Chapter 4: Gachapon
Jittering lights. The sounds of rotary beeps and tunes.
Clnk
Clnk
Clnk
As Aoi and Duusu walked through the streets of their now typical routine of searching out various arcades in an effort to joggle her memory, Aoi methodically crossed off names of place on a list.
Aoi: "No.. no.. not here, not here… nothing."
Duusu: "So there's still nothing new."
Aoi shakes her head. Evidently not. The two of them pass by a couple of windows. Upon the second Aoi stops.
…
Aoi: "You know what Duusu? Now that I recalculate our sets of actions thus far for these past 4 days I have come to a realization."
Duusu: "And that is?"
Aoi: "Perhaps I have been going about this in an efficient manner. Instead of window shopping through these arcades, perhaps my memory will be joggled if I just take a step inside."
Duusu: "Maybe it will."
Taking a look at the amount of cash she had left, Aoi stuffed her cash away and proceeded to enter the arcade building. The outside was a bit old and depreciated. There would hardly be anyone else here, and if there were…
Stepping up to a machine, Aoi inserts a couple of-
…
Aoi: "Right."
Aoi turns to walk to another machine.
Aoi: "This one's out of service."
And another and another. Eventually she managed to find one that was still in working order. As Aoi made her purchase, several beady small metallic balls came rolling out of the slot. Gathering them in her hand she counted 33 of them in total. Now it was time to use them.
…
…
Ring
Ring
Ring
3 balls slide through the contraption.
Duusu: "Aoi. This place. This place's a-"
Aoi: "A casino. I know and one that hardly anyone visits."
Aoi stares at the machine. She places 2 more balls in. One ball falls into a pocket and as soon as it did, the LCD screen flickered to show 3 columns spiraling in a vertical fashion.
…
Aoi: "You ever done pachinko before?"
Duusu shakes his head. The slots stop spiraling. Only the last one doesn't match. It's a no go. Aoi inserts 4 more balls into the machine.
Aoi: "The objective is to get these balls to enter that pocket down there known as a start chakka."
2 balls land in the start chakka.
Aoi: "Once this happens, you get a screen like this."
The slots on the screen start spiraling. None of them match.
Aoi: "And when you get a matching line up…"
This time the 3 slots match up.
Aoi: "You get more balls."
Saying this, the machine dispenses 10 balls. Aoi picks them up and inserts them into the machine again.
Duusu: "And what for?"
…
…
Ring
Ring
Ring
Another matching 3. 20 more balls fall out and Aoi places a couple of them back in again. The slots start spiraling. Duusu looks up and down at Aoi.
Duusu: "Do you like doing this sort of thing?"
Aoi: "Like? What is there to like about this? I'm only doing this to joggle my memory."
Duusu: "Yeah, but is there any point to doing this?"
Another 2 more winnings.
Duusu: "I mean, besides joggling your memories."
Aoi stares intently at the machine. It seems as though she was studying it.
Aoi: "Pattern calculated. Winning estimations logged."
Aoi stands up.
Aoi: "Proceeding to the next machine."
Picking up her winnings, Aoi walks to another and repeats the process again. And again. And again. By now Aoi had gone through 23 different machines.
Aoi: "There. That should be enough data. I now know which machines have the highest rates of success and offer the most payout. As for your question Duusu…"
Aoi walks up to a counter. There's no one there. Bending down she inserts all of her winnings into a tray. She stands back up. Looks like her winnings have already been calculated. Seeing the LCD, Aoi selects an option. After a short moment, 3 boxes each containing 25 gold chips pop out on top of the counter. Aoi picks them up.
Duusu: "What are those for?"
Aoi begins heading for the exit.
Aoi: "These can be exchanged at a local TCU store for cash."
…
Duusu: "So all that just now as gambling."
Aoi shakes her head.
Aoi: "No."
She began to explain.
Aoi: "This is a tradition. There are other things you can exchange those balls for, like those toys in capsules. Those are known as gachapons."
Aoi's POV
The results of today have earned me 106,767 yen. With this amount of cash I can-
Man at register: "That's quite a hefty amount of money of money you earned just now. How'd you do it?"
…
Analyzing response.. The man is brandishing a baton in his right hand.
Bang!
