Need guidance?

[dream ghost noises]

[dream ghost nagging noises]

shslartisticmemes

[disappointed ghost noises]

#is this crack #this is crack #crack!ic #out of dreams #shslastrologyexpert #Nikki

[horrifying, glitched dream ghost noises]

Seya approached Anon, taking only a few moments to survey the AI, before they started to use sign language - maybe Anon could understand them and even answer to it if not through their voice? [Can you also use sign language? Maybe you can convey your words that way instead of using your voice?]

The tall, slender figure bowed their upper body, much like a butler or something, trying to look at the kid better. He did frown slightly a few seconds after their signing, and sighed in an odd, glitchy tone.

“0́́͘1̀͟1̛0͝͠10҉̶0͢͢0̸͢ ̛0̢1̀͢͝1́0̶0̨̛͘0̨0͝͡1̡̀͘ ̕0̵͜͠1͜1̶̀͞0͢0͏̵̛0͜0̨͢1̸̵̀-͟-̵̛-̨͞-́-̨͞-”

He lifted his hands in an attempt to sign something, but the more he moved the more he glitched out, making his hands incredibly hard to make out anything from.

[I—-s-di—-cult—-polo—-ze—-]

He sighed again, seemingly deflated, and after a bit of silence gave a sad look to the clock tower, almost freezing in place as he stared. Yeah, he wasn’t in a good condition.

#ic #shsl voice imitator #Seya

[dream ghost noises]

[dream ghost nagging noises]

#ilu emi #smooches #out of dreams #shslastrologyexpert

#Chapter 6 #Plot #Body discovery #Anon's note

A letter attached [Body discovery]

Pinned to the late android’s chest with the knife appears to be a letter soaked in blood. After a courageous soul dared retrieve the note from the body, the letter circled in the remaining students hands, giving everyone (expect the blind kid, too bad) the chance to read it. Judging by the neat writing and signature, it would appear to be a letter from the victim himself.

To Everyone:

To keep this note as short as possible, I will refrain from useless words. Frankly, if you’re reading this, then I am most likely gone due to the actions I’m about to do. I intend to use the last of my ability to figure out more about what is going on. Long story short… I have decided to cease being a coward. Yes… I found courage to do what previously left me unstable for days. Considering what was done to me last time, this may well lead to me being erased. For that, I apologize— but… getting you out of here is my priority. I hope that you all will respect my wish and look after each other. Please, no more murders.

Now, I will share what little I know. While it does sound like a horrid thing to say, I have sadly become convinced that the one behind all this, the mastermind, must be among those who entered the laboratory before the experiment began. This is simple: the door that leads outside the lab is locked thoroughly, and I sensed no breaches in security when Phobetor appeared for the first time. And to make matters worse, the only one outside the pods, my creator, is… most likely gone by now. I will investigate this further, after finishing this letter, but I cannot guarantee that I’ll bring any evidence back. May sound useless, but I will… I will do anything to protect my family. This is the least I can do.

I truly was glad to feel the warmth of company. And while I didn’t get the chance to know most of you that well… I still truly cared for every one of you. My chest has an odd feeling each time I think about leaving you because of this… but it’s inevitable. I couldn’t leave the computer regardless, so we would have to part eventually no matter what I’d do. Ueyama, Forte… Please, look after the rest. Never give up smiling, and never stop hoping. I know you kids can get out of this, you are Hope’s Peak students, after all. Make your teacher proud, everyone.

This is the road I’ll choose. …And, as a final wish, albeit an extremely selfish one… Don’t forget me, please. I want… to exist somewhere, even if in mere memories. Goodbye, everyone.

-Anon

#yup he ded #LAUGHS #died in the outdoors #something he could never see in reality #B)#ur welcome #Chapter 6 #Plot #Body discovery

Name: ONEIROI-AI v.69 [Anon] Cause of Death: ??? Location: Dream Experience Room Time of Death: 6:09 am

Additional Notes: He would merely look like a troubled ponderer if it wasn’t for the knife in his chest. Hope you like sunsets, ‘cause that’s all the light you’re getting here.

