A Cosmic Journey
A/N: Happy Monday to everyone, and Happy Chinese New Year to those that celebrated it. And though I am not an avid fan of the sport, I would still like to say that the sudden death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was a great loss of life, and something that will be felt for a long time. Getting this chapter done was tough with both classes and work kicking my ass, so sorry for the late release, but hopefully the writing is still up to snuff. Now for reviews, and finally, finally to the initiation.
HoldMyFOOF: Silly you, a plain old foxhole wouldn't save you if both groups were fighting one another within five miles of you. It'd likely take something the level of a presidential bunker to stay protected. As for your late night science calculations, I definitely appreciate the idea, we'll have to see if it ends up fitting into the story. Hopefully your sleep-deprivation was self-imposed and harmless, 'cause I know how much insomnia can suck at times.
Raidentensho: They say there's nothing that causes faster bonding and following of orders than having to fight for your lives. Chances are though that Kouzai will try to get things patched up before it gets to that point though.
Bartholomew Black: Glad you think it's awesome, I'll do my best to make it so. Having fleshed-out characters should make the RWBY-JNPR dynamic more vivid than in canon, regardless of how their daily interactions go in the beginning.
R26: I did toy around with the idea of swapping up the partner assignments just to make things seem fresh, but I think that some of the appreciation of the subtle and less-than-subtle waves Kouzai has made might go unseen in terms of how different RWBY and JNPR could be. Also, Kouzai would likely try to do everything in his power not to rock the boat when it comes to the pairings, be it for logical reasons or to keep the Big 4 pairs together. As we all know though, no plan survives first contact.
PyromaniacRabbit: You make some goods, and it's true that Kouzai does plan to a perhaps excessive degree. Part of the contradiction though, and what makes him more personable, is that he is inherently aware that near-all of his advantages are quickly disappearing now that canon has arrived. Making expected changes as a result of your own plans is unsurprising, but it becomes tough to extrapolate new plans that arise from the chaos of those changes. Information like character personalities is extremely useful to him, but when those personalities appear to have undergone a drastic shift, it requires some deep thinking to figure out whether that information is still useful, and whether or not you're still the one in the driver's seat.
Oblivious IJ: I'm slightly concerned as to how that conclusion was drawn. In all seriousness though, I was referencing a conversation between Cinder and Salem back in Volume 3, with a couple twists thrown in.
AlexFalTon: Yeah, that change is one that was low on the priority ladder, and definitely outside the range of Kouzai's expectations. As for Weiss' reaction, I envision it as a kind of 'overprotective sibling' reaction, given that Qrow Branwen as we know him is not the most…elegant and refined of individuals. Just like in Volume 1 though, she'll likely find out that perfection is overrated when it comes to the expectations of others and herself. And I also read that fic as well, love how it's a fanfic of a fanfic. Now, are there individuals among RWBY and JNPR who may be considered mature?...Maybe. Do all eight of them have short fuses at times? Most definitely.
Rafafalafa: Apologies for the disorientation you experienced from my writing style. I am aware that some have considered the path this story has taken to be convoluted, confusing and perhaps downright incorrect. I believe that this fic's eccentricities add to it, instead of diminishing it. Hopefully you manage to come back to this fic once the dissonance has settled, but your feedback has been taken into account. It is about time for a tweaking of the fic description, so I might add a little something about the timelines in there.
Explosives Guest: Orbital bombardment does tend to solve most problems pretty well. However, to say the least, there are very few places on Remnant that Kouzai could hide where such a thing wouldn't drastically endanger his chances of survival.
Guest: I will assume, perhaps incorrectly, that two reviews were left by the same guest. In any event, thanks for the read and reviews, and I also hope this story's following continues to grow. As both a reader and now a writer, I can safely say that I'm quite torn now on the concept of artists and authors requiring a week between releases.
Van Der Linde: Well, Kouzai is the type of person that tends to walk the path less taken. When confronted by Yang both times, a hands-down fight would be the most common response to her actions. However, besides the uncertainty of whether Kouzai could even beat Yang, there's also the potential repercussions of such a thing and the question of whether it's even necessary in the first place. Better to take a punch if it'll make the argument go away, unless that punch happens to be spewing shotgun pellets. When it comes to certain characters like Raven, Adam and Cordo, Kouzai has little issue with taking the fight right to them on their turf. When it comes to more central characters like RWBY and JNPR though, he likely considers perpetuating any issues with them to be more trouble than it's worth.
