Club Percheron, The Loft
[SFX:Whoosh]
A clean cutaway screen slides to a hastily prepared animation slide, expining the rules of this Love Trial!
'Blocking Manouver'Objective -
Prevent your opponent from scoring by using only body movement to pick-up a target. You may interfere in the opponent's run, but you are not allowed to speak.
Time Limit -
5 Minutes
"Ehehehe! What a complicated ruleset! I betcha' were behind this, Doktah!"
Pointing with two of my fingers in a familiar pose, moi' shall now predict the 'Yasumino's' next words!
"... and your next line is: 'Well. It had to be of this difficulty if I set the rules.'"
"Well. It had to be of this difficulty if I set the rules---"
A fsh of shock appears over her deep green eyes! It is as if her soul overid the screen in 50% transparency as she mouths the words in silence 'How did she (((know)))?!?!'
"Ehehehe! Its MAGICK! Moi' don't need to expin sheeto!" Another one bites za dust! As I raise my hands up in victory, I accidentally knock over Saint-Taiga's champange gss!
"Oopsies~"
The expensive red wine spills all its contents, dripping onto the the good Doktah's bck skirt! Well! Consider it fan-service for >you all! I know that a lot of veetuba watchers are really into this sort of thing, you yabai yobai loving degens...! Ehehehe! You know La-Roux loves her Revelérs thiiiiis muchos!
My good co-host is nonplussed about the whole thing, leaning forward to pick up the empty champange cup and pcing it back on the table.
"Are you alright, Yasumino girlya?! Do you need to go and change that skirt out?"
"No. I am waiting for something. Continue."
Once again, Doktah's gaze lingers at the side of the room, looking at a specific object.
"Hankie??" The great La-Roux is not a terrible and immoral person like certain actually terrible people like to >imply you know! With a swish of my wrists, a thin red-ced handkerchief appears outta nowhere! Rxndy Xrtxn would be proud! As 'Yasumino' graciously accepts it with an eagle-cwed hand, I can't notice that she keeps staring into my facemask...
As if trying to look for something?
Her gaze averts when she 'jiiiiiiis' too hard into moi' red eyes!
You know what they say! Stare into the abyss too long and Abyss Floor 13 comes for YOU!
"... I shall expin the rules. My trial is long-worded but actually very simple. Both contestants must not speak. They must convey their thoughts through their actions alone."
"I see! La-Roux understands now! That makes sense! But what's the interference part about?" YOUR main character thinks that there is something more to the rules than they seem! They seem to hint at something 'special', otherwise it wouldn't be as long as a Controllist meme!
Seeing that moi' understands, Doktah motions with a crossing of her educated legs!
"Each contestant can 'interfere' with the other's attempt, but they must not speak. Example. blocking with one's body is acceptable."
"「Souka, souka! Wagata!」[1] So that's what's its about!"
"Mmmm! Its a combination of my 'Your Body Moves' and the 'Critical Interference' trials! What an innovative concept! For the viewers watching at home right now! Did you get it? The love trials shall continue... after this word from our sponsors! Don't turn off your orb!"
KEYS TO THE LOFTGirls Picking Up Girls(YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!)
Once again, the show's spsh screen comes up, indicating that we have cut to a commercial break! The [Livestream Orbs] turn away from the couch, and float zily down to the dance floor to capture some live-action footage! As our good Doktah is dabbing her skirt with my hanky, she looks once more to the side of the room, this time with narrowed eyelids.
"Strange."
"What's strange, 'Yasumino' girlya?"
"'It' should have happened already."
"「Nunnie, nunnie?」 What should have happened already?"
"An accident."
A small awkward silence falls over the three of us, not quite understanding each other in the moment! Maybe she's angry that moi' spilled red juice all over her skirt? Come off it! That skirt looks fancy, but there are pleeeenty of stores in New Coimbra that stock that exact knockoff brand, right down to the fitting! You wouldn't even notice the difference! I think that gss of red wine was more expensive than your entire wardrobe, ehehehe!
Suddenly!
The Doktah shoots up from her seat!
Her eyes seem to emnate a sickly green outer glow as she once more looks towards the room's side!
"Go. I need to go."
"...??? You were fine a moment ago???"
Without expination or apology, Doktah makes to leave her seat.
... However!!!
[SFX:Clutch!]
