Major Announcement

I've really enjoyed being able to write up my projects over the last four months and share them with everyone here. However, I've started to burn out. My inspiration is running out and I've struggled to come up with posts for the last few days. What's more, this project seriously eats into my time; it usually takes me 2-4 hours to plan and write each post, and with university deadlines looming, and my sleep schedule in tatters, I can't afford to use up that much time.

Regretfully, I have had to make the difficult decision to put Project 20:15 officially on hold until 8th May, by which time my university assignments will have been finished and handed in and I can fully devote my time to this project once more. There may be sporadic posts until then, depending on my level of inspiration and motivation, but regular posts will cease until that date.

Please note that I fully intend to make up for any posts I miss. If I am unable to make all 365 posts by the end of the year, then I will extend Project 20:15 into the start of 2016.

To reiterate: Project 20:15 is now on a brief hiatus. Regular posting will resume on 8th May. I will make up the rest of the posts at a later date, and extend the project into 2016 if I have to. I sincerely apologize, but I hope you will all understand that while this is not a decision I am taking lightly, it is one that ultimately I needed to make in order to focus on my university assignments and restore my own depleted creativity. Thank you for understanding, and I look forward to bringing you regular posts once more in a few weeks' time.

Until then, thank you for your continued support.

    ~Ryan Nurse

Day 108

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

As Raiden and I head out of the classroom towards the cafeteria, we only make it about a dozen steps before we're halted in our tracks. "Hey, Ken! Raiden!" Oh, great. This is the last thing I need today.

Harumi Nakata and her two followers are casually leaning against the wall to our right. I can only imagine that in order to have gotten here so quickly, they must have wrangled their way out of their lessons early. That is, if they even showed up.

Harumi holds up a CD case, looking for all the world like a sweet, innocent idol. "Want a signed copy of Harumi-tan's new demo CD?" she asks. "This is an exclusive, not even in the stores yet~"

"Have any of your CDs ever actually been sold in stores?" asks Raiden rather pointedly.

"Of course they have, don't be silly," says Harumi. "Harumi-tan s a famous idol, after all."

"No, you're just a bimbo with an over-inflated ego," I retort. Ahh… that feels better. Projecting my stress onto Harumi is a good way to relieve myself from the troublesome events of the past few hours. It also has the side effect of winding Harumi up, which is always fun.

"Any "ego" Harumi-tan may have is perfectly justified, thank you very much," she says, pouting.

To demonstrate, the girl on Harumi's left grabs a passing freshman girl by the arm and pulls her over to us. "Excuse me, miss," she says. "You're a fan of Harumi-tan, right?"

"Uhh… of course!" squeaks the girl. Her tone of voice and facial expression indicate that she's only saying this so that the slightly psychotic-looking girl holding her arm doesn't punch her in the face or something. Nonetheless, it's what Harumi's follower wanted to hear, so she promptly continues.

"Would you be interested in a signed copy of her new demo CD?" she asks.

"O-of course!" says the freshman.

Harumi's other follower (I really should learn their names at some point) takes a CD out of her rucksack and hands it to Harumi, who takes out what looks like a permanent marker from her breast pocket. Harumi happens to be left handed; of course, she makes a big deal out of this as part of her idol persona. "So, who should Harumi-tan make this out to?" asks Harumi sweetly.

"Uhh… Senomiya." says the freshman.

"To Senomiya-san…" Harumi-tan… uhh, I mean Harumi… shit, it's rubbing off on me now... uhh, Harumi signs the CD and hands it to the girl. Well, I assume the squiggle is her signature. It just looks like… well, a squiggle.

"Thanks, Harumi-tan," says the freshman, still rather bemused by the whole ordeal.

Harumi smiles a sickly-sweet false smile. "Harumi-tan will do anything for her beloved fans~"

The bemused girl hurries off on her way, and as he vanishes into the crowd, I'm convinced that I see her quietly slip the CD into another student's backpack. Harumi, wrapped up in her own smugness, doesn't notice. "Now, where were we?" she asks. "Ah, yes. Two more CDs for our friends here, please~"

I'm about to point out that we never asked for any CDs when Raiden puts a hand on my shoulder, speaking to me in a low, quiet voice. "Hey, the sooner we get outta here, the sooner we can eat," he says. "And I dunno about you, but I'm starving. So let's just take the damn CDs, and find a bin to dump 'em in on the way to the cafeteria."

"Ahem." We abruptly turn back to Harumi to find her holding out the already-signed CDs. I guess that settles that, then. I wonder whether she heard Raiden talking about his plan to dump the CDs. If she did, she isn't letting on.

Raiden immediately takes his CD and heads off without another word. Harumi's sickly-sweet expression sours in an instant, her idol persona slipping momentarily. "How ungrateful," she scowls. "I give him a free signed copy of my new CD, instead of charging him 2000 yen for it, and does he thank me? No!"

I decide it's not worth invoking Harumi's wrath as well. For now, it's best to just play along. I take the remaining CD from her and bow slightly. "Thank you very much, Harumi-tan," I say.

The smile returns to Harumi's face as her ego is sated. "You're most welcome, Kentaro-kun~ " she says. "Harumi-tan has no further use for you. You may go now~" She waves a hand as if to shoo me away.

"Alright," I say. "I'll see you later, Harumi, and, uhh…" Well, I'd been meaning to ask anyway, so I might as well. "…what were your names again?"

Both of Harumi's followers look a little wounded, perhaps understandably. The aggressive-looking one swiftly answers me. "I'm Suzume," she says. "That's Yuuka." She thumbs in the direction of the other girl, who nods to confirm this.

"Ah, okay. I was wondering what your names were," I admit. "Thanks." Suzume merely grunts in response.

"Wonderful, everyone knows who everyone is now. Weren't you going, Kentaro?" Harumi's sharp, sarcastic voice and pointed gaze cut through the atmosphere like a knife.

"Yes, yes I was," I say, nodding.

"Well then."

All too glad to get away from Harumi, I hurry to catch up to Raiden. I eventually catch up to him just outside the cafeteria. "Oh, there you are," he says as he spots me. "I was worried for a second there. Was that harpy holding you up?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding.

"Still got your CD?" asks Raiden.

"Yeah," I reply, holding it up so he can see. "I was gonna dump it like you said, but I was too busy catching up to you."

"That's alright, I got a better idea," says Raiden, smiling. "Give it here."

I hand the CD over to him. "Do I wanna know what you're planning to do with this?" I ask him.

"I'll answer that with a question of my own," says Raiden. "Do you know what happens when you put a CD in a microwave?"

"No…" I say warily.

An almost frightening grin spreads across Raiden's face. "Well, you're gonna find out," he says. "I'll send you the footage, just as soon as I get hold of another microwave. Anyway, come on," he continues, gesturing in the direction of the cafeteria entrance. "There's a bowl of mapo tofu in there with my name on it."

"I'm right behind you." Raiden puts the CDs away in his rucksack, and the two of us finally make our way into the cafeteria.

