... In the end I was the
first in not believing in the supernatural... Ha ha ha... This is so
funny... Why is it that this thought never crossed my mind before?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh, I'm sure you've always known, but it was simply more
convenient for you to never truly reflect on that."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Let's focus on the facts. Earlier Erika asked you to tell us
when you started using the shed, we still need to hear your answer."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I don't remember precisely when... I think it was by the end of
the first year. Before we would simply perform in our club room, but
there was a limit to what we could do there."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I see, I guess that Nakamura did show up from time to time to
check on you."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Nakamura?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Mrs. Nakamura is the
teacher responsible for the occultism club.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Oh, right."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Again... why are you..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Let's not sidetrack, Teramoto. Sorry for the interruption, go
on."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Well... okay... To make it short, we were looking for a room to
furnish however we wanted, a more suggestive place where we could
gather some of our classmates and show them our magic... Then one day
Kagami rushed to me with her usual enthusiasm and she told me that
she found exactly what I was looking for."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And that was the abandoned shed."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That's right. At first I wasn't even too fond of that idea, but
then I was convinced that it could work. There were many advantages,
especially the fact that the abandoned P.E. shed was so isolated from
the rest of the school's facilities."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"The perfect place to commit a crime."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I never thought of doing anything wrong there!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Sure, absolutely nothing wrong. Anyway I know for a fact that
you deemed necessary to make several adjustments."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Of course, that was the very point..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I'm talking specifically about the door."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yeah... that was one of the reasons I didn't think that place
was suitable for my needs."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It wasn't fitted with a proper lock, right?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"We just used a chain and a padlock at first, but of course that
was just a temporary solution."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"All of this happened during your first year here, right?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Yes..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"And you were already performing those rituals back then?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Not quite... I mean, I was already spreading the legend of the
spirits of the dead students, and I even mentioned the demon
Pazuzu... but it wasn't until the second year that I devised and
perfected my show as you have witnessed it. Before I simply invited
some students to my club room where I showed them my spirit summoning
or I divined their future through tarot reading. They came for the
curiosity and the thrill, to have some laugh and fun, but I slowly
shook their skepticism, and more of them started to believe that I
wasn't just messing around. The fact that my father is a Shinto
priest added credibility to my claims."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Even though there isn't any logical connection between that and
western magic."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Laugh as much as you want! What did you expect? If they could
really use their heads they wouldn't have fallen for my tricks from
the very start. Isn't that right, great detective? I was a fool for
thinking that I could impress you... I should have never accepted
your challenge!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"My, my! Your overbearing self-confidence has turned into
self-loathing now. Amusing! *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"And whose fault is that?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Ahem... regarding the victim, did you two already met by then?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I think so... but it's not like I really remember when and how
that happened. All I knew is that she was one of Kagami's club
members. I didn't have any particular opinion of her, and she wasn't
interested in my activities either."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Anyway, you must have gained a lot of popularity already by
then, in spite of being just a first year student."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You can say that. I was pretty successful, even more than I
initially imagined..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then by the second year you had already enough power to pull
all the strings that you needed. Somehow you found out about Kubota's
weakness and used that to ensure that the shed would remain yours.
The statue of Pazuzu was likely crafted by some of your followers in
the art club."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Correct..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-size: small;">Erika:
"Then let's get to the interesting part. What can you tell me
about Junko Andou?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-r.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">next-> </span></span></a></div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-4495588877013573672013-06-25T03:29:00.000+01:002013-07-23T16:57:30.372+01:00Chapter 5 (p)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-o.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev</span></span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Now,
for every story that ends there is another that begins. The next is
about Maaya Teramoto when she was still in middle school. The
disillusionment that she gradually experienced during her childhood
caused her to lose her faith and her innocence, but her pride
couldn't simply allow her to abandon all that she used to believe in.
Rather than accepting a world that gives little importance to the
supernatural and go with the flow, Maaya developed an obsessive
fascination for everything that had the power to make people believe.
She had accepted the reality of a highly secularized society, but she
found that there was still a consistent minority who displayed a
strong faith, and while in Japan religion didn't have that much
importance anymore, in many parts of the world it was still
prominent. <br />That's why Maaya began to look elsewhere, to find the
answers that she sought in other forms of spiritualism. Naturally she
couldn't simply be satisfied with some kind of mild devotion or a
strict set of beliefs that excludes everything else. She valued the
concept of syncretism, because it's based on a philosophy that is
open to many possibilities. She found that the more fundamentalist
views were filled with that very disbelief that she despised.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
in the end it didn't take her long to discover that what she was
looking for could be found in small cults and sects. True belief,
true devotion, and an open-mindedness to any kind of supernatural
phenomenon. Often seen with suspicion by the government and the
media, quite a lot of those cults appeared in Japan after the war.
Reports usually described their followers as dangerous fanatics or
victims of elaborated scams and brainwashing techniques. That was
supposed to be a negative portrayal of that phenomenon, but on
Teramoto it had the opposite effect. From her point of view it was
extremely fascinating. The very existence of those cults was an
incontrovertible proof that there were still people that needed faith
to be a central part of their lives and charismatic figures to lead
them. The world distrusted them, but that was the same world that
Teramoto regarded as a betrayer. She had no reason to listen to what
the media said, because they were the main tool of a secularist
propaganda. And yet amidst this strong opposition, cults were
founded, grew, and flourished. Teramoto couldn't help but asking
herself: how?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Learning
the secrets of those cults became an obsession for her. She wanted to
know more about their tricks, about their systems, about their
strategies. Surely their success couldn't simply be the result of
chance alone. Teramoto wanted to pry the box open and examine its
contents. She wanted to understand the minute mechanisms. And indeed
there was much to learn. Making people believe in a bunch of lies,
slowly increasing their faith to the point of fanaticism, it's an
art.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
Teramoto was alone, she was the kind of person that everyone
dislikes, she was arrogant and obnoxious, she had no allies. Because
of her obsession there was only one thing that she could really talk
about, and that wasn't an argument that could interest middle
schoolers. Pretty much everyone realized that it was better for them
not to get involved with that strange girl, and they avoided her
whenever possible. Almost all of her classmates did so, except one,
and obviously that one exception wasn't the brightest bulb in the
chandelier.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Kagami
Hibari in her naivety didn't notice anything strange about Teramoto,
and so she behaved around her like she would have around anyone else.
The latter would have probably preferred a more intellectual partner
to discuss her findings and her theories, but she wasn't in a
position that allowed her to be picky. And in the end while Hibari
couldn't really actively participate in philosophical disquisitions
on the supernatural, she was a good listener. Even if she didn't
quite understand everything that she was told, she still showed
attention and a genuine interest. Oblivious to the outrageous logic
and the controversial arguments in Teramoto's speeches, all that
Hibari could think was that her new friend was really an amazing
person. But what she was struck with admiration for wasn't the above
average intelligence and the peculiar knowledge, but the ambition,
the burning passion, the strong and indomitable will.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
so this is how their improbable friendship began. Albeit so different
in many ways, they were just what the other needed. They lived in
separate worlds and yet they could communicate more easily between
each other than they would with anyone else.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
was just a small thing, it was really not a big deal, but for
Teramoto that was the spark that allowed her to put her machinations
into motion. Not only she gained an accomplice to aid her in her
endeavor, she also acquired confidence in herself, and she became
more conscious of which was the best approach to conquer the heart of
people. She had the theory, all that remained was to test it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Thanks
to Hibari she realized that her gloomy and embittered attitude was
the main reason everyone avoided her. People like winners, what they
seek in a leader is confidence and optimism. It wasn't hard for
Teramoto to figure out what Hibari admired the most in her, she only
needed to show those qualities to everyone else. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
decided to proceed with caution and patience. She had learned that to
gain followers she had to take it slowly and in a roundabout way. The
proselytizers never approach their marks by directly telling them who
they are and what their cult is about, rather they initiate
conversations about general themes and make statements that are
likely to be agreed with. Distrust and disbelief aren't
insurmountable barriers, once you get past them it's a straight and
easy path. So Teramoto only needed to figure out a way to attract the
interest of her classmates and to get them closer to accept the
supernatural. That part was easy, she started promoting herself as a
fortune-teller. Of course it's not like anyone seriously believed
that she was a clairvoyant, but a lot of her schoolmates eagerly
started to flock around her to have their futures predicted. There
wasn't any particular reason, it was simply fun. What else would you
expect from middle schoolers?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Perhaps
it was then that Teramoto decided to restrict her followers to female
students, because for the most part boys just weren't interested in
fortune-telling.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
steadily became more popular and as time passed she refined her
techniques. She learned that western occultism was more appealing to
her peers because it was considered particularly exotic. She was
already educated on that subject, but she explored it further and she
took her fortune-telling system to the next level with tarot reading.
It was a great success, but as long as her predictions wouldn't
become true, nobody would take her divination sessions as anything
more than funny games. That's when Teramoto realized that it was
pointless to wait for magic to manifest on its own. If magic was
nowhere to be found then she needed to forcefully summon it in her
world. That day she became a witch.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
more she spent time in libraries researching occultism, the more she
found books that approached the subject with skepticism, explaining
the tricks behind the alleged miracles and the inexplicable
phenomena. Teramoto loathed and despised those authors, and yet she
read everything they wrote with particular attention. The message
that she was supposed to receive was that the alleged supernatural
phenomena are just vulgar tricks, what she learned instead was that
those tricks were successful in making people believe, and that was
all that she cared about. Without noticing the blatant contradiction,
she decided to use that knowledge to become a performer of 'magic'
herself.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">With
the help of Hibari, Teramoto arranged for several events to occur
exactly as she predicted. Suddenly the attitude of her schoolmates
changed. Many of them started to look for her tarot readings with a
genuine desire to know what the future was preparing for them.
However, at the same time, there were those who looked with
skepticism and distrust at that new development. One girl was
particularly harsh towards Teramoto and openly challenged her and
insulted her. She frequently pointed out how nothing of what was
predicted was something that couldn't possibly be manipulated by a
student of that school. There were no predictions about what the
newspapers would tell the next day, no predictions about which
questions they would find in the upcoming tests, just trivial and
mundane events. Their feud protracted for several weeks, until one
day Teramoto made a grisly prediction. According to her foretelling,
her archenemy would be the victim of a very unfortunate accident that
would prevent her from attending school for several days.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Certainly
no one would argue against the fact that Teramoto has always been a
very strange girl, and no one would dare to deny that her obsession
towards cults and occultism was very unhealthy. The morality in her
fortune-telling and the related shenanigans is quite debatable, but
until that point could it really be said that she was an evil person?
She was selfish, arrogant, immature, undoubtedly, but she never
really hurt anyone. Despite her bitterness toward a world that
rejected what she held dear, she never crossed the line, she never
sought anything as petty as some form of pointless vengeance. And
yet, as soon as she gained even that little bit of popularity,
something changed in her. She was no longer looking for acceptance,
she wasn't even bothered by the widespread lack of faith anymore. She
had savored the sweet and alluring taste of power, and she wanted
more. Perhaps that girl that dared to stand in her way saw the evil
in her actions, and perhaps in a way she wanted to stop her before it
was too late. But Teramoto was already blinded by her hubris. The
hostilities escalated and the fear to lose what she had just recently
gained completely overshadowed the last bit of morality that was left
in her. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
was just a little incident, an unfortunate incident. A young student
fell down the stairs and broke a leg, such things happen all the
time. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Now
if Teramoto was the typical villain of a third-rate comic, she would
have probably gloated and laughed maniacally at the perfect execution
of her schemes, but she was just a girl, barely fourteen of age. When
the news reached her ears, she was overcome by anxiety and worries.
At last she realized what she had just done. Her accomplices were
worried too, because, naturally, Teramoto didn't carry out that crime
by herself. She had extended her influence on a few trusted
schoolmates by then, Hibari wasn't the only one anymore.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Of
course everyone remembered that the incident occurred just as it was
announced, and there were strong suspicions that it was in truth a
disguised revenge. However Teramoto had an alibi, many saw her in a
completely different place when her enemy fell down the stairs.
Moreover the victim always denied that someone pushed her. Some
suggested that she was told to say so to avoid something worse, but
without proofs that was just a baseless speculation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Amidst
that whole commotion, Teramoto fought with her remorse. She forced
herself to keep her composure as she feigned confidence whereas she
had none. That whole situation really tried her nerves. She knew she
was guilty, but she didn't want to admit it. Perhaps a part of her
wanted to be found out, so that she could find redemption through a
righteous retribution. However the punishment never came. The truth
is that the teachers liked the accident theory a lot more. For them
it was preferable to dismiss the accusations and put a lid on that
whole affair rather than inquire further and cause more trouble.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
that didn't stop the students from murmuring and whispering, and so
in the end Teramoto 'confessed', so to say. She claimed that it was a
curse, she claimed that her enemy fell because she placed an evil
spell on her. Surprisingly many bought that preposterous explanation
and started to fear her. She had gained even more power than before,
and the corruption of her soul was complete. Laughing bitterly
Teramoto realized that the world she lived in was completely wrong,
even more than she originally thought. A world so stupid, unjust, and
pathetic wasn't deserving of her compassion. Morality was a relic of
the past as much as faith was, so, she concluded, there was no point
in holding back, she could do everything that she wanted.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto
involved her schoolmates in even more occult events: spirit
invocations, exorcisms, demonic rituals, and more. Naturally she
challenged and vanquished everyone's disbelief through a skillful use
of her magic tricks. She mercilessly and repeatedly shook the
foundations of their denials in the supernatural, again and again,
until they had no other choice but to believe. She was more than a
cult leader, she was a tyrant. There were those who tried to oppose
her, of course. Now and then a defiant individual would appear and
challenge her. Teramoto dealt with them with a terrifying calm.
Subtle threats and disguised blackmails worked a lot better than open
confrontations. Her most daring opponents learned that her curses
weren't as much as ethereal as her spirits and ghosts, they were
quite tangible and a lot more scary. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Vanquished
every resistance, Teramoto's influence spread unopposed. She had
succeeded. It was a small environment, it was just a single school,
but in that place the supernatural was feared and respected exactly
as she wished. The fools who still didn't want to believe were at
least wise enough to avoid her. That was her victory, she had reached
her goal, or so she thought.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
was supposed to rejoice, and yet she couldn't shake a certain feeling
of uneasiness. She still hadn't reached her envisioned utopia,
something was missing. She spent days tormenting herself in the
desperate attempt to find out what she could have overlooked, but in
the end she could only conclude that she needed more power. A single
school wasn't enough, she needed to aim for more and more. Deep
inside she knew that it couldn't be a simple matter of quantity, but
her thirst for power was true and so her path was set.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">If
only the little girl in her was still alive, perhaps she would have
remembered the one thing that filled her heart with amazement and
pride on those special new year eves. It was just a simple and yet
precious thing, but her current self had forgotten the very concept
of it. There was none in her soul and none in her magic.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
many people were caught up in her fantasy, and yet nobody smiled,
nobody laughed, nobody was happy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Not
even her.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/07/chapter-5-o.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">next-></span></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-40790977898250304172013-05-27T00:43:00.003+01:002013-06-25T03:32:23.730+01:00Chapter 5 (o)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-n.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><span style="font-size: small;"><-prev<!---prev--></span></span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is the story of a little girl. This is the story of a girl who used
to live in a world of fantasy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
didn't have any particular talents and she wasn't a princess nor
anything extraordinary. She was just a little girl, like many others,
and this is her simple story.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl grew up in a big and very old house. That was indeed an
unusual place, surrounded by trees, at the top of a hill. That was
the house of a Shinto priest. Of course that means there was a shrine
just next to it, or to be more precise, the whole ground was a sacred
place. The little girl grew up surrounded by mystic symbols,
separated from the secular world outside. The torii, the lion-dog
statues, the stone lanterns; the average city man only sees those
things in rare and special occasions, but for the little girl that
was part of her everyday life. That was her world.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">There
was a special building that she was never allowed to enter, it was
the most important part of the compound. A 'kami' lived there. For
the little girl that was a matter of fact. Living next to a god
wasn't anything strange for her, after all spirits exist in every
place. The little girl could never imagine that someone would
question that. Because the little girl loved her family and more than
anything else she loved and admired her father. Why would her parents
tell her lies? That was unthinkable. Certainly the supernatural was
without a doubt a truth. Certainly its existence had to be a well
established fact. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl had all the reasons to think so, she had evidences.
Because people from all the neighborhood kept coming to 'her' shrine,
and she saw them praying and being respectful to the kami. For her,
it wasn't even a matter of faith. The sun rises from east, the sky is
blue, there are seven days in a week, and spirits exist. The little
girl lived in a very simple world.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
more than anything else, it was new year's eve that always filled her
heart with awe and pride. That was that special day where she could
see an incredible large crowd, people everywhere beyond counting,
literally swarming the shrine. And they all formed large queues, and
they all prayed to the kami, all following the same ritual, throwing
coins to the offertory box, ringing the bell, clapping their hands
twice, making a wish. Shrine visitors used to do that all the time,
but it was particularly on that special occasion that the little girl
could witness the entire community united in that religious practice.
