Akai Hana ga Seichō toki ni

You are Yamaguchi Ai. At eighteen, you are the eldest daughter of the Yamaguchi family. Your grandfather, a rich and powerful man, recently passed away. However, his will is being prepared for a reading at his secluded mansion out in the countryside. It is far away from any towns or cities, even in the small nation of Japan. You are going to his mansion with your family for the will-reading.

At the moment, you are exiting the car with your family and helping to unpack. Your father anticipates that the family will be staying here for a few days in order to make sure things are sorted out entirely. As you pull your suitcase out of the trunk, you glance over at your family members. Next to you is your younger sister, Yamaguchi Shiro. She just turned ten last week. She was, improbably, scouted out to be a child model for gothic lolita fashion. Shiro is somewhat spoiled and can be something of a brat, in your opinion. However, she is capable of being sweet and nice, especially to her family members. This usually makes up for the bratty-ness. She dyes her hair as part of her modeling.

Next is your father. His name is Robert. His mother was a foreigner, Scottish(though you never met her). He was a nice enough man, and a good father, but sometimes you felt like he didn't act as much as he should. Like he was too passive, perhaps. But... maybe you shouldn't really be judging one of your parents in such a way.

Your mother stands beside your father as she gets her suitcase out. Her name is Mana. She's... kind of strange, you think. Obviously, she's your mother, and you love her, and she loves you, but... you've always felt her personality was more suited towards a student at your highschool then an adult. She's an avid gamer and highly competitive, as well, as... well... immature. She's also stricter then your father.

Once everything is unloaded, you take a look up at the mansion. It is a vast, imposing building. It's almost hard to believe that it belonged to your grandfather, in a way. It's simply so very big... maybe you'll inherit it?

Part of you feels bad for not really being saddened by your grandfather's death. But... you never really knew him. He was an old recluse, he never really met anyone. You didn't really know him. You set your luggage on the ground and began to make your way to the house. You're not really watching where you're going. Suddenly, your sister darts in front of you, wanting to see what it's like in the mansion.

You collide with her, and knock her down. With a yelp, she hits the ground. She looks up at you, looking angry. But she hasn't said anything yet.

How do you respond?

[ ]Apologize and help her up.
[ ]Chastise her and tell her it was her fault for rushing ahead.
[ ]Yell at her, and blame her for it.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ]Apologise, help her up, and give her a hug.

We should totally have a contact-loving MC.

[] - Apologise and help her up, subtly hint she may need glasses if she's running into people like that.

[ ]Apologize and help her up.

Before your sister can respond, you reach down and carefully help her back to her feet. She's a bit surprised that you acted so quickly.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," you apologize. It was really pretty bad of you to just walk into her like that, you feel bad about it... You can't help yourself. You wrap your arms around your little sister and hug her tightly. She's a bit surprised, but after a few moments she hugs back. You guess that she'd been preparing to snap at you, but such a nice apology and hug caught her off guard.

"Onee-chan, um... it's okay!" she says, presumably guessing that you must feel pretty bad about it.

"No, I ran right into you," you reply, "Though I'm kind of worried that you didn't seem to see me... what did you see before I ran into you?"

Her expression hardens, and she lets go of you. "I don't need glasses, onee-chan. You're so... unsubtle!"

You stand up straight and fold your arms a little, "Hey, can't I worry about my little sister?"

"Not when it comes to glasses! I don't need-"

She's interrupted by your father.

"Hey!" he calls, "Shiro-chan, Ai-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm alright," you reply.

"I'm fine!" replies Shiro. Her reply is a little bit snappish. Even though she was grateful for the hug and the apology, you feel like the glasses comment might've upset her.

You gather up your luggage and continue on towards the house. The rest of your family walks with you. When you get to the doorway, it opens before your father can ring the doorbell.

In the doorway, there stands what you assume is a surprisingly young butler.

"Hello," he greets your family, "I assume you are the other branch of the Yamaguchi family?"

"Hello," your father greets him, "Yes, I'm Yamaguchi Robert."

"I'm Yamaguchi Mana," your mother introduces herself.