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

Akemi’s grin stayed as bright as ever, her eyes opening slowly to see the two of her companions laughing. They were so filled with hope and joy. Was this her doing? Making someone happy was not something the redhead ever thought of doing. This whole meeting has been a plethora of firsts for her, hasn’t it? A slightly strained laugh came out of her mouth, as if she was trying to hold something back.

"Hah…haha…it feels wonderful to hear you laugh, Anon. A-And…it’s so strange…"

♪♪♪♪♪

"…I c-can’t help b-but cry."

The indomitable, hostile, downright cruel Chessmaster was crying. A smile stuck to her face the whole time, words interrupted with choked sobs and quiet sniffling.

"I d-don’t— don’t know what to s-say. So many n-n-new th-things are h-hitting me all a-at once. I…c-can call y-you my friends."

She couldn’t say anymore. All Akemi could do for now was cry some more, tears leaking down her face and onto her dress. She had two friends now and everything had, for once, overwhelmed her.

There was nothing which needed to be said was there? Forte felt a familiar wetness on her cheeks and she hastily wiped it away; she’s cried a lot already, even before all this… It’s just been a while since she could cry because she was happy.

Silently moving over to Akemi’s side, the idol pulled her friend into a one-armed hug and smiled through her tears. An enemy has become one of her closest friends here. Hell, this bond could rival what she had with Alektrona if it only grew like this, and honestly…

I couldn’t ask for more.

Watery violet orbs looked over to their teacher and she waved for him to join them.

#ic #Akemi #Forte #Chapter 6 #Freetime #tears #tears everywhere

He looked over the two, feeling a stinging in his eyes. Heck, he'd only felt this clearly once before, and that was when he'd tried begging for Phobetor to stop. He sighed, looking over them so kindly, until the Idol waved him over.

He froze temporarily. She... wanted him to join? .........

The tears fell, in the end. A broken smile took over his lips, and he moved over to shakily wrap his hands around both of them. An easy feat to a man his size, hugging them both was simple and... natural, even. Eventually his hold on them tightened and he found his cheeks pressed against both of their's heads. He'd get their hair wet, at this rate, but...

...He'd never... felt so warm. If only... if only he could have done this with everyone. With Tsuda, Tsukasa, everyone together, smiling, laughing...

...That...

Was his only regret.

...

.........

.....................

Is this...

...

...What a family feels like?

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

That smile never left Akemi’s face, instead getting a little wider after both Anon and Forte reacted. How long has it been since she’s felt like this? Hah, the girl couldn’t remember. The next few words were ones she never thought would come out of her mouth. Looking at both the Idol and the AI in the eyes, the redhead was eager to say them, now.

"Both of you have made an impact on me. The more I talk to you two, the more I realized I was changing. At first I thought I was growing soft and in a way, I am, but I don’t see it so negatively now. It’s so strange, feeling happy like this for once, but…"

Closing her eyes for a moment, she flashed a bright grin. One of pure gratitude and joy.

"Thank you. Both of you. Not just you two, but Tsuda, too. His death…I have him to thank as well for allowing me and Hyun Ae to be friends. I…don’t think I’ve ever thanked someone in this way before."

Only one more thing had to be done…but Akemi wanted to wait. The usually cruel, manipulative, hostile girl wanted nothing more than to experience this happiness for as long as possible right now.

To see Akemi smiling so much was strange for Forte, but a good kind of strange. It felt like it had been a long while since she actually made an impact on someone, and sad to say she almost forgot what it felt like. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

"I don’t deserve any thanks really, I just try to live by example and I know Tsuda’s more than happy to see us like friends like this."

To think a few weeks ago, she and the Chessmaster were literally at each other’s throats. It was amazing to see how far they’ve come since then, and Forte couldn’t help but feel a semblance of pride in that.

"I’m really glad I was able to make a friend out of you Akemi. Lord knows where I’d be if you weren’t around to smack sense into me—by the way my cheeks still hurt like hell from the other day.

A cheeky grin lifted Forte’s lips as she rubbed her cheek. Three slaps for three punches, it works out in the end doesn’t it? Not only that but Akemi has gotten stronger over the time… Hard to tell if that’s a good thing or not.

