Closed starter for royaldeductions!
Summer vacation had finally begun, and Celestia had found herself back home in Utsunomiya, visiting. It had been a long while she had last came here due to her time spent in Hope’s Peak, but there was something clearly different about the city she grew up in, and she didn’t believe that it was her memory that was failing her. The city almost seemed to have expanded since she last laid eyes upon it, and the city skyline was overall taller, and dotted with many buildings she did not recognize. There was no way she could have been mistaken, growing up here, or that it was some kind of illusion or mind trick. This was all real, somehow. Landmarks were still present, indicating that this was still indeed her hometown. While the changes did not affect her personally, it was still something worth investigating. Before any of that, she would have to return home.
Luggage in hand, she calls for a cab to take her to her home address. The driver’s behavior was particularly strange as she entered the vehicle, appearing somewhat surprised at Celestia’s appearance. The gambler was used to people gawking at her for her choice of attire, but this driver’s focus was set on her face, and not her clothing, as if he recognized her. She found it unlikely that she was acquainted with this average middle-aged man, casting aside his reaction and voicing her address. The driver affirms the request, a bit nervously at that, and sets course for her house. She remained observant of the scenery during the drive, further confirming that this was indeed the same city she had left for school months prior.
It was not until she was nearing her address that Celestia began to notice a drastic change. The homes and businesses that once lined her neighborhood were nowhere to be found, and in their place, a large wall, the type meant to border an estate. She furrows her brows, already suspicious of these new surroundings. None of this should exist, she was sure of it.The taxi leaves her in front of a large gate, and she exits upon paying the fare, hands tightened to a vice-like grip around the handle of the suitcase. The home’s nameplate? Yasuhiro, it read. Was this a joke? There was no reason to be laughing, Celestia wanted to know the meaning of this, and now.
The gambler stomps angrily to the buzzer for the intercom system, pressing it impatiently and repeatedly. The blood in her hand was boiling, and it was all she could do to keep it from spreading to the rest of her body, which would prompt a full blown display of her monstrous temper. Civility. Civility. Civility, she kept repeating in her mind. Of course, this wasn’t a proper way to display herself, but how could she respond to what, undoubtedly was, a lie standing right before her? There was no logical reason why any of this should exist, not without her say so. ...So why? If this was somehow her parents’ doing, she would disown them, no questions asked. However she yet reminded herself that there would be no jumping to conclusions however unlikely until she received a proper answer.