Day 107

[from Pokémon xTreme]

It wasn't long before both Taylor and Keiran had selected their starter Pokémon. Taylor had chosen an Eevee, having seemingly been swayed by its cuteness, while Kieran had chosen an Elekid. Taylor was perfectly happy to leave Ellen's house and begin training right away, but Kieran had other ideas.

"Hey, you wanna battle?" he asked. "Let's check out our new Pokémon!"

Taylor shrugged. She'd been planning on training anyway, and it couldn't hurt to see exactly what her Eevee was like in battle. Ellen had told her it had perfect IVs and a strong egg move - whatever those meant - but until she saw it in battle, she had no idea how strong it actually was. "Sure," she said. "It'll be good to get some battle practice."

"You got this, Taylor," said Brandon encouragingly, patting her on the shoulder.

"In your dreams," retorted Seth. Kieran nodded in agreement, smirking.

Taylor was a little too nervous to partake in this pre-battle repartee. Instead, she merely plucked her single Poké Ball from her belt, holding it in one hand and her smartphone in the other. She opened the Pokédex app, which automatically tracked her party through wireless chips in the Poké Balls, and showed her real-time information on her Pokémon's moves and status during battle. It was an invaluable tool during battles, and one that Kieran also had open in preparation for the fight. "Okay, ready when you are," said Taylor.

"Alright, here goes nothing!" said Kieran. "Go, Elekid!" He threw his own Poké Ball and Elekid burst forth, spinning one of its arms round a few times to generate the electricity that stimulated its muscles. It was a fast Pokémon, and reasonably powerful; like Taylor's Eevee, it had perfect IVs, meaning it was as strong as it was possible for an Elekid to be. However, its Nature - which lowered its Attack bur raised its Special Defence - was not exactly ideal when all its moves were physical moves.

Taylor's Eevee had no such problems. "Go, Eevee!" said Taylor, sending out her own starter. She quickly consulted her Pokédex, but before she could check its moves properly, Kieran spoke up once more.

"My Elekid's faster, so it's my turn first!" he declared. "Elekid, use Fire Punch!" Elekid duly obliged, cloaking its fist in flames and whirling its arm around to build up power, before striking Eevee directly in the face. Taylor gasped as her Pokémon took the blow, but despite stumbling backwards slightly, Eevee stood firm.

"My turn now, then!" said Taylor. "Uhh…" She took the opportunity to properly consult the Pokédex, checking the moves she had available to use. Tackle was a fairly standard damage-dealing move. Charm would severely lower its Attack, something she wasn't sure was necessary since its first attack hadn't done much damage to start with. Instead, she decided to lower its defences, in order to finish it off quicker. "Okay… Eevee, use Tail Whip!"

Eevee turned round and wagged its bushy tail cutely in Elekid's direction. The cuteness was enough to cause Elekid to lower its guard slightly, reducing its Defence. However, at the end of this first turn, Elekid still held the advantage in terms of remaining health, and since it went fist again in the second time, it could stretch this advantage.

"Elekid, use Ice Punch this time!" said Kieran. This time, Elekid's fist was cloaked in ice crystals as it whirled its arm round in circles, before delivering another blow to Eevee. Eevee withstood this one as well, but its health was down to below half now, and it was starting to tire a little. Taylor knew she had to end this quickly if she was to avoid losing her first-ever battle.

Consulting her Pokédex once more, she realized her Eevee had another attack: Covet. This one dealt more damage than Tackle, and would also steal an opponent's held item, if it happened to have one. This must have been the "powerful egg move" that Ellen had been referring to. In any case, there was no reason for her to use Tackle when she had this move at her disposal. "Eevee," she declared, "use Covet!"

Shaking off its slight weariness, Eevee strode over to Elekid and began to beg cutely, its eyes opening wide in a pleading expression. Elekid was immediately caught off-guard, and a moment later, Eevee struck, swiping out at the Electric Pokémon with one of its front paws. Had Elekid been holding an item, it would have been snatched away from it, but instead all it did was deal a heavy amount of damage to the weakened Pokémon, sending it stumbling backwards, pinwheeling its arms to try and regain its balance. Taylor's choice to weaken Elekid before striking it had made all the difference, and now the match had swung dramatically in her own favour.

Kieran gritted his teeth, growing agitated. He hadn't expected Eevee's attacks to be so strong in comparison to Elekid's. But it wasn't over yet: he still had one slim chance of winning. Ice Punch, being an Ice-type move, had a 10% chance of freezing the opponent. If the next blow froze Eevee, it would be left incapable of moving, and Elekid would be able to easily finish it off.  It was a slim chance, but it was the only chance he had left to avoid defeat.

"Elekid," he called out, "use Ice Punch again! Freeze it solid!" Elekid pinwheeled its arm once more, charging up another frigid punch. Once more it landed squarely on Eevee, causing it to stumble backwards, and with its health now dangerously low, its front legs were starting to buckle and one eye was closed, panting a little against the pain. But it was not knocked out, and crucially, neither was it frozen. "Damn it," muttered Kieran, who knew in that instant that he had lost.

"Hang in there, Eevee!" cried out Taylor, growing concerned for her tired Pokemon. "You're doing great; just one more attack! Now, use Tackle!"

Eevee nodded, steadying itself, before charging at Elekid and tackling it head-on. The blow was more than enough to knock out the tired Elekid, sending it sprawling to the floor. The battle was over, and Taylor had won.

Suddenly, the rookie trainer found herself flooded with a powerful sense of joy and accomplishment. This may only have been a practice match against a fellow rookie, but it was a victory nonetheless, and a perfect start to her career. "We did it, Eevee!" exclaimed Taylor joyfully. "We won!"

Eevee staggered round to face Taylor, still limping a little, and gave her a weak smile. Already, perhaps, Eevee could sense that Taylor was going to be a good trainer. Taylor recalled her victorious Pokémon back to its Poké Ball, and Kieran followed suit, scowling as he returned his defeated Elekid to its ball.

"Don't feel too down, Kieran," said Seth encouragingly. "You still fought pretty well. Once you get some more practice under your belt, that Elekid of yours will get plenty stronger."

"I know," said Kieran, "but that doesn't make me feel any better about losing."

 "I guess not," conceded Seth. "Still, I have to admit, that's a pretty strong Eevee. I think it helped that it had STAB moves and your Elekid didn't."

"STAB moves?" repeated Taylor blankly.

"I think I have a lot of technical terms to teach her," said Brandon. "But for now, I think we should go heal these Pokémon back up again. Ellen's got a healing machine in her house, so let's head back inside for a bit."

"Alright," said Taylor. "We'll go training afterwards, right?"

"Actually, before we get onto that, I think I need to explain some stuff first," said Brandon. "It'll help if you know what you're doing and what you're aiming for right from the get-go."

"I know what I'm aiming for," said Kieran, as he followed Seth back towards the house. "I wanna be the strongest trainer in the world. That's the point, isn't it?"

"Kind of," admitted Brandon.

"Yeah, I think we'll head over to Viridian Forest after this," said Seth. "There's plenty of weak Flying and Bug-types there that this thing will make mincemeat out of. Easy practice."

"We'll probably go there tomorrow, yeah," said Brandon. "I need to teach you how to catch a Pokémon for yourself, that's a really important skill to learn."

