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Not exactly Rapunzel's Tower || Nezumi|| Chapter 4|| Closed for Mayura

[magic-mouseketeer]

mayurakazuemiko‌:

rewoundcircuit‌:

Nezumi can understand why the rest of her classmates would be so ready to go back to their rooms after the trial, what with the “waking up to a murder, solving it over the span of four hours, and finally being let out just when they were normally expected to greet the day” thing and all. But what the actress takes notice of, as a gaggle of bedraggled and traumatized teenagers shuffled their way back to their beds, is the small tidbit of Mayura choosing not to have even a small snack before she retired. …Followed by the medium bit of her not coming out for lunch, and finally the huge chunk of  reaching eight o’ clock without any hint of exiting for dinner.

If you combine that with how she was acting in the trial, along with the story of just how awful Misaki had been to the pianist… the pieces were coming together into an image of Mayura’s long term future that Nezumi did not like at all. So, it was only a matter of time until Nezumi took things into her own hands.  Balancing a tea kettle and an assortment of snacks upon a breakfast tray previously stuffed into the corner of her closet, she loudly knocked  her foot against the base of Mayura’s door as she called out to her sequestered friend.

“Mayurakazuemiko-chaaan? You in there~? Nezumi’s got the teaaa…and some totes delish noshables too! Nezumi can leave  it by the door, maybes…”

Seconds, to minutes, to hours, to— an entire day?

The pianist was certainly someone that seems to keep to herself, but even this behaviour was a bit concerning. Mayura had nearly spent the entire day after the trial holed up in her room, doing who knows what— anyone who bothered to press their ears to the door could either hear piano music playing faintly over speakers, or an eerie silence that didn’t sound right, considering she must’ve been in there.

There was one point in the day that someone was able to take her out of her room, but whatever joy that brought must’ve been short-lived, because she retired back to her room as if nothing had happened in the first place.

She ignored most knocks on her door. Maybe she was just a heavy sleeper. She even skipped out on her daily piano practice.

But when the theme park actress’ voice slips into her barely conscious mind, Mayura finds that a voice in the back of her head is telling her to get up and at least answer the door.

It takes a few minutes, enough for maybe the other student past her door to think that she’s just sleeping, but the pianist gets up and slowly walks to her door. She opens it slowly, peeking out to confirm that it indeed is just Nezumi. Of course, a smile of sorts is plastered on her face, but her eyes reflect a different emotion. She lifts her chin just a bit, almost as if to appear that she’s really looking down at her.

“Kuromaru-san. What brings you here?”

The pianist eyes the tray of food and tea in her hands, before looking back into Nezumi’s eyes. She doesn’t open the door wider to let her inside just yet.

The wait for the door to be answered was a bit...unbearable. Nezumi knew beyond any doubt that  Mayura was in there, and if she knocked loud enough she would be sure to wake the pianist if she was catching up on her lost sleep. But that’s under the assumption that she was /sleeping/, and not any other isolated, deadly silent  activity that suddenly has Nezumi  trying to balance out  a free hand to reach for the doorknob- But Mayura is soon seen through a mere crack of the entryway,  and Nezumi abruptly snaps back to her initial position and totally-not-worried-about-any-extremely-drastic-measures expression. Nope. None of That.  Just go right back onto script.

“Weeeeell~, Nezumi just happened to be in the neighborhooood, and she couldn’t help but notice that Mayurakazuemiko-chan was on the verge of eating absolutely nothing in the span of twenty four hours! So in accordain-ace to Nezumi’s natural instinct as a member of the hospitality-tourism industry, she’s come to give Mayurakazuemiko-chan some room service~!”

Nezumi cheerfully lifted the teatray up more towards Mayura’s eyelevel, allowing the pianist to get  a closer look at the contents.  The tea kettle was a mix of purple and white that’s childish clearly tied into Nezumi’s most blatant interest, but instead of any tea bags it’s presence was juxtaposed with what appeared to be traditional tea equipment, along with a caddy of matcha. Where exactly had she managed to find these underground…?

“And this is like, totes five star service! Nezumi found wagashi in the gift shop that she’s forreals sure came directly from Sasaya Iori~! Mayurakazuemiko-chan could be munching on the same recipes her good pal Beethoven could’ve had~!”

[rewoundcircuit]

❈ what is a… “disney”. | nezumi & mayurakazuemiko. | ch iii.

[magic-mouseketeer]

mayurakazuemiko‌:

Mayura nearly jumps at the sudden calling of her name, turning to see where it’s coming from. She isn’t sure if she’s relieved to see Nezumi next to her in this overwhelming place, or if it’s actually a worse situation than she was in before. The pianist holds her breath as Nezumi begins talking.

She doesn’t understand anything.

If she were at her old school, well- first of all, no one would even dare come up to speak to the Mayurakazuemiko Umenoyakakutani about their own personal interests, let alone cling onto her like she was some tree to be hugged— but if this was a scenario that would happen at her old school, she would shake off the leech immediately and give them a few stern words.

