Bye-bye

The Fifth Stage is Acceptance | Izo

This is quite the adventure.

Izo really feels a bit lost. While some of her comments seem to reach him, he defaults to a kind of sleepy distance. Then there’s Katashi. Who’s… well, he’s dead in the first place. Dead as a punishment for murdering three. That happened so recently but the details feel so foggy already. Maybe the exhaustion is just catching up. She doesn’t even have the energy to do anything more than smile at the jokes thrown her way. Not good. She has to buck up soon.

“So dreary, you two! We’ll catch Niki’s killer and things’ll end up alright. That’s how it is. No need to focus on anything else, right? ‘Cause we’re all friends, no matter what happened before.”

Honestly she doesn’t want to hear Katashi’s drivel. Part of her doesn’t want to hear from him at all. More than anyone else, she’s the one who feels the most betrayed. But it’s better not to talk about that. Niki wouldn’t have wanted that. And in this world, the best thing is peace. That’s right, isn’t it? It has to be. She takes a deep breath, cloaking behind her hand before stepping over to the lockers herself.

“Where it all started, huh… god, that’s gonna be a lot of staircases to go down, huh? But that’s probably what she meant, yeah. That room…”

She taps at her cheek with two fingers, a thoughtful frown on her face.

“I mean. That room was special in the first place, wasn’t it? ‘Cause it was a secret or something, as I recall. We never did really find out how Shimamoto-chi found out about it, huh? Hm! Then, should we get crackin’ on the stair scaling? I’m kinda curious about all this!”

Izo was with Nijino on that one–listening to Katashi was the lowest priority here. Even the coffee pun that normally would entice a chuckle, didn’t. “I appreciate the commentary and will try my best.” His response sounded automatic, lifeless, but the words were true if it counted.

Friends…that’s right, wasn’t it? They are still all friends–they were just forced to do unthinkable acts. From that perspective it didn’t seem as horrible (slightly less).

“Right, right. We are keeping Ikutano-san waiting, are we not…? It will be fine, I agree.” Again, soft and almost near inaudible. If there was really a third party involved with her murder, then another one of the friends would be gone. Would that really be fine to them all? Thinking about it only made him frown deeply. This being one of many moments he wished he could hide once more.

“I have no objections on going. It will be rather warm for me but do not worry about that.” If they even did anyways. With that he left the room and started down the stairs, inspecting the area around them before he went too far. (He wouldn’t just abandon the two, after all. That’s rude).

#in white #reply #izo #katashi #chapter 4 #the fifth stage is acceptance

Now more than ever, things feel different. The jokes come off as obnoxious or try-hard and the laughs that come from them, should they appear, sound insincere and lost. She doesn’t actually know how to handle that. Things should be better, more positive. But her company right now is someone who seems dead inside and someone who is, quite literally, dead. Having murdered three others.

Honestly, what happened to them all?

Hopefully there was a good reason for it. A punchline. Either way, she hoped it’d be over soon.

“That’s ri~ght! We have to hurry up and find out what happened to her so she can rest easy.”

Her voice compliments Izo’s by providing the opposite flavour, boisterous and upbeat, not quite loud but strong, with meaning. She winks down at the Katashi AI.

“You think so too, right? The only way we can really end this is by finding out the truth. Then maybe... it’ll start to be okay, you know? Well, we’ve got to at least try and think like that anyway, kuku!”

With that said, she follows after Izo down the stairs, looking in awe at all the blood as she goes.

“Whoa... what happened? It’s not like Niki was bleeding, right? I wonder where this came from.”

Ah. Too morbid. And with Izo already feeling a bit out of it saying that sort of thing willy-nilly is just dangerous. It’s bad time; people are fragile. That’s why she has to make sure they hang in there. Nijino hops a couple of steps down ahead of Izo before taking Izo’s hands for a second.

“Don’t lose hope, Omori-chi. We’ll find out what happened and it’ll all get better. I know it.”

With that said, she goes back to her light-hearted self and hops down the right of the stairs ahead of Izo. She waits for him after that though so they can go to that room properly. Where it all started, huh...

Staircase after staircase. Until finally they arrive where it did truly all begin. As she walked down those stairs, it gave her time to think. Probably too much time. And too much thinking. And now that she’s finally here in this room, voices come back to her. Memories. Not ones of her previous life, the ones here.

"I'm too bright for this world- you'll all see. You'll all see... s....soon..."

Chuichi Genda.

“I think…my name…it’s Shimamoto Yasu.”

Yasu Shimamoto.

The first murderer; the first victim. She’d expected the room to be cleaned up, as has always been the case but the grim thing is, there’s blood right in front of them. Exactly where... well... exactly where... Yasu Shimamoto’s body was. A frown appears on her face.

“I guess... someone definitely went here, huh.”

She dips her fingers into the pool to confirm it isn’t dried and old. It isn’t.

The Fifth Stage is Acceptance | Izo

“While I must admit that your voice is not in fact, music to my ears, it is nice to know you seem to be doing well enough, Miyashita-san.”

