King of the World

'Sup, Hiroshi Okada here. You a fan? Of course you are, who isn't? It's great to meet you, doll! I'm a pretty busy guy, but I think I got time to sign an autograph - just for you, though.

[king-okada-blog]

Start on a High Note | Hiroshi+Masumi

It was, by most accounts, a pretty nice day out. Sunny, and warm, but not too warm. Just right. The perfect day for lazing around and enjoying life. Which was, of course, Hiroshi’s daily agenda between trials. But today he had an idea of what to do with his time, and was pretty set on accomplishing it.

He walked around the mall for a little while, visiting each of the shops to see if there’s anything interesting. Some of them he made a note to visit again, others her passed by with hardly a second thought. Not that he was really here for that, though.

A number of minutes later he found himself on the roof of the mall, looking quite pleased with himself. He could see the whole island from up here! …Oh boy, was it ever small. And so much water, all the way around. Hold on, just how had he gotten up there?

He made his way to the edge of the building and perched on the edge of the roof. It was an awful long way down but he wasn’t terribly concerned with that. He dangled his feet over the edge and it could have just been six inches off the ground.

Oh, hold on, someone was coming. He picked up a pebble and chucked it in their direction, aiming for the ground near them.

“Hoy, Mori-kun!” he called, “How’s the weather down there?”

[yumenomashin]

From all the wiliest of antics the oneirologist could muster from his ever so wildcard personality, he might say this was his wildest one yet. A lifetime ago, Masumi might never have imagined to browse a shopping district so casually, for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps the ever so luxurious boutique he associated them with were always a tad too rich for him. Perhaps it was those flamboyantly brash and gaudy people, the one’s with the impractical clothing, ridiculous hairstyles, and obnoxiously proud smirks that drew him away from the scene.

But now that he was here, he might as well enjoy the scenery.

“…”

Yes, the atmosphere ruminated that same stale, artificial welt of constructed wealth. He could feel the cold, hard marketing take place. The smell of thoughtless spending disgusted the oneirologist.

Perhaps Masumi would lingered more on his oh so obvious, passionate, seething disdain for those types of people, but the boy found his thoughts cut short with the arrival of a seemingly unforeseen companion.

Tick

“…?”

The pebble herald from the heavens graciously bounced off Masumi’s head, landing swiftly against the pavement with the pitter patter of its stoney mass. Ah, what a surprise. What even surprised the oneirologist was greeted by a boomingly affectionate greeting.

Mori-san…? He didn’t believe… he had ever met… this pebble before…

With his eyes downcast, away from the true source of the greeting, the oneirologist let out an uncomfortable cough,  replying with an uncertain greeting in turn.

“Greetings…pebble…The weather? It is… dreary…”

[king-okada-blog]

Whoops. Hiroshi honestly hadn’t intended to whack Masumi in the head like that, and he had to bite back a laugh at the sight of a rock bouncing off the boy’s skull. No, he smothered the laugh against his bandaged man and waited to see where this would go. 

Wait, was- did he think the pebble was talking to him? Oh, this was better than he could have expected. He shifted a little closer to the edge to get a better view. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do: his entire motivation for coming up here was to see if he could, and now that he’d confirmed it, the rest of his schedule was open to fun diversions like fucking with oneirologists.

“Oy, Mori-kun,” he called, doing his best to project his voice downward, “Don’t just leave me down here. Is that any way to treat someone you just met?” He was a pretty good actor, but he’d never exactly played the role of irate pebble before. He was doing his best here, but it didn’t seem like Masumi was particularly difficult to string along.

[king-okada-blog]

Start on a High Note | Hiroshi+Masumi

It was, by most accounts, a pretty nice day out. Sunny, and warm, but not too warm. Just right. The perfect day for lazing around and enjoying life. Which was, of course, Hiroshi’s daily agenda between trials. But today he had an idea of what to do with his time, and was pretty set on accomplishing it.

He walked around the mall for a little while, visiting each of the shops to see if there’s anything interesting. Some of them he made a note to visit again, others her passed by with hardly a second thought. Not that he was really here for that, though.

A number of minutes later he found himself on the roof of the mall, looking quite pleased with himself. He could see the whole island from up here! ...Oh boy, was it ever small. And so much water, all the way around. Hold on, just how had he gotten up there?