So why was she leaning into Nezumi’s hold instead?

“I- did you say 12,000?”

That’s impossible. All for a place like… this? (Well, of course, she believes it’d be on a much bigger scale than what a lab can bring, but… still.) The pianist looks around again and tries to grasp that concept. She can’t. She looks back at Nezumi, giving a smile that looks a little bit more stressed than it should.

“I suppose no one else here can give a better tour than someone like you, Kuromaru-san. Please do forgive my ignorance, however… I have never been to any amusement parks before. My mothers noticed I did not have an interest in things like this from a very young age.”

What that means is that instead of going outside and playing at the local playground, Mayura would rather stay inside and play the piano, but let’s pretend it was something more dramatic than that.

“I assume you shall lead the way?”

Mayura’s claim took Nezumi a bit by surprise... Well, not the never having gone part, but the “never being interested” part.  

“Forreals~? Like, even when you were an itty bitty babby you were all “Nope, going on  fun rides and meeting my favorite characters and eating foods I don’t normally get to have at home ain’t for me”? Back when Nezumi was a kid, she had wanted to go more than anything!”

Thinking about this for a few moments more,  the actress shrugged  and moved her hands to rest behind her head, moving a few steps forward to look upon the glory of the faux wonderland. 

“Welp, that’s just what teenagerdom is, ain’t it! An age of discovery where you look at the stuff you passed on as a kid and give it a shot to help develop yourself into a fully rounded, realized person! Nezumi’s glad that she’s helping Mayurakazuemiko-chan  do that with a fun thing like this instead of like, vegetables or whatevs.”

Nezumi then whirled back around and began to tap her finger against the side of her cheek, pondering what exactly to put into the day’s itinerary.

“Let’s see lets see~,  the megas big question is whether Mayurakazuemiko-chan wants to start snackage or a ride first! Nezumi’s totes got some ideas for attractions that would be around your vibe, but she’ll totes need to know the sort of cuisine you like to nosh on for Nezumi’s brain to get calibrated to the best recs!”

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Death Of The Author (?) || Nezumi || Chapter 3 || Orpheus

[magic-mouseketeer]

shslorpheus‌:

…

He felt something poking his cheeks.

This unnatural sensation was enough for Orpheus to stir awake from his unintended nap. As his eyes opened, everything was blurry at first, which prompted him to blink a few times to get accustomed to… well, not being asleep anymore.

“Huh…?”

Confused, Orpheus did hear someone saying something, but he wasn’t quite ready to properly process that yet. Instead, he lifted his heavy head from his arms (why his arms?), finally acknowledging that something was in his hand as well. Almost dumbfounded, his eyes settled on the sandwich that he was holding onto somehow. Wait, why was there a–

Ah.

The blonde could start recalling some events. The trial, the execution, how he took a short, unintended nap over at the train and… he went to the souvenir shop, right? And now he’s…

Right. The food court. He did come here to sit down and at least eat this sandwich to not go to bed completely hungry.

It appeared as if he fell asleep again.

“Oh dear…”

He mumbled, using his other (now a bit numb) hand to hold his forehead while using his elbow to support himself on the table. This was embarrassing - he even internally chided Yvon and Yoshiko for doing the same thing and now here he was–

Wait, right. Someone was there.

At last, the sleep-deprived man turned his head to the side, clearly still out of it, but at least not that much that he wouldn’t recognize Nezumi.

“Ah, Kuromaru…-san. I… Forgive me, I seem to have fallen asleep. That was… That was careless of me.”

”Oh good!” Nezumi replies cheerfully, retracting her finger to change her free hand into a thumbs up. “It was only regular, non-enchanted sleep! Ya gots to be more careful there Orphe-chan, your whole rep as a writer was at stake if somebodies caught you pulling the ol’ fakeout body trope!”

If that last comment was meant to hint at a genuine worry Nezumi might have felt at the sight of Orpheus’ sleeping form, she ends up pushing past it very quickly  with a curious tilt of her head and an abrupt change in topic.

“...Ne, the last half day really wore you out then, huh? Has Orphe-chan ever pulled an all nighter befores? Like to finish deadlines and stuff? Next time we do that sorta thing Nezumi can totes teach you the magical spell of power-napping!”

...Probably more along the lines of dark magic, based on how functional the actress remained even after  the same experience.

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❈ what is a… “disney”. | nezumi & mayurakazuemiko. | ch iii.

As much as she would rather stay in her room for the rest of the day, Mayura knows that it would be best to leave and socialize with others. Or at least that’s what her mothers always tried telling her throughout her life. A pang in her chest makes her raise up her hand to rest at her heart, as she waits for the train to leave the main area. Hm.

The train eventually stops at the newest area, and as the pianist steps off and looks at the map on her e-handbook, she gets this other weird feeling in her chest. She pockets the device and steps towards the first lab, as much as she has this feeling of dread.