Gizmo Gear: Well, I guess even when I'm slowing the pacing down, I'm still moving things along fast. And judging by the antics of ones like Qrow, Winter, Adam, etc., moodiness seems to extend well beyond the age of teenagers. As for anything you'd like to comment, I'll take it whether it's witty or not.
BrxkenArrow: Sorry if the start didn't turn out the way you were looking for, but I guess that what comes after it has been decently well-received. Hopefully what I've written so far is good enough to change your tune.
Chapter 20: It Takes Two
Chapter Date: 01/27/2020
beep
With the soft sound of my alarm, my eyes snapped open from beneath my shades, and I sat up to the brightening skies of Vale.
'Probably have seconds before…' I turned my head to catch an also-awakening Ren.
"Wake up lazy buds! It's morning, it's morning, it's morning, it's mooooorning!" And an already-awake Nora.
"Noooooo…"
"Five more hours..."
'And that's Miltia and Melanie up.' I noted the two miserable twins near me before regarding the hyperactive orange-haired girl. "Nora, how long have you been awake if you're already in your combat outfit?"
"Hey, Ren's already in his combat outfit too!" Nora replied, pointing at her tailcoat-and-white-pants-clad boyfriend.
"Yeah, but Ren's clothes are breathable enough to sleep in, which he did," I pointed out. Doing a quick sweep around me, I noticed that Pyrrha and Jaune were missing from our ensemble. "Where did our resident power couple get off to?"
"Oh, Pyrrha mentioned that she was planning to get some morning stretches in, and Jaune said he needed to get in a warmup jog," Nora recited.
"Hahhhh…ten Lien says they went to bang."
"Melanie! Don't be so crass…but yes, they likely snuck off."
"You won't see me taking that bet," I joked, taking note of the blush on Nora's face and quickly-reddening hue of Ren's. 'Guess they haven't gotten there themselves just yet.'
"It would be best if we saw to our own morning routines as well. I'm sure Jaune and Pyrrha will meet back up with us on their own time, whether it's individually or together." Ren managed to fight down his blush and start making his way towards the showers, eyed by a not-so-subtle Nora.
A quick shower later, and all of us were back in our combat outfits as we repacked our sleeping arrangements.
"Miltia, Melanie. You're both still wearing your dresses as your combat outfits?" I asked, exasperated at the showy attire both huntresses-in-training had on, which was a step above even what normal students chose to wear.
"Hey, nothing says that we can't kick ass and look good while doing it," Melanie countered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Besides, we already had our outfits remade with Huntsmen-grade fabrics and incorporated the modifications that you suggested we have."
"And oh, what a painful sacrifice you must've made," I breezed. Any further jabs were summarily forgotten as we entered the cafeteria, and I was introduced to a room with a ceiling nearly as ridiculously high as the Great Hall. Adding to the comparison was the frankly comical line of food by the wall, with foods for all mealtimes present in equally massive proportion. Including…
"PANCAKES!"
Nora was gone from our sides in seconds, along with an involuntarily-towed Ren, appearing by the stacks of flapjacks almost at the other end of the room.
"Does her appetite have any limit?" Miltia asked, mostly rhetorically as the twins shook the last of the sleep from their eyes.
"When it comes to pancakes, no," I put it simply. "When it comes to other foods…also no."
"Some people just get lucky, with semblances that convert calories into pure speed or muscle-strengthening electricity," Melanie pouted. "Or, you know, get semblances at all."
Both twins looked glum, and I drew upon my well of experiences of sucking compared to Nora and Ren. "A semblance isn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things for a huntsman or huntress. Things like combat abilities, knowledge, strategy and teamwork are more important in the field, and for you both to be accepted for Beacon's initiation means that you've got a pretty solid foundation even without a semblance. Well, except for the knowledge part."
"Jerk." Both twins punched my shoulders, then left for the buffet line with slight grins on their face. Rolling out my shoulders, I went to join them, grabbing a modest amount of food before heading to the table that Nora had claimed as her kingdom. By this point, Pyrrha and Jaune had seemingly appeared out of the aether to join the group.