A white-gloved hand (mine!) in long sleeves and bck cloak grabs her hand, dark swirls of magick overflowing from my grab!
"Ehehehe! Don't worry, don't worry! Moi' knows a great drycleaner's in town!"
Somehow, Doktah did not appreciate that joke! Some people are really attatched to their designer brands, it just can't be helped! Taiga-kouhai!!! Help moi' out here!
The great entertainmento is just as perplexed by her co-host's sudden movements as well!
"What's wrong 'Yasumino' girlya? You're not acting like yourself...? We can cover up the stain with a towel, everything is fine---"
The twin-tailed girl slowly swivels her head back to us, hand still csped in my blocking grab!
"Not acting... like myself?"
She blinks.
Underjaw twitching left and right,
she finally relents...
... and sits back down.
"Priority. This takes precedence over everything else."
A good hearty ugh rings out across the room from our co-host in white robes! "That's the spirit, girlya! That's a good attitude to take, don't worry about it!" Thumbing the golden badge across the front of her robes, "Saint-Taiga will pay for the cleaning even if it is taken out of the production budget!"
Somehow, I don't think that Doktah was concerned about that.
All along the way, Doktah's green eyes were oddly fixated on one thing.
No longer was she concerned about that thing in the corner of the room.
Her green eyes instead bore right into her target...
Oops! Maybe I tipped my hand too early!
Whatever, who here doesn't know that the [Exposer of Conspiracy] is ALWAYS RIGHT?!
Those who (((know))), know!
Can you guess who she was looking at?
It was moi'!
Club Percheron, The Attic.
"Huff... huff..."
It was painful.
Pulling out the thread from my head was painful.
Extremely so.
Even though it was just magick, the damage is real!
The moment I did, a light-headed crity came washing over me.
It was a moment when we both shared a brief understanding.
Pain is mixed in with a complete understanding of the 'mystery'.
I figured something out. I have zero proof! But I know know what is going on...!
However!
What I would never have expected...
...is for [La Monarquía] to come straight up to me, wrenching and pinning my shooting hand behind me, clutching the side of my head with her other hand! The armlock is just as painful as her vicious kicks with those long fishnetted thighs of hers, my stomach, head, and hands are in so much pain I'm starting to tear up a little...!
"Let... let go of me! Help! Ahhhh! Someone... help!!!"
"You are not very smart, are you? I can just apply the magick on you again."
"It... it was worth a shot!"
Right now, [La Monarquía's] thin fingers, more used to pying strings than murder, are digging deep into the side of my skull, impossibly passing through my head like it were part of a [Projection Orb]! Its magick, that's for sure, but the person who is holding my arm in a painful lock behind my back is real! She's absolutely real!
"You seem to have some idea of who I 'actually' am."
"I'm only 96% sure, but I am SURE I know! Urk---!"
From my angle, I cannot see [La Monarquía's] face. From the way she is restraining me, it seems like she has had a lot of experience in doing this in her spare time, hrrrk---!!! It wouldn't be so bad if not for her fingers probing into the sensitive parts of my... hey!!! Get out of my head! Get out of my head! Haah...! Arggghh!!!
No good! No good at all!
At this rate, she's just going to probe everything from my mind!
I need to find some way to break the hold! ...! Her identity! I'll expose her identity right here and there! Maybe that'll shock her enough to let me send off a >greentext to...
"YOU ARE >M------- -----!!!"
Instantly, [La Monarquía's] wrenches that thread of thought out of my mind.
Three thin, green strings are pulled out of my head. There was no pain, but I can't say I felt any pleasure at all. Just a small feeling of emptiness, like I had forgotten something important. Damnit! Damnit! I was so close to solving the mystery! All my hard work! All the time I spent building up the unbreakable case...!
My body gives out on me, and my knees just buckle, wrenched halfway above the ground.
That's when the door to the room opened.
And I had yet another shock.
The person who came through the door was someone unexpected.
This person... should not be here!
Why?!
If [La Monarquía's] here, why are (((you))) here?!?!
My head is now an empty and swirling mess...!
The person walking through the door is wearing an umistakable Fox-Mask...
I confirmed it, because the first words she spoke when she saw me were...
"Curious. We meet again, after Galopin Chateau."Go Go And Learn Moonrunes With Aya-chan...?[1]「Souka, souka! Wagata!」- Moshi moshi! Aya-chan? Aya-chan?? Are you there?!
