Bang!

Yo! Name's Masato Itano, Super High School Level Exhibition Shooter. I hope we can get along just fine, eh?

[carcerare]

Masato | Sort of Body Reaction(?)/School Trial | Point Blank Shot! | Re: People, Tsukino, Makoto

Masato had pointedly not investigated. At least, he sort of did, but his definition of investigation was more often than not just kicking around dirt as he got some ramen. Besides, the others hadn’t failed to deliver on usable evidence so far, so why should he bother? He was more than content to have them struggle with each other while he sat back.

He had visited the body, gave the crime scene a lookover, and left. The last thing he desired was to spend his time in some place a dead body was festering in. It would do nothing but dampen his spirits and make him wish he was napping again.

That and, he really didn’t want to deal with people.

Still, it wasn’t like he would completely ignore them when trials came. It was better to help than to not, and it did always concern him anyhow. 

"Err," Masato raised his hand. "How tall were they again? The uh, person who bit the dust I mean. ‘Cause you have to keep in mind that if the killer really was short, and our stagehand wasn’t, then that would make lifting a bowling ball to hurt them with reaaaaaally hard. I mean, I can dig the whole ‘stunned to stab in the face’ bit, but if you’re going to stun someone to stab them in the face, it makes sense to go for the face, right? And if they went for the face then the height difference couldn’t have been too different.”

Masato shot the falconer a pointed glare, then crossed his arms. There was something particularly wrong with that girl, and he most definitely did not want anything to do with it. Nope. No sirree. 

"Aha… Yeah, I’m not undressing. I’m fine where I am. If you want to think that the killer might have bruises, more power to ya, but I’m happy in my corner.

[carcerare]

Masato | Poi....Son? | Re: Motive

Masato wasn’t entirely sure what to think when his keycard rung. It had been a long while since he had heard anything from the cats, and although a motive wasn’t too surprising- waking up to them at all did catch him off-guard. Masato shifted under the small collection of trees he had been sitting under. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but that was a product of his own carelessness more than anything.

Still… Poison gas? Was that truly what they would do? Something didn’t seem right. It almost felt like their captors were simply messing with them at this point, almost as if they were buying time for something.Perhaps it had something to do with Kawaneko being MIA, or maybe he was just being unnecessarily analytical

There was a sigh as he stood up and dusted his jacket and pants. With the threat of death looming over him (and everyone else), Masato figured it was time to at least move locations. Although running into someone wasn’t ideal, at least it would lower the chances of one of them dying.

[shsl-ocelot]

what what do you mean i haven't been around

i don't know what you're talking about. i've always been here. lurking.

(that's code for, i'm going to post sometime during the weekend because school crept up on me...)

[shsl-forester]

durarara ending ftw!!! uh ok so this is a thing i started on back when i didnt have internet for a week or so? which is why most of the kids dont have the right clothes. im working on it every now and then, but still no weisheng or yukio! lots of work in progress, as you can see. i hope to get it done before the game ends :B 

[carcerare]

Masato | A Shooting Game | Re: Execution/Maps | Outside

At least there wasn’t a boom this time around.

Masato had taken the situation rather amicably. They had been proven wrong and somehow someone else had gotten executed for it. The logic was beyond him (or lacking altogether, rather) and he didn’t really want to think too hard on why it should have pissed him off. There were other, more pressing matters. Like how this new area was both simultaneously fun and boring at the same time.

The exhibition shooter stood outside of the train station, hands firmly sunken into his pockets. He wanted to do something to distract himself from what he had just saw, but the presented options were… Lacking. Really lacking. There was the temptation of quietly returning to a different portion of the map, but moving away from the pack seemed like a dangerous idea.

Not that it mattered.

It seemed that regardless, Kawaneko and Kuroneko would scare them shitless. So even if he had split away from the others… He would just have to deal with the fact that if the cats attacked him- then no one else would know until it was far too late.

Which, to be fair, had been their modus operandi so far anyways.

With a stray, pointless whistle, Masato began to walk. Where? He didn’t know. Maybe he could find out where that blood on Kawaneko came from. Maybe he could grab something to eat. Sushi wasn’t too bad, although he would have still preferred noodles.

[carcerare]

Woah what's this? Looks like Masato is going to be petty and vote for Abel Baudin.

[carcerare]

Masato | School Trial | Pffffft.... No | Re: Abel

"No."

That was shockingly quick from Masato. It seemed that this was something he had said quite often, or at least often enough that it had become a gut response. He quickly dismissed Abel with a flick of his wrist, then held his gloved hand up. Masato pointed at it with his other hand.