"I still have no idea how you can stand eating only that much, especially with Aura's increased metabolism," Jaune commented, his plate stacked to chin level and at odds with Nora's tower of pancakes.
"Ahh, save it Vomit Boy," I grumbled, letting Jaune take the hit for a moment before laying it on. "I've already had this debate with Nora about a hundred times. Simply put, I'm of the party that works better when they're feeling just a bit of hunger, instead of being stodgy and slow. Besides, not all of us can be walking tanks that are banging on the regular."
I took the satisfaction of watching all of JNPR redden with great aplomb, as Miltia and Melanie snickered on my side of the table. Leaning down to take a mouthful of food, I heard Melanie's laughter die swiftly, and glanced at Miltia to see her also silent with her lips pursed in disapproval.
"What'd I miss?" I asked, raising my heading and peering around the great wall of Jaune at the cafeteria's entrance. There, at the doorway, walked in the four color-coded characters of RWBY. Similar to Nora, Ruby took one look at the piles of breakfast desserts available before speeding away, a protesting Weiss in arm. Yang was left chuckling, and behind her stood a smiling Blake, whose eyes swept the room for an empty table, before passing over and then returning squarely to my figure. I smiled what I hoped was disarmingly, but was predictably met with eyes that nearly turned to slits before the cat Faunus nodded slowly. Nodding in return, I watched Blake distract Yang away from searching the room as well before returning to my food, only then noticing that the table had gone silent in favor of staring at me.
"Uhh, is there something in my teeth?" I tried playing off the non-verbal exchange I'd just shared, but it appeared that six pairs of eyes weren't having it.
"Who was the broody girl standing by Tits McGee?" Melanie asked without preamble, and I had to stifle any laughter I might've had at Yang's description.
"Not sure. I just happened to see her, and I guess Yang and the others must've told her all about me, but she seemed amicable enough to try and avoid direct confrontation."
Nora groaned, leaning back with a hand over her eyes. "You've only been at Beacon for twenty-four hours, and you've already gotten four girls to hate you, one of whom you clearly have some kind of shady prior history with. Who else in our year are you going to alienate from our group? Poor Kouzai is gonna end up all alone at this rate!"
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," I said, taking the jab in stride. 'At least it drew the attention away from how I know her, for now at least.'
… … …
"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." I tuned out Ozpin temporarily, opting instead to focus on looking up and down the line at the other individuals on the launch pads. Towards the right were the majority of teams RWBY, JNPR and CRDL, while to the left were the twins, the rest of CRDL and others I didn't recognize.
'I guess that means we're the silhouettes from Volume 1,' I joked mentally as I returned my gaze back to Ozpin and Glynda in time for the explanation on partners.
"Each of you will be given teammates…today." An impressively audible whimper came from Ruby, though she seemed more reassured when Ozpin added the part about finding others with whom you could work well.
'Wait for it…'
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." I could almost hear the proverbial glass shattering, but the mutterings down the line on the left side were more insistent.
"This guy's nuts!" Melanie hissed, looking past Miltia at me. I could only shrug in response.
"Or, just really bored," I supplied, watching both twins get even paler than their natural skin color. 'With an immortal like Ozma, who knows what the reason is. Though given our placement order on these pads, there's likely less chance than we think."
"It's a good thing we had those modifications you suggested," Miltia added, and I held a finger to my lips, both as a clue to continue listening to Ozpin, and to avoid either of the twins from giving anything too important away.
WHOOM
Down the line the launch pads began activating, sending the trainees hurtling through the air.
"Good luck, you two. Remember what I said, and you should find each other without much issue." Both twins nodded dumbly in response, lost for words at the spectacle of watching over a dozen teenagers fly through the air at this point. "Oh, and remember what I said about a landing strategy? Yeah, this is the application."
"What? You never said-"
WHOOM
"Oh, you sonofa-"
WHOOM
'Ah, here we-'
WHOOM
'Gooooooooooo…' I righted myself, but still experienced the sensation of vertigo at being hundreds of feet in the air. 'You know, it has been over a year since I've last practiced my landing strategy, considering that I've been going without my eyesight for so long. Soooooo, I really hope this works.' Now descending at literal breakneck speeds, I guessed I had maybe five seconds before impact. In preparation, I pulled Mirror's Edge from behind and Aura-reinforced it. Flaring my Aura towards Burst and Chronometry as well, the world slowed as a clump of thinner trees approached.