He gave Nijino a look resembling ‘there’s no time for breaks’ until she stated it was a joke, causing his features to soften up once more. All he managed was a halfhearted smile, though. Perhaps if she kept them coming things would brighten up.

Izo didn’t want to exactly ruin the mood by commenting that perhaps the crook took a break before continuing, as it was the second thing that came to mind, so he just remained silent for now.

“Hmm…it feels like we were just here, were we not? And yet now it is a mess. A fine mess, the floor is. But I suppose now isn’t the time to cry over spilled coffee.” A very dry laugh, but he was trying at least, for Nijino’s sake if anyone’s.

The boy couldn’t fathom what happened here. A struggle or just an accident? And leaving it all spilled sure wasn’t nice. He carefully tried not to step in any as he went to go examine the lockers.

shslfoureyes

Their voices and their eyes… It weighed down on those virtual shoulders of his. His sins always seemed to roll down his back. He never expected to be forgiven for his actions. Even to this moment, he remembered every gruesome detail of that night. It replayed over and over in his mind endlessly, eternally as a constant reminder of the fact that a monster like him was the only person who could create a monstrosity. Hah. It’s okay. Not to murder, no, he knew he went far too far with that. Nothing could ever wash that pain off.

Katashi Miyashita found comfort within being a hated person. Not in that way, now that he thinks of it. It doesn’t make him feel better tht everyone despised his exitence, even the meer whisper of his name or glance of his eyes. Rather, it felt typical. Like he could accept it. Like he could live with it (as far as living was in an eternal fake electronic prison). Was he truly Katashi Miyashita? The AI had his face and the memories the living one salvaged in his existence. But no, people couldn’t be saved like that. He wanted death as that punishment. All he could do now was carry out whatever whims the astrophysicist had left.

But none of that. He wasn’t a person anymore. Just a tool. A tool left behind to be used like this or give some sort of half baked comfort that those alive definitely wouldn’t believe.

“That’s all any of you can do anymore…” He wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure if it was exactly what they needed. C’mon, Katashi, all you have to do is make up some positive reassuring mumbo jumbo. “But as long as you all keep on living, it won’t be for nothing. Just keep your head up? Or is it don’t look down? … Do both.”

Ah. Jokes. Comedy. An attempt at making the miserable seem not as bad by poking fun at it. Not his way of approaching things, but it seemed to work for the others, so he didn’t say much. Izo’s words both stabbed him sharply and also did nothing to pierce his skin. While he did have a slimmer of hope that they could treat him like a normal person again, it’s not like he didn’t expect a fair amount of distaste from the living.

“I’m surprised either of you would even face me again. I’d give you all a much deeper apology, but I wouldn’t like it to be hollow sounding and rushed now while we are tasked with something more urgent. Preliminary, I am deeply sorry.”

It’s difficultly to determine the genuine tone in his voice, but perhaps some remnant of it is there behind the monotonous aura of the screen. His eyes avoid the two, mostly out of complete shame. Okay, the mood’s too serious Miyashita. Crack a joke, quickly. They’re doing it, how hard could it be to come up with a witty observation?

“… Looks like someone had to pay a cof-fee.”

Fucking atrocious.

Anyways, he reverted back to being silent as the weight of that absolutely terrible joke sank in. The letter inside the locker interests him the most, given he can actually do something to help there. Hopefully they let him read it without him having to struggle with his tiny AI capabilities.

“… The first one. The letter must be referring to the hidden room on the first floor, right? That’s where Shimamoto was killed. Should we head there?”

#in white #reply #katashi #izo #chapter 4 #the fifth stage is acceptance

This is quite the adventure.

Izo really feels a bit lost. While some of her comments seem to reach him, he defaults to a kind of sleepy distance. Then there’s Katashi. Who’s... well, he’s dead in the first place. Dead as a punishment for murdering three. That happened so recently but the details feel so foggy already. Maybe the exhaustion is just catching up. She doesn’t even have the energy to do anything more than smile at the jokes thrown her way. Not good. She has to buck up soon.

“Where it all started, huh... god, that’s gonna be a lot of staircases to go down, huh? But that’s probably what she meant, yeah. That room...”

She taps at her cheek with two fingers, a thoughtful frown on her face.

The Fifth Stage is Acceptance | Izo

Izo tried not to drop her head after seeing her lifeless expression, but it was sure hard not to. Just the brief eyes-lock sent shivers down his spine. Nonetheless he tried his best to get a grip; standing around wouldn’t accomplish much after all. Unfortunately this inner monologue just caused him to stare ahead blankly, so when Nijino called out, he jumped, coming back to reality.

Ah, Miyashita-san.

Well at least he had forgiven him, so the extra company didn’t exactly “matter” in the sense of kicking up bad feelings. Besides, they could use all the help they could get with such a small number.