"The glove doesn’t come off."

It was a firm statement, and the exhibition shooter glared knives and daggers at Abel. He lowered his hand back to his podium and shut his eyes. Was he thinking? Maybe it was to figure out his words, or maybe he was just tired. Either way, it didn’t take him long to speak again.

"As I said before, gloves aren’t necessary to protect yourself when handling glass shards… Not if you have ample amount of time. Someone with nice dexterity could do it even quicker, I’d wager. You would just have to hold it in a way that wouldn’t cut you.

Dexterity which, by the way, I don’t have.”

Masato held his gloved hand up just a tad, then moved his fingers. They were slow and clunky, almost as if the glove was severely impeding their movements.

"And more importantly, why would you suspect someone who was confirmed to not have been present, when there were at least four other people there? That sounds pretty dumb, if you ask me. You should be interviewing the people who said they were there.”

With that all said and done, Masato opened one of his eyes once more and crossed his arms, firmly locking the gloved arm below his non-gloved. It was apparent that the subject of his left hand was sensitive to him. Apparent enough that he had gotten at least somewhat angry.

[carcerare]

Masato | School Trial | A Group Effort | Re: Chinatsu, Abel, Hisato/Haru

Masato whistled, his attention clearly divided between the various points being brought up and contested. His gloved hand rested against the edge of the podium, while his free one tapped against the railing repeatedly as he took everything in. A wry smirk spread across his face, as if something had amused him. He turned very briefly to Chinatsu.

"Maybe they just hated the place. Either way, it sounds like it was one hell of a show."

Then, his gaze was directed towards Abel. This time he was a little more serious. His smirk had faded and returned to a more neutral expression, one that seemed like he was thinking.

"If you’re careful, you probably won’t get cut by a broken glass shard. Maybe if the killer was in a rush, they would suffer some injuries. If they had a few minutes though? They’d probably be fine.”

Finally he turned to shoot a glance towards Hisato. His opinion on him had been lacking, but with how the conversation was unfolding now- well, Masato was definitely amused. Hisato had definitely brought up an interesting point, one that those present would have to explain.

"Oi, oi, oi… How many people were in that group? Four? I’d say that would mean we have four primary suspects. ‘Cause lemme tell you, I was fast asleep for that night show, and I’m pretty sure that the others that weren’t around for it were doing the same.”

He tapped his chin with his gloved hand as his free hand gripped the railing.

"Hmm… A detailed account from everyone that was there would be nice. A detailed individual account, of course.

[shsl-ocelot]

small update: I've been catching up with the investigation. Sorry for not being around earlier, but my productivity dropped the past few days due to some personal stuff. I'll be here for the trial proper though! :'c

[carcerare]

Chinatsu | The Sobbing Saga continues | Temple | RE: Masato

[vivalanine]

  Although the cultural significance was something Chinatsu was also interested in, she was far more curious to see how it was built. It would only come in handy in her later life, when she would eventually build a temple for some occasion - given that she left this place alive, that is.

Right now, she didn’t want to imagine the worst case scenario and quickly banished it to the back of her mind. She would never be able to completely remove it, she was far too much of a worrywart for it, but at least for some time, she could forget about it.

Her eyes darted to her sides when she heard how Masato came closer. He was looking at the puzzle just like her, before he declared that this wasn’t his forte. At least, that’s how she read his words.

"I-It’s certainly strange… b-but I t-think I’m going t-to give it a try l-later on. M-Maybe w-we get something for solving these? T-Though it’s already a-a g-good thing t-there is something t-that could k-keep us occupied…"

Even though it wouldn’t be for long. Seriously, that wouldn’t distract her for many hours - a hour at most would be needed to solve all three Sudoku puzzles.

"I-I wonder if there are other ouzzles s-somewhere…?"

[shsl-ocelot]

After giving the sudoku puzzles a look over, Masato stepped away and peered around the temple some more. Puzzles weren't something he cared for, so for him it was better to spend time exploring and searching. Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be much in the temple, and Masato never really left earshot of Chinatsu. 

"Other puzzles? Probably. Maybe they're in the other new areas."

He didn't think the cats would actually give them many of these puzzles. If they did, then they were probably useless or trivial in some way. If they hid the key for getting out, then it would be another case. Masato doubted that their kidnappers would actually do such a thing however- it just didn't make sense for them.

"But hey, if you think they'll be useful or whatever, knock yourself out. If you get something from them, you should tell me what. Maybe they'd be worth doing."

