Memo 06: (R1)Aletheia.co

Nagisa slumped back in her chair, muttering in disbelief. “Back home i never had my own building the mortgage wouldve costed alot, it took me years just to climb the ranks… but here? In just a few days, I’ve gone from nothing to—” she waved her hands at the bright window, “—this!”

Nagisa with both arm to her waist exhales proudly in front of the shiny new bulletin board with Aletheia.Co freshly scribbled across the top.

Nagisa: “Ahh, and I can’t forget my slav—” she freezes mid-word, clears her throat and waves her hands fast “—I mean my coworker, Nateas.” 

Nateas: deadpan, arms crossed " i heard the first part.”

Nagisa: “No you didn’t.”

At this point, Camera floating in front of everyone with cheerful energy. Camera: “Now introducing: the Skill Tree!”

🔎 Perception Branch (Investigative skills)

Reporter’s Eyes – See the aura of a subject while investigating. Aura shifts color depending on their intent:

Blue → Truth

Yellow → Doubt

Red → Lie

See-Through snap– By looking through Camera, view hidden layers of reality: walls, documents, concealed objects.Whisper Catcher – Pick up faint sounds, whispers, or background noise others miss.

penmanship Prowess – Detect certain patters in writing. Or if something was erased or white out. 

🖋️ Expression Branch (Writing & influence)

Pen Mightier – Words hit harder: statements you write carry extra weight in social confrontations.

Breaking News Burst – Once per encounter, deliver a shocking revelation that disorients foes.

Iron Edit – Remove “false context” from testimonies, revealing hidden truths.

Silver Tongue Draft – +Charisma when quoting or referencing documented facts.

🎥 Capture Branch (Tools & gadgets)

ReV(reverse) Snap – A photo taken reveals what has happened before to the subject.

Flashbomb Report – Camera flash stuns and briefly blinds hostile targets.

Memo Autowrite – Writing in the memo pad and organizes notes automatically, freeing Nagisa’s attention in tense situations.

Archive Recall – Instantly retrieve past notes, interviews, and evidence for use in the present.

A holographic branching menu hovers over Nagisa’s head, glowing like a game HUD. Memo: “Nagisa, Level 5 Journalist! 

Nagisa leans in with sparkling eyes.

Nagisa: “Sounds fun.”

Nagisa stares at the glowing menu on her lens interface. Camera float nearby, arms crossed like smug instructors.  Camera: “Don’t get cocky, though. These skills define your craft as a journalist of truth. Choose wisely.” Nagisa scrolls down the cascading tree of options — hundreds of glowing nodes, each branching deeper into unknown potential. She squints.

Nagisa taps her finger against two shimmering skills.

Camera (adjusting lens): “Reporter’s Eyes… lets you see a person’s aura while investigating. While looking through me. Neutral truth glows calm blue, doubt swirls as yellow static, and a blatant lie burns hot red.”

Camera (flicking its lens open): “And Truth See-Through Snap—by looking through me, you’ll be able to see through physical objects. Walls, crates, safes… you name it. Very useful for uncovering hidden truths."

Her eyes widen as she tests it. Nagisa: “This… this is like a cheat code. A truth hack.” Camera acknowledges nagisa “You’re starting to feel like the real deal.”

Nagisa enlighted, looking through camera and watching the aura of anyone in the room. 

Nagisa’s eyes went wide with awe. “So cool! I can literally see lies! Ohhh, this is gonna be fun.” She turned toward Nateas, who was slouching in the corner like a sulky sidekick. asking him a broad question. "Do you believe what you did is wrong??" Nateas not even needing the aura reading as he says with glee. He'd do it again..

Sit

Sit

Sit

Nateas being indented in the floor. Nateas: “Seriously? She’s got lie-detecting eyes and x-ray journalism goggles now, so why am I here? What’s my perk—carrying her bags?!” Nagisa smirked. “Don’t worry, coworker. You’re my… bodyguard, emotional support and knowledge demon..

Nateas sneers.....

Nagisa: “ooooo I bet you're just hoping we'll have a true kiss and you'll be let free nuhuhhhh..." Camera makes a cheerful shutter-snap sound, punctuating the tension.

Before the bickering could spiral further, a light and airy voice floated into the room. “Oooh… what breathtaking scenery!” Yuranu drifted in with her usual carefree stride, hands clasped behind her back. "what are you all plotting in here?”

Nagisa raised an eyebrow. “Plotting? More like working. And shouldn’t you be gone by now? You’ve got the whole wide world to explore.” Yuranu chuckled and twirled a lock of her hair. “Well you needed three of us to make the agency also explore? Hah. The world will come to us. Don’t you see? The real fun isn’t in chasing it out there—it’s being here, with you, Nagisa.” Nagisa blinked, unsure if she should be flattered or unnerved. “...You’re weird, you know that?” "but journalism you see alot of eccentrics." 

