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Thread: Shibuya

  1. #61
    'Weird. I might actually understand this shit. If that's how it is, though...' Yugi's thoughts never ceased. As much as he would have preferred spending his time thinking of more enjoyable things, that was a train of thought best avoided for the time being. If he kept mulling over the thought of being found, he'd wind up thinking himself into a situation which ruined the puzzle... and by virtue of that, the initial purpose. Never could he throw himself out there. Either Kimiko found him herself, or he would forever be left with questions he couldn't even bring himself to ask, or believe any positive answers to.

    And so, he continued giving consideration to these powers and organizations. He was at the cusp of something potentially great; logic was at least on his side. The lad wasn't sure when he'd be able to test things for himself, but he figured it would have to be with something small, if he even showcased any special abilities. "Wrath. If something is triggered, consequences are selected at random... RNG," he mused. "The power itself is the ability to rewrite, though. It should be as simple as choosing the second criteria, directing repercussions to a specific target that can take the equal opposing force of the first action. It's just a basic lateral if I look at it that way," he said, comparing the situation itself to a puzzle. "Hmm. More like a game mechanic. I guess that should have always been the case, huh?"

    The more he thought about the scenario, the more he thought it would be necessary to run tests for himself. He was given reason to believe his abilities from the other world could be accessed here in some capacity, but he wondered which ones. A single assumption could be made about something, at least. If it worked, he would have a very interesting answer to everything that came his way.

  2. #62
    Taishou!? Was the response to the first text message sent. Off the books work. I require information as much as you can get on the Puzzle Club at my high school. Every shred of information you can find. Compile and send to me. I'll send your usual extra fee once you respond. Also sweep my home PC for bugs. I don't trust the cops. Another block was covered as Kimiko found herself around the corner from the house. The lass on the other side of the phone was quick to begin work, typing on one of her monitors at her work space while sending a text message through her phone mirror on the other. This girl was indeed exceptional at her work, so long as she was focused she could complete a great many tasks without causing any problems. If only her spending habits had this much focus. Hai. It'll be done. I'll send everything to you encrypted key. Pu33lerz. And I ran a quick sweep. You should really set an automatic empty for your browser history but I took care of it. A brief pause before Kimiko walked towards her house. At least her workers were always dependable. Hai. A quick bank transfer would occur as Kimiko walked back into the front door of her house. Surprisingly the evidence of the police presence was still there, but no officers were found on sight. "Tadaima!" the girl said announcing her arrival home, not that she expected anyone to meet her. She hadn't been greeted at home in quite a while, there was nothing to be worried about while she did a bit of remote work from home.

  3. #63
    There was so much to figure out about these powers, Sins, the cults in general, and whatever linked these two worlds. Yugi thought long and hard about all connected things while dilly-dallying in his room. He'd originally decided to think of such things to distract himself from the thought of being sought after by Kimiko, but he was now actively seeking a distraction just to have some mindless activity while his subconscious worked. In the end, he decided to pick up a puzzle. He took up a rotor puzzle in the shape of a circle, which seemed to be comprised of five jigsaw pieces, and began fiddling with it. The pieces were pushed inward and outward, revealing the intricate grooves that held all five segments together at multiple points for the sake of complexity. Never did Yugi seem bothered by the shape of this puzzle; he seemed to be using it simply to stabilize his thought process.

    "Sin is absolute, right? If Wrath itself is wrathful, it would probably be expressed whether someone wanted it to be or not. It's pretty hard to not show rage even when trying to avoid it, after all." His thoughts were spoken aloud as he didn't seem to be fully disassembling the puzzle at all. By the end of his thought process, though, all five pieces separated at once in Yugi's hands. "But... nothing satisfies anger like a good vent. Sometimes, the only solution is to let it all out─"