It isn’t… dreadful, really, just… really overwhelming.

The pianist stands at the center of the entrance to the Theme Park Actresses’ Research Lab, and she isn’t sure how much longer she wants to stay here. She was never really the type to hate crowds or feel nervous around a busy street, or one with lots of lights and colours and sounds, but this…

She’s never experienced this before.

Mayura looks to be frozen in place, smile plastered on her face as her eyes take in the sights and ears take in the sounds. Maybe no one has seen her enter here yet. Maybe it’s not late to turn back—

[magic-mouseketeer]

“Mayurakazuemiko-chan~!”

Unfortunately for Mayura, any plans she was making for her escape had been cut off by Nezumi suddenly appearing on the scene with the expression of of a starry-eyed schoolgirl... Because she was already a starry-eyed school girl. The actress’ fingers lightly take hold of the fabric of Mayura’s sleeve, as her heels bounce with the energy of an excited puppy.

“Nezumi’s so supers blown away~! She was just expecting a costume room or a single ride or some kind of funky knock off land with the Mono guys as bear mascots or something, but the really made an entire park! Isn’t  that just amaze!?”

Beyond all expectations, it’s actually possible for Nezumi  to speak with more energy and pep than what she pumps out on a regular basis.  Not that it was a big surprise when she was in her element, but it was a stark contrast from the sort of downhearted and unsure mood she had near the end of the trial.

“You’ll help Nezumi explore, right~? It’s always more fun to explore with a buddy, and Nezumi’s here to give Mayurakazuemiko-chan a full personalized tour! The big bosses usually charge 12,000 big ones for them y’know, not including park admission.”

[rewoundcircuit]

❈ grateful return. | nezumi & mayurakazuemiko. | ch ii.

[magic-mouseketeer]

mayurakazuemiko‌:

Mayura takes a long pause, her eyes still on the window even after Nezumi begins speaking again. She only turns back to her about halfway through her reply, looking down at the shorter girl as she stares at the ceiling.

She focuses on keeping a steady breathing pattern instead of thinking about someone worrying about her. She’s had enough of that. There’s no reason to worry, so why do people always insist–

“I do not understand what it is you would like me to speak about, nor what you are concerning yourself over, Kuromaru-san.”

She pauses, her smile faltering slightly as she tries to navigate this uncomfortable conversation. She hasn’t had a conversation like this since… since…

“I am not sure what emotional baggage you are expecting of me to carry. There is nothing more to me than what I already show. I am an open book, Kuromaru-san, though it seems to me you are confusing me with subtext that does not exist.”

She pauses again, then looks back at her.

“So unless you can explain to me what exactly it is you want from me, then I must apologize for my lack of response. I do not know what you want me to tell you. Or rather… talk to you about.”

This was getting uncomfortable. Here’s a better idea: change the subject. Her smile widens back into something that she usually puts on.

“It does however, concern me that you have such bizarre nightly rituals… surely that cannot be healthy. It is already so late, so past my normal sleeping routine. Are you still going to do… inject that… canon content into your brain before going to sleep tonight?”

...So, it’s time to start delving into one of those Meta Fours things again? Nezumi crosses her arms and moves her expression into a childish pout as she  starts to untangle this riddle.

"Weeeeell, Nezumi doesn’t do much egghead reading stuff herself,  but the thing about a book laid out open instead of closed shut is that you’re  still only able to see just one part of the story when looking at it. And then you gotta do twice the amount of looking ‘cause now all the  stuff inside is split in half! And Nezumi can’t go on the 20,000 Leagues ride right now, so she can’t go searching for that submarine-text you’re talking about anyways! But you don’t have ta’ have feelings luggage  to feel bummed about stuff, y’know?”

But the way Mayura was trying to avoid the topic despite all that was said already, maybe it was time for Nezumi to take her advice  and pierce right to the heart of things. Nezumi’s momentary trailing down a side river of conversation immediately retracts back to an energetic focus.

“Okay, so~! Straight and to the point! Nezumi wants to know how  Mayurakazuemiko-chan is holding up  after experiencing  different- not saying upset, but  different, and you can’t deny that part  at least because you changed between holding onto Nezumi’s horns then and giving them back now- feelings back in the room we were just in. And Nezumi wants to know if there’s anything she can do to help, because Mayurakazuemiko-chan has a friend in Nezumi, and friends don’t leave friends hanging if they fall into being a Mrs. Nesbit!”

...Bee-tee-dubs though, Nezumi is totallys still going to do that. Like, it’s totes been scientifically proven that hearing certain sounds right in your ears can make your brain give your body megas relaxing meditation tingles! Whatsit called...Asinine-R! Oh! Mayurakazuemiko-chan  can come  over tomorrow and let Nezumi show her how it works~!”

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❈ grateful return. | nezumi & mayurakazuemiko. | ch ii.