Anon... suddenly felt warm. She was smiling at him too. Him, of all people. Had he truly... affected her as much? Had he truly made her feel much better by doing mostly nothing?

.........Well, for granted, each of the kids had affected him in their own way, without doing anything out of their way towards him. Each and everyone, he cared for, as if looking after his own children. As odd as that sounded... They were all important to him.

...Ah, he... was such a selfish AI. To wish for this to never end... How foolish of him. But for this moment, this brief moment, he'd enjoy his life. Even if he'd never again...

......Yes. He'd help them. He'd cease being a coward, from this moment forward. If only... If only to protect these smiles.

"......Heh... Hahahaha..."

Laughing, so natrually, so sincerely... It wasn't a mocking laugh, it was happy and light. Wow, so he could laugh too.

"......I'm so glad... I... I'm so glad... that you can be happy, both of you... ...Please, do your best to spread this hope around. We will all win this, I'm certain. Just... Keep your smiles through thick and thin."

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

Akemi’s eyes widened at what Forte had said, barely registering the fact there was now a notebook on her lap. Seeing her and Anon sitting opposite her…hah, it was strange, almost. For a moment, the girl just sat there, muttering something to herself in a near silent voice. If one listened carefully, they could hear…

"No one’s ever—"

She cut herself off, realizing that even with her hushed, whispered voice, the two could probably hear her. An Idol and an AI…yeah, they’ve got good hearing alright. Shaking her head, the redhead listened to what Anon had to say. Her expression swiftly changed to one that was as firm as Akemi could make it right now. Now was not the time to be feeling…well, strange.

Slipping into those mental seriousness shoes for a moment, the Chessmaster was quick to comment on the facts given to her.

"…I’ll talk to you about more details later. For now, with this, I can conclude that if the doors have indeed been made shut then from what I can gatther the mastermind is either one of us or your father. I would say that it’s the former, though. Your father could have either been forced to upload Phobie into the program or is willingly working as a traitor."

Wait, this could be hurting Anon quite a bit. Akemi shut herself up again, showing some actual restraint with her thoughts and instead sighing for a moment. Her eyes flickered down to the notebook she had yet to open.

"I’ll think over this some more later. With something else on my mind, a ferris wheel ride and the two of you in front of me, now is hardly the time to be focused primarily on these matters."

Not even a shred of hesitation stained the scarlet girl’s decision to open the notebook, skimming the pointless pages until she reached the back. Her eyes scanned each line, growing increasingly surprised and even worried. What? What?! Akemi could tell what kind of note this was the moment she only a few lines in. This was…

…Hah. Her academy self would have waved it off and before she might have lectured Forte with a few slaps but…now? Now she didn’t know anymore. Now was the best time to speak up about what’s been clouding her mind so far, especially since the ferris wheel had just stopped at the top. Tilting her head up at a casual pace, Akemi finally didn’t care about keeping up a neutral or firm tone anymore.

For once, there was a genuine smile on her face. So…that’s what this strange feeling was, huh?

"I’m glad that you’re still here, then."

This entire time Forte had been prepared for the slaps, but she took the minutes before the imminent storm to process what Anon spoke. Okay, so there’s a possibility that Phobie was bluffing with the last motive—oh please let that be true—however the fact it had to be someone from the inside was less than reassuring. So… It was one of them in the end… This was going to hurt like hell…

She was startled to hear Akemi of all people to propose their worries be put to the side. Perhaps it was because Anon was here and—oh-oh wait there’s silence, she must be reading it. Okay, three… Two… One…

I’m glad that you’re still here, then.

Amethyst orbs snapped wide open and they only grew wider at the smiling Chessmaster. Akemi… Akemi Ueyama, ace poker face and concealer of emotions… Was smiling.

Forte felt her own happiness re-surge and she couldn’t help but smile in return.

"I am too Akemi, gamsahabnida (Thank you). It’s not enough, but when we get out of here, I owe you big time.”

Anon didn't pry at the paper, deeming it was none of his business. But upon seeing the girl who used to complain about other people, who said she'd never get along with anyway, smile so sincerely...

He couldn't help but smile himself, suddenly feeling sentimental. Yet as glad as she was, he couldn't help but feel... How to describe it? As if something was trying to get out of his chest, a dull ache of sorts. Then, a fleeting thought passed his mind.