“Right…right. Of course. By the way…I would not recommend lifting…er, never-mind. Let us be off.” With that, he walked outside of the Nursery, and looked around the hallway. “…The less and less there are, the bigger this facility feels, do you agree? Our crook could have used a lot more than we think…”

shslfoureyes

There’s been quite an amount of time the astrophysicist has had to self reflect. Being an AI did give him a strange form of immortality if he were to think so positively. He’d laugh if there was any room for humor in his throat- it’s ironic that once he thought living forever would be a blessing. There was another time for Katashi to hold a roast of himself however. Being pulled out of his virtual prison typically meant something unsavory. To be honest, saying he was looking forward to speaking to someone again wasn’t a lie. Sure, he surely was someone awful, but at least they hadn’t forgotten about him.

That was, at least, until his glimpse from the ID showed exactly who had died. In all of his days, he wouldn’t have expected Niki to bite the bullet considering how far she’s come and the type of person she was. Strong, both physically and mentally. Even the mightiest have fallen. A bit of his hopes were sapped away for the rest of the students (like he had any hope to begin with). No matter. He got his fair share of cynicality while he lived. Even if he could not stop himself from thinking of the hopelessness of the situation, he could at least keep his mouth shut for these guys.

“Um, afternoon? If it is the afternoon, that is. Unfortunately, I have not been granted an internal clock. But it’s, ah, nice to see both of you again.” Ah small talk, the bane of Katashi’s existence.

He did have relatively positive opinions on his companions this time around. And hopefully, they didn’t see him too monstrously. (The time to deal with apologies to the both of them wasn’t now. Though, he wondered if there’d be another opportunity to speak with them for that.) Well, at least he could start thinking regarding the case.

“It does feel significantly emptier. But, uh, we did fill it in the first place… So as long as you all continue to live… Sorry, I’m not the best with motivation. But your right. The killer’s utilization of this facility could be important.”

#in white #reply #izo #katashi #chapter 4 #abnormal days #the fifth stage is acceptance

She vaguely gets what Izo’s getting at but it seems useless to follow that conversation. He probably doesn’t want to talk about it. And it’s hardly a great subject. Don’t look too deeply into your dead schoolmate or fellow patient, as it were’s eyes. It actually makes her wonder if she could even do that. Had she ever looked into one of their eyes after the fact before? It was weird, the things this place made you think about. The emptier it got in here, the more she wondered how she’d ever acted. And what anything had ever meant. But that kinda deep thinking has no place in an investigation. And now Katashi’s here. Boop, boop.

Ah, this feels right. Perfect, even! Every good book has a trio - a duo is okay, but it’s always missing that final piece. Like this, fake and electric though he might be, things feel better. And that’s what’s always really mattered, hasn’t it? What’s better. As Katashi speaks she feels prick after prick, pain and feelings she opts to ignore for a variety of reasons. Be-si-de-s~ she was the one who called him here, she couldn’t just send him away. They had a mission, anyhow, and that was the priority here.

“There’s no time, Miyashita-chi! Niki’s dead and we have to find some evidence before the trial, you know how it is!”

All too well does he know how it is. AI or not.

“I can’t believe she’s gone but... all we can do for her is find out who did this. And move on. And live, right?”

It’s kind of her way of adding in a motivational speech since Katashi’s so bad at it and Izo seems to be a bit in his own world. Not that she can blame either of them. Both are pretty normal things, all things considered. But she has to keep it up. Losing hope is just... not an option. With a skip in her step she heads towards the Break Room and leans on the door to keep it open as she trots in front of Izo with a bit too much pep.

“How about a break? Kukuku. Just a joke! But let’s check it out, anyway.”

She didn’t use to make jokes about it. At least, she can’t remember doing that. That was more Yasu’s thing... or no, Izo’s, even. Maybe this would bring some life back to him, though.

A photo from when Natsuki was alive.

#into black #prim scribs

A despair version of Nijino...

#into black #prim scribs #who is nijino takajo

The Fifth Stage is Acceptance | Izo

At this point, he should have been used to it, but he could still feel the color drain from his face at the sight. It happened once more, even after the supposed strengthened relations from being trapped in the maze. Unfortunately, temptation appeared to victor over friendship and perhaps even trust. It made him feel sick thinking about it.

His face twisted and he shook, trying not to cry. He did not want to cry in front of either one of them. He wasn’t sure about Nijino but he had a feeling that Niki wouldn’t want to have witnessed him doing so. However, he failed slightly, having one tear slip out in which he quickly wiped.

Nijino was correct–standing around, letting emotions consume you did no good. There was another investigation and he had to participate whether he felt up to it or not. He balled his hands in and out of fists to try and calm himself down, and when he was alright enough, he nodded.

“You are correct-I am sorry for the time I have wasted, even now.” He paused to exhale, and once he did, his features slowly relaxed.

“There is…something that has me curious, it might be nothing, but…”

Izo stepped closer to his former friend, swallowed down hard, fought the pit in his stomach and lifted Niki’s head, to expose her face. (only briefly).

#in white #reply #izo #katashi #chapter 4 #the fifth stage is acceptance #abnormal days

It’s hard to know what to do sometimes. She wants to stay a little out of the way so she doesn’t ruin anything Izo’s trying. But even she feels a twinge of something she can’t describe when he lifts her head. It really is lifeless. She’s dead, of course she is, but seeing it like that really makes it clear, in no uncertain terms. Gruelling. Regardless of her thought process, Nijino seems as cheery as ever as she rocks back and forth on her heels, arms behind her back. It doesn’t seem like Izo’s found anything there so she steps on over.

