{i'll struggle on, for them.}

Your name is Miyako Ikumi, and you are fragile, and broken, and helpless-- but you try your very hardest, anyway. STATUS: ALIVE STILL BREATHING | DEAD {{roleplay blog for miyako ikumi, shsl midwife. associated with astral cabal 3: pearl/platinum. sidebar art and pixel by haropuranetto!}}

[shslmidwife]

THE FREE BIRD IN A GUILDED CAGE: a harue okudaira fanmix

[listen here] | [art source]

{1. man of the road- alaska’s hobo jim

{2. the world at large- modest mouse

{3. holehills- ryoma nakamura, keisuke ito, & yasuhiro kawagoe (from ‘pokémon mystery dungeon: gates to infinity’)

{4. icarus- bastille

{5. dead love song- new medicine

{6. song of the caged bird- lindsey stirling

{7. try to change- mother mother

{8. for good- idina menzel & kristin chenoweth (from ‘wicked: the musical’)

[jethrocane]

personality types!

[shslmidwife]

reblog with your personality types bolded!

name: miyako ikumi

zodiac: aries, taurus, gemini, cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpio, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius, pisces

myers-briggs: istj, isfj, infj, intj, istp, isfp, infp, intp, estp, esfp, enfp, enfj, esfj, estj, esfj, enfj, entj, entp

the four temperaments: melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine

enneagram: type one, type two, type three, type four, type five, type six, type seven, type eight, type nine

alignment: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, true neutral, lawful neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, chaotic evil

[shslcatman-blog]

shslbunnygirl wanted me to make a randomizer for pearl so here u go.

Once again, this is just for fun and it doesn’t really mean anything.

Also, the randomizer was especially cruel this time i can’t believe this

[shslmidwife]

i thought i’d bring back the pearl one as well,

[shslmidwife]

Hey, all! Since Astral Cabal 3 has gone into endgame, and since I love writing about OC relationships-- send me a ★ (or just the word ‘star’), and I’ll write about Miyako’s full feelings about your character after endgame!

I say that I’ll finish them after endgame because Shiny is a slow heck and also whatever happens in/regarding endgame might change Miyako’s opinion in some manner, but feel free to send in an ask for it now! Even if Miyako didn’t know your character very well/didn’t directly interact with them, she probably has some sort of opinion, and since I can ramble forever about OC stuff, feel free to send one in! Even for Diamond kids who died before the merge, if they chipped in at some point after Hologram Occurrence, I can probably write at least a little something. (Or I can write about what she would think if she knew them better! Anything goes.)

[synantisi-blog]

Kangaroo Court | Miyako | Mastermind Trial | [RE: Feliks, Masato, Hyun-Min, I Don't Even Know At This Point, Save Me]

If there was one thing that seemed concrete now, it was the woodsman’s guilt. Miyako felt…conflicted– far more conflicted than she did over Nakahara-san’s guilt, who was certainly getting chewed out, by even unlikely suspects. (She cast a smile in the direction of Williams-san, grateful for his words on Maeda-san’s behalf. Good shit, OP.)

She didn’t know why she felt so conflicted about Feliks, given that she didn’t truly know him, but all the same…perhaps it was just his less antagonistic nature, or that she just had a natural sympathy for those from her own class, but…she simply couldn’t dislike him all that easy.

It was like the reverse case of that of Morioka-san’s– not knowing him had made resenting him easier, but with Sh…ch…kochikhin-san, it was not knowing him that made it harder to completely dislike him.

“Sh…ch…kochikhin-san…”

And, with a sigh, she locked in her vote.

(She was sorry, even if she wasn’t sure why.)

Now, for something important– Maeda-san. Miyako may have only briefly conversed with the girl prior to this, but she– even if she was ultimately unable to do much, she at least had to try to help, didn’t she?

Over by where the hologram debater was, Miyako went by her side– wishing she could somehow physically help her up a bit, but, obviously, impossible.