"Shiro," says your sister, without further elaboration.

What do you do?

[ ]"Hello, I'm Yamaguchi Ai."
[ ]"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Ai! It's nice to meet you."
[ ]"My name is Ai."
[ ]"Ai."
[ ]Say nothing.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ]"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Ai! It's nice to meet you."

[ ]"My name is Ai."

[ ] Ignore her and walk away

Rain's Vote:

[ ]'"Yamaguchi. Ai Yamaguchi." Best 'English' voice. Then giggle.'

[ ]"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Ai! It's nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Ai!" you cheerfully introduce yourself, "It's nice to meet you."

The butler smiles. He seems to approve of the enthusiasm. He steps back, out of the doorway. "Right this way, please."

You head inside with the rest of your family. The inside of the mansion is vast, it feels almost like it's even bigger on the inside then it looks on the outside. You guess that's just because of how high the ceilings are and how spacious the entry hall is. It's a western-style mansion, to be sure. You've never actually been in a western-style mansion previously. It's kind of... amazing to be inside such a huge house. Your little sister tries to hurry and run up the stairs to explore, but your mother quickly catches up to her and pulls her back. She complains, but your mother quiets her with mumbled threat, most likely some kind of deprivation of privileges. Your father frowns, but says nothing.

The butler rubs the back of his head.

"Ah-hah, she'll have plenty of time to see the rest of the mansion, I'm sure... I'll even provide a tour if she wishes," he says. He seems kind of distracted, to you. Possibly still thinking about your grandfather's death... he was probably closer to him then you were, having worked for him for most of his life. You're not sure what to think about that... Maybe you could talk to him later, to learn more about your grandfather.

At the top of the stairs, there is a maid. She seems to be watching your family quietly, and you in particular. Strange... she's pretty, though. Maybe you could ask her about your grandfather, too. Later of course.

The butler introduces himself.

"My name is Saito Akihiko," he begins, "As you may have guessed, I worked as a butler for your father. I don't believe the will will be prepared for reading for a few days, but you may want to ask Kobayashi-sa-"

He is interrupted by the very loud, accented voice of someone you don't recall having met in ten years. But it's unmistakable.

"He has this one, too?!"

It's your cousin, from Scotland. Alice. She's holding up a thick, dusty book. She's somewhat of a goofy ditz in your opinion, and she's always believed in the occult, something you dismissed pretty much outright. However, she is your relative, even though you don't see her very often.

She realizes you and your family are there, and she smiles and waves. "Hi!"

Shiro merely looks confused. She doesn't remember this girl at all. Your father greets her calmly, while your mother greets her in a pretty energetic fashion. The maid looks startled, and the butler looks frantic to see her holding that book.

How do you respond?

[ ]"Hi, Arisu-san! It's been a long time!"
[ ]"Hello, Arisu-san. It was a bit rude to interrupt like that..."
[ ]"Please, continue, Saito-san."
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ] Free: give her a hug. That's how they greet in the Western world, right?

[ ]"Hi, Arisu-san! It's been a long time!"

[] Sweep her off her feet and kiss her Give her a hug.

Feeling rather contact-heavy today, you approach your cousin and hug her. Needless to say, she's a bit surprised by this.

"Haha, Ai, I didn't expect this!" she says, hugging you back. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice that the maid carefully takes the book away from your cousin and hands it to the butler, who appears to check it to make sure it's not damaged. Your cousin doesn't notice. Soon, you let go, and she... doesn't. She doesn't for several moments.

"Ah... Arisu-san..."

Finally, she releases you.

"Sorry, I get into hugs!" she says, incredibly cheerfully as she rubs that back of her head. "Anyway, did you know that the library has tons of books on all kind of occult stuff? I never knew grandfather, but he must of been some kind of occult genius with all these books he's got!"

"Ah... that's nice, Arisu-san," you reply, not particularly sure if that's nice at all. You watch, rather uncomprehending, as your cousin rambles off into all kind of occult terminology, including references to Harry Potter of all things. You were always more one for realistic works, involving mystery. In fact, you want to pursue a job as a detective. Most of this stuff flies completely over your head. "But, um..."

