Exploring, Kazuichi bumps into two encounters at once.

No matter what happened next, Kazuichi figured he had nothing to lose by scouting out where he was. Even if he did want to sit there and work on his motor, he'd rather do it with a way to hydrate. Also, he couldn't deny he was interested now that he'd seen how the game worked with Mahiru (or, at least, how he thought it worked). Maybe he'd bump into someone else on the way?

The shabby garage he was in had a roll-up door, but there was no point worrying about that when he could just leave through the same ordinary doorway Mahiru had used, located on the opposite wall. He left his wrench and motor behind, unsure of what to expect when he stepped outside...

Well, he wasn't actually outside. His garage seemed to be connected to a fluorescent-lit hallway. His was the last door on the end before the one marked EXIT, and an "Alarm will sound" notice was posted on that door. There were a number leading up to that point, more than Kazuichi cared to count, seeing as they all seemed to be empty. Instead, he started to head for the door at the end. Before he made it there, however, he looked to a half-open one at the side and saw something that peaked his interest.

There had been a row of doors on his right, but the only one on his left had kitchen appliances, visible from their lighting even though the lights had been off. When he flicked the switch by the door, he could see it was a kind of break room. There were a number of round plastic tables, vending machines, and a kitchenette with a refrigerator, sink, and microwave. Rather than go searching for a cup, he tried the path of least resistance first: sure enough, the fridge seemed to be stocked with all sorts of things as one would expect of any staffed building. Most importantly for him, there was a package of bottled waters.

Reminding himself he was in a simulation and this was a victimless crime, Kazuichi swiped a water from the fridge and began to head out of the room at a jog. Something about the contents of this fridge, not knowing if anything belonged to anyone he knew and all by himself, gave him the creeps...

He hit the light switch and hurried out the door, not bothering to shut the door behind him. He turned the corner-

Immediately, he collided with a woman, sending his water bottle spinning into the air and the tablet, which he'd forgotten he was even carrying, skittering across the floor. He fell backwards onto the tile. "Crap! What's goin' on?!" He knew it must have been a woman because of a shrill voice and a distinct, soft sensation he only felt for a moment.

Before he could identify who it was, however, someone else leaned over him, blocking out his view of anything else. Due to the harsh lighting of the room, the person's face was shadowed over, but her bright and wide orange eyes still seemed to burn out from the darkness. This Hiyoko Saionji was a strange pastiche of the two he knew, the bratty young lady from the killing game and the matured, mellowed out one he knew from the real one. Specifically, she had a scornful face, blonde twin-tail hairdo, and orange kimono from their past, but the developed body of the woman he knew now. This Ultimate Traditional Dancer was a woman nobody would be mistaking for a child. She sniffed twice, then held a hand to her nose. "Crawling around on the floor... I'd heard you were up to some strange stuff, but nope! That look totally suits a disgusting animal like you."

A loud beep came from nearby, but nobody recognized it. Kazuichi was the only one who even heard it, and he was trying to scramble back to his feet. Hiyoko wasn't making room for him, so he had to slide backward on his butt to even manage it. "No way you missed that collision a sec ago. I ain't crawlin' around cause I want to be, you all were sneaking around the hall like a couple of ninjas! How else would I not have heard you?!"

"That's the kind of detail a guilty brain like yours would notice, huh?" Hiyoko snickered. "Yeah, I figured if we snuck up we'd catch you up to something super nasty. Probably would have, too, if this clumsy baboon could walk two steps without falling over!"

From that comment, Kazuichi could guess who he'd see on the floor across from him, and he was right. The dark-haired lady lying there was Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, and the way she appeared now was one of her trademark looks: an improbable mess, like a slightly perverted tornado had just hit her and only her. At that moment, she was lying on her back with her legs towards him. Her knees had somehow caught his open water bottle so that the contents had spilled all over her pink shirt and white apron. That position left her blue skirt sliding slightly up her legs due to gravity, but even if it wasn't, there was nothing about this angle that would hide her plain white panty-clad ass from his view unless she closed her legs.

Hiyoko shouted at him even more loudly. "Ugh, you're seriously just gonna stare at her? You're sooo groooss!! Both of you!"

It was true that Kazuichi was staring more than he ordinarily would have. His brain was making him keenly aware that he was in a fake world with no consequences for him, and nobody meaningful could judge him if he spent a little long gawking...

