BF Plays Four Days At Ohtori 1
ON OCTOBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND AND SEVENTEEN
A ROLEPLAYING GAME COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO ENTER A WORLD OF ROSES
---
Our Hero, Kaori Fujino, is the daughter of two Ohtori alums who met at school -- her father was the faculty advisor to the Fencing Club and her mother was a student and that's definitely not weird or creepy at all! She's just received an invitation to transfer to Ohtori Academy and nervously accepts it, unaware of how her life is about to be filled with REALLY, REALLY RIDICULOUSLY GOOD-LOOKING PEOPLE.
On her way to her first class, she stumbles across Kyouichi Saionji harrassing Anthy Himemiya and her friend Chu-Chu -- and then he slaps her!
CHOICE! A: I've got to help her! or B: Watch the situation
The As have it!
"Stop it!" yells Kaori, storming over. She and Saionji get into a brief shouting match. "Why are all transfer students so vexing?" he growls.
"What was that about me?" Utena asks, having just arrived. She orders him to stay away from Anthy, and once he's gone, makes sure Anthy's all right -- then thanks Kaori for her help. Introductions all around, but then class is about to start so those two run off.
"So cool... I have a feeling something good's about to happen!" thinks our poor innocent angel of a protagonist.
Happily for everyone Kaori winds up in the same class, next to Utena and Wakaba. She asks Utena the critical question:
CHOICE! A: Do you have a girlfriend? or B: Do you have a boyfriend?
The As have it!
"Do you have a girlfriend?" asks Kaori, mildly embarrassing Utena... and then herself, as she realizes... "Whaaaaat?! Utena, you're a girl?!" The whole class erupts in laughter.
Smash cut to lunch: Kaori is sitting with Utena and Anthy and asks them about the term "Rose Bride," which came up between Anthy and Saionji during their confrontation. Anthy calmly pretty much straight up explains the premise of the duels, which startles Utena since normally it's a very secret thing (FORESHADOWING!) and both she and Kaori are somewhat like "WEIRD I KNOW RITE??" about the whole dueling game tradition, Engagement, and so forth.
Kaori internally debates whether or not she should back off before she goes to deep with these apparant weirdos she's befriended.
CHOICE! A: Wanna become engaged too or B: Change the subject or C: Try making a joke
The Cs have it!
"Well, you know what they say about duels: just do-el it! ...uh, was that lame?"
Wakaba crashes the lunch table just as things are starting to get awkward, thankfully. She introduces herself to Kaori and announces herself to be Utena's girlfriend and offers to show her around the school.
Smash cut to the end of the school day: Kaori doesn't actually know where her dorm is yet so she has to split off from her new friends to go see The Chairman in his big white tower, but not before being given their address and instructions to come hang out any time.
The Chairman ("or rather, the Chairman's proxy") somewhat unexpectedly turns out to be a really, really ridiculously good-looking person as well. He informs her that she'll be staying in the East Dorm, which she knows by now is where Utena and Anthy live, so she's happy.
Smash cut to the elevator, where the student council is meeting: they discuss the significance of the new transfer student being assigned to the dorm reserved for the One Engaged and the Rose Bride, and agree that it must be the will of Ends of the World. They agree to invite those three to the masquerade ball this evening, under the Student Council's name.
Meanwhile, on her walk towards her new home in the East Dorm, Kaori discovers the "chalk-white" fencing hall that both her father and the Chairman mentioned, and decides to go in. It is empty; curious, Kaori reads the nameplates of the club members and discovers that the president is "Chigusa Sanjouin" but that they seem to have no club adviser anymore. She keeps exploring and discovers the locker room, which has some points of interest:
The calendar: its picture depicts the Witch giving Snow White an apple, and Thursday the 25th is circled. More weirdly, the calendar is from fifteen years ago.