Taylor nodded. "I'm looking forward to it," she said, as the four of them headed back inside Ellen's house in search of the healing machine.

Day 106

[from Street Racer]

As his fingers curled around the steering wheel of his heavily-modified Nissan Skyline GT-R, Tristan Starr glanced one more time at the smartphone hooked up to the central console. A map of Jade City was displayed on the screen, with the circuit they would be driving laid out upon it in a thick white line. Tristan's green eyes scoured the route, committing as much of it to memory as possible. Once the race began, he would be driving at such high speeds that taking his eyes off the road to check where we was going, even for a second, could spell disaster. He wasn't going to get caught out by such a rookie mistake.

This route map had been created using an app that was ostensibly for mapping out jogging routines, but had been co-opted by the city's sizeable street-racing scene as a means of sharing routes between drivers. The Jade City Police Department were trying to pressure the app stores into pulling the app, but of course they couldn't stop people who already had the apps from using it, and whenever it was removed, two identical ones popped up. The police were fighting a battle against the racers that they seemingly could not win.

Tonight there was yet another street race on. It was a four-lap race, around a short three-kilometre track in the centre of the city. The four contestants were already lined up on the road, with a crowd of several dozen gathered on the sidewalk to watch the action. The roads around were mostly deserted; the city's residents had learned to anticipate when the street races would be taking place, and to stay away from the roads as much as possible during those times. Of course, this would also alert the police, so the group would have to complete the race and disperse as quickly as possible. While they were all gathered together like this, they were much easier to catch than when they were spread all over the city.

 Tristan was the third car along on the starting grid, with two competitors to his left and one to his right.  On his far-left was the modified black-and-yellow Hyundai Genesis Coupe of his friend Alyssa Dalton, one of the first racers he had befriended upon his arrival to Jade City. She'll be the biggest challenge. Between Tristan and Alyssa was a sky-blue-and-black Chevrolet Corvette, driven by a man calling himself T-Bone whom Tristan had heard of but had never driven against before. His car looks faster than it is. Finally, on Tristan's right was a jet-black Ford Focus ST driven by a man named Michael, who appeared to be a newcomer. Not a chance.

The sound of the revving engines and the smell of petrol and tyre smoke filled the air, mixed in with the taste of the cigarette that smouldered gently between Tristan's lips. He knew it was a lethal habit, not to mention an expensive one, and that if he ever achieved his goal of funding a professional racing career, he would have to give it up. He would probably have to give up smoking as well. But he was addicted to them both; the nicotine rush of the cigarettes, and the adrenaline rush of street racing. The drugs coursed through his body, energizing him. They made him feel alive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tristan could see a girl in a leather jacket and skirt stepping out into the road. He didn't know her name, but she was the lover of one of the various other street racers who had shown up to watch the race. Tonight, she would be acting as the race starter. Tristan kept half an eye on her progress, but his gaze remained mainly focused on the road in front of him. It wasn’t too far to the first corner, and whoever came out of that corner in first place would have the firm advantage. The start was absolutely crucial.

The girl stopped in the exact centre of the road, between Tristan and T-Bone's cars, and the revving of the engines reached a deafening crescendo as the competitors prepared to race. Tristan's eyes flicked downwards for a split second to check that he was revving at the optimal range, for the best possible start off the line. At the side of the track, another girl stood with a digital stopwatch, ready to measure the drivers' times, while Lien Wei, a female friend of Tristan's, was stationed at a tripod video camera that was aligned precisely with the finish line. There had been enough disputes over photo finishes in the past that such a precaution was now seen as a necessity.

The girl raised her hands high in the air, scanning the start/finish line to make sure that all the competitors were ready. A moment later, her arms sliced downwards through the air, and the four cars screamed into life in an explosion of torque and tyre smoke as the race began. The cars accelerated straight past her and roared off towards the first corner, leaving nothing in their wake except a faint haze of smoke and a set of jet-black tyre marks on the worn asphalt.

Day 105

[from The Ember Stone]

After dropping off the loaves of bread at the bakery, and collecting the payment, Jacob headed over to the jewellers' store to get the strange stone's value assessed. The old man running the store, upon seeing the stone on his counter, was immediately intrigued.

"What a curious stone," he said, peering intently at it through a magnifying eyepiece. "It almost looks like a miniature version of the Ember Stone… though of course, such a thing would be impossible..."

"What's an Ember Stone?" asked Jacob, intrigued.

"The Ember Stone is one of four powerful crystalline artefacts, each of which controls one of the four elements," explained the old man. "There is the Gust Stone, which controls wind; the Aqua Stone, which controls water; the Earth Stone, which controls the earth; and the Ember Stone, which controls fire. If you possess one of those stones, you will gain control over its element, and legend has it that if you can obtain all four, you will become invincible."

"I see," said Jacob. "So, if it looks like the Ember Stone, that must mean it's worth a lot, right?"

The old man thought for a moment, closely examining the stone, then shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I've never seen anything like this stone before, which means I don’t know how to guess what it might be worth. It might be an exceptionally rare find, or it might just be a worthless piece of glass. I'm sorry, but I'd like to do some more research before deciding whether it's worth buying this from you."

Jacob was disappointed, but he understood the old man's position. If he bought it for a large sum of money, then found it was worthless, he would feel cheated. If he bought it for a pittance, and then found it was exceptionally valuable, he would feel as though he had cheated Jacob. This was the safest move for both parties. "Okay," he said, nodding. "I understand."

"Good," said the old man. "I'll do some research on what this stone might be, so come back in perhaps a week or two and I should be able to put a proper value on it then. Alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me," said Jacob.

"One more thing, though," said the old man, as he handed Jacob the stone back. "You say the stone appeared to fall out of the sky?"

"That's what it seemed like," said Jacob, his fingers closing once more around the warm crystal. "I can't really explain it, but… it just seemed to suddenly land nearby, out of nowhere."

 "I see," said the old man. "Well, if that will be all, I guess I'll be seeing you around. Goodbye for now, Jacob."

"Goodbye," said Jacob, waving briefly before pocketing the stone and heading back out onto the high street. While he was still a little disappointed not to have gotten anything for the stone, he hadn't really lost anything, and he still had the stone itself… whatever it was. He started to make his way back up the dirt track towards his farm home, still none the wiser as to the stone's true worth.

Day 104

[from StarLight]

"The day after an enormous monster appeared in downtown Mitsuzawa, demolishing a bridge and causing severe disruption, the world is rife with speculation about the mysterious magical girl who destroyed it. The girl, who called herself "White Star", has already become a global phenomenon, with hundreds of fans producing tribute artworks of her and fan-sites popping up all over the Internet. There are even reports of companies attempting to secure merchandising rights for White Star, with planned products ranging from figurines and fridge magnets to life-sized hugging pillows.

"At the same time, many are questioning the origins of the monster, and how exactly this girl was able to defeat it. Some have speculated that the entire event could have been staged, as some kind of viral marketing campaign. One expert went as far as claiming that White Star herself poses an imminent threat to humanity, claiming that her final attack may well have the equivalent power and destructive capability of a targeted nuclear strike. However, White Star herself proclaimed after the monster's defeat that she intends to protect Mitsuzawa from any threats."