He made his way to the edge of the building and perched on the edge of the roof. It was an awful long way down but he wasn’t terribly concerned with that. He dangled his feet over the edge and it could have just been six inches off the ground.

Oh, hold on, someone was coming. He picked up a pebble and chucked it in their direction, aiming for the ground near them.

“Hoy, Mori-kun!” he called, “How’s the weather down there?”

[king-okada-blog]

Intensive Care | Open

[shsl-bass]

Okay so, granted, wandering around a dark semi-abandoned hospital wasn’t exactly the most intelligent decision a girl could make. Chika stared hard ahead of her, or as well as she could with a giant mascot head on, and kept wandering down the hallway to get a feel for the layout herself. Maybe it’d be better to take it off-

Just as she was about to take the head off, a dark figure seemingly came out of nowhere and caused her to jump so high she swore she almost hit the ceiling. Chika looked over at the source of the voice who spoke out to her and realized it was just Hiroshi…admittedly, though, he was probably one of the last people she’d want to cross paths with while alone. Even though she’d defended him pretty heavily during the first trial he still made her a little nervous. She was small, he was big, he had a good foot or so on her at least, and he definitely wasn’t the type she’d want to piss off. He seemed nice enough for the most part…and she could handle herself pretty well…but there was still something a little off that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Maybe it was just her mannerisms, but something about him other then his height definitely made threw her off. She decided to play it off.

“I could say the same to you. What brings you here? Hmmmm? ♥ ”

She cocked her head to the side and looked up at the tall boy curiously. Though…maybe that wasn’t the best…you know the saying; “Curiosity killed the cat.” And with them being stuck in a game of mutual killing, that could very well be the case for Chika. 

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi had recognised the enormous mascot head right off the bat, of course. He couldn’t help but wonder why she’d put it back on - wasn’t it a pain in the ass to have such a large head? Probably bumped into everything like that. Like, whatever, up to her.

He’d be lying if he said he knew much about Chika. She was around, of course; pretty hard to miss with alternating white hair and black mascot head. But he hadn’t really paid much attention to her. 

“Didn’t mean to startle ya, Minami-chan,” he laughed, “Ain’t nothin’ to be scared of here. This place is pretty empty, ‘n these things can’t hurt you on their own.”

He shrugged Chika’s question off. “Just here sightseein’, I guess. A big hospital on a small island’s kinda weird, don’t’cha think? I came to have a look around. All I’ve seen so far are dark windows ‘n locked doors. Not what I was hopin’ for.”

[king-okada-blog]

Intensive Care | Open

[♫♫♫]

The bear had opened a lot of large buildings, and there was a lot to see. It was the day after the deaths of Harumi and Stella. Just like every day, Hiroshi had woken up early, gone for a run, bathed, and had breakfast. Normal. Wouldn’t even know two people had died less than 24 hours earlier.

The hospital had drawn Hiroshi’s attention. He wasn’t sure why. Well, he sure wasn’t interested in a school, and malls weren’t really his thing. The library might have something, but the hospital seemed so… odd.

Odd because it was huge. A small island like this, he’d expect a small clinic, but this thing was a full sized, fully operation medical facility. As he walked down the corridor of the third floor, passing by locked room after locked room, he really got a sense of the scale. It could fit the entire student body, and Hiroshi found himself wondering why. It raised a lot of questions in his mind.

It was also dark. Not that it really creeped Hiroshi out, but when he heard footsteps in the hallway, it occurred to him that others might not like it. Especially when his huge frame loomed in the shadowy hallway. He must have looked like an encounter in a horror game - a tall, shadowed figure at the end of a dark hallway.

He stepped forward, palms out, until he came into visible light. He couldn’t help but grin at the other student.

“Fancy meetin’ you here,” he said amicably, although the dim lights still cast a sinister glow over his features.

[drdd-machine]

Item Get! Warm Jacket

A fluffy, grey jacket. No matter what your size, this jacket looks huge when you wear it. When it gets cold outside and you want to stay warm, you’ll know exactly what to wear. 

[drdd-machine]

Item Get! Tarot Cards Deck

A pack of tarot cards, specifically labeled on the box for “Beginners-Only”. Inside comes with a deck for you to mess with, along with a small booklet on the how-to’s of becoming accustomed to your deck, as well as how to give readings and the different methods to go about it. A handy gift for those who want to get into tarot reading.