So, all she had was words.

“…Deep breaths, Maeda-san. I know it isn’t easy, but try to just concentrate on breathing…alright? In…out. In…out. Do it slowly, and try to leave a few seconds between each…don’t worry. It’s going to be alright. Don’t exert yourself too much. They can’t hurt you. You’re safe, okay, Maeda-san? I promise. If I can do anything for you, I will, I swear…we’re almost there.”

She didn’t know how much breathing would help a dead girl, but she had to try offer some assistance, didn’t she?

She waited and stayed by Masato’s side until the girl seemed stable again. Only after that did she silently go back to her own podium, making sure to cast a few comforting, concerned glances the girl’s way afterwards– between casting icy stares in Nakahara-san’s direction, of course.

The end was slowly drawing closer, but, predictably, it came with turmoil, and bickering, and just general…heaviness. She hoped they’d get answers for their meaningless suffering, but what were the chances?

…High, she hoped.

She had no objections when Hyun-Min came to huddle behind her like he had back in Williams-san’s trial– admittedly, she’d wanted to do the same thing. Smiling warmly at him, she wrapped her arm around to give him a few solid pats on the shoulder.

They’d make it out together.

“…We’re almost there. You’re doing so well, I promise. We just need to push through these last few gates, and we’ll have our escape route, if we’re lucky. I’m with you every step of the way, Hyun-Min-san. Let’s do this together, yeah…?”

[synantisi-blog]

"Apologies." Miyako finally registers a mastermind vote for Feliks ... and, like Mami, votes for Yuki /again/ for good measure. Get wrecked, Nakahara-san.

[synantisi-blog]

i can't come up with a witty or relevant title here so just imagine miyako holding up a "stop" sign | Miyako | [RE: Hyun-Min (briefly), Yuki]

After her affirmation of love, even more…concerning dialogue began popping up here and there, in-between Sh..ch…kochikhin-san having no real answer for himself (she had a feeling that Hyun-Min-san’s and Maeda-san’s theories were likely the correct one, but she was still going to hold off for the present). Miyako was not liking it at all.

…But first, she decided to give Hyun-Min a sunny smile back. When she assured back then that they would both escape, and get to see their sisters again…well, she had meant it, but she’d…never really expected to escape, did she? No, not at all. And, for a while, after that trial, she’d…been afraid that Hyun-Min-san wouldn’t make it out of here, in truth. And yet…here they both were. Sure, something could happen after this, but…the chance was there.

They really could see their sisters again.

“…!”

(They were almost there. Almost, almost could she see Mama and dear Furika-chan again.)

…And now, onto one of the…people of the hour.

“Ah, Nakahara-san? Shut up.”

It was an unusually harsh exclamation from the midwife– but, as of late, she just didn’t have the patience, anymore.

And besides, did someone acting like Nakahara-san was just now really deserve her patience?

“Shimizu-san’s and Maeda-san’s histories are not relevant here. You have no right to bring up what may have happened to them as some sort of petty ad hominem. I don’t wish to be rude or intrusive, but if you truly wish to wait until after the votes have been locked in to explain yourself, then shut your mouth and refrain from engaging in cruel, unnecessary mud-slinging. Everyone here has skeletons in their closet, but they don’t have anything to do with this, so please be quiet.

…And bring up whatever you like about me, if you want to. Tell them everything if it’ll make you feel better. B-Because…I don’t…i-it doesn’t…m-matter. N-Not…anymore.”

The uncertainty in her last words indicated that she rather did mind about it all, even still– but whatever.

There was nothing that they all couldn’t find out anyway.

“……………………”

Her…eyes widened a bit at Shimizu-san’s admission, but it didn’t matter, anyway. 

It wasn’t as if she could hurt her now like they had, right?

(Overall, the brightest side of this situation was that Shchkochikhin-san had his shirt back on.)