[magic-mouseketeer]

mayurakazuemiko‌:

The pianist watches the theatrics with a blank smile, following the horns as they make their way back onto Nezumi’s head. That is better, she must agree. As Nezumi went on with her thank-yous, Mayura couldn’t really say anything else in reply other than giving her a polite smile and quietly saying ‘You’re welcome.’ Looks like any references went over her head.

She sits with her knees together and feet planted firmly on the ground, her hands resting on her lap now that they were free. She glances down at the girl’s swinging feet, bringing her gaze back up once Nezumi talks again. The change in demeanor is something she doesn’t miss.

“There is no need to be concerned about me.”

Her smile stays put, eyes not giving away anything to Nezumi in terms of how she may be feeling.

“I do not need to speak with anyone. I believe we all have spoken enough at the trial, would you not agree?”

Mayura leans in slightly, staring down at Nezumi as if she is trying to intimidate her. She then relaxes, straightening up and looking past Nezumi to stare at the window– even though they can’t really see anything out there.

Nezumi doesn’t flinch at how intensely  Mayura  stares, keeping eye contact with her  until the pianist herself looks away.  Sure, such a frozen expression might have given outside observers the absolute creeps, but for Nezumi it just sort of seemed like one of Mayura’s normal character quirks by now. ....Probably not an emotionally healthy one, but definitely not scary when knowing that there was just a normal girl behind it. Placing her hands between her legs and looking upwards towards the  ceiling, as she very audibly muses  her thoughts out loud.

“Hmm...so you say it might not be a need, like how people  need air, or how Nezumi needs at least ninety minutes of animated canon content injected into her brain every night before bed...”

She turns her head to face Mayura again, pumping both her fists together in determination even if the pianist wasn’t really looking in her direction. 

“But Nezumi def wants to be concerned  about Mayurakazuemiko-chan! ...Like, not like the way where she wants things to always be bad so she can be a megas worrywart all the times, but in the “Nezumi totes wants to look out for her coolio piano friend” kind of way, y’know?”

“Soooo like, even if Mayurakazuemiko-chan isn’t exactly up for a chitchat right this very second, Nezumi’s still down for doing it laters. Or if she’s the type that prefers someone just being there with her over directly talking about feelings stuff, Nezumi can do that too!”

[rewoundcircuit]

❈ grateful return. | nezumi & mayurakazuemiko. | ch ii.

Upon entering the train, Mayura was ready to sit in the back corner, not wanting to face anyone just yet. Looking down in her hands, however, she realized that she still had someone’s headband. She stares at it for a few moments, knowing that she was going to have to face the actress eventually. Even as the train starts moving, the pianist stays put for a moment, thinking about what to do. Finally, she lifts her gaze to the rest of the train, locating the classmate she needed to speak with.

Once she saw her, Mayura made her way carefully through the moving train, and took a seat next to Nezumi.

“Kuromaru-san.”

She smiles politely at the shorter girl, and then presents the headband on her two open palms.

“Thank you for your generosity and kindness during our… class meeting. I would like to give you back your hair accessory.”

Her eyes quickly flicker to the top of her head, and her smile widens.

“You look rather unlike yourself without it, I must say.”

[magic-mouseketeer]

What had Nezumi been expecting when the word “execution” came up? Probably something along the lines of the motive where they would shoot you point blank in a dingy room, or an electric chair if they wanted to act “classy” about it. But some sort of weird….Tron…platformer shocky thing? Nezumi didn’t really know what to make of that.   Really, the only thought she wanted to linger on for longer than a minute was how much it could deter people  from making the same stupid mistakes ZenZen did... But that super unsubtle aside from the Mono guy saying pretty much saying they’ve done this teen murder game before? Now that’s another story! Was he talking about that oh-so-mysterious class that befell this very same accident twenty-eight years ago? Probably, what reason would there be to mention that plot tidbit otherwise-  

“Oh! Mayurakazuemiko-chan!” Where Nezumi had once been staring at quickly passing lights of the subway  now lay the familiar smiling face of the SHSL Pianist. Shifting from her backwards seated window gazing to  an actually normal sitting position,  Nezumi makes a combination of wooshing and sparkle noises with her mouth as she pucks her horns from Mayura’s hand  and places them back on her head.

“Fufu~ What can Nezumi say except you’re welcome~? The answer is “Thanks to  Mayurakazuemiko-chan for returning Nezumi’s piece de resisty~!”  Without it, Nezumi’s character design  has an indistinguishable silhouette that isn’t good for merchandising!”

There are absolutely no hints of any pondering whatsoever now that she sinks into this conversation with Mayura,  Nezumi holding onto the edges of her seat as she allows her legs to swing childishly back and forth.  But then her expression seems to soften a bit, after she lets her merchandising goof linger in the air for a moment.

“Buuuut...Nezumi should totes ask how Mayurakazuemiko-chan is holding up right now, yeah? ‘Cause she knows that things were....not supers great even  before we got into the deep of it. Do you need  someone to talk to, or...”