[king-okada-blog]

Intensive Care | Open

[♫♫♫]

The bear had opened a lot of large buildings, and there was a lot to see. It was the day after the deaths of Harumi and Stella. Just like every day, Hiroshi had woken up early, gone for a run, bathed, and had breakfast. Normal. Wouldn’t even know two people had died less than 24 hours earlier.

The hospital had drawn Hiroshi’s attention. He wasn’t sure why. Well, he sure wasn’t interested in a school, and malls weren’t really his thing. The library might have something, but the hospital seemed so... odd.

Odd because it was huge. A small island like this, he’d expect a small clinic, but this thing was a full sized, fully operation medical facility. As he walked down the corridor of the third floor, passing by locked room after locked room, he really got a sense of the scale. It could fit the entire student body, and Hiroshi found himself wondering why. It raised a lot of questions in his mind.

It was also dark. Not that it really creeped Hiroshi out, but when he heard footsteps in the hallway, it occurred to him that others might not like it. Especially when his huge frame loomed in the shadowy hallway. He must have looked like an encounter in a horror game - a tall, shadowed figure at the end of a dark hallway.

He stepped forward, palms out, until he came into visible light. He couldn’t help but grin at the other student.

“Fancy meetin’ you here,” he said amicably, although the dim lights still cast a sinister glow over his features.

[autobodyace-blog]

“Wha’do ah get if I win?” “Implyin’ you’re even gonna win.” “Piss off.”

Pre-Despair boys just wrastlin’ o7

[king-okada-blog]

Flatline | Rxn

Well, Harumi was dead, and all Hiroshi felt was exhausted. Watching the execution, he did his best to stifle a yawn, even as the poor girl was killed before his eyes.

He supposed he cared a little. They’d hung out together a little, had spoken a few times, had investigated together. And he sure as hell cared about that piece of paper he’d ripped up the afternoon he’d gotten it. If Harumi hadn’t done what she did, Hiroshi supposed it would have been him up there, being accused of murder. Not that he would have made such blatant errors.

But did he really care? Did he really care that Harumi Cho was dead, that her parents were dead, that Stella Ethereal was dead? All to keep his secret?

...Not really.

There was no grief, no fear, no shock, no anger. Hiroshi’s heart was just flat. Nothing going on. The most important thing on his mind was getting sleep, and tomorrow morning’s workout. He didn’t really care about all of that death. Because really, life is cheap. People die all the time. Some just die sooner than others. Some just make mistakes, and it gets them killed.

“Thanks, Cho-chan,” he muttered all the same. She had died to protect his secret, hadn’t she?

He left the courtroom, reflecting on the trial, reflecting on the mistakes made, the strategies employed to corner and trap the court’s prey. Knowing where those failings lay could be the difference between life and death, someday.

Lots to think about.

[amateur-wrestling]

Won Chol Yun of North Korea throws Arsen Eraliev of Kyrgyzstan when competing in a Men’s Greco-Roman 59 kg bronze medal match during the Wrestling World Championships on September 8, 2015 in Las Vegas. #lasvegas #wrestling #vegasworlds2015 #grecoroman #bildbyran @bildbyran via joelmarklund ★ Wrestling Gear

[wrestlingisbest]

[wrestlingisbest]

2 x world freestyle champion Victor Lebedev, Russia

[king-okada-blog]

Say Your Prayers | Investigation

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi continued his circuit around the radio station. He poked his head into the radio broadcast office, checking under desks and in corners, moving not with haste but with speed. He did the same in the video broadcasting studio, scanning the room and then looking into places that weren’t visible right away.

“Of course it don’t concern you,” he agreed, cheerily, “Just a little slip of paper, worthless enough to keep pressed to your little heart. So who’d you kill, Miyamoto-chan?”

He let that hang for just a moment, long enough to make it seem like he was actually waiting for a response, and then cut in again.

“Kidding, kidding,” he laughed, “But look at you, I didn’t know class reps were so nosy. Would it make you feel better if I told ya my secret wasn’t too bad? Because it don’t mean shit, just like you sayin’ yours is petty don’t mean shit. No one wants to admit that their secret’s a doozy ‘cause then you’re paintin’ a big ol’ bullseye on your back.

