AThousandCurses

Expedition to Isekai

Shun froze when she made eye contact with the adolescent beast, well if it had eyes anyways. Regardless, they recognized each other's presence at the lake. A frown appeared on her face. Should she kill it? It seemed quite defenseless and small in comparison to the other beasts she's faced. Though it reminded her of the laser wolves that she and Rin fought against. Granted, this fox-like creature had neither eyes nor was shooting any lasers at her.

After a moment of deliberation, Shun decided not to jump at the beast. If it was hostile, she would have attack but it only looked at her with passive curiosity. She wasn't going to start a war with every beast out there. The remainder of her classmates hadn't finished recovering and the last thing she wanted was to start another war. That was what happened last time. Shun stared at the beast, turned to lake to get a gulp of water, before turning around to return back to the group.

She'd have to convince them to find shelter after they were done gaining resources from the lake. It was clear to her that this spot was a potential hotspot for monsters considering it was a source of water. Where there was water, there was life after all. Additionally, she did check the perimeter and did find that there were other lifeforms in vicinity of the lake. She needed to inform them abotu it.

Expedition to Isekai

It was a long treck towards the stream. The journey and exhaustion had taken its toll on Shun, but she managed to keep an upbeat smile on her face. Unfortunately, Yuudai was dead, but that couldn't be helped. Fortunately, not all of their classmates had abandoned them. Akito, Tsubaki, and Asahi came back. Not in exactly one piece judging by how they arrived, but it was nice to see familiar faces come back to them. Though it seemed like the same scenario was playing itself again. They would have to take care of the injured while being cautious against the wild. How frustrating.

Shun took it upon herself to check their surroundings every time a bush bristled. It would be annoying to deal with monsters and even more annoying to deal with her classmates dying. It'd be nice if they could have a normal, exciting day without any troubles. Shun missed the days where she would chase after a car with her bicycle. How she would peddle her heart out to try and catch up. Though she often got reprimanded for performing a dangerous stunt, it was most certainly safer than walking around on this strange Earth.

A wave of relief washed over Shun as they came across the water stream. Looks like yesterday's efforts weren't for naught after all. Though her companions, Ayana espescially, seemed more enthusastic as ever. As much as Shun wanted to join in, water and herself didn't get along to well. That's why she had an another idea. "I'll go check the perimeter of the lake to see if it's safe. I'll be right back in a second," Shun cheerfully said as she walked off.

Aside from genuinely checking if they were being tracked by the previous monster group, Shun wanted to see if Masato and the others were nearby. She had a few things to say to him. Why did he leave? How could he have left Yuudai behind like that? What does my fist taste like? Needless to say, she was a little annoyed by him.

"...At least there's no smoke," Shun said to herself. For once it was a refreshing breeze in comparison to the smoking bus that was going to break down in under a second.

Expedition to Isekai

"To think you'd go out like this, huh..." Shun mumbled to the makeshift grave in front of her. After the fight with the monsters, there was a feeling of elation. The adrenalin and strange power in her body gave her a nostalgic feeling. Her body was a plane, and the sky couldn't limit her where she wanted to go. It made her so giddy that she swung her arms around while Rin was carrying her around. As precious as that feeling was, the situation was soon setting inside her head. Rin seemed level-headed as usual, but there was a sense of dread that Shun felt as they checked on the others.

The first thing they noticed were Kogen, and Ayana in the aftermath of a battleground. It would explain where the monster elephants came from. Thankfully, they didn't look too hurt and only had creases and dirt on their clothing. However, that was the least of their concerns at that moment. There were only three of them, while Masato and the rest were unaccounted for. Did they run away while they fought against the monsters? Thinking like that made Shun bitter a little, but at least Yuudai and the others were safe. Masato was a reliable guy from the little that Shun knew. She was sure that Masato would have made sure everyone made it out.

Yuudai's dismembered corpse was found in the destroyed bus.