"Arisu-chan, where's Arekusandā-san?" asks your father, cutting off the deluge of occult ramblings. Alexander is your uncle, and Alice's father.

"Father is speaking with the legal team," replied Alice, frowning slightly that her ramblings were interrupted. Inwardly, you sigh in relief. She turns to leave, "I'll go tell him you're here!"

She hurries off.

Shiro stares after her, still frowning. "Who was she?"

How do you respond?

[ ]Talk to the Butler.
[ ]Talk to the Maid.
[ ]Explain who Alice is to Shiro.
[ ]Attempt to follow Alice.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ]Free - Tell Shiro that she is a witch who wants to take over the world.

[ ] Free - As above, but she likes to dance naked on the new moon.

[] flirt with the maid talk to the maid.

Feeling somewhat mischievous, you decide to tell your sister what is blatantly a lie. But it'll still be fun to see her reaction. You notice your parents have started talking with one another. Perfect, they won't catch you messing with Shiro. It's harmless, anyway.

"Shiro-chan, she's a witch," you tell her, putting on an expression that makes it seem as if you're being one-hundred percent honest. "She casts evil magic spells, and she's going to try and take over the world. She even dances naked under every new moon!"

Shiro's eyes widen for a moment. "But... there's no way that's true! You don't even believe that stuff yourself, onee-chan! Liar! You're lying!"

She points at you in an accusatory manner.

"You want to bet? Remember all that weird stuff she said..."

Shiro looks at you for a few moments. You see a waver in her her expression. You know she's going to ask Alice at some point, you can just tell from the way her expression twitched. She folds her arms and turns away from you, with a "Hmph!"

You smile.

You notice that the butler seems to be quickly proceeding out of the room with the book, and the maid is still there, standing quietly. Alice has vanished from view.

What do you do?

[ ]Try to talk to Shiro some more.
[ ]Talk to the Maid.
[ ]Try to catch up to the Butler and talk to him.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ] TALK TO THE MAID.

[ ]Talk to the Maid.

[] Talk to the maid.

Obligatory [ ]Try to catch up to the Butler and talk to him option.

You decide that you want to talk to the Maid. The Butler seems busy, after all, and Shiro doesn't seem like she wants to talk to you. You walk over to her, and smile.

"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Ai," you introduce yourself. She seems a bit surprised that you've even spoken to her, and steps back a little before taking a deep breath.

"Ah, um, it is nice to meet you, Yamaguchi-sama," she replies, bowing very low almost immediately, "I am Kobayashi Masumi, I worked as a maid for your grandfather..."

She seems somewhat saddened on that last note. But she takes another deep breath and continues. "I'm happy to attend to any of your desires, after all, as a maid I'm meant to serve guests as well."

How do you respond?

[ ]Ask her about your grandfather.
[ ]Ask her about your grandfather's books.
[ ]Ask her about herself.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)

[ ]Ask her about your grandfather's books.

[ ] Free--wonder if 'serving guests' would include sleeping with you. Then ask her about your grandfather's porn books.

[] Ask her out about herself.

[ ] Ask her about herself.

Grandfather's books.

For a few moments, you wonder how far the 'serving guests' bit extends... then you quickly shake your head, your cheeks slightly colored. What made that kind of thought enter your mind? You try to brush that off and focus on your next question.

"I noticed that my cousin had a book... was that one of my grandfather's? What was she talking about, mentioning all that occult stuff?" you ask.

Masumi sighs. "Your grandfather was... fascinated with the occult. Absolutely fascinated with it. His private library is practically filled with books about all kinds of different 'magic' from all over the world. Onmyōdō, western magic, demonology... I only really know anything about it because of how much he talked about it..."

She frowns.

"Especially towards the end..." she looks away for a moment, "I never understood why he was so enthralled with it all."

How to you respond?

[ ]Ask for more details on your grandfather's interest in the occult.
[ ]Ask about what else your grandfather did.
[ ]Ask the maid about herself.
[ ]Bid the maid farewell, and go to investigate something else.
[ ]Free(Please be somewhat sensible)