[rewoundcircuit]

It's Time to Get Things Started (On The Murder Show Tonight)| Nezumi| Trial 1.1| attn: all

…Geez, for a bunch of weird potential-robot guys holding them hostage in a murder game, they sure were anal about making sure everyone was in arbitrary assigned seating. …Maybe they were from some kind of school after all, huh? But hey, Nezumi wasn’t being not-paid at all to sweat over the small stuff right now, time to get down to business!

“Ba-da-da-buh-bum~!” Nezumi sounded out like a trumpet, as she posed her pointer finger it the direction of the large circle of podiums around her. “The time has come at last! The time to find out who did the awful, no good, very bad thing to Heidiyoshi-chan~! Nezumi hope’s the bad guy is ready, because they’re going to be so busted~!”

But enough she places her hand cutely behind her back,   leaning forward on her own podium as she made a small humming noise.

“….Buuuuut, let’s try to be cool this time and not take the fast pass option for voting, cha~? That’s like, kiiiindas what gots us heres in the first place.”

“Anyways anyways~! What did Nezumi’s group find? Let’s see… We found out about train time tables,  that Ryuu-chan looks good in hats, Heidiyoshi-chan was supers mega a scatter brain~….”

“Oh, and also the murder weapon maybes.”

[rewoundcircuit]

The Temperance League Speakeasy|| Nezumi || Post-Motive Chapter 1|| Attn: Kimiko

[magic-mouseketeer]

cheerheart‌:

After all the commotion of the previous day’s… events, Kimiko decided she would refer to them as, it had finally occurred to her that somehow, on the first day of the talent labs opening up, Kimiko had… totally missed one! Whaaaat? It wasn’t like her at ALL to do such an lacking job! Perhaps it was the chain of hair raising interactions she’d had in the first couple she investigated that put her off opening herself up to another such incident. 

But now, with their time limit halfway up and the stupid motive board already all filled in making the pressure of possible murder feel a little bit in doubt in Kimiko’s opinion, she really didn’t think there was any excuse to not look into that final lab today. 

Even if she did procrastinate a little first by checking all the other labs for signs of company she could bother-  only to find exactly what she had been looking for in the last and unknown lab! If Kimiko was more of a believer in luck, she might’ve attributed it to that. 

To top it all off, her new company also seemed to be launching right into some kind of messing around! Talk about a casual conversation opener! But one Kimiko was all too willing to go along with- as easily and smoothly as if she’d slipped on a shawl Kimiko’s expression had become the one of weariness Nezumi could have referred to in her opening statement as she crossed over to the bar, gracefully easing herself onto a bar stool and resting her chin in her hand with the weight of every movie-bound woman come to complain about her partner clearly resting on her shoulders. Kimiko’s own voice slipped into a more breathy tone to match all around, giving the hanafuda lab quite the cushioned atmosphere. 

“Oh, you know me all too well… say, why didn’t I ever just wanna keep you around instead, huh? I always knew you’d be someone who’d look out for me..!” 

A gentle sigh as Kimiko closed her eyes and carefully put her hand to her cheek, the epitome of sadness- before her eyes sprung open and she dropped her chin back into both hands now in a much more casual manner, shooting Nezumi a wry grin as though their brief act had been all one big great secret to share. 

“Aww, but really! If you ACTUALLY have anything like that behind there, I definitely wouldn’t say no if you’re offering, uhhhh… Nezumi Kuromaru, right? Orrrrr do you have a secret bartending alias, hee. Did you come along here just to do that? Could it be ANOTHER secret talent in our class?” 

“Isn’t that just one of life’s pressures.” The actress mused calmly, as she placed her glass down and began  mixing the fruit juices in one graceful, fluid motion. She barely seemed to pay attention to the procedure, however, when weary yet resigned eyes were so focused upon the girl in front of her.

“The expectation that you let go of childish things and be content in the lifestyle society expects from you. ...Haaah. Our girlhood days  feel so long ago now...”

Her body sultrily leaned forward  upon the bar counter, leaving her face inches away from Kimiko’s. Close enough for the two girls to feel each other’s slow breaths... ...Only for Nezumi to burst into an explosion of energy at the last second as she  quickly replaces her presence with a tall glass of lemon lime soda.

“FWA-HA! Nezumi’s magical potion brewing lies beyond the binary of Ultimate talent or not~!  ‘Cause like,  only being good at the one thing the school picked you out for sounds supers sad and pathetic, cha~?”

It was almost as if her performance was  foot that briefly stood upon the pressure hose that was her actual behavior, for soon  after her gesture-filled exclamation  she was darting around like a chipmunk to grab and pour the various colorful juices into her concoction. And as a very magical finishing touch, she swirled every thing up with a star-topped swizzle stick she managed to find beneath the counter.

“Ta-daaas~!! Now that’s cherry, raspberry, strawberry, and a supers special secret ingredient that  Nezumi knows  could only be appreciated by Cheer Heart-chan herself! Bon appetizers~!”

