Muse

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

Another Day:

"Luck & Hope"

The CAT mural spread across the Udagawa wall with the same hemorrhage of colors and designs as it did back home. The vibe it gave off was the same, too, an undeniable presence amongst the otherwise peaceful street. Above, the sun shined down on a Shibuya that wasn't a total mess. This world's Sanae seemed to have the same intentions as many of the others, and the Imprints of Enjoy the moment and Gather pulsed through the city's frequency, calling out to those who would receive the message.

Kiryu Yoshiya was one of those who could interpret the Imprint's message, but that wasn't why he was there. Udagawa had just so happened to be the most likely place to encounter this world's Sakuraba Neku—a stark contrast to the Proxy Yoshiya had left behind. While the boy was still caught up in the throes of Yoshiya and Megumi's bet, this world's Neku had much more pressing matters to attend to in the form of Tin Pin Slammer.

Yoshiya had taken some time to do the same, but there was only so much he could do while his other self was about on the streets of Shibuya. It was best to wait for Sanae to receive his message so that Yoshiya could back to his world and see the results of his own game. From there it would be time to seal Shibuya's fate.

Until then, though, there wasn't much else he could do. Perhaps some coffee at WildKat is in order. If nothing else, this world's Sanae wouldn't blink an eye at an alternate Shibuya's composer stopping by. And if he changed his mind, there was still plenty of other places in the city he could settle down in. This world's Composer shouldn't mind too much if Yoshiya decided to take up residence in the Room of Reckoning, should he?

Just as he was gearing up for the walk, one of the shop's doors popped open—and Yoshiya stopped. It was a ridiculous sentiment, but he hadn't expected to see her of all people while visiting another world. It seemed that her dark green hair had gotten long enough to clip up in the back, and she'd swapped out her clothes for an orange sleeveless turtleneck top and a blue skirt, dark spats peeking out underneath. White gloves stretched all the way up her otherwise bare arms, and a messenger bag bounced at her side as she started to walk back towards Shibu-Q Heads.

She didn't notice him, too busy checking something on her phone. Yoshiya should've just let it go, but she wasn't someone he saw everyday—he hadn't seen her at all since a year ago, not once she left Shibuya. Even though the other worlds tended to have some overlap, but there was no guarantee that she knew who he was, let alone that she would even act the same.

It was ridiculous.

He didn't need to talk to her.

Yoshiya opened his mouth anyway.

"Hotaru-chan!"

He had meant to come across as casual, but he could hear the slightest crack of pitch in his voice, and Yoshiya scowled at himself. She was just a teenage girl, one that he could easily Erase from existence at his full power. And yet he almost wanted her to not recognize him, just so he had a reason not to keep going.

However, Hotaru spun around at the sound of her name, eyes widening in surprise. The shopping bag he hadn't realized she was carrying went right behind her back in defense. "Y-Yoshiya-kun!" she said, sounding every bit like he remembered. Her cheeks even tinted a light pink in embarrassment. It seemed her personality was still intact, even in another world. "Weren't you headed over to the Slam-Off at Molco? It starts soon, doesn't it?"

It seemed that his other self was also involved in the upcoming Slam Off. If nothing else, it meant that Yoshiya didn't have to worry about any unpleasant interruptions when Hotaru realized there was another one of him around. "I thought you were coming to support me," he said, still having enough of his powers to catch the gist of her thoughts. Acting like his other self wasn't the most complex lie he'd ever told, anyways. He put on a slight smile, flicking his eyes up to hers. "I got worried when I didn't see you, so I came here. What's so important that you had to go shopping at a time like this?"

"A-ah, I was looking for a present for Nee-chan." Hotaru was much less practiced at summoning a cover story on the sport, and the increased pitch of her voice didn't help her case.

So Yoshiya kept on smiling and asked, "All the way out in Udagawa? I wasn't aware that she had an interest in Wild Boar merchandise." He gestured to the store Hotaru had just come out of, letting her fidget for a bit. It seemed this world really was different if she still had contact with her sister.

Hotaru cleared her throat, then pointed across the street. "I actually came up here for the record store. Nee-chan said she was looking for something new to listen to, so I thought I'd help out. I had some spare time, so I went browsing and, ah…" Too late, Hotaru realized she'd raised the hand carrying her bag, the Wild Boar logo emblazoned on the front. Yoshiya smirked a bit, knowing that he'd worked her into a corner. She gave him a sheepish smile before something in her expression shifted. "Um, sorry if this sounds a bit strange, but…

"You're not my Yoshiya-kun, are you?"

Yoshiya blinked, then recovered his composure. "You noticed?" Yes, Hotaru was observant, but this was a bit more than something you could pick up by paying attention to someone's body language. Still, he wasn't about to give her the upper hand in the conversation that easily. "Whatever gave it away?"

Hotaru held up her other hand, her pale blue phone flipped shut in her grasp. "I was texting you—um, my you?—before you called out to me. And well…" Hotaru looked at him again, worry working its way into her expression. "You just seem tired, I think. At least, like you're carrying something heavy. Not that I can tell what, but it's different. And I don't get all the details, but this is like something Hanekoma-san mentioned before, and well… You're still you, even if you're not, right, Ki—Jo—Yoshiya-san?"

