Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe you."
>Out of curiosity, could we make out what neighbourhood the photo was taken in? And if so, how it compared to where we met Yamame and Kogasa?

[Oldmansour]

>"I believe you."
>Out of curiosity, could we make out what neighbourhood the photo was taken in? And if so, how it compared to where we met Yamame and Kogasa?

>The background details of the picture weren't that clear. You could make out some shrubbery in the foreground, but there were a number of houses you passed by that it could have belonged to. The picture also had what looked like the front of an orange car, but you think you passed by more than one on the way back to the shrine, and there's not enough detail on the picture to tell which one it was. At least not without a closer look.
>At a guess, though, your face seemed to be somewhat at ease, so that might have put it after you met Yamame and Kogasa, when you were a little bit more comfortable with the ride, but you can't say for certain.
>"'zis a bad time to ask why Mistress was doin' that?" Rin asks you.

[DracoOmega]

>How close are we to Letty, in terms of confidential matters? And how much can we trust her discretion?

[Oldmansour]

>How close are we to Letty, in terms of confidential matters? And how much can we trust her discretion?

>The girls of Moonside, even though you've only known them a matter of months, are like a second family to you. Within that, of course, there is some variation as to who you'd go to with a confidential matter. Nitori, though she has a great heart, can be a touch flighty sometimes. And Patchouli isn't always the most approachable person, though you know she's a very good person. Letty, however, is almost like the big sister you never had. You feel you can go to her with nearly anything, at least in terms of terrestrial matters, and she will never knowingly betray your trust.

[DracoOmega]

>"It's nothing quite as strange as it may seem. A friend of mine simply offered me a lift from one part of town to the other. Though I must say it was a rather more... unique experience than the usual modes of transit. It's just that she asked if I could be somewhat discrete about her doing so - at least so much as one can possibly be discrete about riding a tiger."

[Oldmansour]

>"It's nothing quite as strange as it may seem. A friend of mine simply offered me a lift from one part of town to the other. Though I must say it was a rather more... unique experience than the usual modes of transit. It's just that she asked if I could be somewhat discrete about her doing so - at least so much as one can possibly be discrete about riding a tiger."

>"I think I get you." Letty says quietly. "She'd rather her name didn't get out, even if her face did."

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe so, yes. I could speculate as to why, but I think it more polite not to. But suffice it to say, this was her answer to not having a vehicle to offer me; it would have been a very long walk for someone with a less vigorous stride."

[Oldmansour]

>"I believe so, yes. I could speculate as to why, but I think it more polite not to. But suffice it to say, this was her answer to not having a vehicle to offer me; it would have been a very long walk for someone with a less vigorous stride."

>Letty nods in agreement. "I can respect that."
>"Kogasa and I never told anyone about it either." Yamame assures you. "But... There WAS something I was wondering about. Kogasa didn't think I should ask, but, I'm really curious."

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes? What is it?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes? What is it?"

>"Wasn't it hard on your body to ride a tiger that way? Youkai or not, a tiger is a tiger."

[DracoOmega]

>How bad was it?

[Oldmansour]

>How bad was it?

>Your back and hips did ache for a while afterwards. They might have been worse, but you could tell that Kiku was taking care, insomuch as she could, not to be too hard on your body. These aches seem to have passed after a night's rest, though you do still feel a touch stiff in your lower back. Nothing a back rub from Rin won't cure.

[DracoOmega]

>Ooo... back rubs. That sounds nice.
>"I was a little sore afterwards, yes. But it probably wasn't as bad as it looked; I thinks she was trying to go easy on me. At the very least, I'm positive she could have gone fast enough to throw me clear off her back and then some more besides."

[Oldmansour]

>Ooo... back rubs. That sounds nice.
>"I was a little sore afterwards, yes. But it probably wasn't as bad as it looked; I thinks she was trying to go easy on me. At the very least, I'm positive she could have gone fast enough to throw me clear off her back and then some more besides."

>Rin's mighty handy with her hands, to boot. Paws. Both, actually.
>The kasha in question nods. "Tiger'll do that. Mighty strong cats." She looks at you as she carefully pours a mug of green tea from a thermos. "I could see how bushed ya were when you come home, Byakuren, but you coulda told me. I might've been handy to fix them aches."

[DracoOmega]

>"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not certain anything could have kept my head from my pillow at that point. A few aches and pains are nothing in the face of exhaustion."
>Glance to Letty and Yamame: "Yesterday was a very long day."

