gettin' high, let's get it on

Itsuki Sunakawa, also known as ICHIBAN, has enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy as the Super High-School Level Freestyle Rapper. In the last three years, he has produced more than 600 tracks, all entirely improvised. Affiliated with Mutandis. Penned by Techy.

[mutandis-blog]

The Stakes have been Raised | Chapter 2 Start

You and your classmates were herded into the elevator once again. You could feel how suffocating the room was the moment the door closed, cutting off the trial room.It was somber, unsmiling, and humorless. How else would it be? You had witnessed two deaths within a short period of time, and one of them you had condoned. Your hands were not dirty with blood but you had pushed the button and watched on as your classmate took her punishment. An eye for an eye. 

You stood in silence as the elevator took you back up to the top floor where your prison resided. There was still a cold chill in the room as well, as a cold reminder that you are not far from the first murder of this merciless game. To make matters even worse, a chime was your only warning before the faceless voice spoke again. 

“Congratulations on your first victory of the trial. I knew I picked the right crowd. As an award, I have opened up a few more floors for you. If you’re not fond of the elevator, then there are stairs of course. The elevator will only take you to the four current floors unless given permission, which you don’t have.”

You swear you could feel the smirk on that faceless, anonymous voice. 

“We’ll stop at the new levels so you can greet some new faces.”

Keep reading

[mutandis-blog]

Steak With A Side Of Shame | Execution

Well, they’d definitely found her out. The evidence had been good enough to convince the other students, and the attempt Saoko made at explaining it away had been more or less disregarded by her classmates-turned-amateur-detectives. They were good. Saoko nodded as the tears filled her eyes. She didn’t expect them to like her after all she’d done, but… she hoped they’d be courteous to her in the afterlife, at least.

Why had she killed? It wasn’t something she would do, normally - it had just been a particularly provoking motive, and she’d thought she could get away with it. She’d never wanted to take a life, at least for its own sake… although, was trading someone else’s in exchange for freeing the rest of her class from the burden of a motive really worth it?

Every face in the trial room that might be looking on her with hatred, even after her explanation, didn’t understand. Obviously, it was regrettable that she’d had to kill someone, and that she had to die herself… but that was the very definition of taking one for the team, wasn’t it? Regardless of what they might think, she had intended on getting them out. She accepted her fate for the moment, smiling through the tears as the metal claw came to grasp her neck and yank her backwards into the execution room where her specially-designed punishment awaited.

[TW: Torture, Paralysis, Face Trauma]

Keep reading

[mutandis-blog]

trial 1.5 ✎ itsuki, re: momoko, saoko, results

The cake had slowly slid down Itsuki’s face when Momoko had plastered it on him. He was angry, of course, but his first reaction was mainly tightening his grip on Momoko as he growled down at him as he barked and laughed at the accusations. He didn’t like this whole ‘figure out who’s the killer’ shtick- these people were insufferable. They either had awful hearts, selfish wants, or thought way too carelessly. Itsuki would fit into them just fine, even if he didn’t want to.

He didn’t waste anytime to throw in his vote, glaring daggers at Momoko the entire time. His attention finally went from the developer to… the sports girl as the figure began to talk. Their votes tallied up, and they came out surprisingly correct. Itsuki didn’t know how to react to that sort of result. He really did think that everyone had thrown their vote towards what seemed to be the most obvious.

It turned out that it was way more simple than he was led on.

“… … … … … …” Hearing Saoko’s voice tremble and choke up was definitely not what he wanted to hear. He stayed still, feeling conflicted as she talked. He didn’t know what to think- he had been hoping that the killer would have been some big, hulking scary guy. Not some girl who… needed the money… for her family, that she clearly cared about…

“… … … … … …” Itsuki finally released his grab on Momoko. He gritted his teeth together, unsure what to say. He didn’t have any sort of venom to spit at Saoko. His moral compass was flipping from black to white violently, causing his head to ache.

[mutandis-blog]

Was it... a Mis-Saoko?

The figure had been reclining against their spot at the base of the giant scales, watching the trial with interest as things went on but never intervening. They seemed rather entertained, eyes flitting from one person to the next as each argument was brought up, as well as the impromptu cake shoved into someone’s face. It was almost like these children forgot what was at stake here! Oh well, they’d be reminded soon enough. The figure mostly seemed to be waiting on something at this point, though what exactly was unclear, until there was a sudden movement on the scales.