(…Not that she’d looked to begin with, given that she’d known what kind of injuries would be on his person and had squeezed her eyes shirt and tried desperately to control her breathing.)

It was a good day.

[synantisi-blog]

Easier Felt Than Done | Miyako | Mastermind Trial | [RE: Yuki/Feliks, Everyone]

After presenting the sole real clue on her hands– that was technically Illjes-san’s, anyway– Miyako kept her quiet, eyes darting back and forth at those laying down theories and evidence. Eventually, she made her way back to her own podium from Tsubaki’s, casting both Tsubaki-san and Fukui-kun grateful smiles along the way– her feelings about them both had been a bumpy ride, but…ultimately, they were good. Capable of being good, at any rate. Everyone was.

(Even the Masterminds.)

(Morality and justice and good versus evil were not as black and white as she had once assumed, and she knew that well, now.)

She cringed somewhat at some of Nakahara-san’s words (did they really need to act like that?), and flinched visibly at the mentions of files (oh, God, they knew, then, about Papa and Yumiko-chan and them and God knew what else) and at…Shchekochikhin-san’s injuries.

And admission.

(This was…far too complicated for her liking.)

…Hm. Things seemed pretty clear-cut, the situation and prime suspects laid clear– but, as dear Harue-san and the pretty girl known as Ishida-san had mentioned, there were still prospects to be considered. As easy as it was to condemn both the pizza delivery boy and the woodsman on what they had…they had to be thorough, didn’t they? All viable options had to be considered.

Still, first, she locked eyes with Hyun-Min-san– and whispered words that were long overdue.

’I’m so proud of you, Hyun-Min-san.’

(It was…an almost surreal thought, that both of them might actually get to see their sisters again.)

Still, though, now, back to the situation at hand.

“…As has been mentioned, while Nakahara-san’s guilt seems…rather set in stone…Sh…ch…kochikhin-san’s is a little less certain. Hyun-Min-san and Maeda-san both bring up legitimate points…as do Ishida-san and Harue-san. Regardless, however, I think it’s important that we cover all options. This…is our chance to solidify the truth, and we need to be thorough in doing so.

…I can’t say I’m completely sure of the truth. Hopefully, it will become clear soon enough. But…to the masterminds, whoever they might be, I have two questions I’d like you to answer, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“…Was it worth it? And…did you really achieve what you orchestrated– or helped orchestrate– this all for…?”

She didn’t know if they’d answer those questions– probably not, all things considered.

But it had to be asked, didn’t it?

“And I, ah, also…have one more thing I’d like to say to you. All of you. I hope you can forgive me for this intrusive bit of sentimentality of mine, but, ah…”

Inside her pocket, she clutched the heart button, the one that Fukui-kun had bestowed to her, that meant so very much to her.

Her words were delivered with utmost honesty.

“…Regardless of what happens from here on out, no matter what, I want you all to know that…I love you all very much. I know that might seem a strange, bizarre sentiment, especially after all that’s happened, but…I promise you, I do. Good luck, and…please remember that, alright?”

No matter what happened, to her or to anyone, she had to say those words, soft and true.

She truly did mean it. Every bit of it, 100%.

Perhaps some would say that Miyako Ikumi loved far too much and with much more reckless abandon than would be considered healthy, but…

…Maybe she just didn’t care. Maybe she simply just…loved, anyway.

That was just her nature, after all.

[synantisi-blog]

"I'm sorry." Looking rather hesitant and unsure indeed, Miyako silently locks down a vote for Yuki Nakahara ... but refrains from voting for the Fotia Louloudia Mastermind, for the time being. Hm.

[synantisi-blog]

Twenty-Cent Contributions | Miyako | Mastermind Trial | [RE: The General Funny Business]

{tw: self-depreciation}

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. The vote for the Mastermind trial went through, and Kurosawa-san’s killer got away with murder.