  4. #64
    There was no noise inside the Ashikaga household, as such the girl made her way to her room without stopping. This was in general what her life was, walking around this big house, which was usually empty aside from staff members who came and went on their own scheduled rotations. She rarely saw anyone she didn't pay outside of school and even when she went to her office building she felt alone. 'Wrong thought process...' she mused as she kept walking. Upon reaching her bedroom she stripped down to her lingerie and took up position cross legged at her computer desk. That ruby around her neck shining as it caught the light of her display. A small smile came to her face, what a strange amount of comfort she got from such a random item. She found herself rubbing it between her fingers in the same nervous manner she did her hair from time to time... feeling strangely close to the one who'd created it. Regardless she waited for a ping from her email. And while she did, she committed to going through the motions of her normal business transactions. She had no idea how long she was to be back in this world, but she couldn't let down all of those who depended on her while she was here. Her work load hadn't piled up while she was away so it wasn't as if anything was amiss. Some button clicks some read and answered emails and some instructions to her various staff members in case she was unreachable at any point in the next few weeks. These were the motivations of a girl who ran an entire business even as a teenager. By the time she was composing her last email a new one finally hit her private inbox. She switched tabs with marked excitement, typing in her encryption key to open the files presented to her.

    "Sou ka... let's find out about the Puzzle Club." She spoke to herself as she often did when alone. She scrolled through the basics. The Puzzle Club at her high school was a group of like minded individuals who enjoyed the challenge of new puzzles. Various puzzles were often brought before them to be solved, any there would take them on. They also attended competitions against other schools. These included time trials and complexity leveling. "Ah, so like a guild of people who just do puzzles. Not terrible but I kind of get it..." she murmured. Going though she saw various articles listed about competitions attended and scores of those contestants going back three years. One set of articles in particular caught her eye. "Miura Seiji, ka..." her eyes traveled over the information and took in his various feats. "A third year student, in his first year he'd attended several competitions and consistently had the highest scores in all types of puzzles completed. If I thought he would have joined the club, I might believe this is the person I am looking for..." she said, opening up his file she had a look at his student photo as well as his grades and attendance. His school records stated that he'd joined the puzzle club and then quit. This brought great pause to Kimiko. "Well, I guess now I can't completely rule him out..." she murmured to herself. Though he'd rejoined there were many reasons that might have been the case, and he did mention being hounded constantly to do puzzles. Perhaps he'd joined the club preemptively so people would leave him alone? That didn't fit with what she knew of him enough, but maybe she didn't know enough yet? So far as she'd seen, the Geno Killer had managed a great number of different types of puzzles while they were adventuring together. It would be simple enough to assume that he'd simply grown bored at some point. "Miura Seiji, even if he isn't who I am looking for... he's the one to most likely have the answer, or at least another lead to follow up on. I wonder if it would be best if I came bearing a gift then?" Kimiko questioned her own motivations. She could potentially use one of her more complicated puzzle run-ins from her time in the other world as a litmus test. Either the lad would be able to complete it and she'd could further push him into talking to her. Or she'd show him and he'd admit to his involvement with her. Whether or not he was the answer or just another clue... this one boy seemed to be the most viable step in her journey towards finding the Geno Killer. With a plan in mind and her research done... she printed off a blank version of the Sudoku Super Giant. She spent a few moments at her desk there after, drawing in the runes which had been part of her Druid Ascension Puzzle. Once she was sure it was perfect she went about the rest of her daily life. Tomorrow she was going to school and then afterwards to club activities. She was going to find the Geno Killer.

  5. #65
    Miura Seiji was a young man whose attention was sought after by the entire puzzle club of their school. He didn't care; there was only one thing puzzle-related that kept his interest. He much preferred spending his free time gaming, or finding other sources of entertainment, as of late. On the following school day, perhaps it would be Ashikaga Kimiko who discovered the things which had his eye now. Sadly, the boy she sought would not even be attending this upcoming day. The life of a shut-in such as Aiba Yugi virtually dictated a minimum number of skipped school days, even in spite of his exceptional grades in all subjects. Ah, but it didn't matter if he showed up or not. Kimiko happened to be on his trail, whether she knew it or not... if she only managed to get the information she sought.