[rewoundcircuit]

Guest Relations || Chapter One || Nezumi || Attn: Atsuko

[magic-mouseketeer]

fxrmal‌:

“Doctored footage, huh…O-or, as you put it, automatons? Like that one horror game.”

Atsuko raises a hand to her chin before contemplating the statement. It’s possible, sure, and perhaps even wishful thinking, but…

The chance that Nikolaievich could still be alive…?

…

Perhaps thinking that was a little too dangerous, wasn’t it?

“Thank you, dear Kuromaru-san. I apologize for that display I put up there earlier, however. I do pride myself on keeping myself calm and collected, but…”

“…needless to say, I haven’t exactly found myself in a killing game, you know? New experiences do tend to throw one off their ‘groove’, as it were.”

“But nonetheless, the fact that you wanted to come and comfort me means an awful lot. I appreciate it incredibly. Thank you.”

“…out of curiosity, Kuromaru-san…did you kill the loved one you were assigned? Or automaton. Or have you not made a decision yet?”

”Ne ne, you don’t have to feel ashamed over being upset or whatevs. Like, that’s  a super legit messed up experience you had to go though even compared to the rest of us. If you feel like you have to keep up with your usual routine...Really, no one’s gonna fault Atsuko-chan for expressing herself right now.

...Whatever had gotten into Nezumi  say something like that,  she immediately snaps back into her  usual  buffoonery at Atsuko’s loaded question.

  “OhWowDefNo  on killing an innocent joe~!! That is so not supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”

For emphasis to her shock she even managed to do the pose that weird French guy did on that old show about the sextuplets... But soon enough she snaps into crossing her arms  and biting her cheek in thought as she tries to puzzle some things out.

 For Nezumi it’s kind of a weird case where he’s both a robot and an actual person at the same time? So like, she has to talk to Yoko-chan on whether he has back up drives somewhere so we can work on saving more than ten guys!” ...She decides to avoid mentioning her thoughts that he’ll end up spared anyway due to the really high chance of revenge murder  happening.

“...Actuallys, it was kind of strange. Instead of saying his name it was all “Will you kill a Homon Kurusu?” So that might be what Yoko-chan’s....”species” is called? And he looked just like a regular 9-to-5 office guy too...”

“Blathering Blatherskites! What if there’s some kind of invasion of the booty-snatchers happening right under humanity’s nose!? Mankind replaced by androids stuck in their Alpha stage just like your average indie game! Nezumi prepared for a WALL-E robo-future, Atsuko-chan!”

[rewoundcircuit]

Guest Relations || Chapter One || Nezumi || Attn: Atsuko

[magic-mouseketeer]

fxrmal‌:

It takes embarrassingly long for Atsuko to get herself collected but, at the very least ( reasons to herself ), she isn’t wearing an incredibly amount of mascara that could trail down her face like a certain someone. Instead, she simply finds herself with some puffy eyes that she dabs away with a wet napkin.

So although she’s still a bit flushed by the time she encounters Nezumi, she still finds herself able to hold the conversation without any of those embarrassing hiccup-gasps that come after a good cry.

“Oh? Something important?”

She hasn’t had a chance to talk to the girl beforehand, but it’s not as if she hadn’t noticed her. Sure, it was a bit hard to stand out in a class that was already composed of Super High-School Levels, but wearing little devil horns would certainly do the trick.

Atsuko quickly swipes her nose and stands a little straighter.

“Well, if it’s ‘Disney-dang’ important, it really must be crucial information you wish to impart onto me, mustn’t it?”

“In that case, please do not delay, Kuromaru-san!”

...Well this immediately serene behavior reeked of serious emotional repression. Something Nezumi learned to be pretty good at spotting thanks to watching her super old twenty-something co-workers on the job long enough. But that’s something to be addressed at a  much later date!

  “Okay so like, Nezumi’s been around Main Street enough times to know the sort of stuff that goes into animatronics, right? It’s in that  profile thingy,  and  we already know we have robots going on with Yoko-chan and that Aeon guy  and maybe those  mono people? Can mono turn you into a robot?  Maybes Nezumi should get checked  out or- Oh!”

She seemed to realize she was getting off track, as she suddenly snapped to attention and looked Atsuko in the eyes- and even held her pointer finger close by her cheek for emphasis.

“An~y~ways~! What Nezumi has been seeing in these videos is totes the Moon Landing 2.0! And like those tourist-dollar stealing nerds at NASA  they totes weren’t planning on someone with a keen eye like Nezumi’s to see through their really cheap automaton routine! They’re just trying to set us up to do something crazy!”

Nezumi’s body relaxed a bit after that sudden declaration, as she sheepishly rubbed the side of her arm.

“...Nezumi’s gonna try and go around to  tell everybodys,  but she thought Atsuko-chan deserved to know first because....yeah.