The figure immediately sprung to their feet, half-turned towards the scales as what looked like……A human heart fell from above and landed on one with a wet splat. The figure clapped their hands, practically shaking in delight as things got going in earnest now. On the other side of the scales seemed a rather large feather, pristine and white. The masked figure cackled a bit, before turning to face the lot of you, arms spread wide.

“Ahaha….Well, kiddos, it looks like time is up! While I do delight oh so much in listening to all your drama and all your problems that are clearly worth ignoring the fact that there’s a murderer among you, one of you has decided it’s time to condemn one of your fellows to death!” They said all too happily, one hand coming up to hold their mask in place as another series of laughter shook through them.

“What I mean by that, of course, is that at least one of you has voted already! Let’s hope you all have it right, because now it’s time for you all to follow through! Cast your votes now, if you please….Unless you want to make the boss here angry, of course! Which, let me assure you…” They paused, their voice suddenly flat and much more serious than a moment ago. “Would be a fatal mistake.”

Perhaps a bit reluctantly, the others eventually pressed the button on their podiums for who they thought Asuka’s killer might be. The scales tilted up and down as a sort of….light appeared, shining onto the heart and slowly pushing it down. There was no indication of who was voting for who, but eventually….You pushed the button too. There was no other way out of this.

The masked figure turned back towards the scales as the light faded, the side the heart was on now at its lowest point. The figure clapped their hands and practically skipped over to the scales, picking up the heart and turning back to the lot of you. “Well! What’s done is done, I suppose! Good job, you little geniuses, it only took you all of that debating to figure out who the totally not obvious killer was,” they said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now, for the grand reveal of who killed the Apple….”

What happened next was equal parts horrifying and disgusting, as the figure lifted up their mask just enough to expose their mouth, but not to let their face be seen properly…..and then promptly bringing the heart to their mouth and biting into it. Blood poured down their hand holding the heart as they consumed it, before putting the mask back into place and looking back to the lot of you, tossing what little remained of the heart to the side.

“Ah…..Steak, sorry to say, but you’ve been found out. Nice try, though. Maybe in the next life you’ll be a better liar,” they said, before raising the blood-covered hand to point directly at Saoko. “Now to prepare… your execution.”

[mutandis-blog]

Trial Results

As the trial comes to an end, the votes for who everyone to believes to be the murderer of Asuka Oshiro begin rolling in… First the numbers start low…

Hidehisa - 1 Itsuki - 1 Momoko - 1 Seishiro - 1 Theodosia - 1

The defaulters… surely. Then the final name pops up… The voted guilty party is…!

Saoko Sadachi with 14 votes!

[mutandis-blog]

trial 1.4 ✎ itsuki, re: kouki, orfila, saoko

“Itsuki.” The rapper was becoming more annoyed with total strangers butchering his names, that being apparent by his glare hanging onto Kouki. The more the cashier spoke, the more pissed he was getting. What the hell was this guy playing at? Was he seriously trying to bait people into caring about his opinion? With Momoko still locked in one arm, he laid his other arm on his podium as he directed his eyes to Orfila.

“Don’t offer this piece of shit anything- how about this? Y'want a treat so badly?”

“You start talking, and I don’t break those glasses in that useless mouth of yours. How’s that for a bag of skittles?” He directed his attention to his class, continuing that thought, “If anyone here has something to be fuckin’ elaboratin’, don’t play your shitty games and just fuckin’ say it. Who the fuck are y'all tryna impress? Dead girl?” He nodded his head to Asuka’s portrait, “Because she ain’t here to give any sort of applause.”

Saoko’s words were mighty confusing though. His jaw relaxed as he stared at the school girl, squinting as she tried to offer her own opinion. Even with her showing that she suffered no injuries apparent on her skin, he exhaled sharply.

“Someone might have accidentally or purposely opened the elevator with brute force for funsies? Yeah, nah, that sounds like bullshit.” He held up the note with the traced handprint, waving it at Saoko, “I ain’t riskin’ it, chica; measure up.”

[mutandis-blog]

trial 1.3 ✎ itsuki, re: margaux, momoko

“… Itsuki.” Suddenly, he found himself extremely put off by Margaux. Her appearance definitely stood out from everyone else, but the way she spoke seriously annoyed the hell out of him. Was she a teenager or a woman? He was beginning to be annoyed with the fact that he was actually being considered a suspect, but it didn’t look like he was going to bother defending himself.