“Omori-chi, Omori-chi~”

She reaches out a hand to get his attention, to tap his shoulder, but then decides against it. He’s probably not the physical affection type, after all. In some window of time before she’d stepped over to him, Nijino had gotten her ID out and booted up a familiar face. Honestly she had some reservations about that, her own feelings on the person remaining complicated but she figured the more the merrier and... well, maybe Izo would get along with him, too. She brandishes her ID, showing off Katashi.

“I thought we could use the help. The body might have a lot of attention right now so, what do you think-- should we have a look outside? It’s good to try and cover as much ground as we can! There are so few of us left to do so now after all, kukuku!”

A Spoonful of Sugar | Open

Izo listened to every word with as much intensity as possible. He made sure to really hear her and not pass over what he perceived her to say. When he pieced together her reasoning, it mustered up a small smile in him. It was something that he could relate to–he felt as if he used to unknowingly, try and do the same–however levels of endurance varied from individual. Nijino appeared to have a strong one.

“…I see. I can respect that greatly…you are simply trying to be strong for everyone else’s sake, but this does not mean you are unaffected. I must say your will is impressive…I too, feel as if I have done similar. However, unfortunately…keeping it up for this long proves to be a challenge…perhaps though, now that I understand your logic that…it is not impossible.”

When she points a finger at him, he jumps slightly, confirming even more of how on-edge he is. For the first time in a while, he sincerely chuckled.

“Takajo-san, you don’t know what goes on in my head! I could’ve thought about that anytime, ah ha ha ha! However, you are very much correct that I wouldn’t do so, especially when asked. Hypothetically speaking, it is no fun for a…murderer to have such an easy target, correct?”

It was all in good fun, perhaps also insensitive but when an idea for a joke sparked he couldn’t help but let it be free. Perhaps it was her energy, but who knows.

“All I required was an apology, but I do thank you for the explanation. Never…would I have thought that the others would feel worry over the situation, but if that is the case then…I must now thank you. Thinking on it…truly without the extra baggage, I feel better. My vision has improved greatly, especially. I suppose what was bothering me was the fact that it felt…pressurizing instead of on my own terms. You can understand that, can you not?”

After a brief pause, he branched off of her last statement.

“Speaking of missing things,” He removed his right mitten and shook out a card before putting it back on, “Does the name Gourou Takajo speak to you?”

#IGNORE THIS IGNORE REPLYING I JUST WANTED TO POST THIS SINCE IT WAS DONE BUT I FORGOT IT IN MY DRAFTS #wheezeS #in white #reply #izo #chapter 4 #abnormal days #a spoonful of sugar

That’s a compliment, isn’t it? Being wilful is good. That sounds about right. But she still feels... strange about it. Like it makes her alien from everyone else. No, maybe that’s fine... it’s... complicated. And if it’s complicated she doesn’t have to think about it too much just yet.

“Aww, that’s sweet! But I’m not sure if I’m trying. Or I’m even being strong. I’m just... being what I need to be. I’ve never considered it hard. It just is. Or it should be. In any case... nothing’s impossible. Look around you, Omori-chi. You take a medieval knight to this place and you’d be accused of witchery! It’s a matter of perspective. Everything in due time is possible. If your heart believes, anyway.”

And hers does. It always will. That’s her one good point. Still, it’s good to see him laughing and when he does so, she follows suit, giggling, her posture relaxing into place.

“That’s true! But I have good intuition, you know? You’re a good person, you kno~w. If you were going to murder me you probably would’ve done it a while back. As for having a target, I can’t say. I guess it’s something only a murderer themselves in the moment would know.”

A morbid subject, maybe. But also... a necessary one, perhaps. Her optimism and hope won’t die, so there’s no need to avoid the grim subject of what’s really going on here. Sticking your head in the clouds isn’t healthy, even for an airhead like her.

“I can. But I’d rather have pressured you than been soft about it. When you’re soft, things happen slowly and that needed to happen quickly. And now we all get to see your pretty face! But it is what it is. You can’t switch out the bricks in your wall, right? Actually, I think... I’ve said it before but maybe it wasn’t so clear back then. Omori-chi, I love people. I love, love, love them with everything in my heart. That’s why their happiness is my happiness. I can suffer through anything if others are happy. So their relief is also my relief, you see? Maybe nobody suspected you but maybe somebody did. I just wanted to be sure of that and erase or confirm that doubt.”

There’s a gentle perhaps cryptic smile on her face before she shrugs it off, going back to her usual bouncy self.

“Oh, oh? What’s this?”

Nijino looks at the card with big curious eyes but then frowns, almost as if let down by something. There’s just a flicker of understanding in her face, her eyebrows raising before she draws back, almost a bit sheepish.

“... Aha! Kukuku! Well! I should recognise the name, shouldn’t I? It’s my father after all. But I’m... not really getting a memory flash thing or anything. I guess I didn’t know him that well.”