The reporter, who had been narrating over a montage of clips from White Star's debut battle, now fell silent as White Star's words were transmitted across the airwaves once more: "I promise to let the light of justice shine wherever the darkness may appear… If any other monsters show up, I'll blast 'em to bits just like I did this one! That's a promise!"

"White Star's words appear to suggest that Mitsuzawa will face more monster attacks in future," the reporter continued, "however the girl also vows strongly to defend the city from any such attacks. In the meantime, nobody knows for sure whether or not Mitsuzawa will be attacked again, when or where any future attacks may take place, and perhaps most importantly, whether this mysterious heroine will be able - or willing - to make good on her promise to protect the city. Until then, arguably the biggest question on people lips is this: who or what is White Star, and what heroic deeds will she perform next?"

***

As the morning sun shone through her bedroom window, White Star was busy replacing the lightbulb, after Kousen had broken it the night before. She didn't really need to be in her magical girl form in order to change it, but being able to fly up to the bulb to change it rather than needing a step ladder was remarkably convenient.

"Hey, Kousen," she remarked suddenly, as she started to screw in the bulb. "How many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?"

Kousen seemed somewhat baffled by the question. "One," she replied.

White Star facepalmed. "No," she said, "you're supposed to say, "I dunno, how many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?""

"Oh, it's a joke," said Kousen. "Okay… I don't know. How many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"Actually, I couldn't think of a punchline," White Star admitted. "I just wanted to say that, since I actually am changing a lightbulb right now."

"Oh," said Kousen. "That wasn't very funny."

White Star shrugged, and finished screwing in the lightbulb. She then flew over to the light switch and flicked it on and off a few times to check that it worked; it did. "Alright, that's that fixed," she said, before letting go of the White Star Wand. As the chi faded from her body, she was surrounded once more with a bright white glow, and when it faded she was back to being Sanae Hikari again, dressed in her regular school uniform.

"One other thing as well," said Kousen, as Sanae stowed the Emblem away inside her rucksack. "I ask that you only use the White Star Emblem for emergencies, such as monster attacks. It's an incredible power, and not something that should be misused for anything you feel like."

"Oh, lighten up, Kousen," said Sanae, putting on her rucksack. "I was only using it for about a minute. You gotta admit, being able to fly comes in handy."

"It does," conceded Kousen, "but even so, this power is not to be abused. Do you understand?"

"So I can't use it unless there's a monster attack? That's kinda boring," Sanae lamented. "But, I guess if I was White Star all the time, there wouldn't be any slice-of-life elements, and we're parodying that genre as well, so I guess it's alright."

"I'm glad we've reached an understanding," said Kousen. "And remember: you are not to tell anyone that you are White Star."

"I know that," said Sanae. "Alright, I'll be off then. See you after school, Kousen!"

Day 103

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Our third class of the day is math, with Sasaki-sensei. We're doing group work, which usually means pairing up with your friends and just talking for the whole fifty minutes without actually doing the work. But not in Sasaki-sensei's lessons. She's not an idiot. Instead, she puts us into groups herself.

"Shiina, Matsuhara, Minatoya, you're a group…" I smile to myself as I imagine Raiden trying to coax the answers out of a silent Aiko. "…Kurozawa, Asano, Miyazaki, you're a group…" And the smile's gone.

Once all the groups have been read out, we proceed to rearrange our desks so we're all sitting together in the right groups. Taking a cursory glance at my temporary group-mates, I ponder who got the worse deal, me or Raiden. Me and Kurozawa don't talk much, but he's a nice enough guy. Mizuki Asano, on the other hand… "Quit staring at me!" …yeah.

"I'm not staring at you," I reply calmly.

"Yes you are!" she insists.

"No I wasn't," I calmly reiterate. "I'm looking at you now, because that's the polite thing to do when talking to someone. There's a difference between looking at someone and staring at them."

"No there isn't," she says rather bluntly.

"Come on, you two," says Kurozawa, trying to keep order and get us back on track. "We should be getting on with the work."

"Whatever," says Mizuki. Mercifully, she decides not to argue any further, and we settle down to start working on the exercises.

Mizuki Asano is notorious among the entire student body for her delinquent behaviour. She's argumentative, abrasive, and violent. Even the teachers have given up trying to straighten her out, for the most part. If she walks out during a lesson, they just let her. She won't go back inside no matter what they do to try and convince her. Raiden says she reminds him of Taiga Aisaka from Toradora, only taller and less clumsy. I've never watched the show myself, so I can't say whether that's an accurate comparison or not. Probably, though. Raiden knows his stuff.

We begin working our way through the questions. Kurozawa's fairly smart, so we burn through them pretty quickly… or at least we would, if Mizuki didn't keep insisting that we stop and explain things to her. She doesn't seem to be the brightest when it comes to math. I'm guessing all those lessons she misses aren't helping matters. How the hell she got through the entrance exams, I have no idea. Maybe she just beat the crap outta the examiners until they agreed to give her a passing grade.

Anyway, there's one question in particular that seems to have her especially stumped. "How the hell have you two got the right answer for this one?" she asks, confused. "The question doesn't make any sense!"

Once again, Kurozawa steps in to try and defuse her temper. "Okay, calm down a moment, Asano," he says. "Which part of the question are you stuck on?"

Mizuki throws her hands up in exasperation, something I'm sure her teachers feel like doing on a regular basis. "I dunno… all of it!" she snaps.

"Okay, well, it's pretty easy if you look at it like this…" Kurozawa proceeds to take Mizuki through the problem, step-by-step. I have to admit, I barely understand this stuff myself. It's pretty advanced, and there's a ton of different formulas and rules you have to remember. I'm managing to cope with it, just about, but Mizuki clearly isn't.

"…and so, dy/dx=(6x²+12)/4y," says Kurozawa, jotting down the final answer underneath the rest of his marking. "Do you get it now?"

Mizuki just stares at him, her expression an intriguing mix of glazed incomprehension and pure frustration. "It still doesn't make any fucking sense!" she exclaims.

"Maybe it would make more sense if you stopped cutting classes and actually attended your lessons."

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself. Mizuki instantly leaps from her seat, slamming her palms down onto the desk, glaring down at my with a half-furious, half-wounded expression.

"Sit down, please, Asano," says Sasaki-sensei, vainly trying to avert disaster.

"You can't judge me, Miyazaki!" shouts Mizuki. The whole class has fallen silent by now, their attention drawn to Mizuki's latest outburst, torn between looking at either me or her.

"Perhaps you'd like to move to a different group, Asano?" suggests Sasaki-sensei. Mizuki's response is to angrily snatch up her back and start packing up her things. I fully expect her to storm right out of the classroom, as she usually does, but instead she simply moves over to the nearest group, which happens to be Raiden's, and violently pulls back his chair with him still in it.

"Get up," Mizuki snarls. Raiden promptly obliges and vacates his seat, which Mizuki then sits down in. Raiden, in turn, heard over to our table and sits down in the seat that Mizuki had just left.