[rewoundcircuit]

Guest Relations || Chapter One || Nezumi || Attn: Atsuko

[magic-mouseketeer]

rewoundcircuit‌:

All righty!  Though took a teensy  weensy little bit of getting herself fixed up in the bathroom, but Nezumi was ready to go steppin out in style and feelin’ high! What had just happened in the last hour waaaaaaas…a lot to take in!  But it sure did give the actress a whoppin’ to-do list for the rest of the day,  so she for sure couldn’t stand around contemplating….certain things when she had work on her hands!

”Atsuko-chan, Atsuko-chan~?”

And first on that list was locating a certain girl who just had the fate of a loved one decided by sheer curiosity! Sure, Atsuko was like a good three inches taller than Nezumi, but something about the atmosphere around her made it reallyhard not to imagine the barista  as some kind of small animal. So when it comes to seeing said small animal actually apologize for actually feeling mad about what Hideyoshi had done…Yeah, Nezumi  really needed to talk to her about this first. Thankfully, the first place Nezumi guessed she would be is also the place the actress finds her, hanging around the chain coffee shop in the food court.  The actress is quick to approach once she catches first glimpse of Atsuko,  dramatically plopping both of her hands on a close-by table to catch her attention.

“Atsuko-chan, there you are! Nezumi knows that you must be feeling supers bummed out right now, but she knows that this is something really suuuuper important that she needs to tell you like, right the Disney-dang now!”

[rewoundcircuit]

Come Out Moon, Come Out Wishing Star || Nezumi|| Chapter 1 || Motive Reaction

At the rapid pace that things were going, it was hard for Nezumi to keep up with reacting to everything that was happening.   First the announcement of the “motive”, then watching Hideyoshi’s fatal mistake and the lifeless aftermath (and those who were paying attention might notice Nezumi looking a little green around the gills), and then the absolute rage that ended up radiating off of Atsuko… …So, for now it was better to focus on the video she had in her hands.  The lifeshe had in her hands. Nezumi knew from the start she was going to spare whoever this was, because really, who would be awful and stupid enough jerknot to? Though as she watched the video she noted she would probably have to talk to the robo-cop girl about how exactly these schematics wor-

“….”

And that, as the actress’ expression goes from confused curiosity to absolute shock, is the exact moment that Nezumi’s blood runs cold.

“Wh…W-What is…H-How…

The words die like ashes in her mouth, the normally loudmouthed girl  struck absolutely speechless  as her eyes dart between her Monopad and the sadistically taunting “PENDING”  that sat beside her name on the board.  

How eerily still it laid as more and more names  rapidly switched over to “KILLED”.

This…couldn’t be right, could it? No matter how many times Nezumi read it over in her head it didn’t make any sense  at all… But at the same time… they wouldn’t, right?  So many people were  making this  horrible choice without a second  thought, but for this…they wouldn’t, t-they couldn’t,  oh dear God she was just a-!

Nezumi Kuromaru: SPARED

…Nezumi crumples like paper onto a nearby seat, the trembling tension that shook her whole frame while she was standing suddenly cut like the Gordian knot.  She hugged her Monopad tightly against her chest in relief,  muttering  under her breath in the only words she can even get her mouth to utter.

“Oh thank God, ohthankGodthankGodthankGod-”

[rewoundcircuit]

Chapter 1 | Those We Leave Behind

(tw: blood, gunfire)

“I will not stand for this!!”

You hear a loud yell from amongst you. Turning around, it’s apparent that it is the resident hanafuda player as he continues to yell.

“You expect me to believe that a tap of the button will determine whether or not someone dies? When all this video is is just of them imprisoned?!”

“Yes!”

“What kind of fool do you take me for?!”

Hideyoshi scoffs. He turns his gaze back to his e-handbook with a look of disdain across his face and continues to speak. Some of you might even be able to look over his shoulder or otherwise take a peek and see the prompt on his tablet screen: “Will you kill Atsuko Nikolaievich?” with a [YES] or [NO] option below it. There’s some small text at the bottom but it’s a bit hard to read from your position.

“I won’t be deterred by a bluff like this. It is nothing, surely. You will not scare me with theatrics and words alone!”

With that, he presses one of the buttons. His expression is stern as he watches but you watch as it drops completely at the sound of a gunshot. Any other audio had been quiet, seemingly nonexistent, from the video beforehand but this is audible to all of you in the dead silence of the station.

“N-No… This can’t… This can’t… I d-didn’t…! I didn’t!!”

His features become marred with anguish, with shock, and as he sputters, failing to come up with the power he did before, you understand what he has become etched with.

Despair.

He’s trembling but he soon runs off in a mad dash, the clattering of his handbook the last thing he leaves you all with. Monokuma sighs and strides over, picking up what’s been discarded.

“Knew it. At least it’s not damaged, I guess… Yikes.”

“For anyone who’s wondering, here’s what he saw.”

He turns the pad and shows the video currently playing on the tablet. It’s a small screen, but the sight of crimson floods your vision even if you’re standing faraway.