And all for what? Nothing, really. And so horrifically, too, as if Kurosawa-san didn’t really matter.

But…what was done was done. No changing what’s already happened now, right? There was no justice in this wretched hellhole, anyway.

No justice, no changing, she couldn’t help but bitterly repeat in her mind as proceedings began.

Maeda-san (naturally) and Yi-san– no, Hyun-Min-san had began rattling off much of the info and facts– some she had already knew and surmised, some of which was new to her.

…Alright. Alright.

…As they spoke, they seemed to make mentions of people helping them out, a lot. Quite a few people seemed to investigate together, and to share and discover clues and whatnot.

…In her case, she always had to be the one to approach on the subject, didn’t she? She hadn’t been able to discuss much with anyone until recently, and even then, people had never really talked to her with the intention of conversing about such things, had they?

She…didn’t know why that made her feel so…odd.

(none of them take you seriously, you know. just because it isn’t the exact same way that they treat tsubaki-san doesn’t mean it isn’t the same fucking principle, you’re just a screeching little girl with not a bright idea in your head to them. sure, sure, they may caaaaaaaaaare about you or whatever, but do they respect you? not a fucking bit, and they don’t think you’re strong, no matter what they say. you’re nothing but a snivelling idiot to them, you even heard him call you “not that strong”! just because it was way back then doesn’t mean it isn’t true now. you care about them oh so fucking much, but they just pity you. poor, miserable, damaged little ikumi miyako, trying oh so hard to help, and always falling just short. in the end, even your dear harue-saaaaaaaan just finds you uncomfortable to be around, i bet. they’ll be all glad to be rid of you once you get out of this dump. they pity you so much, they couldn’t even kill you when you asked for it. maeda-san’s fucking dead and hyun-min-san’s a fucking known murderer, and at the end of the day they’re still more respectable sights than–)

No!She– She had to snap out of it. She…She couldn't afford to act like this. If this was the last time she had to stand here, she had to do it with dignity. She promised herself that she would never, never let her heart be taken away from her, and yet, here she goddamn was, second-guessing everyone just because she wasn’t trying hard enough.

Deep breaths, Ikumi Miyako. Think calmly. Hold your head up high. You must be dignified. You must be strong. Remember what you were taught. 

Remember Mama. Remember Furika-chan.

If for nobody else, do this for them.

…Getting up, giving Tsubaki-san a last squeeze of the hand before doing so, she surveyed the room, giving glances over everyone.

…None of them know a goddamn thing about you, you know. Not really, no matter what they may think. They have no idea what you’ve been through. How much you’ve suffered. If they think they know anything, they’re…so wrong. Really, you could just…

…I know. But it…doesn’t matter.

I love them, anyway.

To return to the matter at hand, Miyako looked around from where she was, her face rather blank and unreadable.

“I…understand it isn’t really related to the matter of the Astral Cabal and the previous mutual killing games– I’m afraid I have more conjecture than evidence regarding those matters, as well as most of those that Maeda-san and Hyun-Min-san have brought up– but I thought it might do well to bring up the one bit of evidence I do have. I took it from Illjes-san, so she would rather easily be able to tell you about it, too, but since I have it…it’s vague, I’m afraid, but it relates to the Ifaisteio Research Site’s Mastermind. I believe that it was obtained by a…certain individual from your class, after they successfully got away with murdering a Matsushita Nuiko-san? Anyway, I’ll read it…”

Taking the note from out of her pocket, she read it aloud.

‘I’m a person who like things to be challenging! I must applaud you, you’re very courageous to get away with murder for being such a useless talent.

Do you want to know who am I?

I identify with a flag that flutters in the wind, of the great nation of…this word is scratched out…, and I sing a tune to the death of creativity.

Does this satisfy your desires? :)

-MM ♡’

 Grimacing, she looked up from the note.