The monster elephants that ran by must have crushed while they ran through the bus. It didn't seem painless either, judging what was left of the corpse. At first, Shun was shocked, but sadness didn't come. She felt confused, and then nothing. It was then she confirmed the feeling. She was disappointed that he died. Yuudai was gone, and what was left was a blood stain and a hand. Something that couldn't recite poems nor talk to her. It wouldn't jump recklessly in to protect her, nor would it try to comfort her. In other words, it was worthless.

She took it upon herself to bury the hand along with her other classmates. It was the least they could do for Yuudai.

Shun took her eyes off the grave and dug into her pocket. Producing a piece of parchment, she read out what was on the parchment.

"On a rainy day,"

"The Earth is filled with sorrow."

"Yet, the sun returns."

There was a moment of silence before Shun stored it back in her pocket. This piece of paper was clenched in the deceased Yuudai's hand and miraculously survived. Even though Shun didn't understand what the poem was talking about, it stilled the disappointment in her heart. Wiping the moisture out of her eyes, she spoke up to add her input.

"Yesterday, Kunio, Masami, Masato, and I discovered a small stream of water when we went out to look for water. There's a possibility that there's a stream if we follow the water." If they were lucky enough, it wouldn't solve their food problem, but they'd be at least able to satiate their thirst. Shun winced as she stood up; her legs hadn't recovered from the burning that she went through and pointed towards the direction where they would find it. "If we're lucky enough, we might find Masato and the others there as well. I'd imagine their situation would be similar to ours."

Expedition to Isekai

"Haaa... Ha..." Things had settled as quickly as she came. The moment she slammed the bloody remains into one of the beasts, they were bisected by Rin's magic attack. Would it be appropriate to call it magic? Rin was always a scientific orientated person, so maybe she would have opted for a different term. It's blood was mixed along with the corpses as newly pair of corpses collapsed on top of her. Shun let out a surprised sound before being buried underneath them.

All what she gathered from her hearing was the sound similar to a buzzsaw shredding into steel. It was an unpleasant sound akin to hearing chalk scratching against a writing board. Though silence soon came afterwards. It took Shun a minute to untangle herself from the body pile that she was stuck in. All it took was the severed tail in front of her to confirm what was the outcome of Rin's battle. Exhaustion and ever present concussion soon came kicking in.

Her legs felt as if they were about to snap apart and her head was being pounded by a hammer. "Ugh, I'm beat..." Shun said as she collapsed back on to the floor. She was about to make a request to Rin until the middle schooler felt a faint rumble. Turning her head towards the general direction of the source, Shun noticed the two elephant like creatures coming straight at her and Rin. Where did they come from?!

"Not good, not good!" Shun immediately scrambled, to her leg's dismay, and managed to barely get out of the way. The trampled where she was once was and disappeared into the forest. With the bus in shambles, they would need to find a new shelter. However in there current state would they be able to do so?

"Inaba. Can you give me a piggyback ride, please? I think my legs are going pass away without me if I talk another step." Shun whined towards the only classmate around. They needed to check on their remaining classmates. If those elephants were attacking the others earlier, then that meant that Yuudai and others were in danger.

Expedition to Isekai

"Sing, Sing, SING!" With every bash came a wonderful note that resounded in Shun's ears. How resounding and how fascinating. She was getting on highest of highs and the highest of lows. Each slam increased with vigor until she felt no resistance from the beast. It was until a little later that she realized that her opponent was dead. "I guess not everybody is meant to be a singer," Shun said as she tilted the corpse's head. What a shame. But there was still more to do. While she was off playing, she left an acquaintance alone. The other beast that was going after Rin.

"Well, if you're not going to sing you might as well become an instrument!" Not of it made rational sense, but to Shun as long as it was coherent, it made sense. Taking whatever remained of the corpse, her legs glowed again. She was sure that her legs were torn or something for that regard but she didn't care. That was future her's problem and that was enough for her to go at it again. Dashing through the air, she charged at beast.

"Heads up!' Shun said both literally and metaphorically. Using the corpse head first, she used the corpse as a club and proceeded to swing it at the beast. It didn't matter whether it hit or not, all it mattered was that she was getting the beast's attention. And if the beast were to come to blows, Shun would use whatever remained left of the body as a shield. After all, the greatest offensive was the greatest defense. Right?