It’s not like it wasn’t something he wasn’t used to.

So, the rapper walked over to Momoko, not actually giving him a verbal response to his whole accusation. Once reaching his podium, he wrapped an arm around Momoko’s shoulders, holding him in a headlock as he took the paper with his other hand. He stared at the hand print while holding Momoko nonchalantly, not seeming to care if he would struggle or complain at all.

“That is, indeed, a tiny hand,” he said outloud. Just holding the paper in his hand and seeing his hand beside the tracing was enough to show that it obviously wasn’t him. He rolled his eyes.

[mutandis-blog]

trial 1.2 ✎ itsuki, re: noctem, andrew, zino, etc

After Andrew’s brave call out to Michi, Itsuki’s cheeks puffed up slightly as he tried to restrain back laughter. He was able to downplay it some, but his snickering came out of him as he wiped his eye with one hand. It was definitely a shame that he wasn’t taking this as seriously as one should, but Andrew was too much.

“M- My dainty ass hands, holy shit.”

He took a in a deep breath before letting out an amused sigh, looking over at Zino as he attempted to settle whatever-it-was. He looked entertained- fighting? He hadn’t seen a real fight yet, then.

“Who’s fighting, doc? At least y'know damn well it wasn’t me. I’d knock out a murderer unconscious before going around and killing them.” At least he was still on his stance of trying to protect anyone from whatever. He adjusted his posture so his hands were back in his pockets and saying, “So we got someone who’s got amazing strength to carry a body and pull open an elevator, average size, with lil’ hands?”

His gaze went to Seishiro and Saoko once they were brought up, then he looked back to his class. “Y'want me to restrain them?”

[mutandis-blog]

trial 1.1 ✎ itsuki, re: general, momoko, andrew, zino

It looked like Itsuki had a complete turn around from the revelation of the kidnapping and motive. A man that was so boisterously ready to proclaim how he would stop exactly what went down was now slouched behind his podium with nothing to share. In fact, he didn’t make his presence very public to anyone since the investigation period had started or ended, only following the others to the trial room.

It looked like everyone had taken this as seriously as it should be. An impressive feat for a bunch of teenagers selected randomly from a prestigious academy, but perhaps to be expected considering their genius.

What started as him clicking his tongue and popping his mouth became a slow, steady flow of beat boxing softly in the background of the courtroom. He kept his hands in his pockets, listening as he continued to make noise for himself. The beats began to slow down when Momoko tried to bring up his name as an example of what could appear to be danger. He nodded to himself, sniffing before rubbing his nose. 

“You don’t sound scarred from the way you keep begging for more of my spit in your mouth, Mankozaki. Y'er that type'a guy, huh? I’ll do ya a visit later, babe, we’ll get real intimate about it. Slow and steady.”

He clicked his tongue, looking back to his classmates ready to defend himself with his own testimony of-

“I guess I could probably open that elevator if I had the motivation. My hands would get real fucked up though, I’d think.” Honesty, it seemed. Maybe admitting that to his classmates honestly would lead to them having some faith in him, if that’s what he was after. “A certain height, huh? So someone as tall as me, or shorter?” He asked in Andrew’s direction before looking back to his class.

“Real talk, I didn’t actually investigate anything. I saw what I saw and read what was there. What you guys are saying doesn’t make sense to me. She died from the impact of falling, right? So, what the fuck went down there then? Someone pushed her down a busted elevator? Kicked her down?”

“Y'guys keep talking fancy but aren’t actually saying anything worthwhile.”

[mutandis-blog]

Drop the Facts | Trial Start

At first, the figure barely seemed to notice you at all, their back turned to the group at large. Once a few of you filtered into the room, though, they turned around. Their eyes were practically the only things that could be seen through their odd outfit, but they seemed rather…..unsatisfied.

“Right, right. Places, everyone! The fun part of today is about to begin, and I’m so, so so so so tired of waiting! Let’s see–Ham, you’re over there,” they said, indicating Hana and then spot designated to her. “Oreo, there, and Milk, over there,” they continued, doing the same for Ororo and Momoko. This continued for some time, each of you being nicknamed after food items, even if the figure had to stop and think of a way to corrupt your name for a moment. They seemed to fidget a bit when some of you paused, and your caretaker quietly ushered you along. No need for anyone to get hurt in this stage, after all.