Yoshiya allowed himself a chuckle as she shuffled between his family name and his nickname, only to end up back where she started. Still, it was a welcome change from the more familiar honorific she had been using—a reminder of how different things were between this world and his own. "You're still as good at reading people as ever, Hotaru-chan. I'm surprised you noticed that much." And that this world's Sanae had told someone in the Real Ground enough for her to make a guess. "But you're close enough to the mark. My world isn't nearly as peaceful as this one is."

Hotaru fidgeted a bit, a hand clutching against the pin pouch she still wore around her neck. "You said 'still,' and 'ever,' like he haven't seen each other for a while." Yoshiya didn't mind too much that his little farce hadn't played out, but he'd hoped that she'd focus on the other details. Still, that was just like her to pick apart the meaning in other people's words. "And since you said your world, that means that all the stories Hanekoma-san tells are true?"

Yoshiya let his consciousness slip against hers, exploring more of her mind than he had before, touching more of her memories than just her fleeting thoughts. Yes, it seemed that Sanae had been telling fairy tales about the other Planes—and that this Hotaru didn't even have the experience of the Reaper's Game as an excuse to tell her. Yoshiya sighed. "I hope he isn't this inclined to spill our secrets back home."

Hotaru giggled a bit, some of her nervousness melting away. "So in other words, yes?"

"Yes, that's right." Admitting it probably wasn't the best idea, but he wasn't the one who had to worry about the cleanup. His other self could handle that chore. "There are other worlds beside this one. I'm visiting." For lack of a better word, at least. Before Hotaru could react to that information, Yoshiya glanced against her thoughts once more and let his smirk return. "And the reason you're really here is to buy my other self a gift. How thoughtful!"

"I just—Well—" Despite her best efforts, Hotaru's cheeks flared a brilliant pink as she tried and failed serval times to start a sentence. It seemed that she was still easily flustered in this world, too. That just so happened to work out very much in Yoshiya's favor. With a look of defeat on her face, Hotaru sighed. "There's just a pin you—ah, he's been wanting for some time, so I figured I would pick it up for him. As a good luck charm, you know? I mean, I'm no good at Tin Pin, but he's really awesome."

Ah, that seemed to be the difference. The Hotaru from his Shibuya happened to have a decent amount of skill at Tin Pin—though she was hesitant to admit it at the best of times. It was nice to have some way to separate the girl in front of him from the one in his memory, no matter how small. "Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate it, considering you went through all the trouble," he said, and Hotaru smiled—just as bright as the one he remembered.

There was no point in thinking about it. Hotaru had left Shibuya, and Shibuya wouldn't be around for much longer. Megumi only had one more week left before his timer disappeared. This week would be the end of it, no matter which way the Game went.

Hotaru looked at him with that concerned gaze again—then her phone rang before she could say anything else. Yoshiya gave her an understanding smile, and Hotaru muttered a quick apology before answering her phone.

"Hello. Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry." Hotaru's glance in Yoshiya's direction made it obvious she was talking to his other self. The fact that her blush had resurfaced just made it easier to figure out. "Don't fuss, I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. Yes. No, I don't need an escort. See you soon." Wrapping up the brief exchange, Hotaru hung up, an apologetic expression on her face. "Sorry, Yoshiya-san, I should get going to Molco. I'm actually running late already."

Yoshiya raised his hand. "No worries, I'm the one that got in your way," he said. "Besides, I'm just here for a short visit. Nothing to be bothered with, Hotaru-chan." At the very least, he could treat her with familiarity. She wasn't the same as the one from his world. "You have a good time with your Slam-Off."

He tried to wave her along, but Hotaru's eyes flashed with the dawning of an idea. "Ah, hold on first!" Juggling the items in her hands, she managed to open the clasps on her messenger bag and started digging around inside. After a moment, she pulled out a bright blue folder, then started expertly flicking through the pages. Satisfied, she pulled out a piece of notebook paper. "Here," she said, offering it to him. "It's not much, but…I hope things get better for you, Yoshiya-san. It's not quite the same as a pin, but maybe this can be a good luck charm?"

Before he could even think of an excuse not to, Yoshiya reached for the paper—not that Hotaru wouldn't insist that he take it anyways. Scrawled across the paper was one of her poems. Not a draft, since the words weren't in her regular jumbled process, but a refined product written in neat characters. He went to thank her, but Hotaru had already taken off on a jog across the streets of Udagawa, her phone ringing once again.

"I know, I know. Sheesh, you're so impatient…!"

And just like that, she rounded the corner towards Shibu-Q Heads and vanished out of sight. It seemed Yoshiya would still be in this world for some time, so he could've taken the opportunity to talk to her more. But it wouldn't do any good understanding what had happened differently in their past when it wouldn't change the reality of his world.

Yoshiya glanced at the poem again and had to laugh.

"Really," he said under his breath, crumpling the paper up in his palm, "just what do I look like to you that you think I need this?"

I think you and I
were meant to sail across the stars.
Have you seen the moon? The world?
I think
with you and I
we could fly together,

and I call that feeling hope.