What could bring so many people together in the middle of a cold
winter night? What could take them away from the comfort and the
warmth of their futons? The little girl couldn't understand
complicated concepts, but she knew that what kept bringing all those
people together wasn't duty or necessity. She could tell, because she
always saw them smiling, because she saw how much they enjoyed
celebrating the holiday, writing their wishes on wooden planks,
having their fortunes told, and all the rest.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">If
the shrine could bring that much joy to that many people, it had to
be certainly something grand. The little girl was proud to be the
daughter of a Shinto priest, she was proud to belong to that family.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">When
she became old enough, the little girl started attending school.
There she met a lot of other children, six years old, just like her.
But the little girl didn't think they were alike, she was special,
because she was the daughter of a great man, and she lived in a holy
ground. She could only imagine how much envious they would be if she
told them, she could only imagine how much they would admire her.
That was natural, because the shrine was the best place in the world,
because that was where everyone gathered on special days. She was
absolutely sure.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl was very proud, and so as soon as she had the chance she
told everyone who she was, who her father was, where she lived. She
imagined that simply by stating those facts she would become the most
popular girl in the school. Much to her surprise, the reactions were
quite different from what she expected. The best that she got were
comments like: 'cool', 'oooh', 'really?'. Once she even got an
'awesome', but it was from one of those kids that says 'awesome' for
any stupid thing. In general most of her classmates were simply
uninterested, to put it bluntly, they couldn't care less. Some
comments were even more rude than usual:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"You
live on that hill? Weird!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Do
you need to climb those stairs everyday? What a drag!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Aren't
you afraid of spirits?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"So
what are you, some sort of miko?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Do
you pray a lot?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl was outraged by such insolence. At first she thought that
they simply misunderstood her words, so she kept repeating the same
things over and over. But no matter how many times she told them that
her father was a Shinto priest and that she lived next to the shrine,
the reactions would never improve, and as a matter of fact they
worsened. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
the little girl begun to lose her temper, and many tears were shed
from her reddened eyes. They were all stupid kids, they didn't
understand a thing, she told them so. Never could she imagine that
she was a stupid kid herself. Childhood is truly such a wonderful
time of our lives!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl then challenged them:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"What
can be more important than a Shinto priest? What are your fathers
doing?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
kid promptly answered that his father was a physician. Everyone was
impressed, they all agreed that a physician was indeed a very
important person. A girl said that her father was a police officer.
Everyone applauded that. The police is justice's ally and puts all
the bad guys in jail. There was then a mother who was a teacher.
Parroting their parents, the kids commented how education was
necessary. No matter the job or the occupation, according to those
children anything was better, more important, or more useful than a
priest. Even a drug store employee held a higher place in their
minds. 'He sells candies' was their explanation. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl was shocked. Something wasn't right, there had to be some
kind of mistake. She thought that maybe her classmates never visited
a shrine before, but once questioned most of them admitted that they
did. However none of them actually understood the significance of all
those rituals, they simply followed and mimicked their parents. The
biggest problem was that even the little girl herself couldn't
explain why the shrine was so important, she just knew that it was.
It had to.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
few years passed and the little kids grew up. Growing up they
gradually gained a better understanding of society and its many
facets. They were still inexperienced children, but at least they had
a better grasp of what religion was. Unfortunately that wasn't the
only thing that they begun to understand better.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl occasionally engaged them in discussions about the
importance of Shinto in Japanese culture, and to a certain degree her
classmates even recognized that she was right. Even the teachers were
on her side. But there was a wall, an invisible barrier that she was
never aware of before and that she was now constantly bumping on.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
why do so many people go to the shrine, pray to the gods, respect the
rituals, and everything else, and then they go back to their lives as
if all of that was none of their concerns? Why do they remember that
religion exists only on a few special days and then they simply
ignore it completely? How come most of them can't even tell the
difference from a Buddhist symbol and a Shintoist one? Why do they
all celebrate Christmas if they aren't even Christians? Exactly what
is religion for them?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">To
the little girl none of that made any sense, but she really was the
only one who couldn't understand. Her classmates were far ahead of
her on that matter. Even if they couldn't really put that well into
words, they more or less knew how it worked. Bit by bit the little
girl came to understand their position, she only needed to piece
together their words.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Well,
you know, religion is nice and all, but it's not like it's really
necessary."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
exactly did they mean by that? What is necessary? What it isn't?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"I
mean, it's not like I'll die if I don't visit a shrine."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was a ridiculous argument. A lot of things aren't strictly necessary
for survival. What about art then? What about books, movies and
paintings?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"But
that's more or less the same thing, those are things that you enjoy
for a bit and then move on."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl couldn't help but feeling that there was some kind of
communication problem. She didn't mean to say that art and religion
are the same thing. Enjoying art doesn't entail a direct
participation, it doesn't require adherence to a faith.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Well,
it's not like I really believe in all that stuff."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
came out of nowhere, an absolutely unthinkable statement. In fact,
that was plain stupid. If one prays to a god, that means he believes
that that god exists. If one buys a protective charm, that means he
believes in its power. If one asks for his fortune to be told, that
means he believes in fortune telling. Why would people do all those
things if they thought it was just garbage? Ridiculous.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Seriously
now, do you actually think that spirits exist? I mean, honestly."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Of
course spirits exist, what kind of question was that?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"But
that's totally unscientific. That's just a bunch of superstitions."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl really hated those science freaks. They always used that
word, 'unscientific', to reject anything that wasn't empirically
demonstrable. How can you prove that something beyond the material
world exists if you start from the assumption that it must be
validated through material means?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
those weren't the guys that bothered the little girl the most. What
she really couldn't understand was the general attitude of most of
her peers. Their actions and words told her that they had a certain
interest in the supernatural, however whenever she tried to initiate
a serious discussion about the spiritual world, they reacted as if
they thought she was weird or even crazy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
didn't make sense. They seemingly had no problems accepting that a
charm could bring good luck, but they freaked out if she talked about
exorcisms and curses. Why?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"You're
not supposed to take those things that seriously."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was something that the little girl definitely couldn't accept. If
that was true then what was her father? A living joke? Naturally she
could only take offense by that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
decided to make them face their own inconsistencies. For example, it
seemed that they did believe in Shinto whenever there was some kind
of wish involved or whenever they needed something to give them luck
or protection against evil.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Geez,
to be honest I don't actually think that this thing will bring me
good luck. I mean, I'm not sure if it works or not, perhaps it does.
I guess it just doesn't hurt to have it."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was really a superficial attitude.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Yeah,
I wrote my wishes on those wooden planks too, and I prayed the kami
to make those wishes become true, but that's just like wishing upon a
star and the likes. That's what people do. Who the hell thinks that
their wishes will be granted just by that?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
it made no sense. Do people actually do stuff without a reason? Just
because everyone else does? Just because it's fun or something? Out
of boredom?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Take
astrology, for example, everyone knows their signs and all, but who
actually believes that billions of different humans can be divided in
just twelve groups where everyone shares the same personality and the
same destiny?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">At
that point it's not like the little girl didn't understand, she
didn't want to. She didn't want to accept that all that she admired
and that she believed in was just a gigantic farce.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"If
this spiritual world is real and important as you say, then how come
they don't teach that at school?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was a very a good question. The little girl had to face it, it wasn't
just her classmates, it was the whole society. In the world she lived
in religion didn't have that much importance at all. Only a minority
actually believed, for the rest it was just a set of traditions. And
so the little girl slowly and bitterly came to a realization:
everything is illusion, everything is make believe. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Those
people that always flocked to her shrine on new year's eve never
celebrated a religious occurrence, they only pretended to. What they
actually celebrated was the holiday itself. What made them happy
wasn't faith or a belief, it was the festivity. That's why Christmas
was fine too, they didn't need to believe, they only needed an excuse
to celebrate something.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
never crossed the little girl's mind that from the perspective of the
common man there was absolutely nothing wrong with all that. For her,
it was simply pathetic, pointless, worthless.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl's heart was no longer filled with pride and admiration,
in their place there were only hatred and bitterness left. She
despised the whole world for being so deceptive and dishonest, she
despised it for its triviality. But there was a feeling that burned
with even more intensity deep inside her. It was a feeling that she
couldn't consciously accept, so she always repressed it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
little girl felt betrayed. She could never forgive her father for not
living up to her expectations. Deep inside her, she started despising
Shintoism and all that it represented. Of course she never recognized
that, she never admitted it, she always denied it.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">By that time she had already grown up, and so the story of the little girl tragically ends here.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> <a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/06/chapter-5-p.html">next-></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-76012734269013948192013-05-22T05:32:00.000+01:002013-06-23T23:56:43.577+01:00Chapter 5 (n)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-m.html"><-prev</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
loud crashing sound reverberates in the metaworld. This is the sound
of a pillar that just broke like a fuse and shut down. Several cracks
appeared all over its surface, and its runes stopped glowing. More
importantly, it stopped feeding energy to the witch of power.</span></span><br />
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
is soon followed by another pillar, and another, and another...</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Magic?! Magic?! How could this be?! You're just a human! You're
just a pathetic human! How can a human use magic?! This is
preposterous!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Didn't I tell you multiple times that you didn't have a clue
about who I truly am? You always assumed that I was just a human, and
how wrong you were! I am Erika Furudo, the witch of truth!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Stop messing with me! You, a witch?! Don't make me laugh! How
does that even make sense?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What's so difficult to understand?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"You can't possibly use magic if you don't acknowledge its
existence! Disbelief is like poison for witches, and you're the most
abhorrent pile of fetid disbelief that ever crossed my path! A witch
that denies magic? A witch that denies witches? That's an oxymoron,
it's a paradox!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And yet this living paradox is just in front of you."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Shut up! I can't acknowledge that! Ridiculous! Ridiculous! What
kind of preposterous being are you who uses magic and denies magic at
the same time?! This isn't normal! You'd need to have a mind split in
half! How can you... This doesn't make any sense!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then I wonder how you'll explain this."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It's
time to go all out, I no longer need to restrain myself. The witch of
power is no longer in full control over her own metaworld, and so
this is my turn now. I just need to focus, I just need to impose my
absolute will on this place. It's time to let it know who truly is in
command here. This energy and this fire that tried to consume me, I
will assimilate them instead. Now they are part of me. My existence
wasn't weakened, it was enriched. My metaphysical body returns,
stronger than ever, empowered by both the fire and the energy that
were meant to destroy it.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
now, let's get rid of this annoying curse. I am going to break them
open, all of these interconnected rings that form my cage. Let's see
how long they can resist my power as I expand it from inside. My
spherical prison wobbles and shakes violently, while pointlessly
trying to withstand my fury. It is tenacious, indeed, it doesn't want
to yield. I grit my teeth, I tense all of my regenerated muscles, I
gather all of my strengths.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Uuuoooaaaaahhh!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
let it all out, all at once! I extend my arms and my legs and make my
power explode. The rings break, one after another, with such
tremendous recoils that they could split a man in half. I am free.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"This... can't be! How could you... my curse!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Did you really think that a borrowed power could last forever?
Idiot! Such a fleeting existence can be taken away at any moment!
I've just demonstrated that! Breaking a curse that has been weakened
so much isn't such a big deal for a witch of my level!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Fool! My power is boundless! You just caused a bit of damage,
but I've got plenty of it still! And I can recover it and even
increase it!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You won't fool anyone with your lies and tricks! You didn't
prove a single thing apart from the fact that you're an unscrupulous
cheater!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Just
like the witch, the human vessel hasn't given up yet.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Didn't you just admit it yourself that you used double-sided
tape?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I did not! I accused you of that!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It sure didn't take you much to figure out a possible trick
that I could have used. *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I... I just took a guess! It wasn't even the right one!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And how come you were so sure that it wasn't be the spirit
talking? How come you were so sure that it was me cheating?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Because I didn't kill Hitomi Gotsuji!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And spirits never lie?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Ridiculous! I'm on the spirits' side! Why would one of them
tell such a lie?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Still, it can no longer be said that there are absolutely no
tricks behind your séances. The possibility exists, don't you agree,
everyone?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That proves nothing!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"The fact that you're wearing gloves is sure pretty convenient.
Something so weak as a double-sided tape wouldn't work well if
applied directly on the skin. The inevitable transpiration would
diminish its adhesive strength pretty fast."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"That still doesn't prove anything!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then perhaps you'll let me examine those gloves?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Uh?! Why should I..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Why are you suddenly hiding your hands behind your back now?
*giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Shut up! I'm not... I'm..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">More
pillars break, there are only five remaining.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I won't accept it! I'll never accept that a hideous being like
you can destroy everything that I built! You didn't win yet! This
battle isn't over!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Good! That's the way I want you!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Silence! You've just messed with my power source and my shield,
but as long as I have the power to command powerful demons, you won't
be able to defeat me!"</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Huh?! Powerful demons? Ah ha ha ha!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Shut up! Pazuzu, come to my side! Vanquish once and for all
this insolent fool!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"As YoU CoMmAaAnD, MAsTeEeR!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Stay where you are, demon!
Our duel has not ended yet!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It's all right, Dlanor."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika...</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You've done well, Dlanor, I can take it from now, or rather, it
is my wish to personally put an end to the remnants of Maaya's
magic!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I see, in that case I will
retreat. I am looking forward to a splendid and overwhelming victory,
Miss Erika.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You won't be disappointed!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Stop acting as if the outcome of our battle was already
decided!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"But it is already decided!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"It's not!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Take a look around you. Your metaworld is crumbling, you no
longer possess the power to sustain it!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Indeed
this place won't last much longer. The spherical hall is cracking
open like an eggshell, and several debris are drifting randomly and
chaotically all around.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"You... you haven't defeated Pazuzu yet! Pazuzu!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"I Am ThE DeMoN Of ThE SoUtHeAsT WiIiNd! I Am ThE BrInGeR Of
FaMiNe AnD DrOoOuGhT! BEhOlD, MoRtAl! BEhOoOlD ThE SuPrEmE BeInG WhO
ShAlL Be YoUr UnDoOoInG!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Pazuzu exists! You all have witnessed him! You all have felt
his presence! Pazuzu is here, inside this very room!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Destroy that abomination! Cleanse the universe from her
disgraceful presence!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"I WiLl TeAr YoUr FlEsH ApArT, BiT By BiIiT!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"And you, great detective! You've heard him before, you've heard
Pazuzu's roar the first time you inspected this place! I know you
did! You can't deny that!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Unleash your strongest wind, Pazuzu! May this be the fiercest
storm you ever conjured!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"SaY YoUr PrAyEr, MoRtAaAl! I, ThE SoN Of ThE MiGhTy GoD HAnBi,
HaVe WiTnEsSeD ThE RaAaIsE AnD FaLl Of MaNy CiViLiZaTiOnS FrOm
TiIiMeS ImMeMoRiAl. YOu ArE BuT A SpEc Of DuUuSt In ThE FlOoOw Of An
EtErNiTy ThAt YoU CaN'T EvEn CoMpReHeEeNd!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Can't you hear him?! Can't you hear his roar?! He's here! He's
among us! He's real!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Crush heeer!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Pazuzu is angry! Pazuzu is furious! Pazuzu! Pazuzu! Pazuzu!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"GuUuOoOoOoOoOoRgGhHhH!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This is futile."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">They
should have just listened when I said that it was already over. It's
over, period.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
can this third-rate furniture possibly do when I can get behind him
before he can even blink his eyes? I don't even understand why Maaya
is looking so surprised at this point, did she really forget that I
can teleport at will? I guess that this is her desperation pulling
tricks to her memory and intelligence. She blindly decided to stake
everything on her last, illusory hope. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Well,
this is perfect. Because crushing people's hopes is one of my
greatest delights, especially when they are nothing but wishful
delusions. All those lies that prevent people from falling into their
deserved despairs; simply unforgivable. I am on a sacred mission, I
am a crusader. My objective is the total extermination of all those
disgusting lies. I won't stop until only the bare and squalid truth
remains, so that everyone may realize what kind of horrid world we
live in.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Maaya, I want you to watch, do not close your eyes. This is
your dream, witness its last moments as I tear its guts out!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"No... wait! Stop! Stooooop!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
scythe mercilessly penetrates the demon's body. Dark blood squirts
abundantly from the wound. It's a fatal strike.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What are you doing?! Hey! Stop! I said stop!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Why
are you asking me to stop, Teramoto? I need to get behind your demon
in order to kill him. I mean, I need to get behind this hideous,
pathetic statue. Stop screaming, you simply can't stop this. It's all
going according to the plan. It's useless to look around looking for
help, your 'friends' are even more helpless than you are. Come on,
don't make that face! Yes, this is happening, I am really going to do
it. So... I think it would be in your best interest to move away...</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Are you crazy?!!"</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
statue is a lot lighter than it appears to be, so there is really
nothing to be surprised about if I can topple it over with a single
kick. Teramoto shrieks and hurriedly moves aside. Likewise all the
other girls jump on their feet and get as far as possible from the
magic circle. Pazuzu crashes right on the Ouija board, his wings and
arms break as a result of the violent impact. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
place has suddenly become quite noisy. Why are they screaming so
much? I haven't even started yet.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"What the hell are you doing?! Look what you've done!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What I've done? The show is starting now! Today there's a
special biology lesson. How do demons look on the inside? Let's find
it out by dissecting this fine specimen! Let's see what color
Pazuzu's entrails are!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You're insane! You're totally insane! Aaaah!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto
quickly covers her face as I strike the statue's back with my right
foot. It takes three attempts, but it finally breaks open. So weak,
so pathetically weak. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Satsukawa:
"Erika!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh, Satsukawa-san! You've come right on time to witness the
climax of my grand show!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">He
was obviously alerted by the commotion and he must have decided that
he couldn't stay put anymore. Predictable. At this point who cares
anymore about Teramoto's rituals and its rules?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Without
hesitations I plunge my right fist inside the crack that I just
created. Maaya's metaworld is fading, there is no clear distinction
between the two worlds anymore. I am supposed to be inside the shed,
and yet I see the dying Pazuzu in flesh and bones in front of me. Are
these girls around me seeing what I am seeing? They most likely
don't, but judging from the evident fear painted all over their
faces, I think that they are picturing this gruesome scene in their
minds. Disembowelment! Evisceration!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
hand grabs something squishy and fibrous. I ignore Pazuzu's horrid
wails and groans. He is furniture, he isn't alive any more than a
statue is. In fact a statue is exactly what he is in the world of
humans. There is really no need to be compassionate.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Let's pull it all out!!!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
announcement is followed by a chorus of even louder screams. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
tangled mass that I am grasping with my dark blood stained hand is
really well rooted in the demon's body, it's fiercely trying to
resist my attempted extraction. I grab it with my other hand, and I
yank it with decision a few times. It's gushing out from the gap, but
it doesn't want to yield. I didn't expect such a strong opposition, I
guess I will have to use even more forceful methods. This time I
place my foot on Pazuzu's body and I pull with all my strength using
my own weight to aid me in this gruesome endeavor. Something snaps,
and finally I can show the bloodied guts to my spectators. I will
pretend that what I am hearing are screams of excitement.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It's
time to dispel the illusion, it's time to remove the veil of mystery
and expose this charade for what it is. Everyone is assembled, even
Hibari was lured out from her hiding and has joined us. She is
timidly hanging by the door, near Satsukawa, shaking her head in
disbelief. There is no turning back now, this is the end.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Silly girls! Naïve, gullible dimwits! I'm talking to you,
whose brains are barely above the level of that of a rubber chicken!