Another loud beep from the console snapped him out of it. "Wait, shoot, I don't know that! If anyone else gets in here and takes a look at this, I'm gonna look like a perv!" He shook his head, then finished rising to his feet. He leaned down to get his console.

"Grabbing your video game before you help a lady up? That's pretty typical of you!" Hiyoko sneered, not making any effort to help Mikan up herself.

Kazuichi was vaguely aware that Mikan was scrambling up, apologizing over and over. He thought to himself that he'd heard that apology so many times, he could afford to tune it out as he glanced at the console. It'd mean ignoring the others for a second, but something about that notification light made it hard to ignore. When he did, his senses were immediately assaulted by two videos playing at once. At first, the videos were in sync, so it only seemed a little louder than usual. As soon as Usami started talking, the subtitles were overlapped.

"Hey Grease-Head! Are you ignoring us?" Hiyoko added her voice to the list of things vying loudly for Kazuichi's attention.

Finally, blessedly, the video came to an end. Now that it was finally over and Usami had shut up, he could at least read the text that had appeared in the menu for the two:

"HIYOKO SAIONJI: She insults you - Hiyoko's used to getting away with insulting everyone just because she's cute. The next time she tries, why not throw her off her game by giving her one of your own? She won't be able to complain, at least for a little while!"

"MIKAN TSUMIKI: You're aroused by one of her accidents - Mikan uses this trick to get attention, and it got yours again. If you make it harder for her, I bet she'll make it harder for you."

"... That's weird," Kazuichi mused to himself. These seemed more like the two girls' flaws than anything wrong with himself. Neither of these seemed like the kind of general self-improvement track he'd expected this to take. Maybe Hiyoko's was, arguably, but how could he explain Mikan's? Either way, he supposed he had nothing to do other than give it a shot if he had a chance.

When he put down his console, Hiyoko was glaring at him. Since he was now standing, it was a glare up at him: even with her growth spurt, she was still a bit short. Mikan, meanwhile, was sobbing as she wrung out her apron. Her blouse looked like it had gone see-through with the splash, but the damp apron was still solid enough to hide anything but the straps of her bra. She was still waiting...

"Ah! I'm sorry," Kazuichi finally lamely offered.

"Ehe... D-don't worry about it, this happens all the time!" Mikan explained unnecessarily with a big smile that seemed to say the apology was all she wanted. "Hiyoko said that Mahiru ran past her, acting really strange. And when Hiyoko asked her what was going on-"

"She said I should go see you, that there was something different about you!" Hiyoko shouted to interrupt the other woman, glaring daggers at Kazuichi. "She was looking really weird and feverish, like... I dunno what! But weird, like you! I can't believe your grossness can rub off on someone just from one conversation...! Anyway, I was lucky Mikan was there-"

"Aww, you felt lucky? That's s-so sweet!" Mikan lighted up, looking touched.

"-So she could come with me and suck up all your weird disease like a sickness sponge! And meanwhile, you're looking the same as ever. Looking and smelling the same, that is! Like the most-used porta potty in an especially dirty junkyard, kyehehe!"

Kazuichi had wanted to take a shot throughout that whole tirade, but had found a hard time summoning up the courage to interrupt Hiyoko. The relentless tempo of this one was totally different from what he was used to day-to-day outside the simulation. Now that she'd finally paused, he took a shot. He didn't have a good one ready, so he just went with what he could think of. "You're... talking like a jerk!"

"Huuuh?" Hiyoko raised an eyebrow and actually cocked a smile. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Am I gonna make you cry?"

The mechanic really wasn't the toughest... He wasn't about to cry, but he was about to give up and try to escape somehow. "Ghh! Maybe it doesn't work if she doesn't consider it an insult?" He decided to give it one more shot. "Uh, l-let's try... Hiyoko, you dance like a two-year-old!"

Now that he was listening for it, Kazuichi could hear a tell-tale ring from his console that seemed to mean he'd been successful. Unfortunately, Hiyoko didn't seem to be hearing or respecting that. "I... what?! Listen, you've got to be blind to think-" she started, before pausing like she'd forgotten what she was saying. Her angry posture slacked and loosened, and she crossed her arms, looking sulky. "Nevermind. Whatever."

"Haha! It worked!" Kazuichi pumped his fist, his sharp teeth bared in a grin. "Hey, what's the matter, Hiyoko? Are you okay with that? I insulted your dancing!"