'None of them needed me after all.'

He suddenly frowned at the pain getting worse. This was plain confusing, of course they needed him. He was the teacher, and... ...Well, he hadn't really done anything useful, but... .........Oh to heck with it, this was depressing, it was meant to be a joyous occasion in times of misery!

So with that thought he shook his head and smiled again, a laugh leaving his lips. Must be remnants from that incident, surely. He wouldn't let if affect him.

"......I'm so glad to see you smiling, Ueyama. I knew you'd get along with someone if you tried. And you too, Forte", he said, turning to the Korean girl. "...I'm glad to see you're optimistic as well. Whatever I can do to help, I'll do my best to get all of you out of here."

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

The Korean girl had nodded in assurance to her teacher when she heard Akemi actually spoke of forgiveness, and then as if that wasn’t enough, she was actually asking both of them if they were alright! Well, she couldn’t complain, it was nice to see this side of the Chessmaster rather than the cold-hearted bitch from just weeks ago.

Forte’s smile fell as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. This was usually the part where she would say she had been through worse… But losing her best friend in this sick game… Nothing could top that could it?

"I’m managing. I actually had to let out some steam after what happened… Uh, be careful of some furniture in the haunted house. It’s—eheheh—not as stable as before."

Besides it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse. Her fingers grazed the pocket-sized notebook she had stashed away in her jacket. There was definitely she needed to share, but priorities needed to be set and as usual she could take the back seat.

The Rebel Idol tailed after her friend before she paused and looked back to Anon. A reassuring smile flashed across her face as she flashed him a sign for victory.

"It’s alright Anon, we’ve all had it rough here. But at times like these, there’s one thing we’ve got to keep doing… Hwaiting!”

Akemi nodded once upon hearing the news that Forte was holding up well enough for now. It was good to know that at the very least, she won’t be going into anymore of those ‘let me be the victim’ moods. Slowing down for a few seconds, the Chessmaster pitched in with her own minor comment when hearing the Korean girl’s reassuring tidbit to Anon.

"The fourth motive was the only one that really got to me, so I’ve stayed sane for now. I had to slap some sense into Hyun Ae when she was wishing for herself to be the fifth motive’s victim."

Not mentioning the fact that she went into a very passionate and fiery rant when she went to help Forte, Anon’s own response allowed Akemi to continue on. Meanwhile, the girl waited for one of the ferris wheel carts to arrive down onto the ground.

"None of us are doing well. I’m not doing the best right now either. My father died, so I’m left with the knowledge that I’ll never get to have a real conversation with him now. And going from the reactions everyone else had to the previous motive…I highly doubt any of them are doing okay."

Ah, one of the carts arrived. The wheel stopped for a moment too, giving the redhead enough time to board the four-seated cart. Sitting down, she lifted a hand up to beckon the two over. Looks like she plans to have a conversation while riding the wheel. Thinking over Anon’s words, though…she was curious. Her voice contained a noticeable hint of concern, too.

"Anon. Go more into detail about this incident. Me and Hyun Ae have talked about using the token system to try and help us get out of here. Any information would be helpful."

#sneaks in a reply before going to school #long post//#ic #Akemi #Forte #Chapter 6 #Freetime

"......Well, the incident itself isn't helpful info, but I will tell you what I know. After all, me digging around led to it, anyway. And while I wasn't able to do much, I found out some things that are highly plausible. Wish I had a way to prove them, though..."

"First things first; speaking of a certain motive-- and I wish I would've been sane enough to say this earlier-- There's just one issue which makes me believe it was a set-up. The amount of extra pods in the lab does not match. Unless someone physically removed one of the dead children from the pods-- which is near impossible-- and replaced their place with someone else, there is no way that six whole people were brought here. Gaining access to these six people is also odd, considering we did our best at making such info secret to protect you and your loved ones."

"......Why that is, is that the lab should not be accessible to anyone from outside the lab. Not only is the door protected with the various defense locks you may have seen, but my father also......"

He trailed off and closed his eyes, sighing.

".........Regardless, nobody from outside this lab should have gotten in. And the only one in the lab at the time of Phobie's appearance was... my father."