[Author's Notes]

Well, here we are again: another year of [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] has arrived! For ten weeks, I'll be posting an update to this story every Saturday, along with a bunch of other cool authors doing their own challenges. This'll involve the aforementioned forum as the base of operations, so stop on by if you're interested in writing, reading, or you just want some company!

With that in mind, this particular story here is Muse, which I've had in mind since playing TWEWY sometime back in 2012. It's been formulating for quite a while since then, and you can thank -Final Remix- for making me crack and writing this story out when it was supposed to be much later on my schedule. I'll go ahead and say right now that Muse is a tad longer than ten chapters, so it'll be a two-season project, but more on that later.

In those many years since I've first played TWEWY, I've had the pleasure of meeting numerous other fans of the series and writers, one of which is the fantastic Chronic Guardian. He happened to be kind enough to allow me to combine Muse with his own fic, Hybrid::Mixed Feelings (which has just finished the Reaper's Arc and you should super read it)! You'll be seeing some familiar faces from there if you've read it, but it's in no way required!

Even so, it wouldn't be [SOSS] without some recommendations, so I'll go ahead and suggest that you give mine and CG's collaborative TWEWY fic, Faded Lines and Future Signs, which happens to serve as an epilogue to Hybrid while playing as a prologue to Muse. You'll find that through the Sauce Project Collective account!

Originally, to keep up the Hybrid spirit, I was going to include character profiles with each chapter, but they didn't seem to feel right when I wrote them. However, I did build a sequence of "extra scenes" that worked out quite well, so you get those at the end of each chapter instead. You'll find the first bonus below, and the next chapter of Muse next Saturday! Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[12.26.2018]

Another Day Bonus Episode

"Rendezvous & Present"

A bigger crowd had formed around Molco than Hotaru had expected, but she managed to make it to the building's entrance without damaging her gift bag. After informing the (bulky and somewhat intimidating) man at the registration desk that she was only there to support someone, Hotaru did her best to navigate the even more clustered game room. People were chattering excitedly, comparing their beloved pins, and large posters on the walls declared the intention of the upcoming Slam Off in full ferocity. It took her a few moments to cut a path through the crowd, but Hotaru at last made it to the other end of the room where Yoshiya was.

Or, rather, where Yoshiya had said he would be. All Hotaru got was a poster for the new line of Slammurai action figures lining the shelves. She went over the instructions Yoshiya had given her over the phone, but she hadn't misremembered—Yoshiya was supposed to be there. If something had happened that he needed to change their meeting place, we would have at least messaged her first.

"Boo."

The loud bustle of the crowd took away some of the impact of the sudden voice in her ear, and Hotaru managed to turn around without accidentally elbowing the speaker in the gut first. Yoshiya—her Yoshiya, and not the one from the other world—looked at her, a look of faint disappointment on his face. "You didn't quite react the way I had hoped you would, Hotaru-chan."

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Hotaru put on a mock pout of her own. "You'll have to try harder than that if you want to startle me after all this time, Yoshiya-kun." After all, trying to catch her off guard was one of his favorite past times. She'd gained some resistance by this point.

"Noted for future endeavors, don't you worry about that." Maybe if Yoshiya spent all that time working on his Tin Pin Weekly articles rather than trying to scare Hotaru, Miki-san wouldn't spend all his time fighting off an impending a heart attack. Rather than giving Hotaru time to retort, Yoshiya leaned into her personal space. "Of course, I'm more concerned about why you were running late. Not getting into trouble, are we?"

Hotaru sighed, stepping as much out of the way as she could with her back up against a poster. "I was getting a certain someone a good luck charm. But it sounds like he's too busy being sarcastic to receive it. What a waste." Hotaru held Yoshiya's gaze, until his violet eyes managed to flicker away to the bag she was presenting to him. "For you, Yoshiya-kun."

Yoshiya managed to smirk and don a look of mock surprise all the same time. "How thoughtful! It'd be rude to turn down a gift from a lady, now wouldn't it?" Yoshiya accepted the gift, and Hotaru tried not to look too flustered as he opened it. With a careful attention he reserved for Tin Pin, Yoshiya examined the object in his hand, as if the black and yellow beast on its surface would reveal some secret to him. "Oh, you went through the trouble of getting this specially made for me? Goodness, you never cease to impress, Hotaru-chan. I'll be sure to use it in the tournament."

Though she'd expected the flattery, his last words caught Hotaru of guard, and she threw up her arms in protest. "Wait, you don't need to go and do that! I know this tournament's a big deal, and it takes time to get used to a new pin. You don't need to—"

"Don't be silly, the first rounds aren't against anyone impressive. It'll be more than enough time to get a proper warm up," Yoshiya said, raising the hand with the pin in the air. Hotaru would've objected to the way he dismissed the other competitors if he wasn't so stupid good at the game. "Though I will say, you didn't have to do that much. If you wanted to give me a good luck gift, dear, a kiss would have—"

Hotaru didn't stop herself from elbowing Yoshiya in the gut that time. But he still used the gift pin in the tournament, and she still cheered for him on the sidelines anyway.