Graffiti on the wall: It shows a duelist in a black jacket extending her fingers towards the four members of the student council (Miki, Saionji, Juri and Touga, this game takes place after Juri's duel but before Nanami has become a duelist). At this point Kaori can only recognize Saionji, and also Utena, who is depicted off to one side.
The only open locker: Snoopy! Kaori notices that it's the captain's, and is about to look inside, when a really, really ridiculously good-looking person with silvery hair yells "Hands off!" Kaori isn't sure if they're a man or a woman, but "somehow they've got this air that's so magnificent, it makes them hard to approach..." This mystery figure demands Kaori's name and seems to take an interest in it, and knows the names of Kaori's parents. Finally they inform Kaori that this is a private, club-members-only place, and that she could be blamed for theft if she pokes around. Kaori hurriedly leaves.
At the East Dorm, Kaori is warmly welcomed by Utena and Anthy. They lead her to her new room, which has her bags in it and a desk, but no bed yet! It's very clean -- turns out Anthy cleaned it up for her. Chu-chu also bursts in to be acknowledged for his helpfulness, and introductions are made. Kaori winds up having tea in Utena and Anthy's room, where Anthy reveals invitations from the Student Council to the masquerade ball tonight. Anthy offers to lend Kaori a gown, and after getting ready, the three of them set off!
The massive ballroom venue is packed and Kaori is suitably awed. This scene is going to be a whirlwind of meeting Student Council members. Really, really ridiculously good-looking Miki's up first, greeting them as they come in. Kaori decides how to make a good first impression...
CHOICE! A: Praise his eyes or B: Make a light joke
The As have it!
"You have really pretty eyes. They look almost like crystals," she blurts out, then continues on, "So you're really good at fencing? My parents did a little bit of fencing, too." Utena mentions the fencing sabre she noticed in Kaori's luggage. Miki takes that as proof that Kaori fences as well but Kaori denies it -- she's kind of interested but has never quite gotten around to it. Miki invites her to visit the Fencing Club, then excuses himself to take care of the countless details of the party.
It comes out that Utena's only here because she wanted to make sure Kaori didn't have to face it alone, and, embarrassed, she tries to drag Anthy off to go check out the food tables. But really, really ridiculously good-looking Touga Kiryuu is on approach! Utena warns Kaori off, calling him a playboy, but Touga presses on, introducing himself and telling Kaori that cute girls like her are especially welcome to come to him with all their problems.
CHOICE! A: Thank him or B: Refuse the compliment
The As have it!
"My name's Kaori Fujino! First of all, thank you for inviting me to this wonderful ball. It's my first one, so..." Touga encourages her to not be nervous, and coaxes her onto the dance floor. "That guy moves fast, so be careful!" calls Utena.
Out on the floor they get a lot of attention from girls speculating who Kaori could be. Kaori, meanwhile, realizes that Touga looks a lot like her father. They make small talk which is really Touga trying to figure out if she's a duelist; her legacy status comes out, and he gets lost in thought, then apologizes. As the song ends, he hopes to see her again, just the two of them, then leaves.
Now Kaori's alone, she can't find Utena. She starts looking for them but finds Saionji bullying Chu-Chu instead.
CHOICE! A: Confront him directly or B: Distract him
The Bs have it!
"Saionji-senpai!!" Hiding behind her mask, Kaori sweetly informs Saionji that she heard Anthy was looking for him over there. He runs off. Kaori goes back to looking for Utena and Anthy and spots the latter and tries to chase after her, but is ambushed by a bunch of nameless boys who try to get her to go with them to a private balcony.
We decide it's unacceptable that these jerks are nameless, so BF is solicited for suggestions:
Onion Prince
Unimportant Male
/Balls/!
Hey there, wanna plant my rose in your garden?
Freddy!
'i'm too minor for a portrait but please take me seriously anyway'
Classmate?
Hoping to Get Lucky Average Ohtori Dude.