She shrugs, unsure what to make of that. It certainly was peculiar a blood relative wouldn’t give you one of those memory flashes but if the thoughts are coming they’re just not coming, right? There’s nothing she can to do to pry them out.

The Fifth Stage is Acceptance | Izo

Why is it that her vibrant green eyes should be filled with indifference? No matter which way she dices it, that’s wrong. It’s not like... she wants things like this. It breaks her heart. Really, it does. But looking at the body... no, looking at Niki like this... well, what could you do? She was dead now. No amount of crying or mewling about how unfair it was would change that, nor would it bring her back. The only real logical thing to do was to get to work. Right. That’s what Niki herself would probably do, too. Still, it was a nagging feeling, prickling the back of her mind. This mixture of pure logic and sheer emotion was never that easy to balance. She knew and would do the right thing and search with the others. But the other half of her just wanted to cry about it. Cry about all of it, honestly. How many had they lost now? Every time she saw a body she remembered just how many had left them now. But she couldn’t cry. Even if she wanted to. That emotion simply wouldn’t well up in her.

“Well. Here we are again. Like good little soldiers we should get crack-a-lackin’ with the investigation part, right?”

Too cheerful. Should she tone it down? Mm, even if she should she’s not sure if she can. Besides, it’s Izo she’s looking at. After their lack talk if anyone should get her thinking... it’s probably him, right? Well, honestly, she doesn’t really mind who she investigates with. This entire process is gruelling. It’s the same no matter what... well... there was one time it was different. She got to know Katashi a bit better during that one Felix fiasco. Poor Felix. Poor Kimiko. Poor kids that got led astray. But nobody can help them and now that Niki’s joined their ranks, she too, is lost.

“... Niki would’ve hated just loitering here, don’t you think? Omori-chi? That’s why we should hurry up and do what we can for her.”

#in white #chapter 4 #abnormal days #izo #the fifth stage is acceptance

Out of Order| Open

The loss of their room wasn’t the only horrible thing about losing the card. The Ai’s they’d downloaded were lost forever as well. Yasu wouldn’t be able to speak with anyone they’d downloaded prior, which somehow made them feel lonely, even though there were plenty of other people they could talk to. They could muse on that later though, as there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Yeah, it got smashed up pretty badly when I fell. At least I think that’s what happened. I haven’t been able to remember too much of what happened after I opened that trap door.”

Yasu’s eyes widened a little at the sound coming out of Nijino before they realized it was a high pitched noise of excitement, and they couldn’t help but break into a grin themselves. The idea of a slumber party sounded wonderful. At first they’d felt nervous about asking, but now that Nijino seemed so excited, they felt silly about worrying at all. It looked like it was all going to work out for the best. They didn’t have a ton of memories, but Yasu was sure they’d never had a slumber party before. So this would be a new experience, and a fun one at that. Or they hoped at least.

“Yeah…Snacks aren’t such a good idea but the rest of it sounds great!. We could play some games, or tell stories! I’ve got some good ghost stories, or well, I can make some good ghost stories Hehehe.”

#in white #reply #yasu mori #chapter 4 #out of order #normal days

She listens with seemingly sympathetic eyes. Nijino’s feelings on matters have never truly been all that clear. It’s true that she often appears to be kind but perhaps that kindness can seem too kind at times. At the very least, she appears to show some pity for Yasu and their loss.

“That’s alright! Don’t worry! Memories are like echoes. You can lose them, you know? Forget what you said completely. But some time or another it’ll ping off a wall, you’ll hear it and gosh, it’s like you just said it! A great philosopher once said that, I think. Kukukuku-- I’m just kidding, I made it up! But it’s a nice thought, right? Knowing that your thoughts will always return to you like that, no matter what.”

Yasu seems to be invested in the idea too! Which means the party is officially on and eeeeveryone should come and get invited. It might especially be good for Izo and Sachi given how much they’d suffered in the recent, uh, events, say. Honestly after all of this doom and gloom Nijino was ready for anything fun anyway. It was kind of like a despair palate cleanser. All this negativity needed to be blown out the door somehow. It didn’t really matter how. When. Or why. It just needed to go. They needed sunlight. She wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she could bring it but everyone together? Now that sounded about right. Yeah. That sounded like something you could make a real nice story about.

“Yeah, hmm, we wouldn’t anything that messy to happen again.”

This was a huge understatement, really.

“But for suuure! I bet you’d tell the greatest ghost stories! And I don’t like to brag but I have a few I could share myself! And we could play guessing games and just talk! Oh, can you imagine? We could just talk and talk and talk and nobody would have to feel depressed! Doesn’t that just sound wonderful?”

She outstretches her hands as if expecting them to meet her half-way, to clasp hands over this cheery little plan. Her eyes are certainly sparkling with enough expectation and excitement.

“Oh, but, gosh! We should clean up your face too! Hehe!”