Look and know shame! These are the insides of the demon that you so
much feared! How could you even be swayed by something so pathetic?
By the time I was told that this statue was made of plaster, I had
already figured it out that it had to be hollow inside! So what if
some strange noise comes from it? What if it appears to move slightly
in a suggestive dim lit environment? Spirits? Magic? Demons? Are you
retarded? Are you middle ages peasants who never heard the word
'technology' before? Have you never heard of electrical cables?
Lithium batteries? Vibration devices? Remote control receivers? Look!
This is what the entrails of your demon actually are! But I had
already imagined it all before seeing it with my own eyes! Just
because of the existence of a do-it-yourself club in this school,
this level of reasoning was possible for Erika Furudo! So what do you
think, everyone?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"How dare you! How dare you! My demon! My Pazuzu! You cruel
monster! What have you done?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Are you still worrying about your furniture? Don't you know
that I'm a slayer of witches?! You're next, Maaya!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I won't allow that! I can't be defeated! I am the witch of
power! You can't possibly compete against my boundless power! That
simply can't be!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Power? And where would all your boasted power be now? The
pillars that used to supply it are all in ruins! That's what you get
from relying on something other than yourself! I warned you!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I'm still a witch! I can still use my magic to destroy you!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh, really? Ah ha ha ha! Then do it! Show me what you can do by
yourself, with your own strength!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I will! I... will..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What's the matter? Come on, I'm waiting!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Why? Why... I can't... Nothing happens?! Why?! I'm the witch of
power! How can I be so powerless?! That doesn't make sense!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Maaya, you said it
yourself. Those who do not believe cannot use magic.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I... don't believe?! That's ridiculous! Magic exists! Spirits
exist! The supernatural is real!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's just what you say to fool other people! You always used
their belief to keep the illusion alive!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Somewhere along the way of
your crusade against those who refuse magic, you have lost your
faith.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Lies! This is impossible! How could I become what I loathe the
most! I... I..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It's time to face the truth, Maaya."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"But if I don't believe, if I can't even use magic... then... am
I even a witch?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's right, you've finally realized it. Maaya, witch of
power... you don't exist."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
see the epiphany overcoming my enemy, leaving nothing but an empty
shell on its trail. Maaya no longer has anything inside her heart
except total acceptance and resignation. Her eyes are empty and her
limbs hang limply. Her figure begins to fade.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I... see... so... this is the truth... I didn't realize it...
This is the truth... Only now I... understand..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Yes... and yet... it's so sad..."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It's time to abandon this world, witch of power. I will now end
your sufferings."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Tears
start dripping from her eyes, the flow is unstoppable.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"This is too sad! How could it end this way? Where did I go
wrong? This is so unjust! This is so cruel! I only wanted to dream! I
only wanted my fantasies to be recognized! I just wanted to share
them and be happy with everyone! But I lost them! I lost it all! Now
I've nothing left! Now I'm nothing! Why?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Goodbye, Maaya, it's been fun."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
only takes a single decisive swing of my scythe. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch of power is no more.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-o.html">next-></a></span>
</div>
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</div>
</div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-56823575310620491112013-05-15T04:04:00.001+01:002013-05-22T05:41:51.564+01:00Chapter 5 (m)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-l.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><<span style="font-size: small;">-prev</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ha ha! Nice one, but ultimately pointless. I know what you're
thinking, there's no way the spirit wouldn't have the answer to this
question. After all he must have been here when the crime happened.
But at the same time it would be troublesome if he named a person
that will be proven to be innocent later. So you think that with this
move you're going to put me into a difficult position.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Well,
I'm very sorry, but I was already prepared for this. As I said, I'm
way ahead of you! You must have forgot a particular: I already have
an answer to this question! Who killed Hitomi Gotsuji? It was Pazuzu
of course! From the perspective of a spirit it doesn't matter which
was the material vessel that executed the crime! In the end it's
Pazuzu the one who guided the murderous hand!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
sixth energy stream explodes inside me. There is nothing anymore,
only fire, and a faint silhouette of what remains of my essence.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Why do you need to make it this painful?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Pain..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"That's right: pain. You must be completely overwhelmed by the
most indescribable pain."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I don't feel..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Uh?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Any... of it..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"… Huh?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This is... nothing! I've been through... much worse!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
I'm not even lying.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"G-give up... Give up already!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Never!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Shut up!!! Just vanish already! I'm getting sickened just by
watching you! Remove your infectious presence from this world at
once! Aah! Let's end this! Let the spirit spell the final word that
will banish you from existence! Observe! The planchette is already
moving! Only three syllables separate you from oblivion! Each one of
them will be like a knife carving the life out of you! Observe and
writhe in pain! Die in knowing how pathetic and foolish you are! Die
and... Ugh!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya's
hysterical ramble is abruptly interrupted. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
its place a loud thump can be heard.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
am sure, if there were spectators watching this, they would be all
applauding now. Who wouldn't want to see the annoying character
finally receiving the well deserved smack on the head? I can't think
of many other situations that would instill a greater sense of
justice being delivered. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Finally!
About time! Shut up, bitch!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
has been hit so hard that she has even lost consciousness for a
second, and she is still absolutely confused. It wasn't anything
particularly magical or grandiose, no, it was just the old hard
object being smashed against one's body. In this case it was her
face. Her nose is red and it is bleeding a little. But what I enjoy
the most is her expression of absolute bewilderment.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"W-what... what the..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
confusion becomes horror as soon as her eyes come in contact with
mine. I am still under the effect of her tremendous power, and of my
body very little remains, very little is still discernible. And yet
nothing of what she sees is how she expected it to be, in its place
there is just the most devilish and malevolent grin that she ever
confronted. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
can imagine how she must feel now. An enemy isn't that scary once you
reduce him to a pulp. But let's imagine that that enemy is still
illogically alive after receiving absolutely devastating wounds, and
let's imagine that he is still moving and laughing maniacally. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
would be terrifying.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
finally recovers from her stupor and the picture of what has just
happened becomes clearer in her mind. The object that hit her was the
very shield that was supposed to protect her. One second before it
was floating in front of her like usual, but then it suddenly sprung
toward her.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Why..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
still hasn't figured it out, she still cannot comprehend how such a
thing could have happened.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"How? Why? What's the meaning of this?! What did you just do?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Me? Well... how should I put it? Oh, wait... I guess I'll let
the facts speak for themselves: observe!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
time I am the one who is inviting Maaya to look at what is happening
in the world below.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
human counterpart is frozen still in front of the Ouija board. She
looks extremely pale even in the dim lit room. Her eyes do not blink.
Widely open they keep staring at the character where the planchette
stopped on.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What's wrong? That's the character 'pa' of 'Pazuzu', right? Why
am I staring at it in shock?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"No, that's not quite it. Take a better look."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Uh...?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
shield once again strikes her, this time even more violently than
before.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
was hit so hard that she falls for several meters before regaining
control. It is as if I just saw a bee being swatted midair.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">At
the same time, in the world of humans, the planchette slides over the
next character. Everyone is looking astounded, no one dares to
breath. Soon the name of the culprit will be revealed.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Stop! Stop, stop, stooop! Stop it! What the hell are you
doing?! How?! How can you..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What are you talking about? I'm not doing anything. It's the
spirit, it's the spirit that you summoned! *giggle* *giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Stop messing with me! What spirit?! There's no such thing!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Instantly
several cracks appear on Maaya's shield, a loud sound similar to that
of a glass being broken can be heard. She, however, doesn't seem to
notice.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"It's true, it appears that you indeed summoned a spirit. That's
why amateurs shouldn't play with Ouija boards. Perhaps so far you've
been just messing around, but this time... it's actually happening!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Shut the hell uuuup!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Look, the planchette is starting moving again. It'll soon tell
us the last syllable of the culprit's name!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"This is a fraud! You're just using one of your dirty tricks!
Spirit my ass! Who do you think you can fool with that?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">As
if it took offense by those words, Maaya's shield charges against its
own mistress for the third time. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Buzz off, treacherous tool!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Enraged,
the witch of power intercepts the incoming threat. Without regards,
without any restraints, nor any hesitation, she sends to the already
damaged shield one of her magic beams of light. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">There
isn't even the slightest resistance. The shield explodes into a
million of fragments. Beautifully they spread and slowly fall,
glimmering like a shower of many little broken crystals. Maaya,
paralyzed, is in the middle, surrounded. With a blank stare she
witnesses the shattered remains of her stalwart defense as they
disperse and disappear. Only now she realizes what she has just done.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Good job."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
the world below there is a great commotion. The spell has been
broken. The suggestive and intimidating setup can no longer prevent
the younger girls from murmuring and whispering. Teramoto is no
longer in control. Her lackeys don't know what to do or think. They
hilariously remain speechless while everyone else around them keep
talking and discussing animatedly.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Teramoto, it appears that you're the culprit. *giggle*
*giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
eyes finally move away from the planchette. She looks at me, confused
and angered.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teromoto:
"Wrong..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Wrong? Are you saying that the spirit is lying?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I'm saying that you're doing this! You defiled this sacred
ritual by tampering with the planchette! You have absolutely no
respect for the spirits! You shall be punished for this insolence!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What are you talking about, Teramoto? I'm not doing..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Lies! Who do you think you can fool?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"But it's true, I didn't move the planchette, it was the
spirit!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Shut up! We all know that you don't believe in the
supernatural!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That was before, you convinced me, spirits exist!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Lies!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"But how can that be denied? The planchette moved by itself! We
all saw that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Lies! You moved it! You did that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"How?! It's impossible!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Impossible my ass! You just used double-sided tape!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Nice,
everything fell silent again. Although this is certainly not the
outcome that Teramoto intended her words to have. This is a very
awkward silence. For her at least...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It's
amazing how a simple revelation can turn the world upside down. One
moment you think that something is impossible, and a second later you
realize that it wasn't impossible at all. And not only that, the
truth strikes you mercilessly with its absolute simplicity. Just how
in the world couldn't you see something so obvious? It didn't really
take a genius. I am sure that many of the girls in this room right
now are putting their few little gray cells in motion. I can tell
that just by looking at their lower jaws awkwardly hanging. They now
look almost as dumb as they actually are, and it's not that they
looked smart to begin with.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
Teramoto realizing that she fell right into my trap is by far a
better sight. Her lackeys looking at her in shock, disbelieving what
they just heard, is a close second.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
bask in this delightful moment for a while. There is no rush,
pleasure is more rewarding for those who can wait. The strawberry
should always be eaten last, the anticipation will make it even more
sweater.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
at the same time, it's important to catch the moment. Once you have
gained momentum, you can't let it go to waste. That's why I shouldn't
give them the time to recover from their bewilderment. It's time to
let them witness <i>my</i> magic.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
so the planchette begins to levitate. That's right, it detaches from
the board and moves upward in a fluid motion. At the same time it
rotates by 90 degrees and it finally stops sideways just in front of
my face.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Naturally
during this whole process it never left my finger, though the same
cannot be said about everyone else's. That couldn't be helped, the
planchette is outside their reaches now. It stands on my fingertip in
a perfect balance, apparently defying the laws of physics.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Those
who aren't completely idiot realize that a simple double-sided tape
cannot explain this bizarre phenomenon. This is my miracle, and
everyone, including Teramoto, are looking at me in awe, speechless,
astonished, breathless.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"So that's your trick, Teramoto. No wonder your magic was
defeated by mine."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
grab the planchette with my other hand. With a snap I separate it
from my fingertip. Part of my skin is ripped off in the process.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I used superglue."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-n.html">next-></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-84175616470408555852013-05-09T01:58:00.002+01:002013-05-15T04:07:08.964+01:00Chapter 5 (l)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-k.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><<span style="font-size: small;">-prev</span></span></a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Just as I thought! A cockroach won't die so easily! But in the
end that just means you'll have a slow, painful death! Truly
pitiful!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Pain? Pain?! What are you talking about? I feel nothing, this
is barely tickling me!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Haaa?! Not only you deny the existence of magic, now you even
deny your own pain? Truly, what a foolish creature you are! I'm
getting sickened by your stubborn, irrational denials! But it doesn't
matter. You no longer have the luxury of stalling this battle
indefinitely. Escaping won't do you any good. You've only little time
left before you get obliterated! So, well... I suppose you won't
simply give up now, right?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Give up?! Give up?! Ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha! Why should I
give up?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Well then, indulge me! Let me see how you pathetically struggle
until your inevitable demise. Come on, great detective!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Gh... gh..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
has a point, I don't have much time and I must fight back. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
quickly teleport behind her. This temporarily disconnects me from the
stream of energy, consequently giving me a small reprieve from its
devastating effects. I must use this extremely short window of
opportunity to launch an assault.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Did you really think that I would accept your magic just
because you have a fancy transparent planchette?! Don't make me
laugh! If there really was some kind of supernatural force involved,
it would move by itself! So why do people need to touch it? The
conclusion is obvious! You're moving it with your own hand!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Reacting
to my declaration, several dozens of anti-magic blue darts appear,
and with a lightning speed they spring toward my enemy. An explosion
ensues as they hit Maaya's shield, and their energy disperses all
around like a meteor shower.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
attack was unsuccessful. It didn't cause not even the smallest injury
or damage. The merciless stream of energy reconnects to my cursed
cage, and its power overwhelms me again.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
slowly turns around to face me, showing her most cruel and victorious
smile. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Simpleton! Any idiot could come up with such a simple and
stupid trick! Who would even be fooled by something like that? But
before, let me enlighten you on why it's necessary for several humans
to touch the planchette. It's a matter of channeling spiritual
energies. You don't expect an electrical device to work if the
various parts aren't connected by circuits, right? Energy must be
able to flow. The same principle works with Ouija boards. The spirits
need to steal a bit of the energies of living humans in order to
interact with the material world."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Spare me the bogus explanation!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Right... what was I even thinking? Someone like you can't
possibly understand. It's just a waste of time. Very well, then
observe."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
points to the world below. There her human self is starting the
séance, or rather the farce where she pretends to summon a spirit
through a Ouija board.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"</span></span></span></span>Spirits of the restless souls that
dwell in this school, answer my call. My name is Maaya Teramoto and I
wish to communicate with you. Please come through and talk with me
for a while."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Her
voice echoes in the room. All eyes are focused on the planchette, and
a feeling of apprehension envelops the eleven young girls as they
prepare for the shock of seeing the tool moving on its own. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"A connection has been established!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
declaration steals a few muffled shrieks from the most impressionable
witnesses.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Spirit! Give us a sign of your presence! If you're here, say
yes!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
time not a sound can be heard, everyone awaits with bated breaths.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
planchette moves, slowly, painfully slowly. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
stops where the Japanese word 'hai' is written in elegant hiragana
characters.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Did you see, human?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes... I saw..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Of
course what Maaya wanted me to notice is not the fact that the
planchette moved, she knows that something like that cannot impress
me. What really is relevant is how the four selected participants are
touching the plastic tool. The fingers are not resting upon its
surface as it is usually done. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto
devised a system to reduce at minimum the inevitable disbelief. With
the classic method there is just no way to convince the most
skeptical individuals, and even those who are prone to believe in the
supernatural will be left with some doubts. What if someone moved the
planchette? This doubt cannot be dispelled as long as the system used
makes it possible.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
Teramoto cannot tolerate that. People must believe, they shouldn't be
given any means to deny her magic. And that is why she made the
participants touch only the sides of the planchette, using just the
tips of their index fingers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Surely you realize. Each person at best can only push the
planchette forward, but no more than that. The combined efforts of
all the four participants would be required to effectively move it in
every directions."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
second stream of energy sprouts from another pillar and immediately
connects to my cursed cage. The already unbearable electrical tension
has doubled.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Are you all right? You seem to be in quite some distress."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This? This is... nothing..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"So you say, but your flesh is literally burning, your blood is
boiling! You aren't a pretty sight, trust me."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You know, Maaya... I don't quite agree... with what you said
earlier..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Huh?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"All the four... participants? You just need... two..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What's that? Has your brain melted already?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"With some skill... two persons at the opposite sides... They
can exercise enough pressure... to gain full control... over the
planchette..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ha! Clever! But the one in front of me is you! Certainly you
aren't cooperating with me, right?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What about... the other two?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Tch! What a stubborn woman! Those are first year students, they
haven't been in this school for long. Are you really insinuating that
I would entrust my reputation to them?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
has a point. Not even I can believe that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"There's actually another practical reason that made me devise
this system. You see, I've dealt with the skepticism and the
ignorance of people like you for years. That's why I already know how
you think and what to expect from you. If I let you place your finger
over the planchette, you'd probably try to mess with the ritual. You
could even try to push it on the board so to prevent it from moving."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha... That's right! I would... actually do that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I have no doubts that you would, but I'm at least two steps
ahead of you. So? Are you prepared to accept your demise?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Never..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
must endure. I will be the one laughing in the end. So, this is
nothing, this is just a transient phase of the path to victory.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
use my powers to teleport away from the hateful scourge that is
afflicting me, again and again, several times in rapid succession. I
must try to gain enough time to elaborate in my mind the next attack.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
the world below the séance continues. Teramoto asks the name of the
spirit that she allegedly summoned. The planchette smoothly slides on
the board and with precision stops above specific characters, one
after another. The name is irrelevant, but the pointless
interrogation continues, more trivial questions and more trivial
answers. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"There are probably a few thin threads attached to the
planchette! Your accomplices are pulling the strings from afar!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
isn't exactly a very good argument, and it isn't surprising that my
attack is deflected again, but for now I just need to buy some time.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What exactly do you think this is? Some kind of manga?