“So I’ll be straight up with ya. My secret’s one I’d really rather not go public. That’s all you’re gonna get outta me on that subject.”

[shsliinchou]

Umeko felt her expression drop as Hiroshi teased her; It wasn’t like before where it would shift between something strange and unreadable to something pleasant and charming. It almost looked like Hiroshi had said something that illicit a genuine response out of the Class Representative. She gripped the knob of the door of Monobear’s office tightly for a moment, before letting it go and turning to face Hiroshi, who began to laugh and jest with her. She felt her shoulders drop with relief as he smiled to her and managed to find the will to return it, if only half-heartedly. 

“Well I don’t expect you to outright tell me if you aren’t comfortable, Okada-kun. Whether or not you trust someone enough to tell them about the contents of your letter is ultimately up to you, after all. I apologize if I seemed as if I was trying to pry an answer out of you.”

Her words were meticulously chosen and said with the upmost care. Umeko was indeed harboring something close to her heart, that certainly was just the envelope in her blazer. She walked passed Hiroshi towards the lobby of the studio, her fingers trailing over the counter of the front reception desk.

“It is only fair that there are some things that our classmates want to keep to themselves. We all have our skeletons in the closet, don’t we? I suppose I am just curious as to who was willing to stuff a dead body into their closet to conceal it.”

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi passed by the music room, looking in and under things to finish his search of the radio station. A search which proved to be fruitless, apparently. Not a big deal, he wasn’t all that interested in investigating anyway. No, he was much more entertained by Umeko - or, more specifically, pushing her buttons.

He’d definitely seen that reaction to his question. It hadn’t been a joke, either. He’d come back to it later, assuming neither of them were dead by dawn. There was a certain satisfaction in prodding until you found the weak point, and then pushing the weak point hard.

“Good question, ain’t it?” he said, “I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Monobear’s gonna be callin’ its trial anytime now, I’m sure. Then, I guess, one of us is gonna be just as dead as Stella-chan.” Funny how that worked. Secrets so dear they were worth killing for, and then worth dying for. Hiroshi had no intention of dying here. No, he’d see the killer caught. Or maybe see the others dead. Who could say?

[king-okada-blog]

Say Your Prayers | Investigation

[king-okada-blog]

Well, not much going on at the children’s park, it seemed. Did anyone even use this space? Hiroshi wasn’t sure he’d ever actually seen anyone hanging out here. Just a big old waste of space. Then again, at the rate this island seemed to be falling apart, the whole thing was a waste of space. He turned back to Umeko after a moment.

“Guess it does make you a suspect,” he grinned, “And Cho-chan, and sometimes Nagao-chan and Gouro-kun.” He counted them off on his fingers, trying to remember who he’d seen clad in red in the last day or two. “Maybe you could kill someone. Depends on how bad you want that little piece of paper to stay hidden. Anyone can kill if you push ‘em hard enough. 

“For all I know, you stabbed that girl. For all you know, I did. Wouldn’t that suck, to know you’ve been walkin’ around beside a murderer this whole time? Can’t trust anyone these days.”

Sure he’d exhausted the possibilities of the park, Hiroshi started walking for the radio station a little ways east. Once again, he kept talking as he walked, expecting Umeko to still be following him.

“Anyway, Stella-chan ain’t a psychic, but do you really think the school wouldn’t know that? She can’t be the best psychic out there, since those don’t exist, but she can be the best at makin’ people believe they do. They didn’t want her for her voodoo shit, they wanted her because she was a good businesswoman and actress. That’s my two cents, anyway.”

He scanned the front foyer and office for anything out of place, and then moved further into the studio. His first stop was the recording booth, which he searched through too.

[shsliinchou]

Umeko followed behind Hiroshi at a distance, like a kitten cautiously following behind someone out of sheer curiosity. She listened unresponsively to his words and couldn’t help but acknowledge his point, despite her own disagreement of it. She stood somewhat obscured from view and passed her thoughts along.

“Trust is something one certainly should be careful of…”

She walked the hallways of the broadcast station along with Hiroshi, observing the door with Monobear’s face on it. Tapping her chin lightly, she glanced over to the wrestler as she thought back to his comments about the letters they had received. She thought back to her own letter, and brought a hand over her breast pocket, the faint sound of crinkling paper being heard. She turned back to Hiroshi and tilted her head slightly.