“As I said, it’s rather vague, but…while the actual nation they claim to come from has been scratched out, it could be presumed from the way that the note is phrased that the Research Site mastermind is not a Japanese national,yes? And if the Mastermind died prior to Katsuya-san’s death, that should narrow it down…but as with everything, we can’t take it just as it is, mm? The phrasing could have been to throw the reader off, and the Mastermind could be very much Japanese– or, alternatively, like many here, the Mastermind could be using a Japanese alias, while actually being of a different nationality or whatnot, like Fukui-kun did.

Like I said, I’m afraid it only gets us so far, but…it’s the most solid piece of evidence I have on my person. After that, I have little but theory and links based off what others have already stated. I know it’s not much, but I…

…I tried.”

In the end, there was little else she could say for herself.

[synantisi-blog]

Would it ... be logical to assume I can't default my vote on both accounts, in this situation?

“Unless you’re somehow a student of both Ifaisteio and Louloudia, that would be impossible.”

[synantisi-blog]

Hindsight Is 20/20 | Miyako | [Body Reaction + School Trial 001] | [RE: Masato/Mastermind Vote] [ATTN: Tsubaki/Last Fukui Standing]

When the beep of her keycards had come, all Miyako could do was steel herself.

Indeed, even as she walked, she was…lost in thought. These last few days, quite a few people had offered their…condolences, to her. That she had lost so much, praising her for staying herself, for staying…strong.

And yet it had always confused her when that happened, and she wasn’t sure why.

…Well, she knew why now. Because, Miyako was beginning to realise, all of this was hardly new to her, was it? She had lost before, she was losing in the present, and she would lose again. That was just her life, to lose those closest to her, slip into darkness, and then crawl right back out again, because she had to. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, for her. She’d had it all happen before, so it had confused her, how people were telling her she was kind and good and strong, for just being.

And being for her was an endless vicious cycle, of loss and depression and rebirth, because it needed to be done.

First, it was Papa. Then, it was Yumiko-chan. After that, it had been Harue-san.

Who would be next?

(She hoped whoever was next wouldn’t meet their end by barstools or beatings or kamishibai boards. She didn’t need those reminders.)

…At any rate, she arrived at the crime scene.

“…Good Lord…”

She hadn’t known the food blogger, the newest victim– and she couldn’t help wonder if anyone else had, and perhaps that was why they were chosen, because people didn't care and goddamn it human lives were not popularity contests you can’t treat people that way– but she couldn’t help but lament his fate.

That…That was just awful. The poor boy…

…It only became even worse as she and Fukui-san (notably without her usual morbid cheer, for the most part) pulled him out of the TV.

Jesus.

“…Rest in peace, Kurosawa-san…”

(If that was even possible.)

…

…The public evidence was found quickly, and the trial began with a note from the holographic Maeda-san, asking for a…mastermind trial…?

Well, that would certainly be needed at some point, but it would be good if they could at least– Fukui-san didn’t seem to be very fond of the idea, and– wait, did Maeda-san just say Fukui-san’s talent was precognition?– alright, now–

…Fukui-san. The morbid, sanguine, always light-aired Fukui Tsubaki-san. …Was yelling. And cursing. And looked like she was about to cry.

…Good Lord, did Miyako just want to climb back into bed right now.

“…Wait. M-Maeda-san. Everyone. I agree that a mastermind vote would be a good idea, at this point, but…before we totally agree, could we at least discuss Kurosawa-san’s case a little? I understand what the rules are, and I suppose finding the Masterminds will be justice for Kurosawa-san in a way anyway, but…I’d like to at least have some theory over what happened to him. It…It doesn’t feel right to just…leave his case like it doesn’t matter.”

Whatever happened would happen, but for the present, Miyako had a more concerning matter.

Fukui-san.

She headed for her podium, where Kin-san also was, and knelt down beside the girl.

If Fukui-san just wanted her to go away, then she was fine with that. But whatever the others may think of her and her outlook, Tsubaki was her friend. She…She owed it to her, to help her.