I hope Raiden doesn't start talking about his search for the second photography club member in front of Kurozawa. I don't want a virtual stranger knowing about the stalker, or the lengths we're going to to track them down. Thankfully - or not - he looks like he has other things he wants to talk about. He's wearing that stupid grin he always puts on right before he says something "smart".

"What was that all about?" he asks, turning to me, the amusement clear as day on his face. "'You can't judge me, Miyazaki!'"

"I told her that if she stopped cutting classes, she might actually learn something," I reply simply.

"And you have a point," Kurozawa chimes in. "There's no point in complaining that you don't understand something if you're not willing to put the effort in."

Raiden ignores Kurozawa's perfectly valid statement and continues talking to me. "I bet, secretly, she likes you," he remarks.

I roll my eyes. Honestly, I should've seen this coming. "Oh don't start with the whole "tsundere" thing, Raiden," I say. "I told you, tsunderes only exist in anime and manga. If a girl in real life is mean to you, it's because she hates you, or because she's a dick, not because she loves you."

"I dunno about being a dick," remarks Raiden, "but she totally wants your dick."

"What was that about penises, Shiina?"

Suddenly Sasaki-sensei is standing right next to our table. The entire class falls silent again as she speaks up, and as she mentions Raiden's name, they all turn to look at him. Then, one by one, the entire classroom bursts out laughing, myself included.

Raiden simply brushes it off without a care. "Well, you see, Sasaki-sensei, I was just telling Kentaro-" Oh great, now he's done it.

"If you boys want to compare sizes, I suggest you do it in the boys' toilets during lunch break, not during my lesson, when you should be working," says Sasaki-sensei. This time neither I nor Kurozawa join in, my face growing bright red as his grows pale.

"Sorry, Sasaki-sensei," says Raiden.

"Don't do it again, Shiina," says Sasaki-sensei. With her punishments meted out, she turns her attention back to the rest of her class and sets about restoring order. "Alright, everyone, show's over, get back to work." Within moments, the classroom has settled back down again, and everyone gets back on with their work as though nothing had happened. Raiden, too, silently carries on with the exercises, his pen having sat idly in his hand the whole time he's been at our table.

This whole incident reminds me why Sasaki-sensei is such a popular teacher. She's not exactly strict, but she doesn't tolerate any nonsense. If you push her, she'll push right back. And instead of giving you a detention for stepping out of line, she'll just call you out on it and embarrass you in front of the whole class. Public humiliation is a surprisingly powerful deterrent. She wasn't really telling Raiden off for… comparing sizes or whatever… she was telling him off for talking and not doing the work. She was probably listening to our entire conversation, waiting for the right moment to jump in to cause maximum embarrassment. Sasaki-sensei's friendly, laid-back, and sometimes eccentric approach to both teaching and discipline means that pretty much all of her students are on good terms with her.

With Mizuki having moved to a different table, the rest of the lesson passes uneventfully, as does the one after it. Before I know it, the bell has gone to signal the start of lunch. As usual, I pack up my things and prepare to leave the classroom.

"We heading to the cafeteria as usual?" asks Raiden, as he picks up his bag.

"Of course," I reply, as I pick up my own. I always eat lunch in the cafeteria with Raiden. No point in changing that just because of the stalker. Except… they'll be there, won't they? They'll be expecting me, surely. Well… at least Raiden will be there with me.

Day 102

[firstly, an advance warning: at any point over the next four weeks, Project 20:15 may be put on hold so I can concentrate on my university assignments. I'm sure you'll all understand.]

[from Vanishing Point]

A short time later, Shinsuke's employees had all exited the building and were patiently gathered in their designated places in the parking lot. While the alarm had already shut off, the all-clear had still not been given, so all they could do for now was stand and wait, some of them still visibly tired from having to travel down numerous flights of stairs. Rika was particularly exhausted, and in some discomfort, but Satoru, standing next to her in front of his assembled workforce, did not look the slightest bit fatigued.

"Every employee is accounted for, sir," said Rika. "Also… may I take these heels off? My feet are killing me." She lifted her right foot and gently rubbed it, wincing.

Satoru looked over at her and nodded. "Go ahead," he said. "Sit down if you need to."

With a sigh of relief, Rika sank into a half-sitting, half-crouching position. She kicked off her heels, and started to gently massage her stocking-clad feet while resting her clipboard against her raised knees.

"Is there anything else?" asked Satoru. "Anything unusual?"

"A couple of things," said Rika, looking down at her clipboard. "One of our employees seems to have misplaced their ID card, presumably in the rush to get out. Security also tells me that one of our elevators is currently stationed at the top floor, and apparently travelled the last thirty-two floors with nobody inside. We don't know where the fire alarm came from, but we think-"

A look of comprehension dawned on Satoru's face, as he began to mentally connect the dots. "Wait a second," he said. "Repeat that last part."

"We don't know where the fire alarm came fro-"

"No, before that!" said Satoru, becoming suddenly agitated. "The part about the elevator!"

"Oh… one of the elevators is currently stationed at the top floor, and it apparently travelled the last thirty-two floors with nobody inside."

Satoru's eyes widened as he put two and two together. "It's Subject 14!" he exclaimed. "She's broken in!"

Rika looked quite understandably confused. "Mr. Oeyama, what's-"

Satoru cut her off, motioning to his security guards. "Security, with me!" he barked. "I want her found!" Turning on his heel, Satoru marched back into the building, followed by several dozen security personnel. Rika watched them go, her hands still resting on her feet, looking tired and thoroughly baffled.

***

Kiyoko, oblivious to the impending danger, was continuing to copy the files over to the flash drive. Cobra, meanwhile, was taking advantage of the sudden radio silence to try and make herself a cup of tea. Given her amnesia, this seemingly simple task was actually more difficult than it sounded; while she could remember having a fondness for the drink, she couldn't remember exactly how she used to prepare it, or which brand she preferred. The only solution was to make cup after cup of tea until she found the right formula, and as Hanako entered the kitchen behind her, she was currently pouring her fifth cup.

"Any luck?" asked Hanako suddenly. Cobra, who hadn't noticed the girl enter, suddenly jumped, spilling tea across the worktop and almost scalding her right hand. She instantly slammed the teapot down and span round to glare at Hanako.

"For God's sake, don't do that!" she barked. "I could have scalded myself!"

Hanako withered beneath Cobra's fearsome gaze, and began to rush out a panicked apology at breakneck speed. "I'msorryIjustwantedtofindouthowyourteaexperimentwasgoingandIdidn'tknowyoudidn'tknowIwashereandIthoughtyouwouldn'tmindifIcameandsaidhelloand-" Finally running out of breath, she inhaled sharply before dropping into a rigid bow. "I'm sorry!"

"Be more careful next time," chided Cobra. Turning her attention back to the cup of tea in her hand, she poured a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar into the cup and mixing it thoroughly, before depositing the teaspoon into the sink, where it joined several others. Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a small sip, then frowned.

"Still not right," she remarked. "Dammit." She poured the cup down the sink, depositing the empty cup alongside the others, then turned her attention to the mess on the worktop. "I suppose I'll have to clear up all this mess now, as well."