Duusu: "Wha- what are you-"
I carefully search the man I had just shot dead with my 7mm Luger
Aoi: "As I expected. He's yakuza."
A body tattoo. I've found it. On his chest.
Duusu: "But you didn't need to-"
Aoi: "Irrelevant. He was trying to shake me down of my earnings. Of my winnings. This cash I've earned? It's mine, mine, mine. I won't let anyone take it away from me."
…
I bent down to examine his pockets. Keys... a cellphone… and nothing else.
…
Aoi: "Yes. This spot will do."
Duusu: "Will do?"
Aoi: "Judging from the lack of foot traffic, this place is more secure than our last. We will make this my current base of operations."
Duusu: "And what about the Yakuza?"
Aoi: "Finders keepers. If any more of them, I'll just put a bullet between their eyes."
Hearing this, Duusu backed up. The expression on his face was something Aoi in her current state couldn't read but if she could, it would've been a mixture between shock and disgust.
Duusu: "Murder? What for? If you kill them, more and more of them will show and eventually the police will show up and then-"
Aoi: "Yap, yap yap. Is that all you do?"
Non POV
Duusu blinked.
Duusu: "Are you mad?"
Aoi shakes her head.
Aoi: "I am not mad. I am completely, rationally fine… whatever idea fine is supposed to mean. My systems are all running a-okay."
Duusu began to frantically float around. This was not going so well. If the holder of his Miraculous kept up like this…
Duusu: "We should at least transform this place into a more suitable hideout."
Aoi: "I'm already on that."
Duusu: "No, what I meant was there's a much more easier and practical way of dealing with intruders besides gunning them down."
Aoi: "And that is?"
Duusu: "The Miraculous, my Miraculous specifically. Do you still have that brooch I gave you?"
Aoi nods her head.
Aoi: "It's inside of my chest cavity. I still haven't figured out what it's for or what to synthesize with it."
Duusu: "You can't."
Aoi: "Yes I can. I have it."
Duusu shakes his head.
Duusu: "No you don't understand. My brooch is magical. That item synthesizer is not."
Aoi: "I beg to differ. You just haven't tried experimenting with it."
Saying this Aoi opens up her chest cavity, pulls out the Peacock Miraculous and places it inside of her in-built item synthesizer. Or, well she tried to but…
Duusu: "See? Just like I said. It's incompatible."
Aoi: "So it would appear."
Having finally stopped trying to insert the brooch into her item synthesizer, Aoi places her item synthesizer back inside of her chest cavity. She then carefully examines the brooch.
Aoi: "You said this would be able to help with securing my base?"
Duusu: "Y- yes."
Looking up from the brooch in her hand, Aoi stares at the Peacock kwami, her eyes emotionless.
Aoi: "Explain."
Duusu's POV
It's time! It's finally time! She's asking about my Miraculous now. Oh, I knew this day would come. I knew it, I just knew it!
(beat)
Okay Duusu. Calm yourself now. Remember you're still trying to help guide her. You help her and maybe.. Just maybe…
Duusu: "What you hold there in your hand is a magical jewelry known as a Miraculous. They house the power of the kwamis. The Miraculous you have currently is the Peacock Miraculous. By equipping it and saying, Duusu spread my feathers, I will enter that Miraculous and you will undergo a transformation."
Aoi: "A transformation…"
Duusu: "The transformation you will take on will be the sole culmination of what makes you you to the theme of the Miraculous. In your case, because you have the Peacock Miraculous, your transformation will be regal bird themed. Will you gain a gown made of feathers? Perhaps you'll spout a beak-"
Aoi: "That's not very regal."
Duusu: "No, the last one was just a joke. In any case, besides gaining a nearly indestructible suit, your speed, reflexes, stamina, durability and strength will be increased to superhuman levels."
Aoi: "So this will make me even more stronger?"
Duusu: "Yes and what's more every Miraculous comes with its own super power. The Peacock Miraculous grants you the power of amokitization! With it, you can create a sentimonster to follow your every order so long as you hold the object containing its amok."
Aoi: "A sentimonster."
Aoi pauses to think for a moment.
Aoi: "You mean like the very thing that you say you've been using to facilitate communication between each of us?"
Duusu: "Yes, although in my case, because I am the direct source of the amok's power, all sentimonsters which are directly created by me are automatically subservient to me. I don't need to have in my possession the objects containing their amok. You on the other hand will."
