Kashihara Jun was sleeping in bed, tired after suddenly seeing a new wave of customers. That night, he has a strange dream. He seems surrounded, and the entire place seems to be on fire. For some reason however, the entire scene seems oddly familiar…
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and I sincerely wish that you had a nice rest, but please wake up!"
Jun fell out of his bed, scrambling to get up. He turned to see Shinta looking at him with a worried look on his face.
"W-what are you doing here? I thought all that stuff about cheerleading ghosts was all a dream too!"
"No… Anyways, you have to get there soon, or certain people may get impatient." He gave his hand to Jun, but quickly pulled it back. "A-anyways, just try and change for now. We'll be giving you your uniform on the boat."
Before Jun could ask "Boat? What boat?" he went and got into a new set of clothes. He was still a little afraid of asking questions after that last incident.
While walking along the Yuuhi River, Jun decided to set some things straight.
"So, how's this whole thing work, anyways? Do you just go out one team at a time or something?"
"Actually, the whole squad goes out on one mission. It makes the whole thing a lot easier to do, and there's less chance of failure. That's why we need to have exactly eight members cheering."
"But… how? I mean, it shouldn't be that hard without one person, right?"
"I don't know all the specifics, but I heard that it does get a lot harder with fewer members. Too many people could disrupt our targets though, so eight is a good number."
Jun nodded, signalling that he understood. "And about the squad in Yuuhi, are they like you guys?"
"Well, if you get down to the basics, then pretty much," Shinta said, laughing a little. "But they're a lot more traditionally Japanese, while we have more of a… western flair, don't you think?"
"I never knew that this type of thing could actually be westernized."
"It's been done before." The former rookie stopped for a while before speaking again. "Now that you've asked me all your questions, it's time for me to ask you something as well." He paused as if to get the words just right. "Well, why do you seem like you don't want to be here, yet you've signed the contract and you're still going to practice? I mean, we could have found someone else if it didn't really suit you."
Jun thought about it for a while. It was mainly a move just to see how far he could go, what would happen if he took a big risk such as that, even if he didn't come fully prepared. Actually, something interesting like this was a bit of a pick-me-up for him, seeing as how the days before were relatively dull compared to back in Sumaru.
"Well, I don't have a lot to lose, do I? After all, it pays well, and the whole process doesn't sound too hard. I have been in a delinquent's school, after all."
The brunette sighed. "If you say so, then."
The two finally arrived where the boat was parked—a rather fine yacht, just enough for the estimated amount of people there. It was gleaming white in the sunny morning, with its gold accents further brightening the scenery of cherry blossoms along the river.
As Jun entered the boat, he was greeted by an unfamiliar face in a red cheerleader outfit, with her bright pink hair in a swept up fringe. Interestingly enough, Jun could swear that her eyes were golden.
"Hello there! Are you the new recruit I've been hearing about? My name is Shirosaki Rin, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She held her hand out to the recruit, and Jun shook it in response. Her grip was unexpectedly firm, but it went with the confident look on her face.
Rin's expression quickly turned serious again. "Unfortunately, you're late, and everyone's been waiting for you. I'll have to subtract points for that. Don't worry though; you're still pretty high up for now. First impressions can really help in this sort of situation!" The pink-haired girl then went downstairs with a bit of a spring in her step.
"So she's…"
Shinta smiled. "Leader of the cheergirls of Asahi-cho, Shirosaki Rin. A great leader and a notable philanthropist, albeit a little idiosyncratic. Approach romantically with caution." He signalled to Jun to follow Rin downstairs. "I think we should go down soon. After all, I don't want to keep them waiting any longer."
Jun went downstairs and saw a room with a large table in the center of it. Seated there were seven other people, two of them Jun had never seen before. He had remembered one of the girls next to Rin from last time, her strawberry hair now in twintails. The person Jun was focusing on, however, was the man who seemed to be the most important in the room. He was a lot larger in stature than the other guys in the room, and had a uniform cape that nobody else had. His hair was apparently in the style and colour of a judge's wig, and his eyebrows were almost as large as Hayato's.
"State your name," he said.
Jun froze in place. "Kashihara Jun… sir."
"And your purpose for being here?"
"Well… I'm quite interested in the prospect of you guys having the ability to see spirit and helping others because of it. I believe that anything a person can do to help should be done, so…"
"And what is your main aspiration in life?"
"I think… it's that I can live a good life with nothing I can truly regret."
"Good. That's all for your questioning," the man said. "I am Kiryuuin Kaoru, president of this group. Your uniform is in the bedroom to the right. Further details will be disclosed to you after."
When he got inside the spacious bedroom, he found a uniform lying on a chair by the nightstand. It was a simple blue gakuran, with a blouse, pants and a jacket with yellow accents. On the left sleeve of the jacket was a white armband with the team's logo on it.
Changing into his new outfit, Jun began to think about what he was wearing. "Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of my old Kasu High uniform… But what does this logo stand for anyways? Eikoku… no… Ouendan? I might not want to jump to conclusions."
When he was finished, he was greeted by the three girls at the meeting, including the one he had never met before. "Well, don't you look like quite the gentleman now!" Rin said, clipboard now in hand.
"You know, I may be getting second thoughts about you," the rabbit girl said. Upon closer inspection, Jun could see that there was a rabbit attached to her frilly red skirt.
"He still seems more like a backup to me, though," the unfamiliar girl added. She had a rather refined look to her, with her taller figure, pink glasses and wavy blue hair put in tight ringlets. She somewhat reminded him of that celebrity he'd often heard of, Hanasono Ageha.
"So, Honoka, Reika? What do you think we should rank our rookie for now?"