She started to speak again, but her face only fell into a frustrated frown. "W-whatever! That's fine. But my dancing is...!" She grit her teeth, as if trying to put forth effort. "It's... nothing to write home about! You're wro-... wro-...." Her lips formed around the word she wanted to say, but her tongue wouldn't complete it until she said the correct word. Finally, she continued: "Right, totally right."

Kazuichi couldn't deny he was enjoying this strange situation, so he pushed his luck. "And how about my smell? Too oily for you?"

"Tch! You smell like...! An... ordinary smell for a mechanic... smells... It's fine."

To Kazuichi's surprise, Mikan smiled brightly, ruffling Hiyoko's hair and joining in. "Aw, you're being nice today, Hiyoko! Hehehe... Hiyoko, can you give a smile for your best friend, Mikan?"

"Like I... would ever... not do that!" Hiyoko tried to complain, turning to her best friend Mikan with a strange, **** smile. "You're such an id-... idi-oirreplacable friend, Mikan."

It was a bizarre scene to Kazuichi, but what was more entertaining than the words was seeing Mikan touch Hiyoko without getting her hand slapped away. "It looks like Hiyoko can't complain, no matter what anyone does right now... Wait a sec. No matter what? So, like... if someone stole from her, or attacked her? Or if someone..."

Before he realized he was doing it, he'd begun to reach his hand slowly forward while Hiyoko was occupied with Mikan, his nostrils flaring as he prepared to get a handful of something he'd never imagined. Just as his hand was hovering in front of Hiyoko's chest...

The dancer suddenly grabbed her "friend" Mikan's wrist, giving her a **** glare. "Hey, pig-faced bitch. Did I give you permission to touch me?"

It was probably safe to say Hiyoko wasn't much physically tougher than Mikan, but the more timid woman wilted under her grasp. "Hiiiii!! I-I'm so sorry! B-but I thought... I thought you were-... Wh-why are you bullying me and not Kazuichi?!"

"Huuuh? Was Kazuichi trying to touch me? What's Kazuichi got to do with anything?" Hiyoko growled.

"Y-y-your dancing!" Mikan reminded her, with big tears rolling from her eyes. "Wh-wh-what about what he s-said about your dancing?!"

Hiyoko whirled her glare back on Kazuichi. "Did you have something to say about my dancing? Huuuh, Kazuichi?"

The mechanic had long-since pulled his guilty hand away. Even though he was a guy, he found himself afraid of getting caught in a wrist-grip like that. "I was just, uh... Oh shoot! I just have to say it again! Your dancing is... r-really crappy!"

"What... the fuck did you just say to me?" Hiyoko's face twisted into a demonic grin, her eyes seeming to shine. "What did you just say about my practiced, passed down, time-honored traditional dancing style, you piece of shit?"

"Oh, damn, forgot she had to insult me first! I s-said your dancing sucks! Ha-" Kazuichi began to laugh victoriously for less than a second before Hiyoko delivered a swift, relentless kick to his junk, blasting the wind from him. "Hhhh... w-what... the...?!"

As Kazuichi slumped to the floor, Hiyoko began storming away. "I'm gonna go take care of Mahiru myself. Pig Woman, you deal with this guy. And you, Asswipe... how about you take a couple of cultural appreciation courses before we meet again, or say goodbye to any future kids, okay...?"

The mechanic gasped on his knees, afraid to do anything else in this world he now understood to have very real and painful consequences if he screwed up until he figured out how he'd done so. He placed the Tablet below him so he could look down on it. The names of Mikan and Hiyoko were pink, indicating new status, but what stood out more to him was the HELP button that had appeared at the top right. He pressed it immediately.

There was only one option to pick from the submenu that appeared. It was a question: "My trigger didn't work! Why?" He didn't understand what a "trigger" was, but it sounded like something he needed to know, so he pressed it.

Usami's voice began to speak. "The Therapy Trigger Game is for your therapy, so it's meant to be easy! The triggers give you lots of power! However, even if it's supposed to be easy, there's no therapeutic benefit if you don't have to think. So remember: you can never use the same trigger the exact same way twice! On the other hand, if you've never used a trigger before and it doesn't work, the most likely answer is that you don't know how the trigger works... But that's part of the fun! Keep trying stuff until you get it. Your teacher believes in you!"

Even Kazuichi was smart enough to figure this one out. "So it didn't work cause I tried basically the same insult I did before. I won't make that mistake again... Sheesh..."

He finally glanced up to see that Mikan was standing over him, holding a hand down to help him. He was a bit ashamed he hadn't bothered to do the same for her before. He took it with thanks, then let her pull him up...