And besides, she had something overdue to give her.

“…Fukui-san. Tsubaki-san. You don’t…You don’t mind if I just talk to you for a minute, do you?”

A little awkwardly, the midwife continued on, anyway, looking at the mystery girl with soft eyes.

“…I’m sorry, Tsubaki-san. I’m sorry that your efforts are going to waste, because you don't deserve that. You deserve to have your ideas at least considered. And…if we still have time, I'll listen to what you have to say, okay? Even if nobody else does, I will.

And…you’re my friend, Tsubaki-san. I’m really grateful to have you around. You…You’ve made me feel a lot better, at times. A lot…happier, and since you’ve seen what an utter sad sack I’ve been, lately, well…you can understand why that would mean a lot to me, hm? You’re my…witchy sister, yes? And I’ll listen to what you have to say. I believe in you.

And, ah…it’s not the best time, I know, but I have something to give to you. I meant to give it earlier, but time, time…”

Fumbling around in her pockets, she took out something somewhat small, that looked rather like a…brooch.

#037 { Moon Brooch } - What a strange and lovely pendant! Made lovingly, with extreme detail, the brooch created in the image of a moon has the character ‘月’, or moon (read as tsukii) inscribed in the back. It’s really quite lovely. Someone must be missing this.

“…I got it from the Monomachine some time ago. I didn’t know who to give it to, really, but I thought it might look rather nice on you. Of course, if you don’t want it, you’re at liberty to throw it away and tell me to just– just piss off, but…I wanted to give it to you. As a…thank-you gift.

…Thank you, Tsubaki-san. I’m here when you need me, alright?”

Maybe this was a little much– but she truly did care about Tsubaki, her spooky, supernatural sister.

And if there wasn’t much time left, this was one way to show it, right?

[synantisi-blog]

Cringing, Miyako takes a look into Ryōta's pockets, if he has any. Anything there?

He has pockets, but nothing of note in them. 

[synantisi-blog]

“Let’s pull him out together! You, grab one side! You, grab the other! I’ll stand here and cheer. Heave HOOOOOOO!”

With absolutely 0 effort on behalf of the Monobear bot, Ryota is pulled out of the screen. Nice work.

[synantisi-blog]

Special Deliveries | Miyako | [ATTN: Mami]

[superduperreporter-blog]

Mami was still just sitting in her little corner, watching the small world of the research centre fly by in front of her. It was… almost peaceful. Almost. If it weren’t for the whole dead kids thing and the ever-looming threat of another one joining them, this would be a nice little field trip from school to some weird courthouse.

That’d be nice.

But this wasn’t nice, Mami was just getting over her initial shock, and she was still worried about murder in the back of her mind. She almost didn’t notice the midwife walk up to her, addressing her by name… even though the ID cards had the names. That was always her crutch in trials.

“…huh?”

Mami was starting to wonder why Miyako had decided to talk to her, even if it was just to hand off a letter or something. Mami figured she couldn’t really be… dangerous, right? She’d seen how Miyako reacted in… all 3 of the last trials. She gave a small shrug.

“Uh, yeah, sure. I don’t really… need anything, but if you’ve somethin’ to give me, gimmie. …p-please.”

[shslmidwife]

Miyako’s stance straightened up a bit as Mami responded; well, at least she seemed to be in alright health. That was...always good.

(Admittedly, before actually making the interaction, Miyako had felt rather...odd, about going to approach the reporter. She had no idea why, however. Was it reluctance? Fear? Awkwardness? She didn’t know, and she supposed it didn’t matter, really. The first step was done and dusted, at any rate, and she supposed it was just how numb and off-kilter she had been since Harue-san’s death that made her feel that way.)

Anyway, back to the matter-at-hand.

“Ah, it’s good to see you’re alright. Anyway, to get straight to what I need to hand over to you...”