A Spoonful of Sugar | Open

He wiped the tears from his eyes, at least making some sort of attempt to be a bit more presentable. Even if he did accept the coffee, or, tea for that matter, no amount of caffeine could fix how tired he was. Not just psychically, but emotionally. He wanted to get out of here, he started to truly see how awful of a place this was–and he was losing his ability to find positivity in it all.

She wished for him to speak his mind freely, a rare offer from anyone that he could recall off the bat. Sachi had also offered this, but he did not take it, so letting go of a second opportunity appeared to be more wasteful than not. For the first time in a while, he let out a long sigh.

“…I…ah. ahem. Right…Being forward is…not my specialty, at least not that I can recall…however. I must say, I…am a bit envious of this…not affecting you much, if that is the right way to put it…what I am saying is that, how can you still be so…full of energy? Full of life? Are you…not worried, Takajo-san? Any one of us standing could still be…murdered.”

“If this is not what you meant by talk, then I must apologize…if you meant…my personal feelings at the moment…I’m incredibly exhausted. I would appreciate if this could all…end, soon. Ah, and the…the events that happened down there, if you would…I…no matter what I exactly try to…pull up, it is fuzzy. By my own assumption and reasoning, it was probably…an intense struggle, I believe…”

He paused, closing his eyes to ponder.

“Another thing. I…must also say, even if it is not the best of times, I am still upset over you being so…pushy in our previous trial. It felt like an invasion of privacy…though I cannot piece together why exactly, it just did. I would like an apology.” Just in case either of us dies before we can get one, He thought to himself.

Should he have added a threat? ‘You’re not getting anything else until you do?’ No, that was not him, that would be uncalled for.

#in white #reply #izo #a spoonful of sugar #chapter 4 #normal days

Why is she so full of life?

Is she full of life? She hasn’t quite realized. Nijino’s just... Nijino’s just trying her best. Honestly she hasn’t thought a lot about her actions. It tends to roll quite naturally. Being questioned on it makes her think about it for a few seconds. Izo’s clearly had better days. He looks like he’s been run ragged and his voice doesn’t ring in the mischievous tone it used to.

“... Is that what it seems? Full of life? ... I guess... you could say that. To put it into a way you’d understand, I guess... it’s music. Soul music. Because the artist suffers and suffers but they put it into something... something to be consumed. Others might think it’s insensitive. But maybe somebody gets encouraged. Maybe someone thinks ‘if that person’s singing then I can sing’ too and then maybe it’s not so bad. If I’m worried about someone dying doesn’t that mean someone’s more likely to die? It’s like... if you don’t accept that as an answer, then how can it be selected? ... No one else will die. I believe that. And with that belief it ceases to be an option! For innnstance!”

She pauses. Her tone had been rather dry prior to this moment, lacking the sing-song cheery quality it often had but towards the end it picks back up though her face still seems a bit on the serious side. Nijino points a finger at Izo, almost accusatory in nature.

“If I tell you to kill me right now you won’t, will you? Because, why would you? The thought’s never entered your head. It doesn’t make sense. So you won’t do it. No way. It doesn’t appear as an option so how can you act on it? You can understand that, right?”

Does it sound like a delusion? Maybe it does, but, it’s her path - her choice. There’s no reason people should die - enough people have already. Is the motive really worth it? She sees a vague temptation but nothing to break the bonds that have been made. So why worry? Worrying causes panic. Panic to fear. Fear to irrational actions. Irrational actions to things you can’t take back. Why step onto a path fraught with so many known traps and thorns? Maybe she’s the only one who sees it in such a distant way. Her posture eases and the hand drops back to her side.

“Ah. Sure, I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Orrr if you’re asking that I guess you didn’t know. But you know, I’d do anything for you guys. If I do something you think is really bad or something it’s... because I’m trying to help. We proved you innocent. Maybe I came on too strong but all I ever wanted to do was help. You have my apology but... hmmm, how do I put this... if we turned back time and stuff I’m not sure I’d change what I did. Because, sure, sure, I can see that I was wrong here and now in the present... but the people of back then still didn’t know. Now that people do know, they’re not worried. If that makes you dislike me personally, that’s okay. It’s a small price for people being at peace... that’s what I think. Everyone’s thinking about themselves right now... that’s okay. I want them to. But someone has to think about everyone, too. So I guess I volunteered myself for that somewhere along the line.”

Nijino tilts her head at Izo, just staring for a bit before shrugging her shoulders with a small laugh.

“I asked you to talk but it seems like I’m the one doing all the talking, huh! I guess I just don’t like it when it gets too quiet. It reminds me that stuff is missing.”

Out of Order| Open

At the sight of Nijino, Yasu relaxed a little. They’d been startled at first but seeing the cheerful girl’s face alleviated a little bit of their fears. There was no way Nijino of all people was sneaking up on them. They were just jumpy, albiet with good reason, however they were glad they’d slipped the odd card away. They weren’t sure what to do with it yet or if they should share it with anyone else.

The girl’s bow did cheer them up a lot too, which might have been the point, and they felt like they could trust Nijino with their request, fishing out their own id card and holding it out so she could inspect it. It was practically dead, just making statickity noises occasionally, and covered in cracks. A long fall will do that to electronics.