[carcerare]

Chinatsu | The Sobbing Saga continues | Temple | RE: Masato

[vivalanine]

  After Masato turned around and walked into the temple, Chinatsu followed suit, though she did keep her distance. She didn’t want to be too close to a nearly complete stranger, but also not too far away to make things even more awkward than they already were. Why was it so difficult to interact with people? Animals were so much more easier to get along with…

When they were inside of the temple, Chinatsu didn’t hesitate one bit to look around and examine the deails of its interiour. The Sensoji temple was certainly a beauty and the landscape architect could totally see herself admiring this building for many times in the next days.

Though she couldn’t exactly concentrate on it when Masato directed his words at her.

"U-Um, it’s Chinatsu a-and, err, I know a-a little bit about t-temples. I think an i-interiour architect would b-be more knowledgable about this t-then me… M-Maybe I could g-give you a f-few basics…? T-Though I actually never designed a-an area with a temple. S-Sorry…"

Why was he even asking? Or did he just tried to make some sort of talk happen between them? She wasn’t too sure about it, to be honest…

Before she could muse more about it, something caught her eyes - to be more precise, three puzzle blocks in the walls. This certainly made her blink in surprise. This wasn’t supposed to be in the temple!

"S-Sudoku…?", she murmured as she approached it, tilting her head slightly. This… could actually provide good distraction, but beginning it now would be rude to her current company.

"W-Why would they implement t-this here…? The poor t-temple."

[shsl-ocelot]

Masato scratched the bridge of his nose, humming a foreign tune as he did so. 'Chinatsu' had said something interesting. Apparently an exterior and interior architect were fairly different in scope and knowledge. He checked that little tidbit off his list of 'things he didn't realize existed'.

The temple wasn't anything special to him, nor were its insides. Sure, it was pretty, but that was it. The religious or cultural significance was lost upon him as he wandered the halls, taking care not to stray too far from the only architect he knew.

"Basics, eh? Sure. I mean, what kind of basics-"

He turned to meet Chinatsu, but was met with... Sudoku. A lot of sudoku. Masato furrowed his brows and walked over to the landscape architect, glancing over the newly presented puzzles. After a few minutes of consideration, he whistled loudly.

"If they expect me to sit down and do some puzzle... Well, they're expectin' a lot more than they should from me."

Masato glanced towards Chinatsu. Was she going to do the puzzle? Maybe he could steal her answers and reap whatever rewards the puzzles hid, or maybe he would just sit around somewhere and take a nap. For a place he didn't care much for, the temple was oddly soothing.

[shsl-falconer]

makoto’s hair is a complete mystery to me

[carcerare]

Chinatsu | The Sobbing Saga continues | Temple | RE: Masato

[vivalanine]

  On second thought, this might have been a stupid idea. She didn’t know a thing about Masato, so why would she think that he would be okay to be approached like this? Maybe he would get annoyed and just tell her off?

The negative outcomes that were forming in her head didn’t exactly help Chinatsu to loosen up.

Though so far, it didn’t seem like as if he would get angry. That was a good sign, right? Even though his talent made her anxious, it’s not like he would shoot her right at the spot. Oh god, why does she always keep thinking about the worst case scenarios?! That’s why she will never be able to normally talk to other teenagers, because she is just assuming the worst right off the bat.

Though it wasn’t easy to think otherwise as of now.

Anyway, his little greeting gesture caught her a little off-guard, but she didn’t say anything. Was he tipping an imaginary hat to her? How strange… or it was just out of habit. Either way, it certainly wasn’t threathening, so that was a start.

"Ah, u-um-", the girl started, stuttering as always. She certainly wanted to go inside and explore the temple again, but she originally planned to do it alone. Then again… It might be not a bad idea to be with someone else. At least, they wouldn’t get mistaken for intruders like this… right?

Chinatsu cleared her throat - it was time to man up here:”Y-Yes, I, uh, w-want to explore the temple. I-I already visited the place a-a few times b-before all this, b-but you can never know i-if something might be t-there to help us, right? O-Or even ch-changed.”

And there were also a few parts of the temple that she never got to see, so there was that.

"I, um, w-wouldn’t mind t-to accompany y-you… i-if it would be, err, a-alright with you, o-of course!"

[shsl-ocelot]

Masato nodded and just like that, he walked off. If Chinatsu was going to join him in exploring the temple, then surely she would keep up with him. Masato's focus was elsewhere, or rather, on the temple itself. Places of worship were never something he particularly appreciated- the architecture was one thing, but the relevance of the place was something else entirely.