'Gods, I hope this hurts less than Pyrrha made it look.' I leaned towards my left side, letting my armored left arm lead behind Mirror's Edge.'
CRACK
BANG
THUD
Finally coming to a stop against the third tree, I yanked Mirror's Edge out of the bark and pushed the point into the large branch beneath me, leaning heavily against it for a moment. 'Owwwww…maybe I need to invest in more armor.' Slowly straightening, I sheathed my weapon and looked out over the maze of branches and leaves at my current level, watching the blurs of colors fly by overhead.
'Ok…managed to land pretty early into the forest…now, let's do a little surveillance…'
… … …
"Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find…YAAAAANNNGGG!" Ruby dashed through the undergrowth thoughts awhirl after the massive Dust bomb that Headmaster Ozpin had dropped before launch.
What kind of a partner system was eye contact? Was this a prank? Were all the professors laughing it up together back on the cliffs? Or was it some form of test on top of the actual test?
"Gotta think of who to find besides Yang…there's Blake. She's nice, if a little quiet at times…there's Kouzai. But I think Yang and him would end up killing each other if we got partnered up…ok, there's Yang, there's Blake, not Kouzai…who else does I know?" Dashing through a thicket of pushes, she came upon a clearing, and there, in the middle, a shock of white in the scenery of brown and green.
"WWWEEEEEIIIISSSSS!"
Weiss turned quickly, but not fast enough to avoid the high-speed human projectile that was Ruby Rose, one colliding with the other and almost knocking the heiress over.
"GAAAAHH! What on Remnant do you think you're doing, you dolt? You nearly ruined my outfit, and surely gave away our position to any Grimm nearby!"
"Don't care! I got partnered up with someone I like, and that's all that matters!" Ruby exclaimed happily, arms locked around Weiss' neck. Weiss went through a cycle of expressions, too fast to process, before her lips curved for a fraction of a second.
"Hmph…I'll overlook your childishness this time, if only for the fact that you're aware of how wonderful a partner you've ended up with…"
Any further conversation was put off as growls came from around the clearing, and Ruby let go of Weiss to deploy Crescent Rose. Weiss took her fencing position and pulled out Myrtenaster, before glancing to the side at Ruby's weapon.
"Curious…I've only ever seen one other scythe wielder before. Tell me, would you happen to know of a vagabond named Qrow Branwen?"
"I don't know what vagabond means, but he's my uncle!"
"WHAT!?"
… … …
'Damn this Ursa, damn the Grimm, damn that smug edgelord!' Yang finished off the Ursa across from her with a barrage of fiery punches, and the Grimm crashed into the ground. A roar behind Yang had her wheeling around to face her other opponent.
"What? You want some too?" Yang readied her pose, but before the Ursa could start charging, it jerked forward a step, before falling rigidly on its front. Trailing from the Ursa's neck was a sickle linked to a long ribbon, the end of which led into a slender girl dressed in black, white and purple.
"I had that," Yang pouted, releasing Burn and returning to a calmer, lilac-eyed state.
"Of course you did," Blake nodded sagely, smirking just to tease the blonde. "But we do have an initiation to get to, and I'd rather that my partner not tire herself out from bulldozing her way through every obstacle."
"Hey, I'm stronger than a bulldozer." Yang crossed her arms, and Blake's eyes trailed below her face for a moment. "And, you know, much better built and bearing."
"Woe is me…I have a self-flatterer and a terrible punner as a partner." Blake rolled her eyes, before yanking Gambol Shroud back to her hand. "The temple should be in this direction. We should be able to get there in-"
"Just a second." Yang's voice, neither playful nor rageful, took on a serious quality, which by itself clued Blake in. "I had something to ask you."
"Is now the time for small talk? We had plenty of that last night." The back of Blake's head tingled, and her instincts were telling her that what stood in front of her was no longer a boisterous social butterfly, but a sharp-witted predator.
"I couldn't help but notice that staredown you had with, Kouzai, earlier. Care to elaborate with a little context?"
Blake managed not to flinch, but was moments away from breaking out in a cold sweat. She could either tell her partner the truth, and risk Kouzai, the Specter, going to the authorities about what he knew, which was clearly too much. Or, she could lie to her partner and defend the suspicious Mistralian.