"I'll do it!" said Hanako. "I mean, it was basically my fault, so…"

Cobra nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright then," she said. "Grab a wet tea-towel and clear all this up."

Hanako grabbed an old tea-towel from the side and ran it under the tap briefly. "How do you think Kiyoko's doing?" she asked, as she started to mop up the desktop.

Cobra glanced over at her headset, which was lying on the side. "She's downloading the data as we speak," she said. "She should be fine from here on in."

***

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the files had finished copying. Kiyoko pulled the flash drive out of the computer and slipped it into her pocket as she got up from the computer chair. "Okay. I've got the data," she said.

There was a soft rustling sound as Cobra put her headset back on. "Good," she said. "Nice work, Kiyoko. Now get out of there, as quickly as possible. Remember, you'll have to take the fire escape: the elevator will be too risky."

Kiyoko closed the various windows and dialogue boxes that were open on Satoru's computer, then headed back out of his office into the still-deserted corridor. After looking around for a few moments, she found the entrance to the fire escape and quickly opened the door. She found herself confronted with a long, wide staircase that spiralled down through the whole building. Kiyoko looked down over the concrete railings and swallowed nervously. "So many steps…"

"I know, but there's no alternative, I'm afraid," said Cobra. "There shouldn't be any security, though, so you can take it easy until you get to the bottom."

After glancing around to make sure the area was devoid of security cameras, Kiyoko slowly faded back into view, a nervous expression on her face. Being invisible for so long would probably put a strain on her, and it was a long walk back down; she didn't want to tire herself out any more than she had to. With this in mind, she began the long descent back down the fire escape.

***

Unbeknownst to Kiyoko and Cobra, the Shinsuke security guards were already gathering at the bottom of the fire escape, ready to intercept her. Just as at the research facility, all of them were armed and very dangerous.

"We're going to comb the entire building," said Satoru. "Each of you take a separate floor. Leave no stone unturned. If you so much as hear something breathing, you have my permission to shoot."

The guards nodded, and together they began to ascend the staircase. With the elevators still disabled, this was the intruder's only means of escape. As far as Satoru was concerned, there was no way out for Kiyoko, invisibility or no invisibility.

***

By the time Kiyoko reached the 38th floor, she was already exhausted. One hand clutched at a stitch in her chest, while the other one clutched onto the handrail as she breathed heavily. As she reached yet another flight of steps, she collapsed into a sitting position on the top step, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to recover her breath. "I can't… do this…" she gasped.

"Don't panic," said Cobra in her ear, trying to reassure her. "Take it easy. There shouldn't be anyone else in the fire escape, so you can relax. You're pretty much home and dry."

No sooner had Cobra said this than Hanako was startled by the faint sound of footsteps echoing up from below. Peering over the handrail in horror, Kiyoko saw the contingent of guards, still some two dozen strong, heading up the steps only one or two floors beneath her. Kiyoko turned visible again, starting to panic. "Th-the guards!" she whispered, the fear evident in her quiet voice. "Th-they're here! In the fire escape! Hundreds of them! Th-they're coming for me!"

"Damn it!" swore Cobra. "Somebody must have… quick! Hide on the nearest floor!"

Climbing to her feet, Kiyoko sprinted for the door leading to the 38th floor and dived through it. As the guards approached the landing, one of them noticed the door just swinging to a close and quickly raised a hand. "I'll take this floor," he said.

"Alright," said another guard. The first guard stepped out of the pack and headed through the door into the 38th floor corridor, while his squadmates continued on up to the next door. This guard who had volunteered was slightly effeminate in appearance, with golden-blond hair that covered his right eye, and ear piercings. Hearing Kiyoko's panicked footsteps in the distance, he turned and quickly hurried after her.

With the realization that she had been spotted and was being pursued, Kiyoko became absolutely terrified. Turning a corner, she dived through the nearest door. The effeminate guard did not turn the corner in time to see this, but had heard the door slam and guessed where she might have gone. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly began to approach the door.

On the other side of the door was a small broom cupboard, filled with cleaning supplies. Kiyoko's panicked breathing, bordering on hyperventilation, could just he heard coming from within before she clapped a hand over her own mouth, muffling it. As the man stepped closer, he could instead hear her racing heart beating loudly in her chest.

Reaching out a hand, the guard slowly turned the handle and pulled open the door. He found himself confronted with a seemingly ordinary broom cupboard, completely devoid of people, although he knew that it was not necessarily that straightforward. As he began to step inside, investigating further, Kiyoko's heartbeat grew even louder and quicker, her expression one of abject terror in spite of her own invisibility.

As the man took another step forward, Kiyoko instinctively began to shrink back against the wall of the broom cupboard. As she did so, her foot accidentally kicked a bucket, upsetting it and knocking over the mop that had been inside, sending it clattering hard to the floor. The noise seemed to fill the entire room, deafening her. If that had not given her away, her instinctive gasp of horror upon realizing the situation definitely had. The effeminate guard gasped in response, his reaction merely confirming what she already knew. She had been rumbled. It was over. There was nothing more she could do except stand there, trembling from head to foot, sweat pouring down her face and tears of regret welling up in her eyes as she waited to accept her inevitable fate…

Day 101

[from Y/N]

As the man sped off, away from the scene of the accident, he passed the silver Honda of Junko Kirishima going in the other direction. Junko had had her appendix removed six months ago, and was on her way back home from a follow-up appointment at the hospital, to check that everything was still okay. It was, and the doctor had given her the all-clear.

Junko noticed the other car's cracked windscreen as it drove past, and for a brief moment she wondered how the man was able to see out of it. Surely it can't be safe driving like that, she thought. Never mind visibility; if he has another accident, his windscreen's going to shatter completely. Well, maybe it just happened and he's on his way to get it fixed…

It was only a moment or two afterwards that she noticed a figure lying in the road, about a hundred yards away. When she realized what it was, her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god!" she gasped. As she approached the stricken girl, she pulled over by the curb and exited the vehicle, rushing to the girl's side.

As Junko knelt down beside Yuuko, she could see at once that the girl's injuries were severe. Her face and clothes were soaked in blood, and one of her legs appeared to be broken. Her breathing was slow and laboured, her slowly-moving chest providing one of the few indications that she was still alive. Tears continued to slowly run down her blood-stained cheeks.

"Are you alright?" asked Junko on instinct, even though she could tell the girl was very much not alright. "Can you hear me?"

Yuuko began to cry a little harder, a faint smile appearing on her pale lips as tears of joy began to stream down her face. "Thank… you…" she breathed.

"What's your name?" asked Junko.

"Yuu… ko…" gasped Yuuko.

"Okay, I'm gonna call an ambulance for you," said Junko. "They'll take you to the hospital, patch you up, and you'll be just fine, okay?"

"Thank… you…" gasped Yuuko once more. Her hand fell onto her stomach, gently clutching at a shattered rib. She let out two little coughs, and a small trickle of blood began to leak from the corner of her mouth. Junko, growing more concerned by the second, hurriedly retrieved her phone from her handbag and dialled 119.

The phone was answered almost immediately. "This is the emergency services," said the operator. "Which service do you require?"