Completely Invisible threads do not exist, and someone like you would
definitely notice them. But if you really don't trust me, you can
check that with your material vessel or whatever will be left of it
once I'll be done with you. I'll let you examine the planchette as
long as you want as soon as the session will end."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
hear the sound of my spine being smashed and shattered by a sudden,
tremendous whiplash. My muscles are tensing so hard against my will
that my very bones are starting to crack and crumble. The number of
energy streams has increased further. Three pillars are now actively
targeting me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I doubt you'll last for much longer. You're already in that
pitiful state, I think I won't even need half of my full power to
kill you. I'll give you a last chance, just out of pure compassion.
Stop resisting, accept your defeat, and I'll make it swift."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"T-this... is..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Yes?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Nothing! This is... nothing!!! I'm not done yet! You hear me!
I'm not done yet! I... will... crush... you!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"W-what... what... the... Aargh! What a truly stupid, pathetic,
incredibly idiotic maggot you are! I was merely trying to be
merciful, you know?! Ah, that's it! That's it! Just die after
experiencing the most excruciating tortures from hell, stupid woman!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You know... nothing of hell! I've already been there! That's
why... this is nothing!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"How do you even find the strength to talk back... But it
doesn't matter!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Furudo-san, you're my special guest tonight and the spirits
wish to communicate with you. Is there something that you want to
ask?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ah, it looks like we have already reached this part."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You must be... really... confident..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Of course I am! Silly! Since the very beginning it was already
obvious who would win. This is to crush you even further, this is to
show to you and to everyone else that Maaya Teramoto fears no one!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Well, Furudo-san? You've been awfully silent for all of this
time. Is there really nothing that you want to ask to the spirit that
I've summoned? You can speak freely, there's nothing to be afraid."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
will crush you. I will crush you for sure!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Can you predict the future?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Haaa?! Ah ha ha ha! Of all the stupid questions that you could
have asked!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
planchette slides over the spot where the Japanese word 'iie" is
written.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I'm sorry, Furudo-san, I don't know what kind of stories you've
heard, but spirits do not possess the gift of clairvoyance, unless
they already did when still alive."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Someone
is laughing. A fourth pillar activates and its energy stream
violently strikes me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
body is convulsing, my skin is melting, my flesh is burning, my blood
is boiling, my bones are shattering, my eyes are exploding, my brain
is pulsing, my fingers are twitching, my ears are bleeding, my heart
is splitting, my lungs are imploding, my muscles are tearing apart! </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika!</span>" </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">No,
Dlanor, don't let your guard down! My body is convulsing. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">See?
That demon will take advantage of your slightest mistake. My skin is
melting.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">He
is strong, you should worry about yourself. My flesh is burning.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">See?
You just let him hit you! My blood is boiling.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
won't forgive you if you let him kill you! My bones are shattering.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
won't... I won't... My eyes are exploding! My brain is pulsing! My
damn heart is splitting in two! My damn muscles are tearing apart!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Please, feel free to ask another question."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"There's a person that I once knew who passed away a long time
ago. Can I ask the spirit if he has met him in the afterlife?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Oh please! Your tactics are so painfully obvious! Now you're
going to name someone that is still alive or that never existed!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"You can ask, what was this person's name?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Battler Ushiromiya."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Yeah, like hell I'll fall for this trap! Just what kind of name
is 'Battler' anyway?! By the way, are you still alive? Come on, this
is getting ridiculous! Die already!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"I'm sorry it looks like the spirit has no knowledge of this
person."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I see... this is truly... a pity..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Another
pillar, five already. Charred meat, on fire, nerves ripped and torn,
gray cells flowing down, tissue damaged, teeth splintered, black
substance oozing, boiling, a crevasse in my chest, enlarging, hot
blood sprinkling, evaporating, rupture of left lung, crumbled hands,
shattered fragments of bones, pulsating pulp, ablaze, curled up, what
remains, sizzling to the last bit, breaking apart, consuming myself,
to dust...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I just can't believe this, you still persist... But your
essence is already dispersing, you're losing pieces of your self as I
speak. This is what it means to die in the metaworld, you just turn
into nothingness. Why do you need to make it this painful?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"One last question?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"This is your last chance, the ritual will conclude after this,
you'd better ask something sensible this time. Either way, this is
too late for you. The great detective will be erased from existence."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes there's just one last question that I want to ask."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Teramoto:
"Go on, the spirit is listening."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika: "<span style="font-size: small;">Who killed... H<span style="font-size: small;">itomi Go<span style="font-size: small;">tsu<span style="font-size: small;">ji<span style="font-size: small;">?"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-m.html">next-></a></span></span></div>
</div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-90851488911444172862013-05-06T16:43:00.000+01:002013-05-09T02:00:03.216+01:00Chapter 5 (k)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/04/chapter-5-h.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><-pre<span style="font-size: small;">v</span></span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
impact is violent. The shock wave that ensues erases any traces of
magic on its path. The giant sparks are no more, the constant barrage
of beams of light has ceased, the unnatural wind no longer blows.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">After
such an indescribable chaos, this calm and this silence are somehow
unsettling.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu
and Dlanor have become still. Slowly drifting in a space devoid of
gravity, they observe and wait.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I see... I've really underestimated you. I apologize... your
skills deserved to be properly acknowledged..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch of power speaks slowly. A twitch in her left eyebrow belies her
apparent calm. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Tch..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"To think that a mere human could not only survive my strongest
magic, but also elude my guard and sneak behind me... That was
completely unexpected. Unthinkable..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I hate to repeat myself, but you really don't understand who
you're up against."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Perhaps it is as you say..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">In
front of my eyes, I see my enemy's face morphing from a fake gentle
expression into a hideous, beastly grin.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"However that goes for you too, isn't iiit?! Did you really
think that I'd be killed by thaaat?! Haaa?! Are you serious?! Do you
even realize what kind of place this is?! I will acknowledge that on
a neutral ground I'd be dead by now, but here, in this world? In my
domain?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Certainly
I cannot deny that my attack completely failed to harm her in any
way. Something blocked my scythe before I could cut her body in half,
something that transcends even the most powerful magic barriers, a
truly impenetrable shield.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
came out of nowhere, I couldn't even see it nor sense it before. It
is different from anything that I have seen so far, and it looks
completely out of place. If I were to guess what kind of material it
is made of, I would say that it is some kind of hard, transparent
plastic. It has a sort of triangular shape with no straight lines,
and there is an embedded circle in its center that reminds me of a
magnifying lens.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Observe!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
witch of power snaps her fingers and a new magic takes form. A thick
mist and nebulous matter begin to coalesce at the bottom of the giant
sphere. This mass grows and spreads like a viscous fluid until it
occupies about one quarter of the whole space. There is now a sort of
unnatural lake below me. Ripples form on its surface and increase in
number and intensity. Strange, fragmented reflections create
kaleidoscopic effects among the restless waves, until the turmoil
finally subsides, and a vision appears.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"This is..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"A window open to another world."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
mind goes back to a past where I witnessed a similar situation. My
mind travels back to the witches' tearoom, the place where Beatrice
used to challenge her many guests. There, all sort of witches, and
sometimes even humans, would sit in a circle and engage in
intellectual discussions, drinking tea and eating freshly baked
cookies and pastries. But before, we used to watch Beatrice's shows.
The walls disappeared and just like TV screens, they allowed us to
see, as if we were there, various scenes from fictional
interpretations of the Rokkenjima murder mystery. Those were the
stories that Beatrice created; she called them gameboards.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Something
similar is happening now, but it isn't fiction what I am looking at,
it's the human world, it's the present time.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
one there is... me...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
am looking at myself from above, as if the shed had no roof. I see
the magic circle and several girls sitting all around it. But not
everything is exactly how I left it. There is a Ouija board at the
very center now, and four persons are sitting close to it at the four
cardinal points. One of them is Teramoto, directly aligned with the
statue of Pazuzu. Two first year students are at her left and right
sides, they were supposedly selected randomly. The last spot is taken
by me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is how daring my opponent is. She wants me to be directly involved,
she wants me to touch her magic with my own hands. She is so
confident that I won't understand her trick, that she doesn't even
prevent me from getting that close. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Did you notice? Do you understand now?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Yes, I must admit it's pretty clever. That shield of yours is a
manifestation of your peculiar planchette. Size apart they're
practically identical."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Correct!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
basically works like this: the fact that Teramoto can interact with
demons and spirits with her Ouija board is one of the reasons people
believe she actually possesses supernatural powers. As long as this
isn't denied, the witch of power cannot be destroyed. I must find the
trick that makes that planchette move, only then this bothersome
shield will be destroyed.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Surprised, human? Stupid close-minded people like yourself
almost invariably think that there are magnets involved. So I made
sure to prevent anyone from even suggesting that. As you can see,
this planchette is completely transparent. Surely, you aren't going
to tell me that there are invisible magnets inside, right? Ha ha ha
ha!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Well done, but then, how does that matter? There's definitely
some kind of trick involved, all that you demonstrated is that
'magnets' isn't the answer."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"And you call that a rational argument? How is it logical to
assume that there must be a trick?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"What are you talking about? Of course there's a trick, it can't
be any other way! Because magic and supernatural do not exist!
Everyone knows that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Shut up!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh? Did I upset you?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"There's no point in talking with you! You're just a pathetic
fool! By now you should have already realized that you can't win
against me, you simply cannot hurt me! But I bet you're just too
blind to accept the evidence in front of your very eyes! I can only
feel contempt for you. You're strong, you're fast, I acknowledge
that. I have no idea how a human like you can pull those stunts, but
it doesn't matter. In the end you're just a bug, a very persistent
one, but still a bug!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ah, don't tell me! Are you going to resume your magical heavy
bombardment, hoping that I'll eventually get hit by something?
Boring!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"No, that tactic proved to be uneffective. But now I know how to
deal with you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh, Really?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
utters some incomprehensible words, while drawing strange circles in
the air with her left hand. I sense the unmistakable small
alterations in the fabric of the metaworld that often foreshadow
powerful magics. The ritual is concluded by an esoteric gesture that
ominously points at me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
effect is almost instant, and in a blink of an eye I find myself
trapped inside a spherical cage made of several rings of energy. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Seriously? Is this your new strategy? I guess you didn't learn
a single thing."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">All
I need to do is to teleport away. Maaya must believe that I am
simply moving at an incredibly high speed. If that was the case, I
wouldn't have any means to escape, but my powers are true. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
proceed to instantly change my position, my body dematerializes and
reappears just a few meters to the right.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">See?
I am free already... or that is what I would like to say.
Apparently... I am still caged.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Strange.
I am quite sure that I did teleport, there are no doubts about that.
But my prison is not longer where it was supposed to be. It is as
if... it followed me. How?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
really don't like the way Maaya is smiling at me now. I don't like
that all! </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Well? How do you like your cage? It seems to me that you've
already grown pretty attached to it!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Very funny! What's the deal with this thing?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"That's not a 'thing', that's a curse. You've been cursed, great
detective, and no matter where you go, the curse will stay with you."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Well,
well... this wasn't part of my plans, but it changes nothing. I
should have imagined that an occult freak like her would know how to
curse her enemies. That was a small miscalculation, it's annoying,
no, actually it is very irritating, but I will have my vengeance.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"All right, now I am trapped inside a cage that follows me
wherever I go. So? What's the point of a prison if it doesn't
restrict mobility?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"That's a very pertinent question. The fact is... that this
curse isn't exactly meant to restrain you. In other words, it isn't a
prison at all."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then, what else it's supposed to be?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"It's a bull's-eye."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
bull's-eye. In other words this thing is marking my position. This is
a curse that targets me with absolute precision. The viewfinder is
glued on me, and not matter what I do, I cannot shake it off! </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is no laughing matter. The more my many little gray cells process the
implications of this simple information, the more I feel my body
freezing on the spot.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">An
attack is incoming, right now. I am not actually perceiving it, but I
know it is aiming for my head. I feel it. All my instincts are
telling me that I must escape. I have no time to reason about its
futility, I simply teleport as far as I can.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
fears become true in front of my eyes. A stream of energy coming from
one of the pillars just pierced my afterimage. It is fast, as fast as
light, and it is magnetically attracted by the cage that surrounds
me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
simply cannot escape this, I simply cannot teleport with a high
enough frequency, and it would be pointless anyway.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
have no choice, I must muster my strengths and endure it. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
sound reminds me that of a shrimp thrown into boiling oil. I would
think this was funny, if this wasn't my own body. My muscles are all
tensed up by the flow of high voltage current. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
can barely move, I can barely think.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
pain would be excruciating for a normal human being, another person
in my place would be screaming his guts out. But I am a witch of
truth, there is nothing that can hurt me. Nothing. Nothing can hurt
me. Nothing can hurt me! Nothing can hurt me!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika!</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"StAy WhErE YoU AaArE, PaThEtIc ToOl Of ThE LoSt GoLdEn AaAgE! I
WiLl NoT LeT YoU InTeRfEeErE!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">We will not be defeated! I
will not allow it!</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"Uh Hu Hu Ha Ha Ha!!! YOuR DoOm Is At HaAaNd! YOuR HuMaN FrIeNd
WaS AlReAdY EnSnArEd By My MAsTeR'S CuUuRsE. NOtHiNg CaN SaAaVe HeR.
VIcToRy Is AlReAdY OuUuRs!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor
is fighting valiantly. Her swords pierce through the demon's flesh
with merciless precision, but her opponent is too powerful. He keeps
regenerating as if that didn't bother him at all, and he is getting
bolder and fiercer. Dlanor will not last for much longer, and I am in
no better position.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-l.html">next-> </a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-36083514215103112362013-04-28T04:38:00.000+01:002013-05-06T16:51:23.711+01:00Chapter 5 (j)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: transparent;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/04/chapter-5-i.html"><-pre<span style="font-size: small;">v</span></a> </span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Of
course, I couldn't really give her even the slightest impression that
I am scared or worried, I have a reputation to protect, and In fact I
have absolutely no doubts that I will be the one laughing in the end.