[Oldmansour]

>"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not certain anything could have kept my head from my pillow at that point. A few aches and pains are nothing in the face of exhaustion."
>Glance to Letty and Yamame: "Yesterday was a very long day."

>"So we gathered." Letty replies as Rin offers you the cup. "Reisen told us about it when we were studying together, after Marissa brought you home."
>"Tiger was just the tip of the leg?" Yamame asks, obviously curious.

[DracoOmega]

>Accept the cup with a smile and nod. "Thank you, Rin."
>Take a sip.
>To Yamame: "And I suppose you could say that. It felt like I was running from one end of town to the other all day. And then back again. Twice. Not a bad day, but a very full one."

[Oldmansour]

>Accept the cup with a smile and nod. "Thank you, Rin."
>Take a sip.
>To Yamame: "And I suppose you could say that. It felt like I was running from one end of town to the other all day. And then back again. Twice. Not a bad day, but a very full one."

>Your kasha smiles and pours a smaller cup for herself. She always sweetens her tea with a little honey, you note as you drink. It's a sweetness distinct from sugar, and, apparently, healthier, according to Minoriko.
>You keep yourself from smiling as you sketch Yamame in on yesterday's adventure. If she only knew...
>"Did you happen to ride a lion for your earlier trips?" Letty remarks in her urbane manner.
>The drama club's door opens before you can respond to her quip and Nurse Utsuho sticks her head into the room. "Ah, so you were here, Byakuren." she says with a friendly look.

[DracoOmega]

>Turn the nurse with a look of mild surprise.
>"Oh, hello. Is there something I can do for you?"

[Oldmansour]

>Turn the nurse with a look of mild surprise.
>"Oh, hello. Is there something I can do for you?"

>The winged nurse utters a small laugh. "Actually, it's the other way 'round. Can I see you outside for a second?" She retracts her head momentarily then pokes it back in.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Sure."
>Head out there.

[Oldmansour]

>"Sure."
>Head out there.

>Excusing yourself to Yamame and the others, you step out into the hallway with Utsuho.
>"We've had an opening in the MRI schedule." Utsuho informs you, but quietly, trying to keep the conversation somewhat privately. "If you wanted it, we can fit you in on tuesday afternoon now."

[DracoOmega]

>When were we previously booked?
>What outstanding commitments do we have for the next few days?

[Oldmansour]

>When were we previously booked?
>What outstanding commitments do we have for the next few days?

>Friday morning.
>In terms of definite commitments, drama practice is scheduled for sometime tomorrow, but Yamame didn't mention exactly when. There's also Aya's modelling job that she's expecting to hear back from you on.

[DracoOmega]

>When did we say we'd get back to her? And what sort of deadline did it have, anyway?
>Tennis practice is Thursday, yes?

[Oldmansour]

>When did we say we'd get back to her? And what sort of deadline did it have, anyway?
>Tennis practice is Thursday, yes?

>You weren't specific when discussing the jobs with Aya yesterday. And neither was she. She mentioned that she had a 'few days before deadlines came due' or words to that effect. Knowing her, however, it wouldn't surprise you at all if she contacted you sometime today.
>Tennis practice is Thursday, yes.

[DracoOmega]

>"I may have a prior commitment tomorrow, actually. What time would the appointment be?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I may have a prior commitment tomorrow, actually. What time would the appointment be?"

>Utsuho produces a little notebook from her coat pocket and dons her glasses. "4:35 PM." she reads. "But on the other hand, it may not be necessary at all, that's the other thing I wanted to say. It's been a few days since that little accident. If you have some time after school today, I'd like to take another look at you, see if there's any kind of lingering effects or anything."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think I should have time for that, yes. Though I've felt quite fine since the day I fell over the stairs. As for Tuesday, I'll need to check when drama practice is - they may overlap, and if there's no pressing need for the MRI, I might rather leave it for another time. As long as you don't think that's inadvisable, of course."

[Oldmansour]

>"I think I should have time for that, yes. Though I've felt quite fine since the day I fell over the stairs. As for Tuesday, I'll need to check when drama practice is - they may overlap, and if there's no pressing need for the MRI, I might rather leave it for another time. As long as you don't think that's inadvisable, of course."

>"Well, that's good to hear." Utsuho says as she removes her glasses. "As for if its advisable or not, I'd GUESS that it isn't, but I'll wait till I can judge better." She puffs with a small mote of pride. "Yakogoro-sensei taught me that. 'Listen to your instincts, but verify before acting on them'" she adds, dropping her voice into a deeper register.