Some Kid
Really, really ridiculously good-looking Juri shows up and drives the boys off with two whole words: "Move it." Relieved, Kaori thanks her and they introduce themselves to one another. Then, looking for a topic, Kaori seizes the only obvious choice (there aren't options to choose from) and says, "Umm, Arisugawa-senpai, you're really strong and cool, aren't you? I wish I could be like you..." Juri denies the idea that she's all that strong; she, too, wishes to become strong. After also inviting Kaori to the Fencing Club, she takes off.
The mystery person from the fencing hall (probably; they are, after all, in a mask) asks Kaori for a dance. Then, they start intimately asking questions about the Rose Bride and the power to Revolutionize the World. Kaori notices that they're wearing the same ring as Utena and the Student Council, but they deny being a Council member.
"Soon, I will duel Utena Tenjou. And she will lose. And then... you will /disappear/."
The power goes out; people scream, drop champagne glasses, etc. It comes back up after a few moments, and the mysterious duelist is gone; Utena runs up to see if Kaori's okay, and discovers something stuck to Kaori's back: a note challenging Utena to a duel three days from now, on the 25th (instead of, as is usually the case, the same day).
Smash cut to the Student Council Room, which is spooky at night: Everyone is there, including Utena, Anthy and Kaori. They discuss the power outage at the party and the message on Kaori's back and speculate as to the identity of the duelist. Saionji suspects Kaori.
CHOICE! A: I'll catch the culprit! or B: Make a joke
The Bs have it!
"My my, customers! You all have such long faces! Here, to lighten all your daaaaaark moods, we dance our special 'Slippery Mambo!' Haaah, slippery slippery slippery slippery slippery slippy slippery slippy noodles on your slippy bald head! Draw back a bow, and then let it slip; take a stance like a crane ("achou!") and bloody their lip! Haaaaa, Mambo! Unh!"
It does not go over very well, and Kaori is embarrassed. The rest keep talking about how the perpetrator could be anyone and how they should exercise due caution, especially Utena, who as the current Engaged is likely to be targeted.
Eventually Utena, Anthy and Kaori go back to the East Dorm, where Kaori discovers her bed still hasn't arrived.
CHOICE! A: Sleep with Utena or B: Sleep alone
The As have it! (The only unanimous vote of the night!)
Kaori slips into Utena and Anthy's room to see if they're asleep and explains the situation. Utena invites her to stay with them, and Kaori squeezes into her bunk. They talk about it being a rough first day, and the suddenness of being thrown into the world of the duels, and Utena reassurres Kaori that she believes she isn't the mystery Duelist. "I believe in you."
The next morning, in class: Kaori wants to experience everything this school has to offer, 'classes, club activities, and stuff!' She decides to chat up the all-knowing Wakaba, where you have the option to ask about two characters in the context of Wakaba wondering who caught your eye, and we choose Juri and the Mysterious Person. She also decides to chat with Utena, who checks on Kaori and invites her out after school to her favorite tea shop, Magnolia, with really delicious rose tea.
There's a new transfer student: Chigusa Sanjouin, aka the mystery fencing person (but that doesn't make sense, how could a new transfer student be the club captain, and isn't Juri captain?) aka the person Kaori danced with last night right before the power went out and a note was stuck on her back. Aka, as the game likes to point out, a really, really ridiculously good-looking person. Kaori's class agrees and most of the 'wow! new transfer student!' attention immediately and irrevocably shifts from her to Chigusa. "In case you can't tell, my sex is female," Chigusa helpfully includes as part of her self-introduction. "I was sick for quite a while, so I'm three years older than the rest of you, but it's nice to meet you." She arranges, via an excuse about weak eyes, to sit right next to Kaori.
Chigusa knows Kaori's name, but when Kaori tries to apologize about the fencing hall yesterday, Chigusa denies having ever met her before. Undeterred, Kaori suggests they be friends -- Chigusa asks her name(?) and then asks whether it came from her mother or father.