"…I…"
… … …
"Your swordplay has improved immensely, Jaune!"
"Well, four years training under a Huntsman dad and a Huntress sister will do that for you. I can't help but notice that you're moving a little sluggishly though. I am one up right now."
"Well, I guess your performance outside of combat has improved as well. I assumed that you would enjoy, having your confidence bolstered, but if you're so insistent on competing, then…"
TSING
WHOOSH
BANG
In a blur, the remaining three Beowolves around the couple faded into ash, and Pyrrha turned with a hand on her hip to face her slack-jawed boyfriend.
"I believe I'm now two up then." Pyrrha smiled with radiant mirth, and Jaune stiffened, grabbing his sword from the fading body of another Grimm before turning back.
"Ahem…we should keep moving. Given that the land around us is close to the mountainside, the temple's likely…that way."
"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader."
"Don't you start now, I'm still trying to get Nora to drop that nickname."
"I'm afraid yours is a fruitless pursuit, Jaune. Even Kouzai hasn't been able to rid himself of the ones that Nora has assigned him over the years."
"Hah…you're right. At least mine isn't as bad as his are…oh, you think this cave leads anywhere?"
"Given the markings on the outside, it leads right to a Grimm."
"Yeaaahhh, don't know how I missed that. I wonder if anyone has stumbled onto it yet?"
… … …
"HA HA! I told you we should have a secret signal! And no one else suspected our sloth sounds, and look! We're partners!"
"Nora, I believe that Kouzai was the one who suggested that we have secret signals. He also suggested it years ago."
"Yeah, but he didn't suggest that the signal should be sloth sounds! That's all Nora genius!"
"Yes Nora…"
The duo travelled through the woods, mindful of any Grimm around. Thankfully, the King Taijitu that Ren had fought appeared to have carved out this section of the Emerald Forest as his territory, as signs of other animals or Grimm were sparse.
"UGH! This is too much walking! Why did Ozpin shoot us so far away from the temple?"
"It wouldn't be much of an initiation test if it wasn't in some way difficult."
"Yeah, but this isn't hard, it's boring! OOH, we should find ourselves a ride to the temple!"
"Nora, we're in the middle of a forest."
"EXACTLY! Do you know what that means?!" A low growl resounded out as an Ursa lumbered from around a grove of trees, as Nora grinned and Ren paled in equal measure.
"NORA NO."
"NORA YES!" Nora deployed Magnhild in hammer mode, and rocketed forward towards the Ursa. "NORAAAAA-"
BANG
In a blast of Fire Dust, the Ursa flew away into a tree, where it began fading from the skull-breaking shot to the head. Crestfallen, Nora looked to the side, where a surprised Yang and Blake stood feet away. Surprise quickly turned to annoyance.
"Oh, it's you guys. You're welcome." Yang attempted to pass around a still Nora, but the shaft of Magnhild appeared in her path.
"You…you…you killed Mr. Cuddles!" Nora took a violent step forward, and the ground shook from her footfall.
"What the hell's your problem? It's a Grimm!" Yang, already irritated from prior events, felt Burn rising back up to the surface, and across from the advancing hammer wielder, her irritation found another outlet. "Fine, you crazy half-pint! You want a fight, you'll find one!"
… … …
"Ugh, missions better not all involve this much walking! My Aura will run out before we even find this temple."
"You're also wearing bladed heels in the middle of a forest, Melanie," Miltia pointed out, gesturing to the Aura-reinforced heels preventing the blades from sinking into the softer parts of the earth.
"Having those color-coded Dust rounds really saved us though, can't imagine having one of those side characters down the line being my partner for the next four years." Melanie continued strutting forward, mindful of whether or not any Grimm were around.
"That is true, it would've been hard to find each other with all these tall trees around otherwise," Miltia murmured, checking her current Aura levels. "Though since neither of us have too much Grimm combat experience, that group of Beowolves was tougher than they should've been."
"Yeah, well, wait till we get to combat class where we'll be facing other people. We'll be racking up the points then." Melanie grinned, then almost tripped as her heels encountered some bumpy ground. "Damnit! Mil, we need to find a place to stop for a second, I've gotta adjust my heel length or I'll be faceplanting into the ground. Hmm…how about that cave over there?"
"Couldn't you just adjust your heels here?"