“This particular motive that Monobear-sensei has given us doesn’t necessarily concern me. I wouldn’t kill someone over something so petty… Would you, Okada-kun? Your motive wasn’t worth killing for, was it?”

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi continued his circuit around the radio station. He poked his head into the radio broadcast office, checking under desks and in corners, moving not with haste but with speed. He did the same in the video broadcasting studio, scanning the room and then looking into places that weren’t visible right away.

“Of course it don’t concern you,” he agreed, cheerily, “Just a little slip of paper, worthless enough to keep pressed to your little heart. So who’d you kill, Miyamoto-chan?”

He let that hang for just a moment, long enough to make it seem like he was actually waiting for a response, and then cut in again.

“Kidding, kidding,” he laughed, “But look at you, I didn’t know class reps were so nosy. Would it make you feel better if I told ya my secret wasn’t too bad? Because it don’t mean shit, just like you sayin’ yours is petty don’t mean shit. No one wants to admit that their secret’s a doozy ‘cause then you’re paintin’ a big ol’ bullseye on your back.

“So I’ll be straight up with ya. My secret’s one I’d really rather not go public. That’s all you’re gonna get outta me on that subject.”

[king-okada-blog]

Say Your Prayers | Investigation

[king-okada-blog]

He frowned at Umeko’s words, and then checked his ID card to find the clue she’d mentioned. Yep, there it was. Those in red, et cetera. He blinked the spots of light out of his eyes.

“Guess that makes me a suspect again, don’t it?” Hiroshi asked dryly, catching an implication in her tone. What else was new? Everyone blame the wrestler. Just because he played a heel on television didn’t mean he was one in real life. Probably.

“Really though, I don’t think it means anything.” He’d started walking, slowly, toward the playground. He glanced over his shoulder, clearly expecting Umeko to follow, and just kept talking. She’d have to keep up if she was at all interested in his analysis. “You don’t actually think Stella-chan’s crystal shit is real, do you? You can’t tell what’s gonna happen by looking at a rock, no matter how shiny it is. The future ain’t written yet. Fate, destiny, it’s all bullshit. People make the future, not some god or a shiny rock.

“Besides, red is a threat? Half the people here got red on them. All it means is Stella-chan wrote some shit down and now has a 50-50 chance of gettin’ it right. Flip a coin, I’ll say heads. If it’s heads, I’m psychic; if it’s tails, psychics are a load o’ shit. That’s how it works, Miyamoto-chan. There’s no magic, just people who are real good at makin’ you think there’s magic. ‘Cause if they can’t get’cha to buy it, then they don’t a paycheck.” Kind of like acting, really. Hiroshi knew all about that.

He’d reached the children’s park by now. He took a walk around the perimeter, looking through the grass as he went, and then moved inward to glance through the play structures and whatnot. He couldn’t help but recall getting himself stuck in there last week, and didn’t move to try it again.

[shsliinchou]

Umeko listened cautiously to Hiroshi’s words and felt herself frown as he proclaimed himself to be a suspect, once again. It still bothered that Ushio would attempt to frame the person in front of her, whom she thought was good-hearted and roundly level-headed. He wasn’t like Hayato or Nodame and didn’t let his emotions get the better of him, and that was a trait in itself the that class representative appreciated and admired. She exited the application, keeping her device about her so she could light her own path as Hiroshi stepped away from the shrine.

“If those are your thoughts, then perhaps that also makes me a suspect, as well. You don’t think that I could kill anyone though do you, Okada-kun?”

A loaded question, maybe. But Umeko wasn’t incorrect when she mentioned herself as a suspect. By appearance alone, she did fit that cryptic description the Crystal Gazer left behind, however Umeko didn’t really have a reason to kill anyone, did she? As he explained his inability to believe in Stella Ethereal’s abilities, she felt the frown that was once on her face return. She wasn’t believing in something that wasn’t actually true, was she? She found her place once again the swing she had been seated at just a few minutes before meeting the wrestler, her device now sitting in her lap on top of her pleated skirt.

“I suppose you have a point, Okada-kun, but don’t you still think it is odd? I mean, if Tsukino-san was recognized by Hope’s Peak Academy, then surely there is some weight to her abilities. I don’t think a school as high-class as Hope’s Peak Academy would risk inviting someone who’s abilities are fake.”