She smoothed down the front of her dress, despite it neither being particularly dirty nor creased, before continuing.

“...In the case of her death, Illjes-san wrote five letters containing information to be given out to certain individuals. One of those people is you, Isamu-san. Since the letters were in our room, I thought it best that I try give them out-- I know that I could just slip them all under their recipients’ doorways, but since so many are gathered here I thought I’d give at least one directly, mm? Anyway...here you are.”

She took the letter carefully kept in her pocket, and handed it over to Isamu-san. Hopefully, that would clear things up.

One...two down, three to go.

...Say, while she was here, might as well give some of her usual offers to the reporter, right? There wouldn’t be any harm in it, anyway.

“...Ah, and also, Isamu-san, as a general offer. By this point, it’s probably a rather wishy-washy one as far as olive branches go, but I might as well say that if you need a helping hand with anything, I am here to help! Even if it’s something like fetching you food, I like to keep my hands busy, so I’m around if needed. Also, I’ve been doing some investigating and discussing, as of late, so if you want to discuss the issue of the circumstances and the Masterminds, I’d be glad to talk about it! Multiple heads are better than one, and the more people we have on board with eventually starting up a productive Mastermind Vote, the better. From what I’ve seen and heard, I think we’ll have enough information to finally make a proper attempt at escape, soon, anyway.”

[synantisi-blog]

Discussions With A De(ad)bater | Miyako | [ATTN: Masato]

[shsldebater-blog]

Masato had been looking around, trying to decide who to be talking too next. She was kind of overwhelmed by everyone being in the same room together, but she should be used to this. She had worked rooms before, with crowds even bigger than this. She should be okay with this. Masato figured she was getting a bit rusty.

But she was approached by Miyako Ikumi. She had been watching Miyako’s actions throughout the course of the events following the eruption, and she liked the girl’s style. She never was a fan of the religion thing given how… events had happened in her life, but hey, you do you. She was still very nice, and given how she had watched out for Haruki for her, and written the notes in her notebook that were extraordinarily useful to her, well, Masato liked her already.

Her smile when she approached demonstrated that.

“Ah, Ikumi-san! I’ve actually been wanting to speak with you! It’s wonderful to finally be able to. I’ve been waiting for this since we got here.” She laughed. “I’m honestly glad someone’s been doing some investigating around here. I have as well, and I’m pleased with the results that were yielded.”

She pulled out… the same notebook Haruki had. Yeah, he got his from her.

“Yes, I have been able to watch everything that’s happened here. You’ve lost so much here… and I’m very sorry for that. I can’t say I empathize since… I guess I didn’t really have much to begin with to lose… but I wanted to thank you for… watching out for Haruki for me. I wish a lot more people could be as kind as you are. And stay that kind throughout this terrible experience. I feel horrible that it’s ended this way for you.”

“But you have my word it’s ending soon.”

[shslmidwife]

Miyako’s soft smile increased as Masato spoke with her; so, the dead indeed had existed beyond their deaths. That opened up many possibilities, many questions as to the hows and whys of it all; it also made conversation a little easier to start off from, and also brought within Miyako a wave of...embarrassment. So, not only had around twenty-two people seen her break down, but in fact around, what, fifty?

...Great. Just peachy...

(That was probably her greatest weakness, wasn’t it, her pride. Even now, after there was no point in pretending, she still felt shame and humiliation at the idea of people seeing her as she really was; weak, and fragile, and strange...)

...At any rate, Miyako’s attention turned back to Masato.

(This girl...already, she reminded her strikingly of Yumiko-chan. In that regard, maybe it was for the best they only had so much time to get to know one another.)

“I see...! And, ah...thank you, Maeda-san. I’ll...be alright, don’t worry. Like you said...soon, we’ll be able to end this. I promised I’d do my best to look out for everyone, so I just...have to keep on going for as long as I can.”