How people could swarm these locations and do their rites and rituals over and over again confused him. What was the deal with faith? Was it something he just never understood, or something he never wanted to understand in the first place?

Masato wasted no time in making his way inside the temple, apparently done with gazing upon its exterior. There were a variety of possibilities that awaited them; perhaps the cats had hidden something from them, or maybe the temple's relative seclusion from the damage inflicted to the city was a sign. Maybe it was a safe place.

"Chiharu, right? What do you know about temples and how they're built?"

He spoke aloud to Chinatsu, wherever she was.

[carcerare]

Chinatsu | The Sobbing Saga continues | Train Station -> Temple | RE: Masato

Chinatsu was one of the students who screamed in terror when Kawaneko came back with Shibe’s corpse. She staggered back and fell down, landing hard on the floor. Even though it had hurt, all Chinatsu could do was - guess what - cry. Wail in her misery as she simply stared at the mascot, shaking violently. If it was this easy to get yourself killed by these stupid cats, then there really was no hope left. One wrong move and you were dead.

She felt sick to her stomach.

Still trembling as she slowly got up, the landscape architect staggered away from the train station, away from the corpse, away from death and all this insanity. As she tried to get ahold of her ID card, she mumbled frantically to herself:”Th-Those c-cats are in-insane, t-they are o-out of their g-goddamn mind, h-how are we s-supposed to- W-what the b-bloddy hell- S-Screw those p-psychopathic b-bastards-”

It was probably a good thing that no one was near her when she started to curse. Normally, she would abstain from doing so as it wouldn’t be polite, but right now, she couldn’t care less. It’s not like there was anybody to scold her for doing so, right? Might as well take advantage of it and let off a little steam in this sense.

As they were trapped inside this area, Chinatsu thought that she should go to the place that would calm her the most - which meant her feet led her to the temple.

She already missed the park, the koi garden and the museum… These were such nice spots, where she could just relax… Now, the only place that could possibly fit her liking was this temple. She had already seen it before a few times, but it was still nice to gain another look at it.

Though again, there was someone else already.

If Chinatsu wouldn’t be so stubborn about being quiet, she would groan in annoyance. Why was she always walking into someone if she just wanted to be alone?!

Especially now that she looked like a mess again. Although she stopped sobbing, her eyes were puffed and her shoulders slumped. Not exactly the nicest appearance, but what can you do?

Chinatsu heard his question and despite everything telling her to just go ahead and search for a peaceful spot, there was a part of her mind which demanded for conversation. No, not conversation - distraction. She needed a distraction from what has happened, so she might as well take this one.

"T-That’s correct… It’s, e-err, a beautiful t-temple, isn’t it?"

She couldn’t believe she actually spoke up which made her anxious right off the bat. Chinatsu began to play with her bracelets as she nervously glanced at the other boy. If she remembered right, his name was Masato Itano. All she knew was that he was gifted with guns which… made her worry. Hopefully, the Nekomachine would never give him a real gun or else, things might get ugly…

"K-Kobayashi Chinatsu. SHSL Landscape A-Architect. I-It’s… um, n-nice to meet you."

[shsl-ocelot]

Masato immediatly turned in the direction of the voice that had spoken, and his eyes locked upon the nervous wreck that so appeared before him. If his memory was right (and it usually wasn't), her name was something that started with a 'Ch'. Maybe Chiharu. In either case, her appearance was met with a glare and a quirked brow. 

On one hand, she did confirm what the temple was- which was great. On the other, she was now attempting to start conversation with him- which wasn't so great. From what he knew of her from trials, she seemed to be the sort to cry over spilled milk, an adage he hadn't used in a while.

The exhibition shooter kept his hands in his pockets as he faced Chinatsu. His glare shifted to a neutral expression, and he took a quick step forward as if to look her over.

"Masato Itano, SHSL Exhibition Shooter. S'pleasure."

He pretended to tip a non-existent cowboy in her general direction; a greeting that he had used significantly less since his time awake in this mysterious city. Probably because he lacked headgear of any kind, and also because he was becoming progressively more tired.

"You headin' into the temple? 'Cause that's where I'm heading too. If you need company, that is."

[carcerare]

Makoto | Rule The Roost | (Ab)normal Days | [RE: Masato] | Convenience Store -> Hotel

[shsl-falconer]

  "Hmph! I bet you still have their fur on your clothes. Cat people always do. Anyway, I don’t see your name written on this roof; I’m just as free to use it as you are!"

She wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that Masato was up here in the first place. If there were no stairs, then he must have found his own way to the roof just like she did. She couldn’t very well tell him to leave, seeing as he’d at least put in the effort to climb to the top, and also happened to be there before her. He may have been an inconvenient presence, but one that Makoto could deal with.

Kicking off her shoes and peeling off her socks, the falconer sat cross legged on the ground and began rummaging around in her bag. A pile of snacks quickly appeared from within the bag, growing steadily in number as she arranged them in a careful semi-circle around her.

"Better places than this? <Gimme a break!> There’s no better place to eat than way up at the top.”

Almost as if on cue, Tadakatsu spread his wings and lifted himself off of her shoulder, launching into the sky to circle lazily above them. Makoto watched for a moment before returning her attention to the food.

"By the way, his name is — "

Splat.

When she glanced up and back at the exhibition shooter, she found that he had a conspicuous white spot on his shoulder where there had been none before. A small smile appeared on her face, the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably as she tried not to laugh.

" — Tadakatsu."

[shsl-ocelot]

[Whoops continued in private!]

[carcerare]

Masato | Rest in... Piece? | Re: Dead Doge | Train Station -> Temple | [Attn: Chinatsu]

Following the announcement was a pain, and what was significantly more of a pain was realizing that another student had lost their life. What was less of a pain was the fact that their killer was right there- they knew who had done it, and there was no trial.

For that, he was grateful.

He sure as hell wasn’t grateful for the realization that the cats could and would kill them on the spot for the dumbest of things. An intruder? Seriously? The mascot wearing person had been wearing the suit from day one, and yet the cat had mistook them for being an intruder?

At the very least, it confirmed something for him. They were not alone.

Masato took the train to the new area, and upon arrival he wasted no time in searching for the ‘temple’ that appeared on his map. An area of importance such as a religious site would no doubt be well preserved… Right?

Upon reaching his destination… His suspicions were in fact confirmed once more.

Masato took his time strolling through the long strip of road paved with stalls along its sides. If he remembered correctly, both tourists and locals alike should have shopped here. Once he reached the gate that signified the actual temple, he stopped and stared.

His hands instinctively buried themselves into the pockets of his jacket, and he frowned.

"…S-Se… Se… Se-ehn… Se-ehnso-git… No, no, it was ji- ji. Sensoji Temple. At least, that’s what it is, right…?”

The exhibition shooter spoke to no one in particular, but the question was genuine, and weighed heavy in his mind. One thing was for certain: Masato would be combing the temple.

[carcerare]

Makoto | Rule The Roost | (Ab)normal Days | [RE: Masato] | Convenience Store -> Hotel

[shsl-falconer]

  If Masato’s voice caught her off guard, then Makoto didn’t show it. Being in a bad mood with such a beautiful sky to look at was almost impossible. Not turning around to face the exhibition shooter, Makoto spread her arms wide in response to his question, one hand still holding the bag of snacks from the convenience store.

"Why?! Because it’s my duty to live the longest, best life possible! I never go back on my word!"

"Besides, I still have to — ha… haa… haachoo!”

Whatever speech she was trying to make was soon interrupted by a colossal sneeze that very nearly knocked her sunglasses off and made Tadakatsu flap his wings irritably. Unlike Makoto, the goshawk seemed very keen on watching Masato, not taking his eyes off of him even as he remained on his trainer’s shoulder.

Makoto sniffed and rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand before finally turning to glance at the other roof intruder.

"…Do you own cats?"

"No,  I guess that doesn’t matter. Everything here smells like cat anyway, thanks to those two idiots. More importantly! What are you doing up here? It was supposed to be empty."

[shsl-ocelot]

The exhibition shooter scratched his head and let out a very quiet groan. Ideally she shouldn't have heard that, but all things considered she probably did and would give him shit for it. It at least seemed like something she would do, with her whole SAMURAI WARRIOR motif going on.

"No I meant-", he sighed, "forget it."

"I own cats, yeah, but none of them are with me, so all you're getting screwed with are the drone cats. Besides, what the hell are ya asking me for? I'm up here for a nap! What are you doing here?!"

It wasn't like him to raise his voice, but at the same time what was he to do? He was tired and miss pigtails woke him up from a long-overdue nap. Besides dealing with her, he also had to deal with her flying sharp rodent, something he very much did not want to deal with.

"Are you just here to have lunch with Takatsuka or whatever? Because there are a million better places."