"......Which, unfortunately, leads me to believe that the one guilty is someone who's part of this program. I cannot name who, though, as nobody's info files were strikingly odd. The few I could suspect are... ........."

He closed his eyes again, feeling he didn't want to finish that sentence. That was a lot of stuff he just said, but he still hadn't explained what happened to him anyway. Something about hoping to be 'sane enough', at least. He didn't intend to hide it, really, he'd just rather not talk about it unless someone specifically wanted to know.

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

Akemi snickered ever so quietly for the briefest of moments, looking over her shoulder to see that Forte had now arrived. The three of them…all together. Suddenly saying what she wanted to way would be something poorly timed, so instead a quiet sign left her mouth. It was going to be hard, even when she had thought it through, so it was best to initiate conversation by tackling more minor matters.

"It’s…something I’d rather say in a few moments. With Anon here, though, I want to say that I…forgive you. For going missing, that is."

She paused for a moment, struggling to keep up that neutral expression of hers. At a time like this…? Damn it. Turning around, Akemi slowly began to approach the huge ferris wheel, beckoning for her two companions to follow.

"Before you two faint from the idea of me saying that I forgive someone, I want to ask the two of you a question. Are you two doing okay?"

Even she couldn’t completely comprehend the idea that those words were coming out of her mouth. In a mildly concerned tone, no less.

Anon was, certainly, surprised to hear her say such so straight, but didn't show it. It would be rude to 'faint' from it, and she was allowed to behave as she willed. Though it did warm her heart that she cared for both him and Forte.

"...Well, I couldn't really say that I'm running at 100%, but... I am doing fine. These kinds of events aren't good for my mental health, so I'm rather surprised at how well I'm doing in the end."

"...Well, for now. There was a little incident why I disappeared in the first place... But I thankfully managed to sort that out."

#out of dreams #video #Anon #Emori #Ichiro #Rinka #Akemi #laughter i should be doing so many things #This was not one of them

Anon goes to the airport

I did a thing guys am I cool now

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

Huh? Akemi heard her last name being called out in a familiar voice, swiveling around to find that Anon was jogging up to her. Those red eyes instantly went up and down his body, a wide, satisfied grin appearing on her face. Wow, he was still very attractive. The grin disappeared as soon as serious matters were brought up, however.

"You came at the right time. I wanted to talk to Hyun - that’s Forte - about something important. Stay here, and we can all talk."

She paused for a moment, eyes staring up at the titanic AI. He was still so…so huge. Curse her short height.

"…I’ll talk about you going missing when Hyun arrives. Don’t let the awkwardness or worry cloud your mind, though."

"If you’re gonna say my first name, at least say the whole thing! Hyun Ae got it? Try to say it with me Akemi: Hyun. Ae.”

Forte approached the two with a smarmy smirk on her face, only to be taken aback by the now human-looking Anon again. For a few seconds she forgot to hide her band-aid covered hands; when it finally hit her, she quickly pocketed them and looked over to Akemi. Twenty-four hours was more than enough for the Rebel Idol to let loose her anger, though it wasn’t exactly a pretty sight for neither her nor a piece of furniture in the haunted house. Eheh, hopefully no one actually tries to sit on that chair…

“Seongsaeng, it’s good to see you again! I… Uh… I like your new look.”

Come on Hyun Ae, keep it together, you’ve got important shit to do. She turned to her redheaded friend and rested her weight on one foot.

"So what did you want to talk about Akemi?"

"Ah, hello there Forte. Seongsaeng... Doesn't that mean teacher? I apologize if my lack of knowledge on Korean bothers you."

He was, quite honestly, surprised to see the two getting along. Last time he was present, Akemi didn't look too swell, with Forte being the reason if Anon correctly recalled. Of course, he was glad to see that Akemi had found a friend who appear to care for her.

...Truly glad... She wouldn't have to be alone after she got out. He truly hoped... they could remain friends after this ordeal. After all, he'd... get them out. As much as the feeling of despair kept nagging at him, he couldn't give up. Not again.

"Please speak up, Ueyama. I am the one kind of intruding here, after all, haha."