Expedition to Isekai

"Hehehehehehe," Shun giggled to no one other than herself and the monster in front of her. That was fun. At one moment, she was touching the ground, and the next, she found herself covered in blood. How exhilarating. The adrenalin coursed through her body as she eyed the injured monster in front of her. Any thoughts that were related to Rin or the other beast had long since vanished. Unlike that time at the bus, she was going to finish off this beast for good.

"Have you ever read Grendel before?" She doubted that the monster had read a book before. In fact, she doubted that many of her classmates knew much about that story. At one point, she checked out a random book from the library. Needless to say, Shun didn't understand a single word of it and quickly got bored. It was a vain attempt to understand literature, but there were some plot points that caught her attention.

Her burdened legs glowed once more, and she sprung at the injured. Grabbing the monster by the neck, she used the rest of her strength to plummet the laser wolf's head into the ground. A sadistic grin grew on Shun's face. She wasn't done with the wolf yet.

"Sing for me, will you?" Shun screamed out. Then she raised the laser wolf's head up and then smashed it back into the ground. "Sing." Then she raised the laser wolf's head up and then smashed it back into the ground. "Sing." Then she raised the laser wolf's head up and then smashed it back into the ground. "Sing. Sing. SING." Each repetition grew stronger with every slam. Shun was intent on making this laser wolf into a red paste on the dirt ground.

Expedition to Isekai

A shrill scream escaped from someone's mouth. Oh wait, that was her mouth. Her vision exploded with pain and black. Her body was sent flying and tumbling down to the ground. Her skin was scrapped against the ground as the friction began to draw blood. Eventually, it came to a stop, and she found herself beside Rin. "Ah..." Shun groaned. Her body ached. A pain that she wouldn't have known in her world blossomed in her body. Her mind could barely keep itself awake from the exhaustion and beatings that the body took. A laugh escaped from her mouth.

"You get it? I'm afraid I'm not as smart as you, Rin." A dark chuckle escaped from Shun's mouth as she rose up. She stumbled for a bit before straightening her posture to look at the creatures. "But I think I can definitely feel on the same page as you."

Interests were like flames. They flicker and burn with passion, but at a single gust of disinterest, it fades away into ash. However, fires can be reignited. Just like how a motor can be turned back on, that once-of-a-lifetime flame had ignited. This time there was no one getting in her way; this time, there was no stopping. The fear in her heart only fueled the thrill of danger.

Back when that robber carjacked the car with her in it, she was afraid. Yes, of course, she was afraid. An unknown situation presented itself to the childlike her.

What should she do?

Fight the man?

Jump out of the car?

Beg him to let her go?

However, in equal measure, she was just as excited from the blurry outside to the frantic inside of the car. All of it happened in a singular moment. She couldn't help but laugh in the car as they swerved around in the town. There was only one thing that Shun could do at that moment.

Always forward, never look back.

"If I want to do something, I should just do it, right?" Strange energy fueled her body. That same energy shined over her legs, and Shun got into a sprinter's posture. Her tendons cried in pain, but she didn't care. Everything else was secondary to this very moment. "Let's... GO!" At that moment, she became a blur. Her feet kicked off the ground, but it was much more different from before. Launching herself would imply that there was some sort of wind-up.

In one big leap, Shun fired herself at the same laser wolf, who blew her up. Like a max pedal car, she shot forward towards the wolf and aimed to throttle the beast into a tree or two.

Persona ~ Alone at Sea (PERSONA WITH A BOAT 𓊝)

"Nani? Wright-chan's gone missing?" Katsumi blinked in surprise with an exaggerated Japanese tone. It had been a while since she had last seen her senior in the halls. There were rumors about a missing person's report, but Katsumi didn't know that person was, in fact, Sofia. The Japanese girl clapped her cheeks together, much to her classmate's displeasure. This was all truly shocking to her. While she didn't know Sofia all too well, she had heard some things about her senior. That she is rather awkward and that she made the top 15 on the science track.