The two took turns, starting with the taller girl. "Name? {B-Rank}."
"Confidence? {B-Rank}."
"Appearance? {B-Rank}."
"First impressions? {D-Rank}."
Rin frowned a little when she heard this. "Honoka-chan…"
"You're the one compiling all the data. This is just my personal opinion on the fact."
"But we shouldn't let personal issues get in the way of things sometimes," Rin replied; now a little annoyed. "I don't know why you've been so sour recently, but I almost let the entire squad down the last time it happened." She sighed. "On the other hand, you are right. I can change the data according to what I see fit, anyways."
She finished writing down some additional details, muttering to herself just barely audibly. "His potential is almost an {S-Rank}, but his actual ability is unknown… I'll leave the overall rank at an A for now." She put the clipboard on the now empty table. "Now you actually have to go for training. Now if you'll follow me, we're going to be at our destination soon."
He hadn't noticed it, but the boat had apparently been moving for a while now. He went up to the deck and saw that the upscale town of Asahi-cho was but a line on the horizon now.
When Jun saw that he was alone, he then said to Shinta, "So that's Honoka…"
"Yep. She's normally a lot friendlier, though. It's probably because she…" He seemed to be a little deep in thought, his hair and headband blowing against the wind. "Kashihara-san, maybe you could try and comfort her. After all, it would probably help the both of us in the long run."
And just as he said that, he saw Honoka walk up the stairs.
"Hey, Honoka-san…"
"Yes?" she replied bluntly.
"I can tell that you're not really comfortable with me being here. Is it…" he tried to find the right way to deliver the message. "Does it have anything to do with Kikuchi Shinta?"
Her expression froze. She was trying to comprehend what was just being said, and how it contradicted with what she had understood so far. "H-how do you know about him?"
"I was able to communicate with him and—"
"But then why? Why would everyone else go about and pretend as if he never existed? If this is some sort of joke," she said, her eyes watering, "then it's not funny at all!"
Jun tried to get closer and comfort her. "H-Honoka-san, please don't cry! I'll explain everything to you."
After explaining to Honoka what had happened, she started wiping the tears from her face. "So how can I know that I can trust you? That you aren't trying to make me cry even more?"
"Trust me; I would never forgive myself if I were."
She smiled. "Then I think I should apologize. If it's alright, then we should start over from a blank slate, no misunderstandings this time." She stuck her pinky out. "Let's promise to find the bottom of this mystery together."
Jun did the same, despite not expecting such a childish gesture. "It's a promise, then."
AngelElly has logged on
375: Yo whats up elly
AngelElly: Nothing much. Just visiting a few friends in Yuuhi tomorrow.
375: Cool. I actually live over there so I can give you a few pointers.
AngelElly: Like what?
375: This is an occult chatroom rite
375: I can tell you about seven weird rumors Ive heard since I moved here
375: For example theres a radio station that sounds like crying on 108.4
375: And that huge robot statue sometimes moves on its own
375: And the fountain near the river? sometimes people see it light on fire
375: That lady who runs the accessory store may be dead
375: And those guys at oni island my actually be real oni (lol)
AngelElly: Those almost seem like practical jokes…
AngelElly: Then again, I've seen odder things out there.
375: Oh yea the two recent ones ive heard are a bit different from the rest
AngelElly: How so?
375: The first one is a mail charm or something
375: At 1 am, a mail will come with no sender or subject. it contains secrets and a link
375: Click on it and it apparently makes a wish of yours come true. how I have no idea
375: Thing is, Ive heard people say that the people who clicked on the link change completely but disappear without a trace the next day
AngelElly: The first part sounds awfully familiar for some reason.
375: JOKER cases?
AngelElly: Funny you would mention those. I heard Maya published her article from Brussels recently. It must have been funny seeing the Manneken Pis shoot lasers.
375: The last thing I heard was about some mysterious deaths
375: Two bodies, both guys in their 20s or so
375: Other than that, nobody can identify who they are. closest thing the police got were a horribly battered id on one of them
375: Theres obviously some sort of connection between the two, but there arent much leads for people to go by
375: The way they were killed was totally different and it may not have been the same weapon
375: Well, its probably not much to worry about. after all, the legendary elly should be on the case now~
AngelElly: I'm flattered~ but you shouldn't give me too much credit.
375: Well its been fun talking to you but I have work to do soon (ohgod) so bye for now. hope the info helped your search
375 has logged off
The girl who was at her computer now went to check if all her things were packed , smiling. "So it wasn't just a hunch… It may be the other reason why he moved there… Naoya…"
New Chapter, baby! On a good note, I think I've finally got characterization into a non-Newtonian fluid state, at least. If I hammer it often enough, it should manage to stay solid. Also, any thoughts as to songs I should use? I have a few, but they may not work so well. On the other hand, one such song will probably appear in the next chapter. See you next week! (Or whenever I bother to update. Either way, review so I don't feel so lonely. EOA is practically a graveyard and I'm staunchly net-reclusive.)
Other random news:
Tanaka Maya (Aoi's seiyuu for those not in the know,) is apparently a fan of deconstructions, like NGE and Madoka.
New part added! Just random expo on my part, but now stuff should be more solid.
Managed to finish Madoka (So... different. And disturbingly/heartwarmingly happy.) and Audition (kiiiri kiri kiri kiri... It took me three tries just to get through all of the last bit.)
The handle names are just coincidences. Just because 375 can be read as Minako doesn't mean it's Mizuki.
Also some explanation on the Brussels thing: I thought that in one part of SSA, Maya Amano was in one of the cutscenes. "So why not," I thought. The continuity was worth a shot.
For the person I forced to read this: thaaaat.