"Yes, hello," said Junko. "I need an ambulance quickly, there's a girl lying in the road and she's really badly hurt. I think she's been hit by a car."

"I see," said the operator. "What is your location?"

"Uhh…" Junko looked up, taking a look around in order to ascertain her location. "I'm at a three-way intersection, near the big clothing store. On the road to the hospital."

"Let's see…" There was a brief pause, presumably while the operator did some cross-referencing. "Ah, yes, I know exactly where you are. I'll have an ambulance dispatched to your location as soon as possible. In the meantime, try to keep the girl nice and still, in case she's suffered any neck or spinal injuries that might be made worse by moving around. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," said Junko. "Of course."

"Okay, good," said the operator. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"No, that's fine, just please, get here as fast as you can!" said Junko.

"We will, don't worry," said the operation. "Okay, goodbye."

"Goodbye," said Junko, and with that she ended the call, turning her attention back to Yuuko. The girl's face had grown paler, and her tears had stopped running; instead, thick, dark red blood was now trickling from her mouth and down her chin. Her condition was certainly deteriorating. "The ambulance is on its way," said Junko, trying to reassure herself as much as the girl. "You're gonna be just fine."

Yuuko let out another small cough, a bloody string of saliva spattering across her already crimson-soaked clothes. "I don't… want… to die…" she gasped.

"You're not going to die," said Junko. "I told you, you're going to be fine."

"I don't… feel…" Another blood-spattered cough. Yuuko closed her eyes. "I can't… feel…"

Junko didn't know what else to do. She didn't know what else she could do. Words of comfort, false as they were, now seemed useless and meaningless. The girl's life was slowly, irretrievably leaking onto the asphalt beneath them, and all she could do was simply kneel beside her and watch.

With the last of her strength, Yuuko reached out a blood-soaked hand and placed it on Junko's. It felt cold and wet, and suddenly Junko found herself struggling to keep it together. Tears of sorrow began to prick at the corners of her eyes for this poor broken girl, who five minutes ago she had not even known existed.

"What's your… name?" breathed Yuuko.

"Junko," said the woman, her voice starting to waver. "Junko Kirishima."

"Thank you… Junko…" gasped Yuuko. "You… cared…"

Yuuko let out one last, rattling breath, and her hand slipped off of Junko's and rested on the asphalt. Her short life was over.

Junko gasped, clasping a hand to her mouth in shock as she realized the girl in front of her was no more. A single tear of mourning ran silently down her face; she quickly wiped it away, and after a moment or two, she managed to compose herself. If this girl really was hit by a car… then that means… With another gasp, she suddenly remembered the car that had driven past her with the smashed windscreen, not a minute or two before she had reached Yuuko. Surely that was the culprit. If only I could remember its number plate…

 Junko's phone remained clutched in her hand, which now trembled slightly. Dialling 119 once more, she placed the handset back to her ear. "This is the emergency services," said the operator, in the same jarringly cheerful tone as before. "Which service do you require?"

It took a moment for Junko to find her voice, and when she did it was quiet and hoarse. "Umm… I phoned a couple of minutes ago, about a girl who'd been hit by a car…"

"Ah, yes, I remember," said the operator. "The ambulance will be with you in about ten minutes."

"That… won't be necessary," said Junko, glancing sadly down at the blood-stained corpse before her. "She's already… gone."

"I see," said the operator. "I'm very sorry to hear that. Well, the ambulance will still arrive for her, but they'll take her to the hospital's mortuary instead. Would you like us to contact the police as well?"

"Yes please," said Junko. "I… I think I may have seen the person who did this."

"Okay," said the operator. "A police car will arrive shortly after the ambulance, and they'll investigate the crime scene and take a statement from you. For that reason, please remain where you are until they arrive. Okay?"

"Okay," said Junko, nodding. "And… thank you. Even if the ambulance didn't get here in time… you did what you could."

 "You're very welcome," said the operator. "Thank you as well, for your co-operation."

"Of course," said Junko, nodding as her vision started to cloud up with tears once more. "I…"

"Goodbye," said the operator.

"Goodbye," said Junko solemnly, and the operator hung up. Junko continues to numbly listen to the dead line for a few moments longer, trying to come to terms with the events of the last few minutes. Finally, she could stand to look at the bloodied corpse no longer. Shakily climbing to her feet, she slipped her phone back into her handbag and began to walk back to her car, to wait for the police. The world around her seemed to be spinning. Her hand fumbled on the handle of the door, unable to open it. Finally she gave up and sank into a sitting position, her back resting against the car, her tears now flowing freely, inexplicably crying for a girl she had known for only five minutes.

"Goodbye, Yuuko," she whispered.

Day 100

[from Aishiteru! Hikikomori-san][WARNING: Mature content]

"I'm home!"

Yuuichi expected to see Ilana standing in front of the doorway, waiting for him, or at least to hear her call out, "Welcome home!" in the Russian accent he had now not only grown accustomed to, but also found rather alluring. Instead, he was greeted with silence and an empty room.

"That's odd," Yuuichi remarked to himself as he took his shoes off. "Usually she at least says hi when I get back. Maybe she's not in…? But if she's not here, then where would she be? I don't think she knows her way around town… come to think of it, I don't think she's even left the apartment since she arrived here… and she calls me a shut-in…"

Yuuichi sighed. Well, if she is here, he thought, I'd better go find her. He set off through the apartment, looking around for the distinctive figure of his betrothed. "Ilana?" he called out. "Where are you?"

Almost to his surprise, the question was swiftly answered. "In here," Ilana replied, her voice coming from the bedroom. "Welcome home!"

"How come you didn't answer me when I came in?" asked Yuuichi, making his way towards the bedroom.

"Am reading," said Ilana. "Heard you not. Was… what is word?"

As Yuuichi opened the bedroom door, he began to answer, "Distracted", but upon seeing Ilana, be became precisely that: distracted. His jaw fell open, his brain seizing up entirely as his eyes drank in the sight before him.

Ilana was sitting on the side of the bed, facing the doorway, and was completely and utterly naked. She appeared to have had a shower; there was a moist towel hanging around her neck, her red hair was damp, and patches of moisture still shone on her soft, pale skin. She was holding one of Yuuichi's manga in her hands, having been absent-mindedly reading it before he had arrived home. Her nipples was covered by her hair, and her legs was crossed, preserving her modesty, but the fact remained that for the first time in his entire life, Yuuichi was staring at an actual naked woman. And she was sitting on the bed just a few feet away from him.

Yuuichi didn't know where to look. His eyes shiftly rapidly from body part to body part, unable to move away from Ilana's body, his face growing steadily redder. Finally, he managed to stammer, "W-w-w-w-why aren't you wearing any clothes, Ilana?!"

"Is my home," said Ilana simply, turning the page of her manga. "No-one see me but you, and you husband, so it matter not. Why? You not want to see me naked?"

Yuuichi blushed harder, blood starting to leak from his nose. "Th-that's not what I meant!"

Ilana, seeing Yuuichi wide open for attack, decided to go on the offensive. "Oh? You do want see me naked?" she asked, smiling mischievously.