“….My Id card is broken as you can see…And my favour, well, it’s a but on the big side, though it’s nowhere near as bad as murder. I was wondering well….Uh..”

They looked off to the side a little nervous about having to ask about something like this. Not that they didn’t trust Niji, she was definitely a good person. It was just a little embarrassing to ask to share someone’s personal space like this, especially out of the blue.

“…Would you mind sharing your room with me for a while? Or maybe helping me find someone w-who wouldn’t mind. I can’t get into my room like this, eheh…”

#in white #reply #yasu mori #Chapter 4 #out of order #abnormal days

Oooh, that face needed some cleaning up. It was such an odd first thought to have but perhaps that was in keeping with Nijino’s eccentric nature. She glances at their face long before she glances at the card but when her eyes do find the card she makes a sound that’s a cross between a gasp and a whistle. A grasswhistle! Eh? No, not quite that. Haha. Nijino tilts her head, staring at the sputtering card with curiosity. Was that just damage caused by whatever happened? Well... she supposes that makes sense but it still looks really nasty. Nijino blinks and then just frowns, reaching out to touch the card.

“You poor thing... this is horrible...”

It’s a hushed sound and you’d be forgiven for thinking she was speaking about Yasu but in actuality it really is directed at the card. Of course, she was sad about Yasu too but well, she could tell Yasu that at any time. And everybody would understand. Not many people would get this. Besides, it was in the heat of the moment. She felt bad before she could even explore why.

Though the concern washed right out of her face like dirt on a mopped floor. She makes a strange alien sound, high-pitched in nature but with no real words coming out as she struggles to keep her excitement in. It seems this ‘huge favour’ of Yasu’s is just what she needed to keep her mood as light and fluffy as always. How could this even be called a favour when it sounded like so much fun. She finally manages to compose herself enough to stop making that excited sound only to grab both of Yasu’s hands, her eyes brightening.

“How could I mind? How is that even a favour? Of course you can! Hey, hey, shall we make it a sleepover? Invite others? It’d be so much fun! We can get snacks-- oh no, actually, let’s not! But fun fun, let’s do whatever you want to do! You can stay at my place for as looong as you like! And we can talk, talk, talk all day and play around too! Kukuku! Shall we go right now? You can give the establishment a rating!”

She seems to radiate with a comical sort of pride, as if her room is any more decorated and comfy than any of the other wards.

A Spoonful of Sugar | Open

As if he could not catch a break, LISE had to make matters worse. Addiction was not to be toyed with and this time the consequences varied in severity for each person’s injuries–no matter what, it was a fine mess.

Perhaps though, at least for now…the remainder of his friends would be fine. It was not happening immediately so there was that positive aspect to consider. He had to at most try and think positively or else…or else…

He didn’t want to think about it.

When the reunion with Izo’s dear friends was over, and when the commotion from the discovery of a former friend(?) died down, he decided to get moving, distract himself from all this. Unaware of exactly what happened, Izo knew one thing for certain; he was exhausted. On top of that, his entire soul was filled with an extreme guilt.

Normally, Izo at least could try to be…mature about it, but…he felt awful even staying by Yasu, especially since the announcement occurred right after. His eyes darted away from them and he ran off away from everyone else…he had to. He couldn’t stay–it was his fault, after all.

There goes his attempt at positivity.

Somehow, someway, he found himself in the break room. Fitting, as he sure needed a nice long break that just was not trying to happen at all. His eyes were fixated to the sparkling-clean floors, so Nijino’s sudden bout made him jump slightly.

Ah, Nijino. Izo was not sure about her anymore, but his anger had definitely subsided. She appeared to be as carefree as ever, and he sure wanted that. He almost wanted to steal it from her– shake her shoulders, anything- but he stayed calm enough, shifting his gaze to focus on the back of her head.

“A smile…”

“Is…this sufficient? You…can…hold the c-coffee, however. It is…not needed, f-for…me, at least…you, I c-cannot speak for…ha.”

His voice was weak, showing signs of the smallest amount of light left in it.

Izo had so many pent up questions. How can you smile at a time like this? Are you not worried? Are you not fearful?

“D-Do you…i-is c-coffee a preferred beverage of yours…” Small talk wasn’t his forte, but as long as she didn’t turn around…

#in white #reply #Izo #a spoonful of sugar #chapter 4 #abnormal days

“Well that’s not a very pretty smile!”

She blurts it out, her eyes glittering as they always do, seemingly unaware of how insensitive it sounds. If she if aware of it, she doesn’t appear to show it. After turning back to look at Izo, she glances back at the coffee machine, humming a bit as she finishes her work.

“Though I suppose I never said it had to be a deep down heartfelt one, did I? No, no, I should stick to my own rules here, kukuku, a smile for a drink! Are you sure you don’t want one? I can add a lot of milk or cream or whatever. Sure, SHSL Barista’s not my thing but I can always use the practice... or maybe I can just... find another drink... oohh, maybe we have teabags!”

