Kaorin: What on Earth are THESE!? (holds up OtakuOtter's reviews)

Jay: They're called reviews. You get them when people actually enjoy your stuff.

Kaorin: Oh, so I'm not enough!? You need this...(looks at reviews) OtakuOtter guy to make you feel better?

Jay: ...You still haven't brought me my slippers. Don't make me have to HAMMER the point home.

Kaorin: ...Do you know how much I hate you?

Jay: No, please elaborate.

Kaorin: (walks off in a huff)

Jay: Excellent, now back to the story.

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That word. That word that I wouldn't let Chihiro say was 'metaphysics'. Defined as the study of esoteric spiritual matters, it concerns a wide array of thought schools. Philosophy is only a part of it. Earth mysteries concern the other part. Although I enjoy everything about it, my personal interest is in the mysteries of the human mind. There's so much we don't know! Psychic phenomena, ESP, precognition, higher states of conciousness. All of these things are almost as interesting to me as astronomy. Actually, my interest in metaphysics began with astronomy. Astronomy led to astrology and so on and so on. Regardless, I've always been a bit embarassed about my study. It makes me seem so...spacey. Metaphysics sounds like something Osaka would make up, but that is so untrue! Strangely enough, I believe Osaka would be very interested in this field, with her innate wonder about the Chupacabras and all. Even so, I couldn't let Chihiro go spreading the word to Sakaki. At least not yet.
Chihiro had fallen asleep and slowly her head came to rest on my shoulder. I let it be, I was tired as well. What really amazed me was the level of cooperation everyone was showing. Even bitter enemies had come together for a common purpose. No one was isolated. Everyone was afraid. Tomo was practically bouncing off the walls, but that's just the way she works.
"So, what the hell are we gonna do?! Just live down here?", I overheard Yukari say to Kimura.
"Do you have a better idea?", Kimura retorted.
"Not really an idea so much as this...", Yukari's voice trailed off as she placed a loving hand on her newly obtained laser rifle.
"There's no way we can take on an army! Besides, I wouldn't want to put all these lovely girls in danger...", Kimura's jaw nearly hit the floor.
The former conversation dissolved for a short time into a cacaphony of Yukari's evil chuckles and Kimura's sociopathic mumbling.
"We can get those bastards out there!", Yukari began the conversation once more, pointing to the metallic roof of the shelter.
"How? I'm really curious now. Just listen a moment"
Both went quiet for a moment. I listened as well. The dull echoes of falling lasers, bombs, whatever , could be heard. Definately violent explosions.
"Ok, fine. Maybe they have more guns than us, but we have courage! Right guys!", Yukari spun, fist raised in the air addressing everyone in the room.
Yet everyone who was not asleep simply stared at her incredulously. Only about ten seconds later did Tomo jump up and pump her fist as well.
"YEA!!", she screamed, having no idea what Yukari meant.
One of the boys near the back of the room asked, "What are you talking about Miss Yukari"
"Courage, of course! C'mon, we have to fight off the invaders!", Yukari hefted her rifle and hooted like a madman.
"Wouldn't that be very, very dangerous?", Yomi asked, her voice not even having to HINT at the sarcasm it carried.
"Well, yea. BUT! That's part of the fun! Think of the songs they'll write about us!", Yukari announced. I didn't think even she could be that hardheaded.
"The city has been bombed to hell and back.", a boy named Ashikaga said. "I doubt there is anyone to write songs about you left"
A small ripple of anxious laughter sputtered through the room and dissolved quickly into abject silence.
"So, smart guys, what's YOUR plan!?", Tomo questioned loudly as she stood upon one of the cots to increase her height.
"Well, Tomo. I was just thinking of STAYING INSIDE WHERE IT'S SAFE!", Yomi said as she came up behind her wild friend.
"Oh? What makes you think we'll even survive, eh?", Tomo grinned devilishly "Our chances of survival are much better here than out there.", interjected one unseen boy in the crowd.
"Alas, what if we're the only ones left? What if we're Japan's last hope!?", Tomo raised her arms in an epic gesture of bravura.
"Um...Miss Tomo?", Chiyo said sweetly, "I believe there is an American naval base nearby. They have a much better chance of defending than..."
She was interrupted by another of Tomo's outbursts.
"What if they've all gone KABOOM!!!??", Tomo opened her arms wide as if showing the terror of the explosion that could sink battleships.
"You have a good point, Miss Takino! You all saw the lasers!", Yukari said, agreeing with her crazed student.
"That's right, Yukari!! So, who's with me!?", Tomo absolutely threw her fist into the sky. The force of which nearly threw her from her perch.
Yukari seemed to be the only one that threw her arms in the air as well.
Yomi pulled her hysteric friend from her pedestal and dragged her down to even ground.
"There is no way in hell that I'm letting you leave this room!", she scolded.
"But Yooommiii! I have to! We all need to stand up for ourselves instead of cowering like insects!", Tomo explained.
Amidst the argument Chihiro had woken up.
"What's going on?", she asked me, disoriented.
"Tomo and Yukari want to fight the invaders.", I explained.
Chihiro let out a half-hearted gasp. We both knew far-and-well that any plan that Yukari and Tomo had come up with in the period of time we had known them had always been bonkers to the point of absurdity. This seemed no different.

"Well, I'm going wheather you like it or not!", Tomo began to stomp away from Yomi, holding her rifle.
"No, you're not! Give me that!", Yomi grabbed for Tomo's rifle only to grasp thin air as Tomo skipped gaily out of her friend's reach.
"Toooo Sloooow!", Tomo chanted as all the others watched in shock while the girl skipped happily out of her friend's reach and closer to a possible death.
"FINE!", Yomi exploded. I had seen her angry, but never like this. Never. She shook, her face red with anger as she spoke her next words.
"If you're going, I'm coming with you"
Even Tomo stopped in her tracks.
"Now Little Miss Whiney-Pants wants to come defend the world too?", Tomo mocked happily.
"More like I want to make sure you don't get killed.", Yomi said, her face still contorted in anger.
Yukari cheered.
"All right! Who else wants to be a hero!?", she asked.
"But...but...Miss Yukari! How can you be like this!? How can you put your students at risk?", little Chiyo-chan asked. Her eyes dripped near-constant streams of tears.
Yukari patted the small girl on the head.
"Sometimes you just have to get up and do things. You should know this Chiyo-chan. Just think of it like a test. Except on this test, the winner takes all! And that winner is us"
"But...but..", Chiyo-chan sputtered, trying to wrap her brilliant mind around this fact.
"Don't worry, Chiyo-chan! Everything will be juuuuuust fine!", Tomo reassured her.
In the meantime Yukari had repossessed Kagura's rifle and handed it to Yomi.
"Let's head out!", Yukari spoke triumphantly.
With that she pulled open the heavy door. Yukari and Tomo laughed as they mounted the stairs. A despondent Yomi trudged after, giving one last look into the crowded room. Their forms disappeared beyond the portal as the door crashed back into place.
"They're all going to die...what a waste of good girls...", Kimura said and moped in a private corner.
The echo of that door sounded like a death knell. Maybe it's just me, but I thought for a moment that maybe fate had chosen them. Not as sacrifices, not as saviours but as something else. Maybe some higher force was at work. Some spiritual unknown.

Just then I noticed Sakaki-san staring in my direction. No, not just in my direction but at me. Not just at me, but directly into my eyes. She then rose from her seated position and approached my refuge against the wall.
"Kaorin, I...need to speak with you.", her voice trembled.

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