He showed no sign of his inner thoughts for now. If there was one thing that remained from his previous form, it was that his real feelings really didn't show on his face much.

The Way Of Memories. (Closed for Forte)

The time in which nothing bad was happening turned out to be a huge refresher for Akemi. A time when the death of her father wasn’t on her mind the whole time. It still occupied a number of the daily thoughts swimming about in that head of hers, but it was an improvement. Staring up at the massive ferris wheel, the girl waited for something or rather someone. Forte and Akemi had agreed to meet up after a moderate amount of time. By now, it was nearly a full twenty four hours after the trial had ended.

The monochrome-clad girl used this waiting period as a chance to think about a couple of things. It was hard to do it with the same speed, clarity and coldness she had before signing up for this project. A lot of parts about her mental state were…almost in a state of constant disorientation, for lack of a better way to put it. She didn’t feel quite herself, but those thoughts were (quite literally) shaken out of her head as soon as those vibrant red eyes caught sight of a certain Rebel Idol in the distance.

Keeping her arms by her sides, all Akemi did was wait for Forte to finish approaching her.

Anon, unknowing of the two girls' arranged meeting, spotted Akemi and jogged over to her, going as far as calling out her surname. It wasn't until he had already arrived to her side that he realized a certain dilemma.

A), he looked a lot different, which could pose a significant change in how she thought about him, and B), what on earth was the appropriate way to even talk to her in this situation? After all, he had pretty much abandoned them all for weeks, it would be expected for her to hold some grudge. ...Not that he could have helped the matter at all, but... Still made him feel guilty.

"Ah, Ueyama-- Um, I was wondering if it's an... alright time for me to talk to you. It's okay if you have some other business, though-- I-I mean, you look like you're waiting for someone..."

He hoped he didn't seem desperate, that'd be quite embarrassing. ...Gosh, what was he thinking all of a sudden? Paying so much attention to his own behaviour... How odd. He rarely thought about that before.

"...Um, oh man, sorry, I... uh... Considering how I went missing, it's probably really awkward for me to just... geez--"

#HOTANON IS NOW A THING #YOU'RE WELCOME EVERYONE #ic #Chapter 6 #plot

You thought you'd seen the last of me | SURPRISE | Chapter 6 START

The trial ended to the death of the street rat, as supposed. The red AI laughed as she disappeared to the sounds of dismay from the students, and soon the doors to the trial room opened automatically.

Seemingly, it was time to let the kiddies out. Eventually the trial room emptied a student at a time, some more downtrodden than other. The world outside was the same as it was as the students entered— which was odd enough, but at the sight of something— no, someone— standing outside, everyone froze. Who in the world…?

"……………"

…Wait, could it be—?!

"…………You win, Phobetor. I’m out. I’m here. Happy?"

…With his height, voice, and general theme being near identical to the purple AI, it was hardly any question at all. Whatever had happened, he now looked like any other living person— albeit terribly pale— compared to the previous cartoon robot.

Anon had practically gone missing before, being nowhere in sight. Even the door to the Hub remains firmly closed, no matter what one tried to do. Some may have already imagined him completely erased— but this?

What on earth happened?

"………I digress— I’m sorry I’ve been absent, everyone", he proceeded to say, turning to the students. He wouldn’t spare another moment paying attention to that red thing. “…Please forgive me. It appears that I… glitched somehow, and due to Phobetor messing around with my settings, I… now appear like this.”

Despite looking calm, his voice level and smooth, he did appear quite uneasy. Whatever he’d been doing during his absence seemed to have left permanent marks on his being.

Down Time. (Closed for Tsuda/Anon)

romeotsuda

Tsuda had been waiting outside Anon’s Hub for a little bit now. This place was relatively… normal, you could say. And really familiar one could say. It was snowy. He had gone to the mountains in the North of Italy before. It had been incredibly fun! He glanced at the person who clearly was talking to him.

He offered a smile, despite her rudeness before. He wanted to be nice. Maybe she was only like that because of this place? He was hoping to see if she could be nice.

"Um, it’s Romeo or Tsuda, and I’m here to talk to Anon. Sorry for calling you Akemi, Ueyama."

He looked away awkwardly and then looked back to Akemi.