Keep reading

[mutandis-blog]

Elevator Ride to Hell | End Investigation

Everyone seemed to have their own investigation tactics. Many couldn’t even investigate out of sheer shock of a body being found. Things were just fine up until that moment when the peace shattered. Many of you even remembered seeing Asuka the day before when she was very much alive. Now the hours ticked by and all you could see was her pale face in a pool of blood.

It felt like an eternity later when the ringing went off again. Your heart dropped. Was it another body? Was it another motive? But then you remembered, as soon as you heard your care taker speak, what the next event was.

“Students, I apologize for stopping your investigation but my boss has informed me that it is time for the trial to commence. I’m sure all of you are aware where the elevator is now. Normally, I would have you gather at the top floor but the investigation was going on there. So if you’d kindly go to the lowest level and gather outside the elevator.”

Just the idea of approaching the elevator made some of you nervous. Someone had been murdered. Maybe not on this level but on the one above. You could still see Asuka above you in your mind as Yuudai gestured you into the elevator. You weren’t sure if she was still up there but part of you didn’t want to know the answer.

Once everyone was in, Yuudai pushed a button. He made quick eye contact with Haruka as the lift lowered, as if a warning. Don’t dare try and push all these buttons. He guarded them pretty well too. From the look at the buttons, you were going to the basement. You were going from one of the highest levels to the lowest. It only seemed fitting.

Once the doors opened and your eyes adjusted to the dim light, you could make out a figure standing in the back of the room. An old fashion scale behind them. You couldn’t make out if it was male or female until you got closer, and even then, it was hard to decide anything specific from all the bandages and mask.

[mutandis-blog]

FILE #1

VICTIM: Asuka Oshiro

TIME OF DEATH: 8:52 AM

TIME OF DISCOVERY: 9:58

CAUSE OF DEATH: Falling – impact

LOCATION: The roof of the elevator car

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Ouch! Asuka didn’t have much fun on the way down, it seems… and she didn’t even have her puppet there with her.

(Art was done by the very talented HakaiEve!)

[mutandis-blog]

Take an Angel by the Strings

Ever since the incentive you and your classmates had been provided with in an attempt to bring about a corpse, you couldn’t help but feel completely on edge. Paranoia seemed abundant in the very oxygen, whistling down your spine and nipping at your heels like the beast it was. Whether you had considered it or not, you couldn’t shake the feeling that even if you weren’t actively planning a murder…

…someone out there might be.

Fame and fortune was a powerful motivator– whether its extent branched beyond the skyscraper you’d found as your prison, or into the world beyond those pristine walls. Some of the most grotesque crimes in the world came about because it was a stepping stone to a comfortable, secure future. Of course, even though you knew Mutandis was a wealthy corporation…was this all one big, empty promise intended to get a body to drop?

You couldn’t be sure– all you could do was wait for the anxiety in the air to subside, for the mysterious voice to make its next announcement. Yuudai had resigned himself to his usual activities, answering questions and… reluctantly answering the calls of a certain criminal profiler’s button mashing.

But it was only a matter of time.

Keep reading

[mutandis-blog]

itsuki ✎ deny fear

He was immediately on the defense mode when doors started slamming and the obnoxious voice began yelling. It looked like God was growing frustrated with his trial of courage shit not being put into action. So he wanted to bribe them now, huh? Offering fame and fortune for a corpse that everyone can gawk over. Did they think they were so stupid? The rapper’s eyes looked over the other students, and seeing the mixture in reaction was enough to make him huff.

What if someone was stupid enough to actually do something? There was no way, but God was clearly trying to tug on their heartstrings, bringing up families and loved ones into this. Dirty move, but jokes on him.

“Not like he’d do shit for me…” He mumbled, shaking his head. He already made an impressive amount of money that his ex-classmates would love to have, and his reputation was already enough for his shit ego. He inhaled deeply, trying to have some control over himself to retain from yelling threats and any sort of outburst. 

They were getting too comfortable in their cage, huh?

The guy had a point.

Itsuki turned to his classmates, his anger disappearing to be replaced with a big grin of some sorts before nodding to them.

“So, which one of y'all are gonna help me bust the fuck outta here?”

[mutandis-blog]

Calm before the storm | Motive

No matter where you were at, or what you were doing, you heard a loud ring go off from your handheld. It was even likely you could hear others’ going off around you at the same time. There were three rings before the deep, loud voice of your caretaker filled the room.