However, her powers are decidedly not to be taken lightly. I have
already seen what she is capable of, and now, I am sure, she will not
restrain herself anymore.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Those
eyes, that stance, those are unmistakingly telling me that a death
sentence has been passed on me, and I feel a shiver running down my
spine. But this is fine, this feeling, this overflowing anxiety and
tension. I will really be destroyed if I make even the slightest
error, and this thought, to me, is absolutely inebriating! </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
eleven pillars activate at my enemy's command once again. The
pressure is increasing and the air overflows with static energy. This
is getting dangerous, I will move as far as possible away from Maaya,
for the time being. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor
and Pazuzu, having realized what is going to happen, suspended their
battle temporarily. If they want to survive, they will need to focus
exclusively on the calamity that the witch of power is about to
unleash.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">With
a deafening roar, streams of concentrated energy begin to flow from
the pillars to Maaya's stretched hand. This is similar to what she
did before, but I can tell that this time she is garnering an even
bigger power. The light emanating from those magical sparks is so
intense that it is almost dazzling, and everything around darkens. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I am ready. Do your worst, witch of power!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
doesn't even bother to answer, she simply smirks sardonically. A
single instant later, the whole place is ravaged by her thunderstorm.
Energy fluxes protrude from her hand and in a completely disorderly
fashion reach out for the borders of this spherical prison. There are
dozens of them, and they move quickly following unpredictable
trajectories. This is a wondrous and terrifying display of power, but
a thought occurs to me: in a way, this whole place has just become a
colossal version of those fancy plasma globes. Right, plasma globes,
which often are used by phony wizards and 'psychic advisors' to
impress their simple-minded customers. There couldn't be a more
fitting comparison, because in the end Maaya's bountiful power isn't
anything more than a fraud, and a laughable one, I may add.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Evading
the erratic electrical discharges is difficult, but far from being
impossible for me, and I can always use my special trick as a last
resort to instantly move from a location to another. The problem is
that even then I will need to choose my destination carefully,
because there are no safe areas to retreat to.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"You're pretty obstinate, aren't you? I wouldn't have expected
anything less from a cockroach! But there's more to come. Let's see
if you can evade this too!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
knew it. It couldn't be that simple.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
isn't simply going to switch to a different magical attack, she will
conjure another one on top of what I am already evading!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">From
her other hand, several beam of lights begin spreading everywhere.
Unlike the electrical discharges they move beautifully and
harmoniously, and while their starting directions seem to be
completely random, they then all bend, tracing curves in the air, all
aiming to a precise target: me! In other words this is a barrage of
homing lasers. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Perhaps
Maya thinks that this is an even more dangerous magic, but I don't
really think so. Sure, now I need to evade attacks that are actively
following me, how scary! Unlike the mindless sparks, these lasers
have a sort of 'intelligence', so to say. But in truth there is a
very huge downside that comes with all that: predictability. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maya
could even summon a thousand, a million, or even a trillion of those
beams of light all at once! It wouldn't change a thing. They will all
converge to a single point in the end, and I know exactly which! All
that I need to do is to wait until the very last second and quickly
evade before I get hit.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">There
is only a minor problem; I need to avoid the unpredictable electrical
discharges at the same time.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Focus,
I need to stay focused. A single error and it will be checkmate.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
laser beams are approaching ominously. Only two seconds before they
reach me. This is where I should stay still to make sure they will
all point to this precise spot, but I can't. One of those annoying
sparks just had to irrationally change its course and move where I am
at this very moment. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
dodge to the left, the beams immediately follow me. One second.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
revels in an ephemeral, illusory victory as she observes her attack
laying waste on my body. But her malicious smile quickly warps into a
frustrated grin when she realizes that what she saw was just another
afterimage.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">That
was a pretty risky move, I really waited until the very last fraction
of a second, and soon after transferring I had to quickly assess my
surrounding and evade another electrical discharge. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
doesn't want to give me any break, a second wave of homing lasers is
coming already. She must have figured out that I cannot escape
forever, if she keeps this going for long enough, I will eventually
perish.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Of
course, that is true as long as I just keep evading and do nothing
else. Anyway I am pretty far from exhaustion, and I can survive for
quite a long time still. The laser beams are here and this time
dodging them will be a lot easier.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Die, you maggot! Why don't you just die already?! Die! Die!
Die!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Frustrated?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ha! I'm merely irritated by your pointless obstinacy! There is
simply no comparison between us, this is an absolutely lopsided
battle! Then why don't you just stop wasting my time? Just give up
already! I promise it will be swift, you won't feel any pain!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha! Aren't you getting a bit too overconfident just
because of your brute strength?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Brute strength?! This is magical power!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"All the same! Power alone does not decide the outcome of a
battle!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"We will see about that!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
think I am getting better and better at this game, and isn't it funny
how I am still completely unscathed in spite of this gargantuan
offensive?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
keeps on firing her beams of light at me and I keep evading them.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Just how long are you planning to continue like that?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Until the right moment, witch of power."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I didn't even give you the chance to show me a decent attack!
You're totally at my mercy! You can't even get close to me! Face it!
You basically did nothing at all since our duel started!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh, you're right, I suppose you won't have to worry about your
defense then! You might as well lower your magic shield."</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Spare me your cheap tricks! I won't fall for them!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Then are you acknowledging that I might... uh?"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
happened? Just now, I felt something very wrong in the way my body
reacted to my commands.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Again...
I am not moving like I wish to. Why? Did I forget how to fly in the
metaworld? Preposterous! Something must be interfering and it is
getting worse by the second.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
is smirking, is this her doing? No, I would have noticed, it must
be...</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Ah,
of course! It's him!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Where
is he? How can he be so bold to attack me in this situation? Did I
underestimate that demon?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika, forgive me! I
had no choice but to disengage from combat.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I know, but who would've thought that he would use his wind
attack in this situation?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is insane, Pazuzu is messing with my flying maneuvers, now pushing me
from the left, then from above, behind, and then the right! He keeps
changing the direction of his wind in a totally random fashion. He
doesn't even give me the time to adapt. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
the thunderous sparks, like giant serpents, keep slithering all
around me. The incessant fire of homing lasers doesn't allow me any
rest. I must keep track of all these simultaneous threats, and I
can't even properly control my movements!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha ha! How splendid! This is fun! This is so much fun!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What a nerve you've got! You dare laughing in this situation?!
Or is it that your mind has yielded to insanity?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Hey, Maya! I thought your pet wasn't supposed to interfere!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Yeah, and? Oh, are you implying that he's attacking you?! It's
not like his wind is directly harming you!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Is that how you justify your dirty move? Ha ha! Well, I can't
say that I completely disapprove of that!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika, I will find the
demon Pazuzu and resume our duel. I will stop him!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Dlanor, are you sure you can manage that? You won't be of any
use to me, if you get destroyed!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I will succeed, do not
worry!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Very well, then go!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
should do better to come back in one piece! She is my furniture, her
failure would reflect on her master, in other words: me! That would
be absolutely unforgivable! But if that poor excuse for a demon that
Maaya summoned can use his power while under the constant threat of
being electrocuted, then Dlanor should be able to do the same.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Ah,
it appears that she found him, at last. Do not disappoint me, Dlanor!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Demon, you will stop
meddling in our respective masters' duel. Your opponent is Death
Sentence Dlanor. I am in front of you!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"I ToOoLd YoU AlReAdY. YOu ArE IrReLeVaNt, InSiGnIfIcAnT,
NeGlIgIbLe! WHyYy Do YoU StIlL PeRsIsT? IS It NoT ThE TiIiMe FoR YoU
To DeScEnD InTo ObLiViOn?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">If there is one among us
that should not exist anymore in this day and age, that is you!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"UuUrRrGh! I Am StIlL PoOoWeRfUl In ThE MiNdS Of HuMaNs! MY
LeGeNd LiVeS On! I HaVeN'T VaNiShEd AlOnG WiTh ThE CiViLiZaAaTiOnS
ThAt OrIgInAlLy FeArEd MeEe! BUt WhAt AbOuT YoUuU? YOu ArE BuT A
ReLiC Of A NoT So DiStAnT PaAaSt. SUcH A ShOoOrT ExIsTeNcE! YOu
ShOuLd JuSt DiSaPpEaR! YOu ArE ObSoLeEeTe!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Certainly it is true that I
am the defender and protector of the ten rules of the golden age of
murder mysteries, and it is true that such time is in the past and
already almost forgotten in this modern world.</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"ThEn YoU UnDeRsTaAaNd ThAt YoU No LoNgEr HaVe A PuUuRpOsE!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I disagree. The rules
themselves are no longer enforced, but the ideals that they were
meant to protect still live!"</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"ThE IdEeEaLs? WHaT Is ThIs NoOoNsEnSe?! WHaT IdEeEaLs ArE YoU
TaLkInG AbOuT?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Justice! Fairness! Honor!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"WhAaAt DiD YoU... JuSt SaAaY?!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Do you understand, demon?
You have just broken my rules! You are at the mercy of my judgment!
The sentence is DEATH!</span>"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"UuUrRrGh!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
looks like Dlanor is doing better than I expected. She can still
unleash on her enemy such elaborated attacks in spite of the hellish
thunderstorm that surrounds her. Pazuzu is really on the losing side
now, but it isn't just because my furniture is stronger. That
annoying demon hasn't given up on messing with me! His wind isn't
hindering me as much as before, but it is still a bother.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
is getting more and more impatient. She is doing her best at hiding
her growing frustration, but she can't fool me. Right now she is
probably wondering why I am still alive. She doesn't even understand
how could this happen. Of course she can't, I told her: she doesn't
know who I truly am!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
must have already realized that something isn't quite the way that
she expected it, but she is too proud to show it. She is too proud to
ask. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
so she escapes into a convenient delusion. Now Maaya is convincing
herself that it doesn't matter, now Maaya is repeating to herself
that it is only a matter of time. I can't escape forever, and that is
true in a sense. But she is making a fatal mistake by ignoring the
elephant in front of her eyes; because for the very same reason that
I can avoid even her deadliest magic, now I will destroy her!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">So
far I used my teleportation magic only to escape, but who said that I
can't use it to do the opposite?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Right
now Maaya isn't thinking about protecting herself, right now Maaya is
fully concentrated on killing me as fast as possible. She can't think
about anything else. I was waiting for this moment. When she will
realize what I am going to do, she will panic, and that will be my
chance.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Another
barrage of lasers is coming, but this time I won't simply move away,
I will teleport forward!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">At
this point Maaya can't be fooled anymore by the afterimage that I
leave behind, so she instinctively looks for me around the area she
expects me to reappear to. She doesn't even realize that I purposely
trained her to do so. So far I jumped for distances that aren't even
half of what I can actually cover. Unconsciously or consciously Maaya
doesn't think that I can exceed that limit. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Now
that I unexpectedly moved closer, she is getting wary, but she still
doesn't think that I can threaten her. A new wave of lasers comes and
I teleport again, further reducing the gap that separates us. This
time Maaya reacts, but she doesn't have the time to formulate a
coherent plan, she instinctively moves away from me. Once again I
teleport, now I am very close and she is getting restless. She simply
cannot imagine that this isn't even the fastest that I can be. In her
mind I am charging at full speed in a desperate blitz attack.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">She
can't do anything but firing her beams at me, hoping that they won't
miss at this distance, but she isn't that naïve. She knows that I am
no longer where she still sees me and she knows that I am going to
strike her next. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
this is where she panics. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Desperately
her eyes wanders around the very area that I wanted her to focus on.
She gives for granted that I will appear there somewhere, her only
doubt is about the precise location.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Too
bad Maaya, but this is your loss. I jumped beyond that place, I
jumped beyond you. I am where you don't expect me, I am where you
cannot see me, I am on your blind spot.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Let's
see if your magic defense works even if I attack you from behind at
point blank range!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">My
scythe is ready to drink your blood. I spin around myself to impress
an even greater force on my deadly strike. My body is engulfed by a
feverish bloodlust. I am shaking and shivering in anticipation, but
my hands are firm.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">You see, Maaya, what counts is the blow that kills your enemy, and you
only need one. What you have been showing me so far was just a
pointless display of power. You are about to learn this lesson, but
you don't have enough time left to treasure it. How sad.</span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/05/chapter-5-k.html">n<span style="font-size: small;">e<span style="font-size: small;">x<span style="font-size: small;">t<span style="font-size: small;">-></span></span></span></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><br /></span></span></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-58914271699520964232013-04-19T01:58:00.001+01:002013-04-28T04:39:35.780+01:00Chapter 5 (i)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-h.html"><-prev </a></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pandemonium
is unleashed.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Ravaged
by the violent storm, I can barely keep my eyes open. This wind is
like a wall of infinite blades, sharp and powerful gusts trying to
dice my body. If I was a normal human being, I would be mincemeat by
now. It hurts nonetheless, and my skin is already covered by several
red thin lines wherever it has been struck. I can endure this pain, I
can endure any pain without even flinching, this is one of my many
qualities. Not a single groan leaves my throat, but even if I
screamed with all my might, this deafening fracas would have covered
it. And yet, I can discern an eerie sound that is definitely not
caused by the storm: It's a long, deep, feral howl.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
takes not a superior intellect to understand who is the owner of such
guttural voice. True to her teachings, Maaya summoned Pazuzu by
invoking his name thrice. Without a doubt in this world such a
powerful charm cannot fail. The bearer of storms and drought is here.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"To my side, demon! My arts and my magic bend you to my will!
Obey me!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"UuUrRrGh..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
unnatural whirlwind quickly subsides and I can finally examine the
demon without disturbances. The beastly being that stands near Maaya
is only vaguely similar to the statue that I saw in the shed. His
physical build is a lot more massive, and his nails and fangs are
decidedly more menacing. While he is for the most part
anthropomorphic, his head is more akin to that of a lion, his lower
legs are like bird talons, and he possess a scorpion tail and two
pairs of massive eagle-like wings.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is Maaya's furniture, a familiar, so to say; a servant, a creature
born from the mind of a powerful witch. This kind of magic requires a
very strong will and a lot of practice, I must commend my opponent
for being capable of such a feat. However this is still somewhat
disappointing and boring, I can't shake the feeling that there is
something very dissatisfying about Maaya's magic. I guess the problem
is her lack of originality, she doesn't even try to come up with
something unique or peculiar. She probably thinks that by strictly
adhering to existing myths she can be more believable, and she knows
that with that she can create more stable and powerful magics. This
is one downside of depending on an external source of power.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
I am used to way more creative, bizarre and flamboyant performances,
and no matter how strong is the flavor of this new dish, it still
lacks the exotic spices that I grew accustomed to. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Aaah,
this is really ironic! Who would have thought that I would miss
Beatrice?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu
spreads his wings and stretches his limbs. His burning eyes glare at
Dlanor with evident hostility.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What's wrong, human? Do you finally see the error of your ways?
Do you finally realize how foolish your skepticism was? Are you
suddenly accepting the existence of the demon Pazuzu, now that you
see him in front of your very eyes?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"My very eyes?! Who do you think you're dealing with? Do you
expect such a plain strategy to work against a slayer of witches?
This place isn't real, I didn't acknowledge the existence of your pet
in the world of humans, nor did I acknowledge your so called magic.
In fact it is my intention to deny them both, along with you!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"And you believe you caaan?! Even though you're here, trapped in
my realm! How can a human be so stubborn to deny what her very senses
tell her! There's truly no end to the mortals' hubris! You chose to
make yourself blind and deaf! Perhaps I will help you with such a
foolish endeavor by ripping your eyes and piercing your ears until
your brains bleed out from them!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
grip my scythe firmly.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"And how are you going to pull that off, considering you'll be
soon nothing but a talking head? Oh wait, let me guess! Magic?! Ah ha
ha ha!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Enough of this! Pazuzu!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"YeEs, MAsTeEeR..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"The human is mine, I'll entertain her personally. You'll take
care of her toy. Make sure she won't be able to interfere!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"AaAs YoU WiSh, MAsTeEeR..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Now that's unexpected! It is customary for a third-rate villain
to send her minions to the slaughter first before finally getting on
the stage."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"And who's supposed to be a third-rate villain? You fool! You
still don't understand what you're up against! That will be your
undoing, human!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"On the contrary, if there's one among us who doesn't have a
clue about the true nature of her enemy, that's clearly you! *giggle*
*giggle*"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ha! I must admit that you're indeed a very amusing creature.
It's simply amazing that you can keep your cool and preposterous
self-confidence in your current predicament. Tell me, is this a
superb acting, or utter idiocy?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Don't expect an answer from me, I'd rather leave you in your
ignorance. You're a lot funnier that way!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"YoU WiLl BoOoW DoWn To My MAsTeEeR, MoRtAaAl!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">It
looks like I have upset the demon, how interesting! This pathetic
creature thinks that he can intimidate me, even though he just
received a precise order that forbids him from attacking me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss Erika bows down to no
one but Lady Bernkastel, demon!</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"YoU AaArE Of No CoNsEqUeEeNcE... YOu AaArE WaY OuT Of YoUr
LeAaAgUe, DeAtH SeNtEnCe DLaNoR. YOuR JuRiSdIcTiOn LiEs ElSeWhEeErE.
YOu HaAaVe No AuThOrItY In ThIs ReAlM. KNoW YoUr PlAaAcE, SeRvAnT Of
ThE HeAvEnLy InQuIsItIoOoN! THe RuUuLeS ThAt YoU EnFoRcE HaVe No
EfFeEeCt HeRe!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor:
"<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Nonetheless I will fight
you and slay you. I do not need my full power to send you into
oblivion. You will return to the abyss you came from!</span>"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pazuzu:
"UuUrRrGh! WE ShAlL SeEe WhO WiLl Be ObLiTeRaTeD!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Enough of this pointless bickering! Human, are you prepared to
meet your doom?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"I'm prepared to be your doom, witch of power!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I'll take that as a yes! Let the show begin!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">All
my senses are heightened. I feel the adrenaline flowing in my veins.