Blood spurted a little more out of Yuuichi's nose. "Th-that's not what I meant either!" he exclaimed.

Ilana clapped a hand to her cheek in mock concern and despair. "What do?" she wondered aloud. "My husband is be pervert…"

"Y-you're the one sitting around with no clothes on!" Yuuichi retorted.

"You have many comics of perversion," said Ilana, waving the manga in her hand at Yuuichi. "This not one of them, but…"

"I told you, they're called manga!" insisted Yuuichi. "And so what if I have hentai manga? All men like perverted things: it's a fact of life!"

"Oh?" said Ilana, smiling. "You know, Yuuichi, you work for two weeks now… it nearly a month since I came here… you make good progress. You give much love. You say you like perverted things, hmm? So…" Ilana put the manga to one side and suddenly stood up, sweeping her hair aside, treating Yuuichi to a full-frontal view of her voluptuous naked body. "Here is perverted thing," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You like?"

The sight of Ilana's bare, supple breasts was enough to make Yuuichi dizzy. His eyes slowly panned down Ilana's thin, pale stomach, until they reached… Oh my~! Fountains of blood exploded from Yuuichi's nostrils, and he fainted with joy, falling backwards to the floor with a thud.

Ilana giggled, looking down at her husband, who had been reduced to a giddy, drooling wreck from just a single glimpse of her naked form. "Yuuichi is such pervert," she said to herself, smiling fondly. "He read porn comics, and look at pervert drawings on computer when he think I not look. Even single look at naked woman too much for him. But… is why I like him, I guess. He is… what is word… open. He not pretend to be person he is not. He know he is pervert. He admit he is pervert. If I do only little thing like not change after shower, and it still make him this happy… is good. To see him happy makes me happy. He may be pervert, but he also correct: all men are. And he is my man. And I love him so much~" She glanced down at her bare self. "Now… to put on clothes before catch freeze. After all, husband did ask~"

Day 99

[from Aura of Chaos]

[AURA OF CHAOS LORE COMPENDIUM]

[THE WAR ON MAGIC]

On the day of 643.4.20, Third Era, King Claus II of Albion was travelling through the capital city of Clauston on an official visit. Thousands of citizens lined up on the streets to watch the royal procession as it made its way through the city. Claus' carriage was the centremost of the five royal horse-drawn carriages in the procession; accompanying him in it were Michael Arberton, one of Claus II's closest advisors, and two royal guards. The other four carriages each contained four royal guards, for a total of eighteen guards plus Claus and Arberton.

On several occassions, people attempted to step forward and approach the king, something that had occurred on several previous royal visits. As the procession rounded a corner, a woman later identified as 23-year-old peasant girl Eleanor Woodfield rushed towards the king's carriage from the right-hand side, simply wishing to touch the king; she instead collided with the carriage and the right wheel ran over her right foot and ankle, shattering her foot and dragging her beneath the wheel, severely injuring her and causing Claus' carriage to jolt. The carriage behind was forced to immediately halt in order to prevent the horses from trampling the stricken Woodfield underfoot, and the entire procession was thus brought to a halt.

Having noticed the cause of the disturbance, Claus II leaned out of his carriage, looking back at Woodfield, who was lying bloodied in the street. "Is that girl alright?" he asked. Arberton remarked in response that "They need to stop throwing themselves at you; one of them's going to get trampled to death one of these days." With the procession stopped, Claus signalled for the guards in the fourth carriage to check on Woodfield; they exited their carriage and attended to the girl, who by now had fallen unconscious and was bleeding from her mouth. Later reports suggest Claus had been considering ordering the men to bring the injured Woodfield into their carriage and to then peel off from the procession in order to take her to the nearest hospital.

Before he could give this order, however, a man stepped out of the crowd from between the second and third carriages. The man was wearing a long black hooded cloak that obscured his face, and has never been identified. It is unknown whether the man would have proceeded with his assassination attempt regardless of the delay, whether Woodfield was a co-conspirator who willingly threw herself under the carriage's wheel in order to halt the procession, or whether the man simply took advantage of the situation. However, it is generally believed that Woodfield was, at the very least, not aware of the man's plans.

As the man stepped forward, he cast a fire spell aimed at Claus II's carriage, with the intention of setting the king on fire. His guards were immolated and killed within seconds, but Arberton pushed Claus out of the carriage almost immediately and followed him out seconds later. The king suffered only minor burns to his right hand, but was reported to have escaped unscathed, while Arberton's left trouser leg had caught fire, mildly burning him.

Claus was immediately angered by the attempt on his life. As Arberton patted out the flames on his leg, and the other guards rushed to the king's aid, Claus demanded, "Where is the man who did this?", but the assassin had already teleported away. When this was relayed to the king, he angrily replied, "Find him, then! Search the entire city if you must, but bring me that scoundrel's head!" A city-wide search immediately began, but was unsuccessful. Woodfield, meanwhile, was carried to hospital by a group of onlookers, but died of her injuries three hours after the assassination attempt.

The following day, Claus II issued the Magic Prohibition Act, banning the use of all magic within the kingdom with immediate effect. The day after that, with the assassin still at large, Claus expanded the search area to encompass the entire kingdom.

By 643.4.30, the assassin had still not been captured, and Claus had grown frustrated. Despite pleas from some of his advisors, Claus, knowing that the assassin had to have been a Black Witch, issued the Witch Extermination Act, ordering that all known Witches in Albion were to be executed by royal decree. Knowingly sheltering a Witch, or refusing to execute one, also became offences.

The Act immediately proved controversial, with a large number of citizens and even some of the royal guard publicly opposing the law. At least six public protests took place, including one in Clauston; at least one was violently put down by the Royal Guard with dozens of protestors killed. Many in the Royal Guard, however, also opposed the law, and also feared that rising public anger about it could lead to a full-scale revolt or even civil war. A number of Witches were thus spared by sympathetic guards, some of whom helped survivors escape into Niami (where the Act did not apply) or Akeda.

On 643.6.22, at the behest of his advisors, Claus II reluctantly repealed the Witch Extermination Act, but refused to repeal the Magic Prohibition Act. A few days later, Claus amended the Magic Prohibition Act so that the use of magic was now punishable by death; known Witches were no longer executed so long as they promised never to practice magic again.

Over the following thirty years, however, magic in Albion did not completely die out. Though anti-Witch sentiment began to run throughout the kingdom, particularly in more rural areas, this was by no means unanimous, and many continued to oppose Claus II's anti-magic policies. Underground communities of Witches began to form, practicing their craft in secret and developing their own unique slang to help each other communicate. A "Desert", for example, is a location that does not welcome Witches, whereas an "Oasis" is a location that openly shelters them; a "Mirage" is a person or location who pretends to shelter magic users in order to report them to the Royal Guard.

In 662 TE, Claus II passed away and was succeeded to the throne by his son, Claus III, who also became King of Niami shortly thereafter. Claus III, who was only four years old at the time of the attack on his father, is thought to be more tolerant than his father in terms of magic. However, while magic remains legal and unregulated in Niami, as of 673.7 the Magic Prohibition Act, and the death penalty for performing magic, is still in force in Albion.