CHOICE! A: Father or B: Mother
The Bs have it!
"My mother named me," Kaori says cheerfully, for which she is rewarded with a death glare. Chigusa asks stonily if Kaori's mother is still alive, then apologizes and explains that her own died long ago. Chigusa promises to make it up to Kaori... definitely.
Smash cut: Lunchtime! Who should Kaori eat with?
CHOICE! A: Eat outside with Utena or B: Eat at the cafeteria
The As have it!
Kaori tags along with Utena, Wakaba and Anthy outside. She has nothing to eat but Anthy has made more than enough for everyone -- it's all heavy festival food though: taiyaki, candied apricots, and sauce rice crackers. Anthy offers to share.
CHOICE! A: Accept Anthy's lunch or B: Continue with hunger
The As have it!
Smash cut to the bathroom, where Kaori has an upset stomach.
Back in class, the teacher is calling on people for answers to the math problem. Chigusa answers hers effortlessly, then it's Kaori's turn. She thinks the answer is a+18 but is incredibly anxious that she might get it wrong and everyone will laugh at her. Chigusa whispers '38' at her helpfully. Should she accept the help or believe in herself?
CHOICE! A: 38 or B: a+18
The Bs have it!
Kaori sticks to her answer and Chigusa glares at her.
The game cuts to a weird shot of Chigusa glaring evilly through a dark mirror, and we lose three rose-points with Utena and all the Student Council members. Then it's back to the regular game.
Class ends and it's club time -- who should we go visit first?
CHOICE! A: Fencing Club or B: Kendo Club or C: Newspaper Club
The Cs have it!
Kaori is intimidated by the difficulty of sports clubs, and heads to a culture club instead. She takes a look at the newspaper the club is working on, and sees an article on the "Mystery of the Old Fencing Hall." It shows the chalk-white building she went into yesterday, only it's a burned-out ruin. (There is also, easter egg, a picture of Ruka.) Kaori asks about the fencing hall and the girls in the club are confused -- Ohtori's fencing hall isn't white! "The old fencing hall is that ruined building near the East Dorm," they explain. Apparently it burned down in a fire fifteen years ago... so what was it that Kaori saw?
Time to go visit another club.
CHOICE! A: Fencing Club or B: Kendo Club or C: Literature Club
The Cs have it!
Kaori continues on her mission to avoid sports, and become a well-cultured girl. She heads towards the reference area where the literature club meets and runs right into Chigusa, who drops her books. Kaori tries to help and notices that they're yearbooks from fifteen years ago. She explains that she's here to visit the literature club, but Chigusa says they aren't open for visitors right now, because they're very busy working on their manuscripts.
There's no escape from swords.
CHOICE! A: Fencing Club or B: Kendo Club
The As have it!
Since she was invited by both Juri and Miki, Kaori elects to head to the Fencing Club. It is, indeed, not in the chalk-white fencing hall (which is, indeed, a grown-over ruin, much to Kaori's confusion and distress), but in a different, new building. Once there she watches Juri defeat a huge line of opponents. A club member greets her and calls over the captain, and Juri gets Kaori a suit and a saber. "Trying it out for real is the fastest way to learn." Kaori is allowed to choose her own partner.
CHOICE! A: Fight against Juri or B: Fight against Miki or C: Turn down the offer
The As have it!
Kaori asks Juri to teach her, which makes Juri smile. They push Kaori to her limit, but she refuses to give in, which Juri admires. But the lesson is interrupted by Chigusa's arrival. Chigusa challenges Juri to a duel, but Juri says that although she's deeply interested, she has to decline, because the Fencing club has a strict policy against acting out personal conflicts through fencing. Chigusa persists but Juri makes her stance clear -- it isn't going to happen. Chigusa reveals that she has Juri's locket, obviously shocking her; Juri asks if Chigusa looked inside. "Who knows? You can accept my challenge any time in the next twenty-four hours.. Hahahahaha!"