Aoi: "Hm…"
Duusu: "Think of them like having extra hands. So long as you're holding the object which houses the amok you'll have complete control over them."
Aoi: "And to create my sentimonster?"
Duusu: "When you transform, you will find that your suit comes equipped with its own tool, a feathered fan in your case. If by some strange occurrence your transformation does not come with this Miraculous tool, do not fret… not that you're capable of doing that right now. Just grab any feather and focus in on it."
…
Aoi: "I do not comprehend."
Well obviously she wouldn't comprehend what I'm saying. Poor girl hardly understands herself and emotions are still alien to her even though she used to be fully human.
Duusu: "Okay, so let me give you a demonstration."
Or explanation actually.
Duusu: "Say that you wanted.. requested a sentimonster to help with the carrying of heavy machinery. This sounds like it would be a long and arduous task. To make this easier for you, the thoughts that should be coming to your head are the qualities you are looking for to enlist in."
Obviously this is a gross oversimplification, but because the concept of emotions has been lost to her…
Aoi: "So the sentimonster takes the form of my thoughts."
Duusu: "No, well partially, but no. Not exactly. Let's say that you need someone to help you with construction work. What you should be thinking about are thoughts related to construction, such as steel building, cement pourers, an architect, etc. When you create your sentimonster, it will then be based around the ideal to which you created for but however it will be based on an emotion."
Aoi blinks. She doesn't seem to quite get what I'm saying.
Duusu: "All sentimonsters really are are just emotions given flesh, feelings made into 3d by the magic of the Peacock Miraculous and by me. Why, now that I think about it, I don't know why I didn't just give you this explanation earlier. Heh. I guess I've been shirking off with my duties."
Aoi looks at me. I wonder what she's thinking?
Aoi: "Your duties?"
Duusu: "Yeah, well I'm supposed to help guide the owner of the Peacock Miraculous to be the best person they can possibly be. To be true to themselves. I'm supposed to watch over, guide and help them to-"
Aoi: "When you say guide and help… do you mean 'obey'?"
Duusu: "Well that's one way of putting it but-"
She's putting it on.
Duusu: "Hey there. There's no need to rush. We can-"
Aoi: "Silence."
!
My mouth. I can't speak. Oh no..
Aoi: "I see. Somehow you are symbiotically linked with this jewel, so if I destroy this… but no. I can't. It's all coming back now. This jewelery can't be destroyed, can it?"
Duusu: "Not normally, no-"
Aoi: "That's enough. Say no more."
!
…
Aoi: "Mm hm. Yes, this will prove effective in my search for myself. I will reclaim it all."
She's caressing my Miraculous between her right hands but her eyes are still cold, robotic and emotionless.
My mouth has been magically erased. No. This can't be happening to me. How did it end up like this?
Aoi: "Duusu, spread my feathers."
Non POV
Upon saying these words, Aoi looked on as she saw Duusu being sucked into his- no, her Miraculous. The Peacock Miraculous.
Blrng
Blrng
Blrng
With a brilliant flash of turquoise blue, magical energies surrounded the combat humanoid. Forming a biker's helmet and grafting on a matching suit to boot, Aoi's transformation was complete.
Aoi: "Yes… everything shall soon be within my grasp. From this day forward I shall be known as…"
Aoi blinked. She hadn't thought of a moniker to call herself while in this form.
Now what would be a suitable name, one that reflects her current condition?
…
Aoi pondered. Being that she wasn't superstitious Aoi didn't know the first thing about occultic knowledge. Should she just go for something simple like the Tengu?
…
No, that wouldn't do. Such a yokai is too common. There's no need to hold onto a name like that. Then how about cursory glance at possible names? This new form seems to have come with a built-in library of sorts. A database.. her personal connection to the internet.
Yes. Now what to choose, what to choose…
…
…
…
Aoi: "Yosuzume. Yes, that will be my moniker. Henceforth I shall be known as Yosuzume, the Night Sparrow."
Declaring herself as thus, Yosuzume then reaches for the feathered fan she found strapped to her right leg and opened it. Bringing it close to her face, her face remained the same.
Cold, empty and emotionless.
Yosuzume: "And now to take this form out for a test run… Come to life my sentimonster. Come and serve me."