"Have you ever had any kind of fun? Like… physical activity that is! Not like chess. I think we should have a snowball fight maybe!"

Too many people here were stubbornly nice, even if they didn’t realize it. Akemi was self-aware enough to know that her actions and words often had a negative impact on people. She was the enemy of many and has been for a while. It was a fact the girl embraced happily. No doubt there. So, to see people like Tsuda, Forte and Anon show kindness to her even in an environment like this - where she has toyed with people for her own amusement - was jarring.

Regardless, the girl didn’t show the slight, slight awkwardness she felt when responding to the small boy. Her arms were crossed, that typical ‘You’re nothing compared to me’ look evident in her eyes alone.

"…Accepted. Use my given name without permission again and I won’t grace you with a response next time."

Taking a couple of steps forward, Akemi approached the entrance to Anon’s Hub. A single hand hovered over the door, curled in a way to show that she was ready to knock.

"Physical activity for a person like me is pointless. In the normal world, it is only for emotional dullards or exercise freaks. I spend my time in more worthwhile ways and sharpen my mind whenever I can."

There was a brief, awkward silence. The redhead was ready to say something, though it was kind of hard to admit.

"In a dream world, though…a distraction might prove useful for my mental health."

Letting out the breath that Akemi hadn’t even realized she had been holding, the sound of three hard knocks on the door could be heard.

#ic #Akemi #Tsuda #chapter 3 #pre-motive

The door took a while to open. But when it did, Anon peeked out, surprised to see two students standing out at once. Tsuda and Akemi... Both of whom he felt close to, though he hoped he wasn't being rude thinking that.

"Ah, you two. Is there something you need assistance in?"

He looked to both of them, and after letting his eyes linger on Akemi a little longer he tilted his head, smiling slightly.

"Ah, I see you got a new attire. Good, I was intending to suggest that myself... It looks wonderful on you, Ueyama. And Tsuda-- are you alright with those clothes?"

Something seemed off with the AI, though-- but it was hard to pinpoint with his almost forced smile. If anything, he appeared thoroughly exhausted despite his words being sincere.

Family Settings. (Akemi)

"……Well, I can assure you I dislike her greatly myself. Though mostly because she’s incredibly… creepy. She refuses to let that old head of mine go… …and feeling it being torn off was…"

He shivered slightly, shaking his head soon after to disperse those memories. He then did his best to gather himself up, but it seemed clear the AI was greatly afraid of the other being.

"…B-but… Talking about things that make you angry only make you angrier, right? W-we should focus on… …Um… ………Uh…"

He fell silent, a frown returning to his visor. What was one supposed to talk about when trying to comfort someone? How could he comfort Akemi, a chessmaster with a prideful attitude? ………Maybe if…

"….Hey, Ueyama? Would you like to play some chess?"

#THREAD END #ic #Akemi #chapter 2

Akemi reluctantly agreed to play chess with the AI, attempting to quietly ignore her previous outbursts. It caused her thoughts to be muddled during the beginning, but she gradually began to get into the game. While not so surprising, Anon proves to be a challenge, though regardless of how much the redhead expected it, it allowed her to grow a bit closer to him.

You feel that your relationship with Anon has grown deeper…

Family Settings. (Akemi)

…Akemi was surprised. The silence didn’t bother her, but knowing that Anon was patting her made her flinch. Anger gathered up inside of her, struggling to think that this was anything except coddling. Yet, the robot was kind to her, right from the start. Nothing ever seemed to annoy it, when it came to the two of them. That was a quality the girl could appreciate and acknowledge.

She was caught up in thinking about how to react to the patting that the words did not strike her as much as it could have done. Instead, Akemi spoke quietly, continuing to be patted. This was…she had mixed feelings by this point.

"…It doesn’t matter anyway."

A brief sigh left her mouth, eyes staring up at the ‘gentle giant’ AI. It was so freakishly tall. Part of her wished she could be that tall, to quite literally look down at everyone else.

"Phobie. She speaks just like someone I know. Saying ‘sweetheart’ and other disgustingly flowery words. She even has red hair like me and her. That bitch is like my mother. I hate her…I hate her so much because of that."