Chigusa ends and not long thereafter club time ends. Kaori and Juri hit the showers, where Kaori discovers she's into girls, and has the option of asking Juri a question.
CHOICE! A: Ask why she duels or B: Ask about the locket
The As have it!
"I was just wondering why you wanted the Power to Revolutionize the World." "To disprove the power of miracles," Juri replies. Distantly, she quotes Shiori, and Kaori wonders about that locket and how it must be so important.
Smash cut: Late afternoon. Kaori needs to buy her exercise clothes for gym class tomorrow. It occurs to her that Chigusa must also need to go shopping, so Kaori tracks her down and offers to go shopping together. They head into town. Kaori wants to know more about Chigusa, so...
CHOICE! A: Ask about her illness or B: Do you have a girlfriend or C: Do you have a boyfriend
The Bs have it!
"Um, please listen and don't get upset... do you have a girlfriend?" "I'm upset." She's kidding, and she doesn't have a girlfriend, and claims to like regular boys. Chigusa tries to take off.
CHOICE! A: Stay together longer or B: Part ways here
The As have it!
"Um, could we walk together a little longer?" They decide to go for a short walk in the park. Chigusa talks about how it's a pretty standard date spot, and that this will be her first here. Kaori's heart goes doki doki. Chigusa asks if there's someone she likes, someone she invites on dates.
CHOICE! A: I don't or B: Someone I've noticed
The Bs have it!
"I wouldn't necessarily say I like them, but... there is someone I've noticed." Chigusa wonders if it's Touga, and Kaori asks why, and Chigusa shrugs it off. It occurs to Kaori that because of the three years she was sick, Chigusa used to be Touga's classmate. They finally part ways.
What to do now?
CHOICE! A: Cafe or B: Cake Store or C: Classical Cafe or D: Japanese Teahouse or E: Game Center
The Es have it!
Kaori hits the arcade, where she witnesses Juri annihilate 49 opponents in a row at the fighting game. Juri invites Kaori to be next, and Kaori is cool as a cucumber: "Yeah, I'll take you on." "I'll stick with the golden-haired woman. You're going with... oho, the ninja, eh?" Kaori loses, in part because she's shouting her moves out loud. Juri encourages her to keep practicing.
Kaori heads back out through the park, where she runs into Chigusa... and Kozue! Kaori asks if it's a date, and Kozue belligerantly confirms it. Chigusa asks if Kaori has her own prince to escort her.
CHOICE! A: Answer that you don't or B: Answer that you do
The Bs have it!
Kaori claims that she does, but Kozue calls her out. Chigusa has Opinions: "You act like you know nothing, but so shrewdly find yourself a Prince. You're her spitting image." Kaori wonders of whom, but Chigusa whisks herself and Kozue away on their rondevoux.
Smash cut: Shadow Play!
"I wonder, I wonder, do you know what I wonder?"
"When you hear 'class trip', you think... mountains, the ocean, and amusement parks!"
"Huh? What about the zoo?"
"I told you, I caught a cold and couldn't go on that one. Anyway, listen! The year after that, we went hiking on a mountain, right?"
"Uh-huh!"
"But then, but then... when we got to the top and opened our backpacks, surprise! I'd forgotten my bento, thte thing we look forward to most on a trip!"
"Oh maaaan!"
"So I thought, darn, I'll have to go to everyone else, and try to gather up a little from each! You know, score myself a lunch! 'Please give generously to poor, foolish me!'"
"And so, and so?"
"Actually, there was another girl who'd forgotten her lunch, just like me. And she'd already gone around to everyone before I could!"
"Oh maaan! If there's something you want, you really do have to go for it before anyone else does. Totally, totally!"
"I was talking about you, you JERK."
"Gaaaaaah."
And that's the end of the first session!
TO BE CONTINUED... TONIGHT!