Yuranu’s smile didn’t falter as she leaned back, watching Nagisa banter with Nateas. On the surface she looked carefree, almost whimsical, but inside her mind, gears turned in quiet calculation.

Her fingers traced the edge of the table, almost absently. "The world doesn’t need more heroes chasing after headlines… it needs someone reckless enough to stir it all up, to drag what’s hidden out into the light." Yuranu crossed one leg over the other, humming lightly to herself, slipping back into her cheerful exterior. "—I just want to be there to see what falls. Whether that’s you… or what you're seeking to uncover."

Nagisa leaned back, resting her chin in her palm. Her voice came cool, deliberate.

Nagisa: "Something will fall eventually. Might as well start with you, Nateas. Tell me what those girls in cages were used for." Nateas tensed. His teeth grit, his jaw trembling as the invisible chains of the slave contract pulled tight. His fingers dug into his knees.

Nateas: "I– I won’t… I won’t spill shit for you."

The glowing brand etched across his collarbone flared. He let out a low groan, a strangled sound of resistance that quickly gave way to defeat. His head lowered, voice breaking into a reluctant confession. Nateas: "They’re for the kingdom of Veylstra. Property of the king… his court. The guards. Even the damned Vanguard."

Nagisa’s expression sharpened, her pen scratching across memo with surgical precision. Nagisa: "So that was the plan for me and Yuranu too? A prize to be passed around?"

Nateas smirked

Nateas: "…Yes. That’s what they had waiting. That’s what I was meant to deliver and you would’ve made for a handsome sum." The air grew heavier with silence. Yuranu’s smile dimmed, her gaze flickering between the broken man and Nagisa’s burning eyes.

Nagisa (clenching her fist, voice shaking with rage):

“So that’s it… women treated like tools, locked away in cages for the pleasure of kings, guards, and soldiers? That’s the grand kingdom of Veylstra?”

(Nagisa faintly rubs her forehead) 

“In my old world, the ones in power twisted the rules, crushed the weak, and walked away smiling. I couldn’t do a damn thing back then… but here? Here I will. I’ll crumble this monarchy and every rotten stone it stands on. No one lays a finger on the innocent while I’m around.” (She turns on her heel, pointing directly at Nateas.)

“You’re my dog, Nateas. My blood-hound. So sniff out our first target. If you were going to sell us off to them, then you know where to start.”

Nateas (grinding his teeth, shackled by the contract, groaning in resentment)

Camera frowning at Nateas with disdain: "Feeding us like scraps off the table… you were no better than the rest of them." "Complicit. That’s what you were. You didn’t lift a finger to stop it—do you even know what happens to the captives after they're sold?"

Nateas: his jaw tightens, his eyes fixed on the ground "...You think I ever thought about them? All that mattered was the zents." 

Nateas (grumbling, breaking under contract’s pressure):“…There’s a shop. One I used to… stop by. When the girls were locked up, that’s what I’d feed them.” Yuranu feeling disgusted “…Wait. That slop. The orc food? That’s where it came from?”

Nateas (clenching his teeth, avoiding her eyes): “…Yeah. the head of the restaurant would use some of my supply...for what I don't know. All that mattered was the food. Cheap, filling, good enough to keep them breathing. That’s all that mattered.”

He bites his tongue, muscles tightening, fighting the pull of the magical contract. His face twists in pain, but more words threaten to slip free.

Nagisa (leaning down, mock-gentle, patting his head like a pet):“Aww, you’re more complicit than I thought. Look at you, Dog. Keeping them alive just so the king and his pigs could play longer. …You’re rotten, Nateas. But that means you’ll be useful.” Nagisa (smiling faintly, eyes drifting to the horizon): “Mmm. So the trail begins with food. How poetic. A kingdom that poisons the soul with its delicacies.”

Nagisa: “Fine. The shop comes first. You’ll sniff us the way. If that’s where the rot starts, then that’s where we’ll tear a hole in this kingdom’s belly.”

Nagisa snaps her fingers at her team. Camera perking up instantly and latching on too her utility belt. Yuranu and Nateas follow right behind. Nagisa adjusts her bowtie, she strides to the door. Nagisa: “Let’s go, you two. The Orcs restaurant . We’ll see if Nateas’ scraps lead to something Bigger.” Camera zooms in, its lens glinting like an eager eye. Raring to go. Nagisa pushes the door open, the air outside carrying a mix of smoke, sweat, and spices—yet somewhere in the wind, that same bitter stench of the orc food clings to her memory, stirring her disgust.

As the three step out, the streets are buzzing: merchants calling, strange beasts pulling carts, travelers haggling over goods. Nagisa’s sharp eyes scan the crowd, already looking for inconsistencies—signs of where the orcs’ “trade” overlaps with something darker.

She mutters under her breath, almost to herself, Camera catches every word:

Nagisa: “Let’s see if your dirty little market feeds more than just bellies… I’ll rip apart the whole chain if I have to.” The trio vanish into the bustling crowd of the orc market, ready to investigate.