This feeling of excitement! This inebriating sensation! A battle in
the metaworld, after so much time! </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Come
at me, Maaya, show me your terrible techniques, show me your power!
Do not hold back, fight with all that you have got! I am ready. I am
here. I will triumph once again, I will survive this new ordeal! In
the end you are absolutely nothing compared to what I have already
endured in the past! I am the only survivor of the Rokkenjima
incident! They all died! All of them, but I am here! I have seen
hell! I have touched the bottom of it and emerged victorious! It was
meant to destroy me, it was meant to kill me, but look at me! </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
won! I was the one laughing at the end! And how foolish they all look
in my eyes now! How foolish they all were! I feel nothing for them!
They cannot hurt me anymore, never again! I am invincible! Don't you
understand?!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
do you think you can possibly do against such a superior existence?!
Can't you see that I am blessed by karma itself? Don't you know that
I survived in spite of impossible to overcome odds? Don't you
understand that my resilience defies logic itself?!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
you simply don't get it! You made fun of miracles, as if they were
something remote in the realm of myths and legends. You didn't
realize... that I AM a miracle!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
confidently you smile, oblivious, unknowing, unsuspecting...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">A
simple gesture of your arm and a swarm of long, pointy objects is
summoned in front of you. Hundreds, thousands, hundred of thousands!
What are these things supposed to be? Nails? You summoned the same
kind of nails you use for your stupid pseudo-voodoo rituals? Don't
make me laugh!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Die."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Fast.
Those things are coming at me at an incredibly high speed. They are
very close to each others but they are spreading out. If I move away
quickly enough, I should be able to pass through the widening gaps.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Your
attacks may be fast, Maaya, but I can move and think at lightning
speed myself. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This
is not a problem at all, I fly backward, this way!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">All
right! They all went past me, I made it just in time. That wasn't too
hard, but I doubt it will be so simple.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And
in fact she snaps her fingers and another wave of deadly projectiles
materializes out of thin air. She sent them at me from a different
angle, I must quickly move to the left or I am going to become a pin
cushion.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Come
on, Maaya! You can do better than this! I have already visualized the
pattern of your attacks, and they might be fast for a regular human,
but to me they are just as slow as snails. You can keep swinging your
arm left and right as much as you want, but you will not get anywhere
at this rate!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What
do you think of my evasive skills? I have already eluded five of your
barrages, you should have already understood at this point that you
can't really hope to kill me with this simple tactic!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">But
wait, why is she still smiling? Actually, I think her grin is even
wider than before.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"This is fun, great detective! Keep dancing! Keep dancing on my
palm! Ha ha ha ha!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Is
she just toying with me?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You're not thinking that I'll simply play defensively, aren't
you?"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"If you think you can get close to me, you're free to try!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Oh,
is that so? Is the reason of her ostentatious confidence the belief
that I am merely a mouse unable to do anything but escaping her
grasp? If that was the case, I wouldn't have nothing to worry about,
but something is off, my danger sense is tingling. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
must have something in mind, a surprise attack most likely. However
she is a witch, she must recite an incantation or perform some kind
of ritualistic gesture to use her magic. I am observing her very
attentively even as I am evading her constant barrage. Should she
make even the slightest move, I am confident that I will be able to
react accordingly. All of my senses are focused on her and her
attacks...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Wait!
What if she realized that? What if this was her plan all along?
Then... behind me!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Too late! You can't escape! Just give up and die!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
nails that I thought I had already evaded... they are bouncing on the
borders of the spherical hall and are coming back! Suddenly I am
surrounded from all directions! There is no longer enough space for
my maneuvers. They are coming, they are here!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Gotcha! Writhe in pain, human! Suffer and die! How does it feel
to have your body skewered by a thousand nails?! What a
disappointment you were! You didn't even put up a decent fight! What
was the point of that oversized scythe, if you couldn't even get
anywhere close to melee range?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Not even close? What are you talking about? What are you
looking at? I'm here, I'm right behind you!!!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What?!"</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Startled
by my voice coming from a completely unexpected direction, Maaya
quickly turns around and stares at me with frightened and incredulous
eyes. Nothing is more sublime than seeing the arrogance of your
enemies becoming fear!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
swing my scythe with decision in a perfectly horizontal motion. This
would be enough to cut her flimsy body in half, but with a desperate
and inelegant backward dash Maaya manages to distance herself enough
to be just grazed by the lethal slice.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
guess that now she will think that it was stupid from me to warn her
of my presence just a second before my surprise attack. I could have
simply killed her now, before she could even get a hint of what a
dangerous being I am. I could have finished her now, before she could
unleash her full power, right?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Ha
ha ha! No way! Why would I do that? Why would I want to end this
exciting battle in such an uneventful manner? This is not her show,
this is my show! And it is not me who is trapped in this place with
her. It is she who trapped herself with me!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"How the hell is this possible?! You were there a second before!
I saw your body being pierced!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Ha ha ha!!! What you saw was just an afterimage! Seriously, you
didn't think that I survived and triumphed against several other
witches just by sheer luck, didn't you? This might be your metaworld,
but this is still a metaworld; conventional logic and physic do not
apply in this place. If you think that moving almost instantly from a
point to another is impossible, then you clearly know very little of
how this world works. It is just a simple matter of will power and
concentration!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"A simple matter of will power... you say?! Don't make me laugh!
Teleportation is a high level magic! A pathetic being like you can't
possibly have mastered it!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You think so? I wonder about that!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"I don't know what kind of trick you used, but I won't let you
disgrace the art any further with your shams!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Shams?! Art?! Tricks?! Magic?! And what's the difference?!
They're all the same thing!"</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Once
again I swing my scythe at my enemy, but this time my attack is
charged with the power of truth. The blade traces an arc of light
which bursts upon release creating a storm of blue, luminescent
darts.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya
quickly retreats, the roles are now inverted. She summons again her
magical shield, just in time before being skewered. The barrier
shakes violently and dangerously while deflecting the shower of
sharp, blue shards.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"You fool! You understand nothing! Such an ignorant statement is
an unforgivable blasphemy!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"Oh my... you aren't even funny, you know..."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"What?!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"You don't need to play the part with such emphasis. I know that
you know the truth behind your so-called magic as well as I do."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"There's only one who knows the truth among us!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"That's what you want to believe."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Far
from the two of us, on the lower part of the spherical hall, the
battle between Dlanor and Pazuzu is continuing as we speak. The demon
is very strong and his ability to control wind seems to be a real
problem. I can see that even my furniture is having quite some
difficulties at maintaining control over her flying maneuver under
the ever-changing gusts and gales that her enemy is bombarding her
with. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Ha! Don't even dare to think that you demonstrated anything
with your stunt! I was merely toying with you!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Dlanor
is attacking the beast with her two swords, but the demon doesn't
even seem to bother about evading. His wounds regenerates at an
incredibly fast rate. He is really a troublesome furniture. I guess
that the only way to destroy him is through a direct denial of his
existence. I fear that he is more than what my companion can handle
by herself, but for now I only need her to keep him occupied.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Erika:
"So, does that mean that you're going to get serious now? I feel
honored, it seems that you're finally beginning to understand how
dangerous I am."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Don't flatter yourself! You're just becoming very annoying. I'm
very sorry, but you're really getting on my nerves. I'm going to
finish you now. Good bye!"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/04/chapter-5-h.html">next-></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-40777153237038986422012-12-29T21:27:00.001+00:002012-12-29T21:27:55.306+00:00Sympathy & Mirth!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click to enlarge:</span><br />
<br />
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-83758057010022644772012-12-25T01:44:00.000+00:002013-04-19T02:04:59.682+01:00Chapter 5 (h)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-g.html"><<span style="font-size: small;">-p<span style="font-size: small;">r<span style="font-size: small;">ev</span></span></span></a></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Isn't she a
pretty sight, Dlanor? What do you think? *giggle*"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I
believe it will be necessary to teach her some humility.</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ah, indeed!
Who the hell does she think she is? Who the hell does she think I am?
Does she even know who is she up against to?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">She
probably does not, and we can use that to our advantage.</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha! Is that
even necessary, Dlanor?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">This
is her territory, in this world she is nearly almighty. Her
confidence stems from the belief that she cannot be defeated as long
as we are in her domain. She is inexperienced, but extremely
powerful. I advise against underestimating her, Miss Erika.</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha ha ha! A
greenhorn like her cannot hope to seriously stand on my level. What
does she even know about magic?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">She
believes to know magic a lot more than you do, Miss Erika.</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "And that's
exactly what's so hilarious! But don't you worry, Dlanor, I won't let
my self-esteem cloud my own judgment. This will be extremely
entertaining!!!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Floating in this
weightless environment, we move closer to the one who summoned us.
When we are at about ten meters from her, we stop. She must be at
least a bit surprised that I am in no way discomforted by the lack of
gravity. Much to her disappointment, I am still as graceful and
elegant as ever.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Welcome,
great detective! Welcome, Erika Furudo! Welcome to my realm! Today
you're my precious guest. Enjoy your stay, while you still can. Ah ha
ha ha ha!!!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What a hideous, haughty
laughter! But I am not so easily swayed by such petty provocations; I
answer with a courteous smile.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I thank you
for this warm welcome... but who do I have the pleasure to be the
guest of? If I may ask? *giggle*"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Oooh? Has my
appearance changed so much that you're unable to recognize me? I
expected more from a great detective!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Your human
vessel is of little concern to me at this moment. State your nature,
state the essence of your existence!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Very well, I
guess it's only appropriate for me to introduce myself properly. You
have the honor to stand in the presence of Maaya, the witch of
power!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And so she confirms it,
the unforeseen and delightfully welcomed twist of this day is that
Maaya Teramoto is a witch. And the being that stands before me is no
other but her meta-self, the incarnation in a higher plane of the
illusory image that she created to exalt her true nature.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "It is a
pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maaya, witch of power... Your
title intrigues me. Would you mind to indulge my curiosity?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Is that
enlightenment that you ask, human? I shall consider it the last wish
of a convicted to death."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I came to
know many witches in my life, and I'm familiar with several of their
different kinds, but this is the first time I meet a witch of power."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "You've never
met the real deal then, ah ha ha ha ha!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "'Witch of
power', that's quite high-sounding, isn't it?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Impressed?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I would, if
I wasn't used to the inflated ego of witches and their fancy words.
Take 'witch of origin', for example. That's just an euphemism for one
who creates stories out of thin air. And take 'witch of endless',
that's just a title for those who can daydream forever while
accomplishing nothing. So you're a witch of power, but what does that
actually mean?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Very
amusing, do not lump me together with those failures! Being a witch
of power means to be destined to command humans, create empires and
rule over them!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I see, it
makes sense. I guess it's quite fitting for your case."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Do you
understand my greatness, human?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I understand
that a witch of power is a fancy name for one who doesn't have any
power of her own."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As soon as I complete my
statement, a blue dart made of pure energy materializes in front of
me. In a single instant, it bolts forward aiming at Maaya's forehead.
It is as fast as a bullet, and as much as deadly, but its target
doesn't flinch, she just reacts with a slightly surprised and amused
expression.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The dart impacts an
invisible barrier and disintegrates. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I expected that much, she
won't be defeated so easily. This was just a test, I just probed her
defenses.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Ah ha ha ha
ha! I didn't imagine you would attack so quickly! If you're so eager
to measure yourself with me, you just need to ask, great detective!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "*giggle*
*giggle* That was just a little demonstration."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Is that so?
Then allow me to give you a demonstration of what true power is!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">With an imperious
flourish she raises her eyes and right arm towards the turbulent
clouds above. Her open palm seems to be ready to grasp the universe
itself. I feel a bit ashamed of myself for admiring the perfection of
her posture, but she literally radiates mightiness.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Chosen ones,
heed my call! Grant me your strength, grant me your power! Enter in
communion with the mystical circle and become one! Let your energies
flow, let them pour onto me! Sustain me! Support me! Obey me! By
yourself you are nothing, together we can move mountains and tear
oceans asunder! I can take your single strengths and multiply them
together. Follow my light and you shall know greatness!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The eleven pillars react
to Maaya's invocation. The magical inscriptions have started to glow
of a bright red color. They pulsate at steady intervals. I hear a
rumble, it is getting louder. The swirling, formless mass outside the
spherical hall is raging with an impressive strength. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Then I see sparks.
Electrical discharges begin to spiral around the pillars, they move
swiftly like centipedes.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Come!
Release your energies! Relinquish them onto me! Open the gates of
your minds! Set yourself free from the shackles of the material
world! There is so much untapped power in your spirits! Do not let it
go to waste! Let it flow onto me, and with it I shall create our
paradise! Follow me, and I'll show you wondrous worlds beyond your
imagination! Fantasy! Excitement! Power!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Then, suddenly, with a
thunderous roar eleven energy streams trace arcs from the tips of
each pillar to the center of Maaya's open hand. They are connected. A
tremendous amount of power flows inside the body of the mistress of
this world. She screams and laughs overflown by the excitement. The
eleven streams flutter restlessly producing shrieking sounds, they
look like living beings desperately trying to escape a predator's
grasp.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Power!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She is completely
inebriated.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Unfettered
power! Boundless power! Unstoppable power! Overwhelming power! Ah ha
ha ha ha!!!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At last she regains
control over herself, and while still drawing energy from the
pillars, she directs her eyes and her attention on me once again.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Are you
observing, detective? Are you witnessing my strength? Are you still
unimpressed?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Why? It is
as I said, this is just borrowed power."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "And what of
it? The ability to draw power from external sources is a power in
itself, and a great one at that! You might as well point out the fact
that a human doesn't have fangs and claws, but how is that of any
importance when he can wield far deadlier weapons? You might even
have some kind of peculiar talent for yourself, detective, but you're
just a single pathetic being, while I... I have legions at my
commands! You are a maggot, a vermin! And I shall crush you like the
puny bug that you are!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ah ha ha ha!
You might have a point indeed, the power you're playing with right
now is a lot greater than anything that I can muster from my own
spirit. Truly frightening! However you'll soon realize what a fragile
being is he who relies on something other than his own self! But
before we begin this fight, let me check one thing. You claim to be a
witch, but which is the witch that acknowledged you?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Oh? What are
you talking about?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Just as I
thought, you're pretty new to this, aren't you?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Hmph! Spare
me your clumsy attempts to insult me, human!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "As a rule a
new witch needs to be acknowledged by a witch from the senate. Oh
well... considering your strong will, you're probably under the
protection of the witch of certainty."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Ha ha! I
have no need for such trivialities! But if that's really a tradition
among witches, so be it. I don't dislike that: certainty! Very well,
I shall destroy you with absolute certainty! Ha ha ha ha!"</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "My my!
Certainty sure is great, but I'm under the protection of the witch of
miracles, and miracles can defy even an absolute will! Just like
scissors always win against paper, miracles always win against
certainty!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "A miracle!
Ah ha ha ha! Yes, that's really the only way you can hope to defeat
me! Begin to pray!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I wouldn't
laugh, if I were you, you might be able to witness a miracle pretty
soon."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Now I'm even
more certain that victory will smile upon me. I have no reason to
fear those who rely on miracles."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Fool, you
despise what you don't even understand! Do you even know what's at
stake? I'm a slayer of witches, and there's one just in front of me.
Do you understand what does it mean to be killed in this place? If I
succeed, Maaya, the witch of power, will die. And then only an empty
shell will remain, just an average student of a third rate high
school, wasting her time with worthless rituals and anachronistic
superstitions!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "That goes
for you too! What would remain of you, if the great detective Erika
Furudo were to die by my hands? What kind of pathetic being would be
left in her place?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Why don't
you try to find that out by yourself? Assuming that you can, of
course. *giggle* *giggle*"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "One of us
will be slain today! Will it be the witch of power Maaya, or will it
be the great detective Erika? I already know the answer to that
question!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What a
coincidence! I know that too!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Ah ha ha ha
ha!!!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha ha ha
ha!!!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Together with her
laughter, the witch of power unleashes part of her energy into a
powerful electric discharge. The entirety of the gigantic spherical
hall is ravaged by a violent thunderstorm. Myriads of lightnings,
with erratic and unpredictable trajectories, are thrown at the speed
of light all around. There are so many of them that they almost fill
the whole place, and I need to give my all in order to avoid being
skewered. I barely make it, literally grazing most of them. I must
admit it, this is really impressive. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So this is how Maaya
plays. She knows that she has energy to spare, and she doesn't shy
from making use of it with unfocused multiple attacks on a large
scale. Terrifying...</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I quickly look behind me
to check Dlanor's status. She is fine, for now, it looks like my
furniture is sturdy enough to withstand such degree of power.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha ha ha...
This is fun! It's as if I'm against the blinded rage of the natural
elements themselves! Are you fine, Dlanor?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I
believe I can manage this level, somehow...</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "So this is a
witch of power!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">She
is stronger than I had predicted.</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Strength!