[king-okada-blog]

Well, not much going on at the children’s park, it seemed. Did anyone even use this space? Hiroshi wasn’t sure he’d ever actually seen anyone hanging out here. Just a big old waste of space. Then again, at the rate this island seemed to be falling apart, the whole thing was a waste of space. He turned back to Umeko after a moment.

“Guess it does make you a suspect,” he grinned, “And Cho-chan, and sometimes Nagao-chan and Gouro-kun.” He counted them off on his fingers, trying to remember who he’d seen clad in red in the last day or two. “Maybe you could kill someone. Depends on how bad you want that little piece of paper to stay hidden. Anyone can kill if you push ‘em hard enough. 

“For all I know, you stabbed that girl. For all you know, I did. Wouldn’t that suck, to know you’ve been walkin’ around beside a murderer this whole time? Can’t trust anyone these days.”

Sure he’d exhausted the possibilities of the park, Hiroshi started walking for the radio station a little ways east. Once again, he kept talking as he walked, expecting Umeko to still be following him.

“Anyway, Stella-chan ain’t a psychic, but do you really think the school wouldn’t know that? She can’t be the best psychic out there, since those don’t exist, but she can be the best at makin’ people believe they do. They didn’t want her for her voodoo shit, they wanted her because she was a good businesswoman and actress. That’s my two cents, anyway.”

He scanned the front foyer and office for anything out of place, and then moved further into the studio. His first stop was the recording booth, which he searched through too.

[king-okada-blog]

Say Your Prayers | Investigation

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi heard the footsteps behind him and rolled his eyes, wondering who was here to bother him. He turned around, briefly shining the ID card at the newcomer before remembering to lower it.

He stepped out of the shrine, huge darkened silhouette looming in the black doorway for a moment, before stepping out into the moonlight. Somehow he wasn’t surprised to see someone like the class representative to be hanging around in the dark. He’d been able to tell there was something off about her since the first week here. But then again, people said the same of Hiroshi at times. Perhaps they were evenly matched.

“Howdy, Miyamoto-chan,” he said, unfazed by her sudden appearance, “It’s a nice night. May as well go for a walk, yeah?” Plus, who wanted to be inside, anyway, where the stench of blood would bother him.

“As a matter o’ fact, I did find somethin’. I think.” He held up the prayer slip he’d come across inside the shrine. “It’s pretty new. I’d say it was added in the last day or two. Maybe today? Could be linked to this murder shit.”

As he talked, he twirled the slip irreverently in his hands, and then pinned it back up on the board when he was done. 

“How ‘bout you. Find anything cool yet?”

[shsliinchou]

Umeko reached into her pocket to retrieve her own digital guidebook, pressing the home button on her device to illuminate the item in Hiroshi’ hands. The charm itself was certainly much more different than any of the charms that had been at the shrine previously. This one seemed almost brand new. Asking for permission with a concerned expression, Umeko took the charm from Hiroshi’s hands and examined it carefully. It was certainly an interesting find, considering that the rest of the charms there were already faded and worn.

“How interesting. I don’t know if this would be related to our current investigation, but it does seem suspicious in my opinion. Why would there be a new prayer charm here, unless someone was praying for someone recently. It’s curious, to say the least.”

She handed the tag back to Hiroshi and proceeded to look through her Monobear file app on her device, as a familiar chime indicated the updates of the evidence or objects found. As she scrolled, something caught her attention. Furrowing her brow, Umeko mumbled the words out loud unconsciously, her gaze turning more serious than it had been before.

“…Those in red are a threat. Stay aware…”

What an oddly specific thing. Apparently, it was something found by Hayato Kawata, the Basketball Player and former delinquent. For an instant, Umeko felt a sense of nervousness, as she glanced at the red accents of her own outfit. Gesturing to her device, and possibly his own, Umeko turned her eyes back to Hiroshi, with a bit of suspicion and concern in her eyes. 

“Okada-kun, what do you make of this particular piece of evidence that Kawata-kun found? Do you think it holds any weight to it?”

[king-okada-blog]

He frowned at Umeko’s words, and then checked his ID card to find the clue she’d mentioned. Yep, there it was. Those in red, et cetera. He blinked the spots of light out of his eyes.