... Except, predictably, she failed to do so. She got him back on his feet, but she slid on the plastic water bottle that was still on the floor, falling backwards into the same puddle she had before with a cry.

Amazed he'd managed not to be pulled down with her, Kazuichi almost reached down for her, his impulse as a decent guy, before remembering to check it. "Hold up a sec! This is the accident. I'm supposed to ignore it. Actually... I kinda feel like a jerk, just ignoring this as the only guy here, but let's try it." The young man pretended to be totally absorbed with his tablet, clicking into Hiyoko's tab to see what was new. Usami's message appeared on the screen:

"Hiyoko won't talk back for a bit when you cut her down to size! As her teacher, though, I still think she has lessons to learn. When she acts up, think of a punishment that fits her crime. Even if it's a little crazy, everyone will agree that's fair."

"K-Kazuichi!" Mikan spoke up from the floor. "D-do you mind giving me a hand? It's slippery over here, I'm scared to do it myself...!"

Kazuichi ignored it, continuing to inspect the tablet for anything else new. There wasn't really more to see, but he had to try and make himself look busy. He started walking away...

There was the sound of movement behind him, a squeak, and a crash. "Oof! Uwaah, now I've gone and done it! Oh, this is so embarrassing!"

This was the first time Kazuichi was actually looking at the tablet when he succeeded at one of his goals, so he was able to check into Mikan's tab and see new text appear in real time. He read it out to himself quietly, feeling ridiculous as he read some of Usami's trademarks out load. "'Uwawa. Some of Mikan's accidents hardly look like accidents anymore. I can't believe a capable nurse like her could act so dirty... Then again, have you seen her do a nurse's work lately?'"

"Kazuichi, I'm... I c-c-can't even get off my hands and knees!" Mikan shouted from the floor. "And my skirt is... I'm sorry, but please!"

This time, Kazuichi almost did turn to her, but he **** himself to stay distracted. One more help topic to look at had appeared in the menu, so he decided to check it out.

"Did my target notice me use one of my triggers? Am I in trouble?!" Usami's voice spoke from the Tablet again. "Generally, your classmates won't have any awareness of the triggers you use on them. Their brains will streeetch this way and that to give you a veil of secrecy! Nobody will notice you using a trigger, but be aware that, sometimes, other classmates can be more aware of the effects of a trigger used on somebody else. It can vary. You've got to use your head too, Kazuichi, and don't be afraid to experiment!"

Meanwhile, there was somehow more skittering, a muffled cry, even more squeaking, even louder crashing, and now-

Kazuichi was physically brought to the floor as Mikan tackled his legs. He fell hard on the tile, letting go of the tablet so he could catch himself with his hands. It was still a rough fall, and he cried out. "Hey! Mikan, what's the big-" he started to mutter, rolling over in place so that he was sitting on his butt and propping himself up with his hands.

Mikan's chest was now draped over his bottom half with her apron pulled up over her face, her sobbing heard muffled from behind it. He could see through her exposed purple blouse to the white of her bra, which was just shy of nestling against his lower body. Meanwhile, her skirt was actually off of her body and in the puddle she'd just slid from; as a result, her panties (which had also become damp in the chaos) were also on display. The fabric of her undergarment was nearly see-through, and he was aware that from a different angle, there was a chance something amazing could be compromised... Even still, the wet garment clinging to her pale ass was worth seeing. She was almost too pitiful to get turned on by, though...

Almost. Kazuichi was aware he'd popped a boner, and from this angle, if she got the apron off her head, she would be aware of it, too. He'd pushed this silly scene far enough that he was probably in danger of losing his veneer of "just having fun" and "trying stuff out" if someone ever did manage to see this.

Then again... He was starting to understand how this trigger stuff worked, and here was a pretty good opportunity for him to stack another if he wanted. But looking at the pathetic state of Mikan, it'd be hard to deny that doing so would be blatantly taking advantage of a digital avatar of someone he considered a friend. Mahiru had been a jerk to him earlier, and Hiyoko was being an even bigger one. Mikan, on the other hand, was purely a victim, wasn't she?

Kazuichi had heard once: "Morality is what you do when no one's watching." He thought he remembered it because his classmate Sonia had said it at a time when it made no sense it all, but because it was her, he still remembered it. Here was the time no one was watching (not even Mikan, considering her face was still covered). How was he going to act?