On the screen is a fancily dressed girl, some of which you might recognize as Atsuko Nikolaievich, a girl who has been admitted into Hope’s Peak Academy’s winter roster for the 82nd Class. If you had done this research, you would also know her to be the upcoming Super High-School Level Duchess.

Or rather, she was going to be all that. Instead, she is lying against the wall of the cell with blood seeping out of a bullet hole in her chest, never to breathe again much less lead people or attend a prestigious academy.

Monokuma turns the pad away and passes it to A-30N, muttering an order for him to go deliver it back to the boy’s room. With that, the food court cashier whirs away.

“Well, that’s all we had to tell you. Remember, three days is all you’ve got.”

And he too whisks himself away. However, his presence leaving you all is not the thing that haunts this. No, instead if you were to look at the newly installed board on the wall, you would see the following sight:

ATSUKO AINARA - KILLED

[rewoundcircuit]

Chapter 1 | The Calm Before the Storm

“You guys are probably tap-happy, but before you open that, lemme get something straight, got it?”

“Each one of you got a video of somebody else. You probably won’t recognize who it is, but it’s the loved one of someone else in this place– Monomi and I not included, naturally.”

“Spoiler alert, but you’ll be given a choice: kill the person or spare ‘em. Of course, we’re not idiots and know you’d all just choose mercy if not for one other fact.”

The male chaperone gives an expectant look over towards A-30N.

“Only 10 people can be saved. You will be prompted with the question ‘Will you kill’ followed by the name of somebody’s loved one. After ten people choose ‘NO’, that option be blocked. Figuring out who lives and who dies is up to you! While I am not an expert in ethics, If there’s anything I can help with, let me know! I am always here to make your experience at Zenith Station as smooth and as easy as possible.”

“A board of whose loved one has been killed or spared will be posted up on the wall here. The actual names of the hostages are kept secret between the person who loves ‘em and the person making the decision though, but you’re free to blab if you want.”

He taps the electronic board already behind him next to the timetable of the trains. The board listed every student in the class with a blank status.

“This bad boy’s gonna update in real time too. I know it’d make more sense to just have this in your e-handbooks and all, but no questions about it, alright? I’ve been yelling and screaming enough for the both of us, but some people just don’t listen. Sheesh.”

“If you kill one of your fellow students, you will be able to try to save more than ten hostages. You have 72 hours to murder and to decide to kill or spare your hostage. If any hostage’s fate has not been decided after the 72 hours, they will die. I have a very precise sense of time, so feel free to ask me how many hours are left! I am happy to make this process as streamlined as possible!”

[rewoundcircuit]

Chapter 1 | Time in the Limelight

You hear Monokuma mumble confusedly as he stares at his own e-handbook before he notices you’ve all been assembled. He rips his attention away from it, greeting you all with a toothy grin.

“Oh! Took you all long enough. Alright, let’s get this settled nice and quick. I know we can’t ALL be morning people.”

“Good morning everyone! I am A-30N! I am so excited to be here! We are having a meeting. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Any questioning looks at A-30N’s promoted role only is answered with a shrug on Monokuma’s part. You notice Monomi’s lack of presence today.

“Now, you will be given a reason to commit a murder. It is statistically unlikely for humans to commit murder meaninglessly. This is because of your sense of justice and your biological urge to not kill humans. Hopefully this gets you all motivated! I’m here to help! If this doesn’t motivate you, please let me know. Your feedback is always appreciated!”

Any hope of yesterday’s nonchalant reveal that this was to turn into a mutual killing game being all a joke becomes dimmer.

“Take a look at your electronic handbooks. There should be a new tab on it now. Real helpful for this stuff.”

Lo and behold, you indeed could access a new feature. It really must have been added extremely recently considering before you entered the lounge, it most certainly was not there.

[rewoundcircuit]

Chapter 1 | The Morning After

A few minutes after 9AM of the next day, you hear a notification ping from your e-handbook. It merely stated a tiny objective in a pop-up window:

Meet at the lounge as soon as possible.

There was no indication of who had been the one to send it, but you imagine it was likely one of your chaperones. Mixed emotions amongst you flare up considering what had happened less than forty-eight hours ago in that exact area, and though one might reread the rules to see if there was any that specified you had to go there, it likely wouldn’t end well to simply ignore the request.

Regardless of your feelings and choice on the matter, you close out the window only for a little bit later a small melodic tone to ring out from the P.A. system, ensuring no matter where you were whether or not you had your e-handbook on you that you could listen to the following command:

“Hey! Make it to the lounge pronto. You’ll all have the rest of the day to yourselves after this, promise!”

Monokuma’s message is short and simple – debatably sweet, a debate in which he is losing.

Once more, all areas seemed to be locked after his message and A-30N was sent to escort any stragglers, temporarily evicting them from their rooms. For anyone who attempted to resist him, they would find out the food court cashier was actually quite the strong force to be reckoned with.

In the end, inevitably, everyone meets at the same place they started this mess.