"Yeah, 'cept for the fact that it's out in the middle of the open. With a cave, even if a Grimm is stupid enough to waltz in while we're in there, it's a natural choke point to defend. And who knows, it might be a shortcut to the temple."
"It sounds like someone has been brushing up on their strategy reading."
"Oh shut up! It's not like I'm the only one who's been doing extra reading."
… … …
'Alright, that should be the last of the pairs secured.' I shifted from my spot in the trees, watching Jaune and Pyrrha head off towards the temple. 'So unless Ozpin works some crazy logic in, RWBY and JNPR should be secured.'
Making my way down from the treetop, I hit the ground and stretched my muscles. 'Sneaking is not my forte, and tracking down four pairs is quite a workout in of itself. I should probably start tackling the initiation myself, though finding a partner should be interesting.'
Having seen the flares of red and white that rose above the canopy earlier, I knew that Miltia and Melanie had likely found one another, which left me singled out among the candidates. 'Gods know I'm not inserting myself into CRDL if my life depended on it, which leaves me the odd man out. Well, having a stranger who I know nothing about could end up interesting. I won't need to plan around them, and they'll have no idea of what my normal habits or actions are like, leaving me free to move about. The only question is, how am I going to find-'
"Kouzai."
I stopped walking, and did a Chronometry-aided scan of my vision, along with trying to mentally recall the scenery as I passed it. Nothing stood out, which only meant that she had gotten better at hiding. 'Though that shouldn't surprise me…'
"I have to say, I didn't expect to see you here, though maybe that's just an oversight on my part." Tongue in cheek, I slowly turned to find the source of the voice that I'd not heard in over two years, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Hey Ilia."
… … …
… … …
"So whattya think they're up at the moment?"
"Hmm…given their habits, and the fact that they apparently met the night before initiation, I'd wager that Weiss is finding out how impractical a combat dress colored white can be."
"That checks out. The pipsqueak is probably running around scared shitless, tryna find someone who she can talk to without her crippling social awkwardness popping up."
"In short, Weiss and Ruby will likely become partnered and cause all sorts of trouble for us?"
"Yup. Plus, I can't wait to find out what happens when they find out the kid was indirectly responsible for us getting together."
"To have an aggravated Weiss, and a pouting Ruby to contend with…I would only wish such a fate upon my worst enemies."
"Once upon a time, that list coulda included me."
"Yes, well, you have a penchant for being infuriatingly endearing despite your habits."
"…I'll take it. Anyways, I gotta sign off, Oz is gonna want a report soon and these leads won't track themselves down."
"Take care, Qrow…and do return soon."
"Love ya too."
… … …
"You can't tell me it doesn't unsettle you a little."
"I didn't peg you as the type to get jelly-legged so easily. Then again, that kind of thing isn't possible for you is it?
"I'm sure you're the expert, considering how you go weak in the knees every time 'Cinder graces you with her presence'."
"Shut up Mercury!...Anyways, what has you so scared? We knew what kind of people we'd be dealing with, considering how Cinder explained about the glove and the ability to control Grimm."
"There's a difference between controlling the Grimm, and being controlled by them, and being part-Grimm! That arm and eye of Cinder's, not to mention those calls she's been having with her boss…"
"There's nothing in her recent actions to even hint that she's not in control of herself. And this is Cinder we're talking about! She's the strongest woman either of us have ever met."
"Strongest woman, sure. Maybe even one of the strongest, period. But Cinder is following someone else, which means something drew her in. And her boss, is not a woman, or even human. Maybe it's 'cause I'm not head over heels for her like you, Emerald, but something's changed."
"Not that I believe you, but even if that were true, we're already this far in, and all the power's on this side of things. Sticking with Cinder is the best way to never want for anything again, and you know that."
"Maybe…maybe not…"
A/N: Alright! Another piece in place. We've got the pairs set up, and in conventional order of course. I'm not trying to play the 5-D chess that is swapping the teams up on top of working the timeline changes. But regardless, things are starting to come to a head, for all parties. At this rate, next chapter is going to be the kind that makes my fingers hurt from typing.
Also, feel free to provide feedback on this type of narrative style. It's been mostly Kouzai's POV up until now, but with an exponentially greater number of characters on hand at the same time now, things might be changing in order to give a better view of events for the main characters. Thanks again, and see everyone on Monday.
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 02/03/2020