"Yeah, apparently, Sofia's been gone since the 15th. Nobody knows where she went, and I heard there was an investigation going on to find her."

"なるほど, なるほど."

"What was that?"

"Don't worry. Detective Katsumi's on the case now." Pushing up her glasses, Katsumi held her head up proudly. Though given that this wasn't an anime, her glasses didn't shine to signify her importance. Her classmate could only sigh, already tired of the dramatic, as Katsumi made her way around the table. Even if there were detectives who were already on the case and trying to find Sofia, Katsumi couldn't stand by and let her disappearance go unnoticed. She, too, will investigate the disappearance and find her missing classmate.

That and she was a little bored at the moment since she ran out of manga to read.

The first thing she needed to do was find the people who last saw Sofia. In the manga, the protagonist would have to go after leads and find evidence. Whether the leads took the shape of a person or an object, it would bring the protagonist closer to the truth. Since Katsumi didn't have anything to go off, she would have to meet with people that knew her. The first would be her dorm mother-

"Stop snooping. The detectives are already on the case, so mind your business and get back to studying."

Well, okay, she had seen that coming. Still, there was Sofia's neighbor-

"Oh, her? Yeah, we don't talk much. She's kinda bit on the... weird side like you. Though, as far as I know, she didn't come out of her room the next day."

Okay, so talking with her neighbors wasn't helpful at all. In fact, it kinda hurt a little bit, but that didn't matter, right? She couldn't let go of the investigation yet. The next people were-

"Oh, you mean the missing girl? Don't know her."

"Her? Well, I'm glad that she's gone now. With the 15th spot vacant, now I can-"

"Sorry, but I have to do something."

Katsumi slumped her head against the table. Doing investigation in real life was much harder than it looked in the manga, especially when she wasn't a real detective. A groan of disappointment came out as she looked at her notebook. It was a surprise to her that Sofia might've been one of the school's biggest social pariahs, which made it difficult for her to investigate. Not to mention that when she tried to talk with them, they often wanted to disengage from the conversation once she started talking. She didn't know why, but they didn't want to talk to her for more than two minutes.

"Though, I guess it wasn't all too fruitless," Katsumi said as she flipped the page of her notebook. While she was investigating Sofia, Katsumi found that there was a group of freshmen, like herself, that Sofia was supervising. It was for the 'Icebreaker.' She had gotten this information from her 'Icebreaker' Captain when she last saw him. Katsumi didn't have too many fond memories, though, as whenever she tried to speak, the captain often shut her down from speaking. Regardless, she'd have to interview them to see if they had any leads. If that fails, then she'd have to give up this entire investigation.

Digimon: Materialization Interest Check

Piqued my interest.

Expedition to Isekai

Shun blinked, and then suddenly, pain scorched through her arm. Like a searing flame, it sliced through her skin and sent her sliding back. In the midst, the light of the phone suddenly ceased. Though she was able to determine that her opponent wasn't long-tailed, the beast was long-bladed. "Damn..." Shun cursed as she clutched her arms. It was bleeding profusely, but whatever blessed her superhuman endurance allowed her to bear with it.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed that Inaba seemed to be having difficulties on her own, but Shun couldn't take her eyes off of her target.

The beast had longer reach than her with its bladed tail, and if she wasn't careful, she'd be left off with injuries worse than the cut on her arms. No matter how she looked at it, she was going to lose. She had to think of something. From behind her, she could hear the commotion of her classmates as they faced off against it.

What should she do? What should she do? A million thoughts ran through her head until...

"Oh, fuck it. LET'S GO!" With a battle cry, Shun ran at the long-tailed beast. Putting all her strength into her legs, she kicked off the dirt and lowered her stance. There was no strategy, nor was there any rational thought behind this foolish move. If this bastard was going to bring a blade in a fistfight, then she'd become the truck that ran over the competition. As she got in range, she lowered herself to slide under the beast and threw out a heavy punch.