Sure, she's got that aplenty! But it takes more than that to defeat
me. Raw power alone is nothing against my superior intellect!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor smiles, in a way
that I rarely see on her face. This is what she becomes whenever she
is involved in a real battle. It is as if she turns into a different
being. The usual self-restrained and analytical demeanor of my
companion has been overridden by adrenaline and excitement. Nothing
can move her soul more than the prospect of a fight. She is, after
all, Death Sentence Dlanor. Slaying evil witches is her raison
d'être.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I think it's
time to bring forth and wield our weapons. Don't you think so?"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Let
us give her a taste of what a true battle is!</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A single mental command,
and immediately an ethereal red longsword materializes in Dlanor's
right hand. Similarly a blue shortsword appears in the other. Those
are my companion's favorite tools of destruction. Also called the
'red key' and the 'blue key', they are blades made of pure energy who
can cut through every illusion with the power of truth. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As for me, I have a quite
different taste. I extend my arm forward, and calling upon my inner
power, I visualize in my mind the shape of the weapon that I wish to
brandish. The raw matter of the metaworld gathers following my
desires and quickly forms a long stave. Then from its farthest end a
protrusion, perpendicular to it, begins to enlarge. It spreads and
broadens tracing a curve and emitting an intense blue glow. A few
little decorations to please my aesthetic sense and my work is
complete. Ominous, splendid, and awe-inspiring, my scythe is ready to
fell my enemy and drink her blood. I swing it left and right a few
times to test its balance. Perfect. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Are you
trying to impress me with your primitive tools? Oh, but I see that
even that thing that you always bring with you has thorns. I almost
didn't realize that she was here. You must pardon me for ignoring her
until now, what a terrible host I am! Let me make it up for that by
providing her with a suitable playmate!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Uh? What is
she..."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">...</span>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya changes her
posture, she no longer focuses on draining and releasing energy.
Instead she raises her eyes and arms above, with the palms open in
the act of receiving blessing from the higher planes. With the grace
of a divine being, she begins to perform strange and complex
movements with her hands, in a mysterious, ritualistic manner.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin,
Geneon, Domol!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Her invocation begins. I
can feel already the pressure of the spiritual energy flowing towards
and all around her.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Spirits of
the land, of the seas and of the heavens, grant me, I pray, the power
to conceive in my mind and to execute that which I desire to do, the
end of which I would attain by your help!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Something very mysterious
is happening. Maaya's words are resonating with the eleven pillars.
They start to vibrate and echo her words.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maaya: "Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin,
Geneon, Domol!"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>"Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat, Anabotas, Jesubilin, Scigin,
Geneon, Domol!"</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Like a chorus they
answer, their voices fill the entire hall.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Maaya:
"Spirits of the land, of the seas and of the heavens, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I
entreat you to inspire the bearer of storms to manifest before me,
that he may give me true and faithful answer, so that I may
accomplish my desired end!"</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">
"This I command, in the name of Maaya, the witch of power!"</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"...Anabotas,
Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Answer the call! Obey the spirits that bind you, Lord of the
southwestern wind!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Master</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">
of all fevers and plagues, grinning dark angel of the four wings!"</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"...Anabotas,
Jesubilin, Scigin, Geneon, Domol!"</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Hear my invocation! Your name I call!"</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Astrachios,
Asach, Asarca, Abedumabal, Silat..."</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="CENTER" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The
spiritual pressure has increased to unimaginable proportions. A
furious wind is blowing with unnatural strength.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Maaya:
"Pazuzu! Pazuzu! Pazuzu!"</span></span></span></span>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2013/04/chapter-5-i.html">next-></a></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-28489324936068161812012-12-22T13:23:00.002+00:002012-12-29T21:30:20.235+00:00Happy Higanbana to everyone!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-10443506580445190212012-12-21T22:00:00.000+00:002012-12-25T01:49:27.221+00:00Chapter 5 (g)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-f.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-f.html"><<span style="font-size: small;">-p<span style="font-size: small;">r<span style="font-size: small;">ev</span></span></span></a></span><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I step inside my enemy's
lair. I am welcomed by dozens of dancing flames. Excitement and
anxiety saturate the air. The eleven first year students are already
sitting around the magic circle. They left a spot for me, almost on
the opposite side from where Teramoto is standing. She is just
between the circle and the triangle, with the statue of Pazuzu right
behind her. Surrounded by these flickering lights it almost looks
alive, a true demon standing by his mistress' side. Tremendous,
powerful, bloodcurdling.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">An eloquent gesture of
Teramoto invites me to sit down. At the same time one of her lackeys
shuts the door as much as its poor state allows. We are now isolated
from the rest of the world, the rules and the laws that work out
there are left behind. Here, in this place, anything is possible.
Nobody is saying that, but it can be felt, like an invisible shroud,
masterfully woven by Teramoto and her friends, enveloping us all.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is a lot better than
I thought, in spite of the lame premises, this doesn't look
amateurish at all. Under the bright light of the day, in a mundane
environment, it is very easy to make fun and laugh of the occult. But
here and now, in the midst of this otherworldly atmosphere, it is
finally a real challenge. And I feel a chill in my bones, a growing
restlessness in my nerves, and deep inside my barren heart I feel
grateful. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am so glad I issued
this challenge!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am so glad to be here!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am so glad I can
experience this ritual in person, with my own eyes!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I sit down on my assigned
spot, I am now part of the spectators, and the show can begin.
Teramoto nods once, with an ostensibly confident smile.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Behold,
chosen ones! Now that you are all assembled around the mystical
circle, the great seer will speak! She is going to reveal the occult
truth of this school. Listen with care, and remember! Do not speak
carelessly of what you will hear and see. The secrets that you are
about to learn are not meant for the clueless men to hear!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto claps her hands
twice, and then she extends her arms to the sides. It is beginning.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Teramoto:
"</span>My name is Maaya Teramoto..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Her
voice echoes calm and authoritative.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto:
"...I am the heir of a family of Shinto priests. The spirit
world is vast and mysterious, and originally it was powerful and
strongly tied to this land. Spirits dwelt in every place, they were
all around us and we called them kami. Our ancestors... <span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have listened to these
words before. This is the same long monologue that she recited during
the interrogation of two days ago. She must have repeated it dozens
of times for the past two years. I don't think that she actually
memorized every single word, but it must be pretty close to that. If
there are differences from what I listened to before, they must be
minimal.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "In the
beginning I was unhinged, I had never perceived such an overwhelming
power before..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is the part where
she describes the first time she came to this school, allegedly
perceiving the presence of the demon Pazuzu. Once again she claims
that she fell ill, and that she had to stay home for a while. That
part must be true somehow, it would be too risky for her to state
something that her classmates can deny, but of course it was probably
just a flu or another mundane disease.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Damn, I feel this strange
'pull' again... I don't know how else to define it. It is like a
gravitational force slowly dragging me away. Away from where? An
towards what? This is ridiculous! And yet it is getting stronger...</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "And in
that fierce attack many perished, including several students of this
school!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Am
I the only one who is noticing this? I take a quick look at the other
girls sitting around the magic circle, and I almost choke. They
are... raptured. Is this Teramoto's true power? This is way too
abnormal. I understand that this is a very suggestive setting, and
this is the place where a true murder occurred. This must have a very
strong effect on them, but the way they are reacting is too much.
Why? They should be giggling and sneering at this pathetic story! It
makes no sense, it is full of holes, and it isn't even that
interesting! Can they really start believing in demons and spirits so
easily? This is the third millennium, and they are not kids anymore!
How is this possible?!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "The demon
of the southwestern wind!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Suddenly a rumble, a sort
of quite vibration, can be heard. It is as if the demon reacted to
Teramoto's call, and in fact I am quite sure that it came from that
statue that stands right behind her. Did I just imagine that?
Teramoto keeps talking as if nothing happened. I see no reactions
from the club members either, but as for the other young girls, the
chosen ones of today's ritual, it seems that they noticed. They look
a bit confused, they must be wondering just like myself: 'did I
really hear that? Was it real or just my mind playing tricks?'</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "And once
again he was back to the material world!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The material world. She
uses different terms, but perhaps her cosmology isn't that different
from mine. She says 'material world', I say 'world of humans'. She
says 'spiritual world', I say 'metaworld'. Could it be...?</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "His
revival was at hand, after thousand years of oblivion!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The way she speaks is
different from that other time. She is a lot more passionate, like a
leader from the past talking to the masses and inflaming their
spirits. Indeed, she is like a modern Joan of Arc. Yes, this is a
fitting comparison, I must say. Does she know what kind of fate
awaits her? Perhaps she does, she is no fool, not completely. Maybe
her hubris persuaded her that she can defy karma itself.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This dragging force is
driving me mad! It is a vortex now, a maelstrom! My head aches!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teromoto: "Mysterious
incidents occurred, chaos and discord spread among the students..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Is it me or the lights
are changing? Aren't they dancing in a less erratic way? No, it isn't
even a figure of speech anymore. They are... literally... dancing... </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">They are wobbling and
wavering and bouncing synchronized to a silent tune. Or perhaps it is
Teramoto's flow of words that to them sounds like some kind of music.
They are swirling merrily around the vortex, ring around, ring
around... kagome kagome!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "And this
is why we need to perform the ritual. This is why your power is
necessary!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Are we already at the
end? Wasn't there more that she needed to tell? Or did I miss it? Am
I losing perception of the passing time? I can no longer concentrate.
What in the world is happening, right at this crucial moment? Stop
circling around me! Stop pulling me!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Everyone
raise your hands!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "Lend me
your power! Together we can defeat the demon! Together we can bend
him to our will!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lies! You just want to
harness his power! It is your will that you want him to bend to: the
demon, and all of us! All of us!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto: "Let the
ritual begin!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Behold!
The great seer is about to reveal her true self!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She is going to take that
cloak off. Two of her lackeys get to her sides to assist her. What
exactly did she hide until now? What is this true self that she is
about to reveal? What kind of significance has that outfit that she
is wearing? Something comes to my mind, and yet it is hard to focus.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">She
once said that she is not a Shinto priestess.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Right! She pointed that
out, and she wanted to make that clear. I didn't give to that too
much importance back then, but now I wonder: what is she? What does
she define herself as? The garments she is wearing will reveal it. If
she was a Shintoist shrine maiden, she would be donning a red hakama.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">She
is wearing full length gloves, violet in color.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That doesn't fit with
anything from Japanese folklore, nor from anything of Asian origin,
as far as I can tell. Is she a medium? A demonologist? A summoner?</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">...</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I know, Dlanor, I am
running in circle, like those many dancing flames.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am one with them,
swirling and closing in, to the center.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She is going to reveal,
what she is, her true self.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The black cloak is
removed, the curtain is being raised.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The opening of a new
dream, a new world.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The truth that I have
been waiting for.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She is what I should have
expected.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A fitting master for a
demon.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just like my hated enemy.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A beautiful western
dress.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A pointy hat.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Twisting, spinning.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Falling...</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">Reality
alteration detected. Rationality limits have been breached.
Anchorings to the physical world have been severed. Impossible to
restore.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Prepare for
battle, Dlanor, this is a declaration of war."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">I
am unable to identify the source, this is not a registered
identification code.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "This place
is different..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">Current
location confirmed to be somewhere in the sea of fragments... I am
unable to provide further specifications.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I've never
seen a metaworld like this before. The attacker isn't Beatrice, not
this time."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">Agreed.
It is probably her.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "To think
that she had already reached this level. Isn't this a pleasant
surprise?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dlanor:
"</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;"><span lang="en-US">Miss
Erika, the fact that she was able to create her own world on this
plane of existence can only mean one thing.</span></span><span lang="en-US">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Of course,
Dlanor, I know. At this point there is no longer any doubt."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are no walls,
ceiling or floor. This is just a swirling pulsating mass, a storm in
the fabric of the sea of fragments. I am finally at the center of the
vortex, at last. This is what has been trying to drag me in for the
last few minutes, and it succeeded. As I float forward, to an
unspecified destination, the foamy mist surrounding me slowly clears
up. I start to see in the distance a vaguely discernible space. It is
a sort of giant spherical hall, with no visible boundaries. I can
tell it is a sphere, because the nebulous raw matter of the metaworld
is swirling all around it. If I had to compare this to something
existing in the world of humans, this would be a quasar. In other
words this is a primordial existence, a potential universe still in
the making.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are objects down
there, some kind of pillars. As I get closer I notice that they are
covered in cuneiform inscriptions, most likely magical formulae of
some sort. There are eleven of them, and they are displaced all
around the perimeter, forming a circle. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is someone at the
center, the mistress of this world. She is waiting.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-h.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">next-></span></span></a></div>
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<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-45303495301707652082012-12-15T11:18:00.000+00:002012-12-22T13:27:16.350+00:00Follow your desires!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click to enlarge:</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/happy-higanbana-to-everyone.html">next-></a></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-62705805847000029692012-12-08T21:15:00.000+00:002012-12-15T11:20:23.825+00:00Joyful music!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click to enlarge:</span><br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/follow-your-desires.html">next-></a></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-9682305313388731262012-12-06T11:33:00.001+00:002012-12-21T22:03:47.683+00:00Chapter 5 (f)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/11/chapter-5-e.html"><<span style="font-size: small;">-p<span style="font-size: small;">r<span style="font-size: small;">ev</span></span></span></a></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I swear, if they repeat
their rules another time, I am going to scream. And they were even
mad at me because I was late. When will this pathetic ritual start?
It is almost 6:00 pm, we should move already.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At least the eleven first
year students aren't chitchatting and giggling anymore, the four
occultism club members did a good job at scaring them. I bet they
were properly trained for this, their expressions are dead serious.
This is yet another proof that Teramoto isn't simply an amateur. She
must have learned the tricks of the trade somehow. I am suspecting
more and more that what her club really is about is not occultism
itself, but the strategies and techniques to create successful cults.
I cannot even count the many new sects that have plagued Japan for
the past years. The lack of a truly dominant religion makes it easier
to manipulate weak willed individuals into joining new religions.
There is never a shortage of fools in this world. If my hunches are
correct, Teramoto's ambition is to create her own cult, and
considering her personality, I am sure she is a lot more pragmatic
than what her crazy talks suggest. So, in other words, she must have
studied how all those new religions were made, how they spread, and
how they prospered. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is still light, the
days are becoming longer, but the sun is already close to the
horizon. It will be night very soon, and darkness is the occultism's
best ally. The upcoming fight is going to happen in the worst
possible conditions for me, but that only makes it more exciting. I
think it is only fair to give some kind of advantage to Teramoto, she
is by far the most inexperienced between the two of us.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The tense and yet
disturbingly still atmosphere suddenly livens up as soon as a dark
human figure is spotted moving towards us. The first year students
immediately start whispering between themselves again, but the
authoritative voice of a senior club members promptly silences them.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The one who is coming is
Teramoto herself, but I can only tell with certainty now that she is
close enough. She is strangely clad in a black cape that covers her
whole body from the head to the feet. I can barely see her face. No
doubt this is all part of her show, and that is very impressive.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto comes to us
walking slowly, without saying a word, without any unnecessary
movements. She radiates an otherworldly presence, and that noticeably
causes uneasiness on the young girls. She always had that proud air
about her, but now she is almost terrifying, as if she wasn't even
human. That is certainly the kind of impression that she wants to
give, and from the look of it, it is working. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "The
great seer has come! Everyone salute her as you were instructed!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Following that command,
all the girls respectfully bow, while joining their hands to form a
triangle in front of their chests. This is another fine touch from
Teramoto. I feel a little stupid by performing this pointless
greeting, but, as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It
doesn't hurt, it is just very lame, but if I tried to disrupt her
'magic' at this point, I would look like a loser, just like Nagaoka.
I need to defeat her inside her own territory, that is the only way.
Satsukawa awkwardly mimics us, while showing a decidedly disconcerted
expression.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Great
seer! The twelve chosen young maidens are ready to partake in the
mystical ritual, please grant us your protection!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto reacts with a
barely noticeable smile. She then extends one of her arms, bringing
it outside of her coat. Her hand is holding a dozen of protective
charms, but that is not what catches my attention. I knew already
about this part, those trinkets are supposed to protect us from the
evil influence of the demon or something. Garbage.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rather, why is she
wearing full length gloves? It makes me wonder... what else is that
coat hiding? Is this some kind of cosplay? Another of her personal
touches?</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She must be wearing some
kind of strange outfit, which explains why she is donning that black
coat. She probably doesn't want to be seen wearing that outside, but
I bet she will take it off once inside the shed.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "These
protective charms were imbued with a powerful magic. As long as they
are with you, the evil presence inside the shed won't harm you. All
of you, take one, and don't let go of them for any reason! The
consequences will be dire, should you be careless!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If she usually wears that
costume... then one of the mysteries that bugged me for the last few
days suddenly can be explained. With those gloves she is not going to
leave any fingerprints. No wonder we didn't find any, and no wonder
she never worried about that. This is quite convenient for her, but I
guess this is just a fortuitous coincidence. This girl isn't just
clever, she is also very lucky.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I take the charm that is
being offered to me, and, just as I imagined, it isn't anything
particularly elaborated. This is probably just one of the cheapest
charms that Teramoto's family sells. Mixing Japanese and western
folklores... Beatrice would probably turn on her grave, if she was in
one. And yet this isn't exactly wrong from the perspective of a
proselytizer. Syncretism is fairly common, and it is especially
effective on the most superstitious individuals.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "We
will now proceed to the haunted place. Follow the great seer
quietly!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto nods slightly.