“I apologize if this is interrupting but my boss would like to speak to you again. Please make your way back up to the auditorium. If you are not there within 15 minutes, I’ll be forced to come look for you and take you up there myself.”

There seemed to be a sense of urgency in his voice as if he was trying to hiding his own panic. Though his power did not waver and you knew, despite him being as tall as a pre-teen girl, he could easily lift you and maybe another classmate up over his own shoulder without much problem or breaking a sweat. So that moment of considering staying behind or boycotting Yuudai’s boss passed quickly knowing that information.

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[mutandis-blog]

ain't that a kick in the head | michi | chapter 1 OPEN

[itsukichiban-blog]

mutandis:

The wait for the CEO to so kindly show himself seems to stretch on for hours - that’s a dramatic comparison, but that’s what it feels like to this certain girl, even if she passes the time chatting with her classmates and shittalking them with Momoko - so when they’re finally told to get moving, she’s beyond relieved.

Finally. For once, she isn’t even going to interrupt - she just wants to get this show on the road.

But, now, she sort of wishes they were still in the lobby, because this is… This is…

… The worst acting job she’s ever seen. Michi stares, unimpressed, as they are spoken to, told to kill and other bullshit, and even given a map. She raises an eyebrow at her roommates, letting out a disappointed sigh that it’s no one she knows.

This is one of those roleplay things, right? The live action sort. The plot seems solid, but she’s not sure why it’s going on. 

“… I guess that’s why they don’t invite people here very often, huh?”

Letting out an emphasized yawn, Michi looks around at her classmates.

“Fufu, what a fun sleepover we’re all going to have.”

“With you here? Not likely, genius,” Itsuki responded. Out of the entire class on the field trip, it looked like Michi was the one who was taking this the least seriously. She was smiling and everything, saying annoyingly casual things. He couldn’t be surprised, for some reason. If anyone was going to be that way, it would’ve been her. 

“What are ya more excited for- the pillow fights or the knife fights?” Well... good joke? Sure?

[mutandis-blog]

a lion in a cage can never see the sun | theodosia | chapter 1 | open!

[itsukichiban-blog]

licnprincess:

Sniffling, it was only a matter of seconds before they were scooped up, surprising the daylight out of him, no matter how gentle he was. It didn’t help that they were so light, as it’d only take a little effort to pick them up in surprise, had it been that way. So they stared up at Itsuki, giving him the same wide-eyed expression they had in the gift store. His amazing strength and kindness made them feel just a bit better about the situation. A minute hadn’t even passed before they gently reached up and held his bicep for support.

But their wonder had to be postponed as he asked that question, them rushing to fish the device from the pocket it had been in. They peered down at the map, eyes studying it for a quick answer.

“U-um…i-if you h-head right, t-the second set of r-rooms is where my um….quarters are…” They explained softly, lifting their head up ever so slightly to sort of nod in the direction. They sniffle once more, trying to shake away the gross, uncomfortable feeling they were bearing. Itsuki’s help made their dark cheeks burn ruby red, them feeling overwhelmed by his kindness.

“T-thank you…I-Itsuki-chan. I n-never met someone so nice…b-besides Papa maybe…t-then again…it’s not like I’d have many f-friends to go off of…”

He nodded to their instructions, following like an obedient animal. It looked like the lion tamer was able to truly tame the creature without much thought. An impressive display, surely. God, he could feel their eyes staring up at them in wide-eyed wonderment, and it made his heart swell. It was fueling him to continue further with whatever image he had just set up to his classmate, not wanting to disappoint.

So when they looked up at him with a red face, trying to display their feelings to him, Itsuki gulped as he reached the lower floor, looking around at the rooms while trying to figure out something for him to say. He couldn’t lie, they were flustering him heavily with that sort of talk. He couldn’t relate, but...

“Nice is good t’hear,” he said with honesty. It was one way to describe him, definitely. He was used to hearing that sort of thing online more than offline... He wasn’t going to get defensive about it or try to push his ‘delinquent status’ as something more important, though. Hearing that someone thought of him as kind was a good feeling.

Then he smiled at Theodosia.

“At least I can be your friend, yeah?” He asked, with a small chuckle, “If you’re alright settling with me like that. Heh.” Then he stopped at a door, making sure it was the right number before motioning at Theodosia. “Annnd this should be it. I’ll put you down now, alright?”