The intonation raises at the end, excitement palpable at the very concept that they might have teabags here. She begins ferreting around in some drawers, the humming continuing and pausing at random intervals before she wiggles some teabags she finds in Izo’s basic direction, a grin stretching out onto her carefree face.

“Aha? Aha! You see? Never give up on your dreams! Even the little bitty ones. Want one? Not sure about the flavour but that’s part of the fun.”

Nijino drops the teabags on the clean counter nonetheless and then, shockingly, a more mild expression appears on her face.

“Coffee’s not actually my favourite thing. But I do remember drinking it a lot before. It made me feel... adult. Mature. Like things weren’t a mess for me. Well! Not that I remember what kind of a mess it was bu~t... my intuition’s saying it wasn’t all roses and cake for me before. Maybe that’s why it’s so fun to be here.”

She cradles her own cup of coffee and looks deep into the surface. Yeah... she did remember drinking it. A lot of it too. She liked milk and sugar but when she drank it before, she tried it down it straight. Black coffee would make you seem so intelligent and cool. She had the vaguest desire back in her head, the thought that she’d wanted to hurry up and become older. Maybe she hated the kids, wanted to be above them. Maybe it was to impress people. She couldn’t quite say. But the memory, as she looks down into her cup, does intrigue her.

“Not fun anymore though I guess, is it? Ah! But that’s enough about me, Omori-chi. You’re thinking too hard and you’re hurting yourself, aren’t you? Well! Maybe this is a good thing. We can talk. And don’t give me that ‘I don’t need to talk’ stuff. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind. So, let’s see what we can do about that, mm?”

Out of Order| Open

It all happened so fast, but as Yasu thought over it all, the events of today had seemed to flow like they were coated in molasses. Or Pancake Syrup. Slow, and sticky and undeniably a mess. It didn’t help that their memories were a jumbled mess to begin with. Try as they might they couldn’t remember clearly what had happened after they’d been dragged under the trap door, just that they’d been injured and Izo had been there…And the faintest memory of a terrible choking sensation.

The thought of it made them shiver. What had happened? The only evidence that anything had occurred was a lab coat and several injuries, including a broken leg and numerous scrapes and bruises. They’d barely had time to consider all of that before the others had returned from the Maze, and they’d celebrated the fact they’d all made it out, for better or worse…But sadly such celebrations couldn’t last. At least Yasu’s memories of the following events were crystal clear. LISE had given them a puzzle and they’d all talked it out, and took turns putting in what they thought were the correct answers until they solved it, and the wall had fallen away, revealing their reward.

But the reward for that puzzle had been a dead body and a rush of disjointed memories that had caused Yasu to freeze up. They knew that woman…Maybe everyone did. Dr Midou. How though and why were still a mystery…And who. She died only recently, if the condition of her body was anything to go by, but they’d all been in the maze until just now…Right? But perhaps even more unfortunately, that was not the only surprise LISE had for them all. A motive, now of all times, on the tail end of a deadly maze and the discovery of yet another corpse and a terrible motive it was. The wine like fluid from the maze, a vial of which Izo had just used on himself and Yasu to tend to their injuries from the fall was dangerously addictive and had the side effect of undoing the injuries it had healed unless the user could obtain more. But the maze was locked off now, and it was only a matter of time until the addiction kicked in.

And Yasu was terrified. They and Izo weren’t the only ones with horrific injuries from the maze it had seemed, since Sachi looked like she’d spent a few hours on the surface of the sun and Yasu was sure there were more injured. This meant that at any point someone could start craving the liquid and lash out, maybe fatally, and there were so few of them left now, the thought of losing one, two more was just too much.

So they decided to lock themselves in their room until it was all over. It was a cowardly decision but it wasn’t just for their own safety but the safety of the group. Yasu realized they’d consumed a lot of the liquid, first healing numerous arrow wounds and some mechanical wasp stings, and then the broken leg from the fall. Did the effects worsen if you consumed more of the liquid? Yasu didn’t know but they didn’t really want to find out. It wasn’t until they reached their room that they realized a massive flaw in their plan. Their Id card no longer functioned. It was cracked in numerous places and only displayed static whenever they tried to do anything with it. This meant they couldn’t enter their room.

“S-seriously? I c-can’t even try and h-help this stupid situation…” And they couldn’t sleep outside of their room either, could they? It was cold, and they’d be a sitting duck…Plus didn’t LISE have a rule against that too? In frustration Yasu shoved their ID card into a pocket…and then realized there was something else in there, and pulled it out. Despite the foggy memories, they recognized the card they’d picked up…Wherever they’d been after the trapdoor incident, and that strange choking sensation again. Terrible. But the card was interesting. It wasn’t an ID card, there was no picture, no screen, nothing like that at all, but it was Blue and Purple with silver stripes and the word GUARD on the front. They examined it curiously, trying to imagine a use, when the sound of footsteps came from behind them, and they turned around, stuffing the card back into a pocket, startled.

“Kekeke….Can’t sneak up on me…Though I doubt you were trying anyways. Regardless, hello there. If it’s not too much of a bother I have a favour I’d like to ask…”