“Guess that makes me a suspect again, don’t it?” Hiroshi asked dryly, catching an implication in her tone. What else was new? Everyone blame the wrestler. Just because he played a heel on television didn’t mean he was one in real life. Probably.

“Really though, I don’t think it means anything.” He’d started walking, slowly, toward the playground. He glanced over his shoulder, clearly expecting Umeko to follow, and just kept talking. She’d have to keep up if she was at all interested in his analysis. “You don’t actually think Stella-chan’s crystal shit is real, do you? You can’t tell what’s gonna happen by looking at a rock, no matter how shiny it is. The future ain’t written yet. Fate, destiny, it’s all bullshit. People make the future, not some god or a shiny rock.

“Besides, red is a threat? Half the people here got red on them. All it means is Stella-chan wrote some shit down and now has a 50-50 chance of gettin’ it right. Flip a coin, I’ll say heads. If it’s heads, I’m psychic; if it’s tails, psychics are a load o’ shit. That’s how it works, Miyamoto-chan. There’s no magic, just people who are real good at makin’ you think there’s magic. ‘Cause if they can’t get’cha to buy it, then they don’t a paycheck.” Kind of like acting, really. Hiroshi knew all about that.

He’d reached the children’s park by now. He took a walk around the perimeter, looking through the grass as he went, and then moved inward to glance through the play structures and whatnot. He couldn’t help but recall getting himself stuck in there last week, and didn’t move to try it again.

[king-okada-blog]

Say Your Prayers | Investigation

After the impromptu bedroom tour, Hiroshi decided to move his investigation outside. Or at least, the bad facsimile on investigating. He wasn’t actually doing much. For the last little bit he’d just hung around, lazily searching things and yawning frequently. Didn’t seem terribly engaged.

Anyway, once the last person was cleared out of his room he locked up again and then headed outside. Not in any rush, mind you, the others were doing a great job. He left the high rise and then turned right instead of left, away from the baths and other places people seemed to be drawn to.

Instead, he made his way to the shrine. It was quiet, serene even, in the inky night. How boring. Just a pile of wood, and for what? Well, whatever, some people found it to be important, he supposed.

He wasn’t here for prayer or reverence or whatever it was people did at shrines. He entered the little building and took a look around, searching behind and around everything in there. He had to use his ID card for illumination in the furthest corners of the place.

“You’d think they could at least leave some flashlights around,” he muttered. He hadn’t signed up for this level of effort.

[shsliinchou]

The time Umeko spent in the Children’s Park was shorter than she expected, and as she had planned, she made her way towards the Shrine to check for any clues. However, once she made her way there, she caught the dimly outlined silhouette of Hiroshi Okada already poking around himself. For a few moments, the Class Representative hovered in the shadows, concealing part of herself behind some of the trees that surrounded the area. Her luminescent eyes glittered in the faint light, reflecting in an almost catlike fashion. It was odd to say, but it almost felt like Umeko was used to doing things like this.

After observing the wrestler for a few minutes, Umeko allowed herself to emerge from the shadows and silently approached Hiroshi, her presence only being made when she stepped and snapped one of the twigs that had fallen from the branches of the trees around them.

“Okada-kun, is that you? I am surprised to see you all the way out here investigating. Have you found anything worth while?”

[king-okada-blog]

Hiroshi heard the footsteps behind him and rolled his eyes, wondering who was here to bother him. He turned around, briefly shining the ID card at the newcomer before remembering to lower it.

He stepped out of the shrine, huge darkened silhouette looming in the black doorway for a moment, before stepping out into the moonlight. Somehow he wasn’t surprised to see someone like the class representative to be hanging around in the dark. He’d been able to tell there was something off about her since the first week here. But then again, people said the same of Hiroshi at times. Perhaps they were evenly matched.

“Howdy, Miyamoto-chan,” he said, unfazed by her sudden appearance, “It’s a nice night. May as well go for a walk, yeah?” Plus, who wanted to be inside, anyway, where the stench of blood would bother him.

“As a matter o’ fact, I did find somethin’. I think.” He held up the prayer slip he’d come across inside the shrine. “It’s pretty new. I’d say it was added in the last day or two. Maybe today? Could be linked to this murder shit.”

As he talked, he twirled the slip irreverently in his hands, and then pinned it back up on the board when he was done. 

“How ‘bout you. Find anything cool yet?”