She still hasn't opened her mouth. Everything about her is pretty
unsettling, and the young students are visibly affected by that. They
are not going see any spirits nor demons today, but this figure clad
in black, to their eyes, is probably as much as scary.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Finally we start walking
towards the abandoned shed. Teramoto guides us through the deserted
school grounds, under a bright red sky. She is the pied piper and we
are the rats, but the only sounds that can be heard are those of our
footsteps.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is something in the
air, I can smell it. This is the 'smell' of magic, and it is strong.
This is the strange sensation that I feel whenever a lie is
elaborated enough to challenge rationality and common sense. I would
have never thought that I would experience it again, and this is
merely the beginning. If this gets stronger, it might break the
boundaries between reality and illusion... Just like when Teramoto
narrated that strange story in the gym, I feel like I am being pulled
inside her world. There is a whirlpool around her, and it is calling
me. I am moving towards its center, slowly but surely. It looks calm
now, but it will get stronger later; it might become too much for me
to handle. I must not get close, I must stand my ground. This is the
world of humans; magic, spirits, demons, do not exist.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We have arrived, the
abandoned shed is just before us. This is supposed to be exactly like
every other gathering that was arranged in the past, but something is
clearly different. In order to proceed, we need to trespass the
police tape. In addition, I probably won't see the 'open sesame'
trick, today. The door is still broken and there is no nothing to
unlock.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto and the club
members stop and look in the direction of Satsukawa.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Do we
have your permission, Satsukawa-san?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Strangely
enough... you do."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That place was analyzed
and combed enough, after all. There is nothing important to preserve
anymore. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto and the club
members nod to each others, and then they proceed, passing below the
tape.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I can't help giggling
when I think that normally it was the demon who allegedly made
possible to enter inside the shed. Today that role fell on Satsukawa.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto lingers for a
while in front of the half-opened door. She moves her hand forward,
as if probing for some kind of invisible force, and concentrates.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Teramo</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">to:
"</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>E-nu-ma
e-liš la na-bu-ú šá-ma-mu! Šap-liš am-ma-tum šu-ma
la zak-rat!</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The first words Teramoto
speaks are in some kind of language that I don't recognize. For all I
know this could be just gibberish, but it is elaborated enough to
sound authentic. I have no idea where did she get that from, nor what
is the actual meaning of her utterances, but it further strengthened
the otherworldly atmosphere that surrounds her. Even if nobody
understood her words, everyone was fooled into thinking that Teramoto
spoke to the demon, and that is the image that she wanted to convey.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She is breaking the
barriers of skepticism and common sense one by one, and she still
hasn't showed us anything yet. All that she needs is a bit of doubt.
A small crack can turn into a giant hole and eventually cause the
destruction the whole wall.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Teramoto enters first,
and she is soon followed by three of her lackeys. The remaining stays
behind, probably to give us instructions. She is the one who spoke
before and ordered us around. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am very curious to see
how Teramoto is going to react now that she is back to the abandoned
shed, after all that has happened. It has been more than week and it
lost its red color, but the blood stain is still visible there right
at the center of the magic circle. It is a rather morbid view. I have
seen it already, but if this is the first time for her, she can't
really remain unfazed. They say that the killer always returns to the
scene of the crime, and in a cliched detective story, that is usually
when he makes a fatal mistake. I don't think that is quite realistic,
but it would be quite fitting for Teramoto to betray herself in this
place during her ritual, if she was the murderer. Certainly there
would be quite a lot of powerful emotions struggling inside her
heart. However, I now realize that I can't reach any conclusions. I
see her hesitating for a while, looking at that blood stain, but
nothing more than that; I can't see her face well enough. I guess I
can't even conclude with certainty that she has never seen this place
since the day of the crime. She might have wanted to check the state
of the shed, before starting the preparations for this last ritual.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Enter
inside, quietly, one by one. Sit down around the magic circle, and
don't touch anything!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The three club members
inside are lighting the many candles scattered all around. The room
brightens, and it almost looks like a different place. This is the
first time that I see it well lit. It is an eerie light, but with so
many flames burning, it is quite luminous. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At this point the young
girls have completely lost any trace of hilarity. Even if not all of
them believe that a demon is residing in this shed, this is still the
place where one of their senior schoolmates was killed, and that is
not something they can carelessly laugh about. I mostly see fear and
uneasiness in their eyes now, but they know they can't turn back at
this point. They reluctantly enter inside, and timidly sit around the
magic circle as they were instructed.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "You
cannot be allowed inside!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Huh?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "You
would disrupt the balance required to perform the ritual with your
presence."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Why?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "You're a
man, that's why."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "I was
never informed about this..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "You
should've imagined that, seriously."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Well,
what am I supposed to do now?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "As long as
he remains outside, it's fine, right?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "Yes."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "You heard
her. Just remain here in front of the door. You might still be able
to listen."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa sighs and
shakes his head.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Come on!
I'll tell you everything afterwards. This is the only entrance,
anyway, it's not like I can go anywhere!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "I guess
I don't really have a choice, do I? Just promise you won't do
something crazy."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Define
crazy."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Do I
really need to explain? Rather... now that you asked that, I'm
worrying even more than before..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "That was
just a joke, relax! Did you forget? The door is broken, if there's an
emergency you can go inside."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "All
right, all right! I'll stay here..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club member: "The
ritual is about to start, all the chosen maidens must take position
around the magic circle..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Yeah, yeah,
I'm going. See you later, Satsukawa-san."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Don't
get eaten by a demon."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Very funny."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It is somehow comforting
the fact that he didn't lose his humor in spite of the situation.
This proves that Teramoto has still a long way before she can impress
adults with her strategies. I feel a bit stronger now.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Well then,
this is going to be exciting. Don't you think so, Dlanor?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">I
am ready.</span>"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "And so am I!
Let's go!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-g.html">next-></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-8510465923582153942012-12-01T14:20:00.002+00:002012-12-08T21:17:32.773+00:00It's fun to pretend!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/joyful-music.html">next-></a></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-87684770129505034602012-11-24T19:36:00.003+00:002012-12-01T14:24:23.720+00:00Playing with pets is fun!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The following images</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">contain spoilers about</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni: First Night"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487370731519354458.post-1059104740172437912012-11-22T02:42:00.000+00:002012-12-06T11:34:53.835+00:00Chapter 5 (e)<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/11/chapter-5-d.html"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><<span style="font-size: small;">-prev</span></span></a> </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: medium; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "We
separated briefly after that. Hitomi and I went ahead to our
classroom."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I stayed
behind to check Andou's bicycle. In the end we decided to bring it to
the lab, so we could work on it later."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "But you
didn't."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Not my
fault..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Once we
arrived at our classroom, Hitomi looked through the window, and after
a while she witnessed them going to the do-it-yourself club."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Jealous?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Nah... she
just spied on me so she could tease me later, which she did..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Nothing else
happened while the two of you were alone, Takamiya?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "We weren't
really alone, most of our classmates were already there..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I managed to
rejoin them just in time, before Nagaoka-sensei arrived. Then
homeroom started, and after that, it was just the usual boring stuff,
until lunch break."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "That's when
Hibari-san barged in our classroom."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Ah, I
remember that..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is yet another
particular that I missed.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Who was she
looking for? Gotsuji?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Who else?
She wanted to remind her that that day they were supposed to have
some kind of special training for whatever reason."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "And Gotsuji
had forgotten about that?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Typical of
her. An argument ensued because she didn't want to train until that
late, even though it was already decided."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Hibari
wanted to train until 6:00 pm, but Gotsuji wanted to end it 15
minutes earlier. Why?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Who
knows..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I guess...
she needed to meet someone..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "That's
right, she needed to meet someone at exactly 6:00 pm. And we all know
where she was supposed to meet that someone at, right?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I don't
understand. Why did she need to meet someone by that place? Why
didn't she tell anyone?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Wasn't it
because she wanted it to be a secret?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I just don't
understand. What kind of secret was she trying to protect? She's
always been the kind of person that would tell you everything
straight, and she wasn't ashamed of anything."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I think
there's a lot that she hid from you, Oda. Don't you think so,
Takamiya?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "That can't
be."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I think...
Furudo-san is probably right..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "What...
kh... I don't get it... I don't get this at all!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I already
know what happened after Hibari left. You ate lunch together, and
then there was that incident with Baba. Am I missing anything?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I don't
really remember anything strange about Hitomi, no matter how many
times I relive that day in my mind."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I've told
you about lunch..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "And I've
told you what happened after."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "And after
that?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "What else is
there to tell? We returned to our classrooms for the fifth period.
When regular classes ended, each went their separate ways."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "That was
the last time I saw Hitomi-chan..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I wish I
could say the same... damn it!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Then, let's
try to imagine what could've happened later."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "How am I
supposed to imagine that?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Just do it.
You knew Gotsuji, and I know many facts concerning this case. You
guys just tell me your theories. I'll tell you when they don't match
with facts."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "This is
pointless..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "It isn't.
Takamiya, would you like to start?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Takamiya: "Hmmm...
When did Hitomi leave the gym?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "According to
her club members, she ended training at 5:45 pm, and then she went to
the changing room with them. We can assume that she stayed there for
about 10 or 15 minutes."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Takamiya: "We can't
be certain she went directly to the shed..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Slash!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Takamiya: "Uh?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Slash?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Yeah, slash!
You're theory has been slashed! Would you mind to explain why,
Dlanor?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dlanor: "<span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace;">Miss
Hibari testified that she found the victim's message inside her
locker very shortly after 6:00 pm. Then she immediately rushed to the
abandoned P.E. shed, where she found Miss Gotsuji already dead.</span>"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Considering
this short time span, it's really unlikely that Gotsuji didn't go
there directly. Which is why your theory has been slashed!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "She's
acting crazy again..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "What the
hell is wrong with her?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "How rude!
Stop questioning my methods!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Why should I
even believe what Hibari said? She could be the one who killed
Hitomi!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "An
interesting theory, but consider what we reasoned about earlier.
Gotsuji was supposed to meet someone at 6:00 pm, while Hibari wanted
her to be still training at that time. So, in other words, she can't
be the one that Gotsuji was supposed to meet."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Well, okay
but... What if Hitomi was doing something wrong in that place and
Hibari found out?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "That's why I
said this is an interesting theory, but that still means Gotsuji went
there directly."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Well...
okay, but how can you be absolutely sure?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "It'd be too
long to explain, just trust that my deductions are absolutely true.
If you really can't, just pretend they are, for now."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "What the
hell is this... a game?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Takamiya,
what do you think? Is Hibari a plausible murderer?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm... I
don't know... I think Hitomi was really important for Hibari-san...
but if she did something wrong against Teramoto-san..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Then you
don't exclude this possibility."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She nods quietly.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is getting pretty
fun, I will play a bit with this theory with them.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Okay, let's
try to define better your Hibari culprit theory."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I'm not
saying that she must be the culprit..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I know. You
really are new to detective work, Oda, aren't you? In theory making
you first make assumptions and then you check if they match with the
facts."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I don't
really care about that stuff..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Let's say
that Hibari murdered Gotsuji, did she plan it beforehand?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm, that
wouldn't make sense..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Correct!
Then how did she find where Gotsuji was?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Maybe she
became suspicious that Hitomi insisted so much to end her training
earlier, so she followed her."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That wouldn't be
possible, if she really remained in the gym with Yuu Azuma, but Yuu
Azuma could be an accomplice. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What about
the mysterious person Gotsuji needed to meet?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Maybe Hibari
arrived first."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm, are
we really so sure that Hitomi needed to meet someone there?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Oh, that's
an interesting idea. Elaborate."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "It's just a
thought but... maybe the shed was her objective, and she wanted to
get done before it was too dark."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Well that's
not bad. It might work, if whatever she was planning to do was
something quick. It was already dusk at that time."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Wait a
moment. Where did that message come from?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "There's a
possibility that Gotsuji wrote that message for a completely
different occasion. Let's just disregard this issue for the time
being. Takamiya, please continue."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Wait... wait
just a moment. This is wrong. Why do we need to imagine the last
moments of our friend?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Why not?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Why not?
This is simply insane!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "There must
be a lot of confusion in your mind, Oda. You want to know what
happened, but you don't want to think about it. How exactly do you
expect to learn the truth, if you're not ready to face its darkest
side? Well, it's not like I don't understand you, a long time ago I
was also like that, but that's absolutely irrational."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "I... I
know... it's just..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What about
you, Takamiya? Don't you want to know what happened? Are you afraid
to learn the truth?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">She takes a few seconds
to reflect, her face is like a mask made of stone.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I'll do
it."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Hey... are
you sure? I've seen what happened there with my eyes already, but
you..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I'll do
it."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Good.
Imagine the scene within your mind. Gotsuji is in front of the shed,
unknowing that Hibari is following her. What next?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "... Hitomi
opens the door... she must've found a way to open it."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I see. What
is she looking for?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I don't
know. Something that she isn't supposed to take... or see..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "That will
suffice for now, we can learn what it is later. But Hibari is
watching her."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "She has
seen enough. She goes inside the shed as well, and catches Hitomi
red-handed."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Go on."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hibari is
very angry, but Hitomi isn't the kind of person that would simply
apologize. An argument ensues..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Let's stop
this..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Continue."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hitomi
wants to walk away, but Hibari doesn't want to let her go that
easily, she physically prevents her from leaving the shed."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "In other
words they come to blows."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm... I
don't know who attacks who first."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You are almost there,
Takamiya. You are almost there.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What happens
next?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hibari is
very angry, she isn't in her right mind anymore. She takes the
nearest object that can be used as a weapon."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What is that
weapon?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Wouldn't
that be the sword?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Slash! Your
theory is rejected!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Uh? Why?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What is that
weapon, Takamiya? Come on, you should know it!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "A hammer...
I guess..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Correct! The
victim was first struck by a hammer! So? Go on! Please, do tell me!
What happens next?!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hibari
realizes what she has just done. After thinking it over, she decides
to tamper with the scene to make it look like the demon did it."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Slash!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Uh..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Gotsuji is
simply lying unconscious on the ground. Sure that was an awful thing,
but is that a reason enough to kill her? Hibari isn't risking that
much even if what she has just done comes to light."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "She's
stupid, so..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Slash!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Why?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "'The culprit
was stupid, that's why she did it!' Are you kidding me? Who's going
to accept such a sloppy explanation?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "But Hibari
is that stupid! Damn... why am I even going along with this?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Maybe she
thought that Hitomi was already dead..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Well, now
that's more acceptable, but still a bit lame."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Sumomo...
stop this. This is ridiculous. Hibari isn't a murderer. You're
getting dragged in that woman's unsavory games."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Well, if it
isn't a sudden change of heart! You're the one who first said that
Hibari might be the culprit!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Shut up!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Sumomo!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "You're
right, Meito-kun... We shouldn't imagine such things without proofs."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "You're not
accusing anyone, you're just using your imagination. Proofs aren't
necessary at all!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "That's still
wrong!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha! Ha... ah
ha ha ha... Why don't you tell that to all those damn goats..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Huh?! What
the hell are you talking about?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "There
you are!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The angry cop finally
appears. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I am very glad
it happened later. I can say that I am pretty much satisfied at this
point.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "I've
been looking for you everywhere!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "I knew
it... she escaped again..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Huh? Again?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "What's the
matter, Satsukawa-san? I've been here all of this time waiting for
you. I wasn't hiding or anything."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "No... you
were definitely hiding..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Just
tell me you didn't cause any damage this time..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Like I said,
I never moved from here. I was just having a pleasant chat with these
two. Right?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Well... it
wasn't really pleasant, but everything else is true..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Yeah... she
didn't do anything particularly strange..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "*Sigh*...
What about your challenge with Teramoto, Erika? We're already late."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Oh, don't be
silly! There's still plenty of time! But, whatever, I guess it's time
for me to show up."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satsukawa: "Then
let's go... and don't try to escape again!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Where do you
think I'll go, anyway? Sorry, it was really entertaining, Oda,
Takamiya, but as you can see I must go. I'm going to crush Teramoto
and all of her lies under my heel. Her reign of falsehoods and
deceits will end today. Aren't you thrilled?"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "If you can
really do that..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I will.
That's a certainty!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meito: "Then, show
no mercy..."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "Ha ha ha!
You don't need to tell me that!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sumomo: "Hmmm, I
also think that Teramoto must be stopped. I'll be cheering for you.
Good luck, Furudo-san."</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Erika: "I need no
luck, but thank you for your moral support. Just leave it to me. When
tomorrow you'll come back, this will be another school. Let's go,
Satsukawa-san!"</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://janpoolab.blogspot.it/2012/12/chapter-5-f.html">next-></a></div>
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Jan Poohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161367559594321749noreply@blogger.com6