“I’ve always sworn to myself that I wouldn’t let the world take my heart away from me...I can’t let everything that wanted to make me suffer win now, of all times. I need to keep my promises...to work as hard as I can, and to look out for everyone as much as possible. If I can help as much as one single person, then...I’ll have achieved something of worth, at least.

...Ahahaha...apologies for the personal rambling, Maeda-san! Your sentiments are appreciated, nonetheless. And I’ll continue to look out for Agemaki-san, don’t worry. I’m very glad that someone like him’s still with us on the living side of things...his strength and perseverence is truly admirable, and he’s been one of the most dedicated investigators here! I’ll try to make sure he doesn’t work himself too hard, I promise.”

Looking appreciative, if a little awkward, Miyako gave herself a small shake, as if to remind herself of something.

Right. Actual questions.

Miyako was a spiritual woman, and had always believed there was another world waiting beyond this one-- but, given the nature of how things were working out here, Maeda-san and the other deceased must be existing in data form, on a plane she and her fellow living must not be able to see-- but how? She could make logical guesses, but it was nonetheless all very strange.

“It’s good that you’ve been able to investigate, Maeda-san! Especially since, now that the saviour procedure appears to have gone into place, both sides can exchange information. I understand that you’ve been able to view what’s going on, but to what extent are you and the others able to...interact with your environment, so to speak? I also have to wonder...what I investigated seemed to indicate that there are...data back-ups of those who have died, and that the “saviour procedure” was used before, in two other places, but...how does it all work? If the “dead” are able to interact with the environment, but the “living” can’t see them...then...there must be some sort of...

...Ah! Apologies, Maeda-san, I’m...just trying to theorise and work through everything I’ve seen so far. I hope my questions aren’t invasive! At the very least, with enough minds working together on all of this...I really do believe we might finally find our escape soon.”

[synantisi-blog]

Discussions With A De(ad)bater | Miyako | [ATTN: Masato]

Even after the reality of the current situation had settled in, as she knew it would (but oh, how illjes-san’s death still hurt and burned and made her flinch even after becoming cold hard fact), Miyako still couldn’t help but feel a little…dazed, even though she’d had a hunch to begin with about something like these holograms being a possibility. Perhaps it was because she had slept about, what, three hours total in the days since Harue-san died, or perhaps it was because it was taking time to truly hit home within her that this was it, it could happen, what could never happen with Papa and Yumiko-chan, she could talk more to those who were gone before her, she had time, she had chance. 

(It was…probably mostly the former, however. She hoped that nobody had noticed too much of the bags under her eyes.)

But for now, at present, the midwife mostly found herself wandering around the Trial Room. She had so much she wanted to discuss, wanted to know, it was hard to know where to start, really.

…It was funny, how her eyes ended up resting on the tinted display of an individual who had died before they could ever cross paths.

The Super-High School Level Debater, Maeda Masato…she only knew her from Agemaki-san’s list of students, and from her latest appearance just now, but already Miyako couldn’t help but feel curious about her. She didn’t know exactly why (it was probably the rather fetching suit), but something about her struck her as capable, which piqued her interest.

And, after all, getting to know as many people as possible was always better than the alternative, was it not?

Sheepishly walking to where the hologram debater stood, Miyako cast a small smile at the other girl, chuckling a little shyly.

“…Maeda-san, isn’t it? The Super High-School Level Debater? I hope you don’t mind me speaking with you, given that we haven’t met before, but, ah…it’s a pleasure to meet you properly! I’m Miyako Ikumi, Super High-School Level Midwife, if you don’t know already…I’ve done some investigation, here and there, but I’m still not completely sure how things are, around here…!”

Try not to make things awkward, Ikumi Miyako. You do that enough with the living, you hardly need to do it with the dead, too…

Anyway. Asking some questions, that might do well.

“…Ah, Maeda-san? If you don’t mind me asking…have you been…conscious, before now, since your death? Have you been able to observe anything, or anyone else…?”