    Lunchtime on the following day, Seiji sat alone in the puzzle club's meeting room. He had no intention of being in said room while their after-school meeting took place; they had nothing worthwhile to offer him. Perhaps someone would eventually appear with something worth his time, but for now, he would enjoy his lunch in solitude. In doing so, he leaned back in a chair placed next to a very specific, unsolved puzzle box that was highly regarded as impossible in its normal form. This, however, was not the normal version of even that puzzle. The standard version was referred to as the "dovetail box" due to having dovetails cut into four sides to make opening it a visual impossibility. It typically possessed a hidden set of diagonal cuts between its two halves to let it slide open when a ball bearing was ejected from one internal side to the other, but this one... was not even a box. This one in particular had twelve sides, and every two sides created a segment. There were six shifting ball bearings within, total. To solve it, each bearing had to be taken through three paths within the puzzle, and all had to remain in the puzzle's center for the entire puzzle to be taken apart at once. Inside, there was a box... and an additional item: a slip of paper with a phone number written on it. Sadly, no member of any puzzle club in the region had even become aware of how many bearings were inside this version of the dovetail box─ none could even dream of solving it, including Miura Seiji himself. That very puzzle was the only thing keeping him in the club to this day.

  6. #66
    To be technical the next day at school had been pretty uneventful. Kimiko had returned but that was mostly because she was contracted to attend a certain amount of school all the time. She wasn't a slacker by any means either but socializing was never easy for her. Case in point, by the time lunch had rolled around the girl was almost as exhausted as most people would have been running a marathon. Forcing smiles, answering questions, pretending she had interest in anything other than her singular goal. Ah, but it was lunch time now and it was a time period she normally spent alone. One could not account for the amount of recharging that normally took place. Kimiko preferred to be out of the watchful gazes of her peers when she could, as such her disappearance after picking up a coffee was hardly worth anyone looking into. But she had work to do, her plan in general was to enjoy the cup of coffee she had and maybe spend a little time scoping out the puzzle club. She'd intended to find out the habits of one Miura Seiji from his fellow club members. She'd once heard that many club members spent time in their club rooms or with club members during off time. She figured such a place at lunch would be a reasonable enough time to do a little digging. "I was just wondering if anyone here had time to chat a bit... I brought..." imagine her surprise when she opened the door of this room to find the main subject of her targeted investigation alone in this club room. "Oh? Sumimasen... I didn't expect for it to just be one person here. I didn't mean to interrupt."

    This scene was a bit too surreal to her. There was a boy alone in a room, eating lunch, a singular puzzle nearby. She had to wait his answer to find out a couple of things. 'Calm down Kimi, even if he recognizes you. Everyone at school pretty much knows you. Him being here, near a complicated puzzle... not enough proof.' She tried to reassure herself. Still she wouldn't join this lad if he didn't want to be bothered. She supposed she could try and fish for information a bit more directly but she didn't like such undertakings. She'd only gotten a baseline understanding of this lad, she needed more to work with to be perfectly capable of figuring out if he was the boy she was looking for.

  7. #67
    Seiji was mid-bite when, via periphery, he saw a shadow just outside the door. This was a very quiet part of the building at this particular time, so he also had the displeasure of hearing the footsteps on the way. One would have hoped those steps would keep moving past the door, but no... this female figure would enter the clubroom while speaking aloud. This rather famous girl intruded on side-swept, yet otherwise unkempt dark hair with a single red fringe on the left side, and a bit of blonde hanging just behind the male's ear. He was of average height as he sat lackadaisically in that leaning chair, setting sapphire eyes with a golden gleam upon the raven-haired lass.

    He seemed nothing shy of surprised as he realized who this was entering the room. Stunned beyond words, he gulped down a mouthful of calamari. "Ashikaga... Kimiko ka─" he muttered under his breath. What could she be doing here, he wondered. Either way, it had to be something rather interesting. None would believe this girl to have an interest in puzzles, or the types of people who frequented this very room. "Iia, iia. To be honest, I shouldn't even be here at this hour. This room is a ghost town, but... that's pretty much why I show up for lunch. So? You brought what?" he asked, wondering what had been left unspoken in Kimiko's initial clause. From the expression on his face, he, too, sought information of some sort. He was made incredibly curious by the act of Ashikaga Kimiko showing her face in this room, and he would at least have the answer to that. "Oh, and have a seat, I guess. You're looking for something, right?"

