a small thing of seigo and jun’s first interactions
Seigo always felt it was important for people to connect with each other, especially in times of strife. But here, in what was supposed to be a bonding experience, many people were jumping to hostility immediately.
Akemi had been the first to try to talk to Jun, hoping her classmate would be able to see reason. He'd told her to stay away; that he wouldn't talk to the others outside of a group of three or more.
"What are you saying? You're going to kill me if I try to talk to you?"
"Of course not," he retorted, gesturing with the crude wooden club that hadn't left his hands. "But there's no trial for broken kneecaps."
"You're being absurd."
"That's the appropriate reaction to an absurd situation. A man died, Akemi. It won't be the last death, and I have no intention of becoming a victim. Now, get the hell out of here." He paused for a moment, then added: "or let me check you for weapons."
She shook her head with exasperation, but finally walked away.
After Akemi told the rest of the group what had went down, no one else was interested in making the attempt to talk to him. If he was so suspicious of everyone, they were happy to let him sit out in the forest until his paranoia drove him crazy.
But Seigo had always been told he didn't know when to give up on someone.
For a moment he thought he must have gotten lost, but a rock whizzing past his ear proved he'd finally found his destination.
Jun was sitting, his back against a tree, watching him intently. He had a second rock in one hand, and with the other he held a club. Sticking out of his coat pocket was a visible knife handle, and who knew what else he had on hand.
Seigo stopped where he was standing and waved.
"I came to say hello. My name's Seigo -"
"I'm not making friends. I said fuck off."
"Well, Kahata told us what you told her. I'm unarmed."
Jun narrowed his eyes, clearly regretting having talked to Akemi at all.
"That meant her, not the rest of you."
Jun had been spending most of his time in his cabin or in the woods, and though he joined the group for morning meetings and meals he largely kept to himself. Perhaps the solitude was starting to wear on him. Maybe he was just curious.
Seigo just stood there, thumbs looped through his belt loops, looking as patient as can be. Jun gave him another once-over - no sign of anything in his pockets, no bag. Though he was shorter, Jun felt pretty confident he could take the man in a fistfight.
"Fine," he said, standing up and casually pulling the knife from his coat pocket. "Stand still. No fucking around - I will cut you."
"I'm sure you would," Seigo said, and Jun frowned slightly. Despite the words sounding mocking, the tone was completely sincere.
After carefully patting him down, Jun finally leaned back on his heels.
"Fine. What did you need to talk about so damn badly?"
"Like I said, I just wanted to say hello."
Jun stared him down, but once again, the taller man seemed completely genuine.
"Don't you have something better to do with your time?"
"No. I mean, I feel this is the most important thing I could be doing."
Jun raised an eyebrow.
"Not looking for an escape, finding information, protecting yourself, plotting a murder?"
"Well. We've been doing that too. Er, not the murder bit, but..." Seigo trailed off for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, and Jun sat back down against his tree.
"I feel like...in a situation like this, the most important thing we can do is try to stay united. If people stress out and don't work together, it'll just be even worse."
"So you're saying there'll be no murders as long as we all get along?"
"I believe so."
"There's already been a body. People kill each other out there in the real world every damn day, and that's without a demonic kids toy trying to pressure them into doing it. You're assuming the best in everyone will prevail, and it's not optimistic, it's suicidal. There will be a murder. There will be several. Hope and friendship aren't going to save shit."
Jun was expecting Seigo to get upset, to storm off, to attack him, but instead he just gave a thoughtful nod.
"I know what you're saying. I just can't agree with you."
There were several things Jun had expected to take place once the true nature of this camp was revealed, and so far all of his predictions were coming true.
One thing was a surprise, though: Seigo came back two days later.
"Good morning, Ikarashi."
"What."
He didn't look even remotely fazed, and Jun was too confused - and frankly annoyed - to process what was going on at first.
Once again, Seigo insisted on talking, seemingly unbothered by the weapons check.
"So, what is this?" Jun asked, well on his way to pissed off now. "Are you trying to convert me to your friendship circle?"
"No. I understand why you don't want to join the group. I'd still like to get to know you, though."
"Why so interested in me?"
"I want to get to know everyone here. You're just proving more difficult than most."
"Most?"
"Have you met Yoneda?"
Jun snorted. "Fair enough."
"Besides, I know you won't actually kill me."
Jun started to argue, but was interrupted.
"Akemi and Takara know where I am, and when I'll be back. And you've established yourself as being aggressive. You'd be caught too easily."
For a moment, Jun just sat there. And then he laughed.
Maybe this chipper idiot had more brains than Jun gave him credit for.
"How on earth are you a taxidermist?"
"Huh?"
"With the way you are. Soft-hearted. You cried at a killer being executed for killing your friend, for fuck's sake."
"Well...I don't kill the animals."
"You're still carving out their organs and taking their skin."
"You're deliberately being crude. It's...it's respectful."
"I sure hope you don't respect anyone here, then."
"Though they die, they get to be remembered. Made into something useful, something beautiful. Instead of rotting broken by the side of the road, it can be honored."
Jun was silent for a moment, contemplative.
Even though Seigo made a point of coming around frequently, no matter where Jun was situated, Jun hadn't dropped his guard. It didn't matter how friendly he was being; Jun wasn't the type of man to take chances.
He still felt some surprise when the routine was broken by a sharp metal object found in Seigo's overall pocket.
Pulling it out and swiftly stepping back, Jun studied it out of the corner of his eye while still trying to watch Seigo, who had paled.
It was a scalpel, so thing it couldn't be seen in the pocket. The edge of it was slightly green and sticky.
"Shit. I'm sorry, I was helping Hiroji cut some herbs and he told me a sharp edge was better to use for the plants so -"
"And you couldn't use some scissors?"
"Well, I usually keep my tools in my pocket. It's a habit."
It was definitely suspicious. Jun gave him a hard stare, saw that he didn't look scared, just apologetic and a bit embarrassed.
For a moment he waited, and then, quietly cursing himself, put the scalpel in his own coat pocket.
"You should break that habit."