  8. #68
    Kimiko found herself looking at this lad mid bite. There was some sort of nostalgia here, a scene which she'd witnessed before in a very similar manner. But just because it was similar didn't mean it was exactly what she was looking for. Those bright eyes of hers still took in the sight though, how strange. It was very odd to be on the look out for signs but not be able to figure out if the signs were simply being applied because she was looking for them, or if they were actually there. 'Ugh, I should have paid more attention when Olga was teaching me about bias,' the lass thought. She likely owed her PR person a few apologies not the least of which was about her own inability to deal with people on a personal level. Ah, but this one recovered pretty easily, that was a decent sign but again not enough. "I brought a puzzle, mostly as a peace offering..." she mentioned. Still he'd said she could sit down and admitted that this place was normally a ghost town at this time, he stated he was here at a lot at this hour.

    She walked over, sitting across from him, she sat the puzzle down on the table the Sudoku Super Giant which used the various Runes from the game AoE and her coffee to the other. when she took her seat, it came with a sweeping motion as she tucked her skirt in under her bottom. She also crossed her legs at the knee right over left and sat with impeccable posture. "And yes, I am looking for someone, but it's a bit complicated. Was it that obvious?" she asked rather directly before sipping from her coffee. The lass was rather direct, but still polite and cordial. She wanted information but the amount of thought this lad had going on in his head would likely determine exactly how honest she would be about what she was after. People were indeed very strange, and if she could find out what she wished to know without giving up too many of her own intentions. Just the same that smile of hers, fake as it was was plastered pleasantly on her face. Was this the type of lad to find her presence menacing regardless? Or would he simply not know how to react to her? Would he be a strange fan of hers? Or would he detest her? All were options but until she knew his exact stance she couldn't really proceed as she wished. But she'd learned a bit about people who liked puzzles so she could work with that as a base, and give no more or less information than was asked for as a testing grounds.

  9. #69
    "A puzzle, huh," he repeated. Surprise surprise, the one known as Kimiko entered the clubroom in the same way many others before her often did. Either normal students came with some overly-simplistic puzzle they were given, wanting it solved, or those from other schools (or even the same club) brought puzzles for the sake of issuing a challenge. However... Seiji would at least glance over this puzzle regardless. How strange it was that she would offer something as boring as a sudoku, but... what was this? "H'oh?"

    Stuffing another bite of calamari into his mouth, Seiji lowered his chair to the floor. Kimiko admitted to looking for someone, questioning the obviousness of it. He had nothing to say immediately. He was already picking up a pen, and glancing over the puzzle. "Hmm," was his only utterance for some time. He did, in fact, recognize these symbols. Seiji was a very frequent player of AoE, and Rune Magic was not completely foreign to him. As for the puzzle itself, he appeared to be working through it with relative ease, if only by using runes that appeared within the puzzle as reference. "It couldn't be more obvious. Were you trying to make it anything else?" he asked. "If you were, maybe the puzzle club wasn't the best place to come."

  10. #70
    The lad looked over the puzzle and then with only a simple shift in his expression grabbed a pen and began working on it. She knew it wasn't a truly interesting puzzle, it was meant to be used on someone else for this exact reason, that being said he didn't seem to show the same great love for puzzles that her target did. She could pass these moments of relative silence without much change in her disposition, if only because her mind was already hard at work. She'd come here with the intention of eliminating or confirming this man to be the one she was looking for, confronting him directly wasn't part of her initial method. With this slight shift in plans all of her thoughts had to be adjusted to directly dealing with the problem of another overly clever lad speaking to her. 'Clever people are always so sassy...' she thought, given the lads words when he finally spoke again. No speaking over the puzzle only working on it. Did he recognize it? The mental questions Kimiko asked herself were numerous and filed within her mind as separate things to be addressed at some point. Figuring out this young man's base knowledge was an important part of ruling him in or out as the Geno Killer.

    "I wasn't trying to, at this point. The plan changed when you were the only person here. Admittedly, though if there had been more people, I would have expected to retain a certain amount of ambiguity. It's easy to hide in a room full of people, much harder to do so in a one on one situation. I simply gave up the pretense... I wouldn't want to be insufferable company," she said speaking of her own mental intention. "Besides the person I am looking for may be connected to this place, coming here was inevitable. I get the feeling I could have gotten away with my intentions seeming vague if it hadn't been you here."

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