Super High-school Level Superhero! Not really!

"It's... It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm the, er, Super High-school Level Football Player! You can call me At... Ata... Atara... I-I mean, Atlas! I suppose anything else would be fine, though..." Affiliated with Roulette Rampage

[shslqb]

[BODY REACTION] Fumblerooski!

Atlas hated football.

As unfitting as it was to hear that coming from someone who was given the title of a Super High-school Level Football Player of all things, what could anyone hold against you for hating the one thing that got you stuck in this entire mess? He wondered if things could've gone different if a basketball match was playing on the television screen on that fateful day. Or a baseball one. Table tennis. Actual Tennis. Hell, it probably would've been better if he'd just went down the path of straight up acting. It's not like the kids could tell the difference between a movie star and a super hero soon enough before he could get permission to come to the hospital in full costume. 

In all honesty, his dislike for the sport isn't something that surfaced recently. All the footage he'd seen of it consisted of confident, muscular people who could dive head first into the field to catch a ball and still be able to stand on two feet. He didn't even want to think about the groans of pain you'd hear from the poor guy who was at the bottom of a pile, nor about how much weight the equipment adds onto to that. How ridiculous would it have been to you, to hear that the lanky kid with dark hair shadowing over a majority of their face, was now some star athlete with a surprisingly large fan base. He himself was probably having trouble believing it. Not to say that he had any interest in any other sport, but you could definitely consider american football to be his least favorite.

And yet, all he wanted to do right now was to play football.

He didn't like strapping on the heavy shoulder pads, forcing himself into the tight uniform shirt, or having the hours spent on styling his hair go to waste after putting on a helmet. He really didn't like being chased by men that were occasionally twice his size because the fate of who the next point would go to was unfortunately placed in his hands, and he really, really didn't like having to wash his clothes a dozen times in order to get the stench of sweat out, but he dealt with it anyway. Hearing the loud cheers from children in the front row of the bleachers could heal any broken bone from a nasty tackle.

Besides, between a game of football and a game of mutual killing, the choice should really be obvious.

After the motive announcement, he had quietly made it back into his cell and shoved his head underneath the pillow. Not to mope or feel sorry for himself or any of that (oddly enough) but to just think. About their situation, the photo, how embarrassing it would be to get caught practicing plays with a roll of toilet paper— but mostly about the door. How as long as one person died, they could see what was behind it. Of course, depending on what actually was behind it, taking the life of one person for the sole reason of curiosity would either be their only ticket out of here, or a complete waste of another pair of hands. He really didn't want to think about what would happen if all that was there was just some cafeteria extension.

Not like he has to anymore.

K-Katsuragi-san... "Ah..."

"P... Please..."

Please what? Please get up, Jinta? Please stop freaking out, guys? Please stop killing each other? Even he didn't know what he was trying to say, but did it even matter? No magic words would suddenly revive the guy and make everything better, as nice as it would be to let out all his frustration through driving his fist into a wall. He wondered how nice it'd be to be able to cheat his way through this mess and somehow come up on top just like he did with the sport that got him here.

[shslperfuming]

[Free Time] ENCAPSULATION

[ultimatenun]

The scene that had transpired was like the soundtrack to the despair filling the room. Kaori and Misaki, two close friends who stuck by each other, ripped apart at the seams. As Misaki’s footsteps exited the room to be replaced with the perfumer’s sorrowful wails. Frantic attempts to grasp at forgiveness when it had already scattered from her reach. How sad. Very sad.

The nun’s eyes lift from one terrible scene to another, turning from the window and approaching the crumpled heap of perfumer. A pause occurs in which she simply stares at the poor creature, head tilted as if in attempt to understand.

She finally kneels, almost as she had done earlier with another student, except this time her hands venture to softly stretch across Kaori’s back and hold her shoulders. 

"Natsume-san…" She whispers, lips frozen in a smile that hadn’t left since the trial. Forced, but she had to do it, she still had to be it — the beacon of hope she’d aspired to be this whole time! Even if every part of her ached to frown. Her voice still managing to maintain its silky smoothness, if not with a bit of trembling waver here and there. "It’s alright…"

[shslperfuming]

With a touch soft like drizzle, the Nuns hand’s traveled across her back. Etsuko grasped her shoulders tenderly and reassuringly. It wasn’t until the Nun spoke out that Kaori finally removed her hands from her eyes. Her tears poured out onto her cheeks, flooding the floor below. How could she be so nice to her after what she did to Misaki? Guilt and regret burned into the back of her throat as she sobbed. 

"WAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaah! UUUuuuuwaaaaaaaaaah!"

Kaori sat with Etsuko like that for what felt like ages. Sobs of despair completely muting out the background noise. Her mind going over all of her questions and thoughts, like clockwork. Just how many people were still there, watching this scene? Watching her cry… It was Stupid, stupid, stupid. How stupid could she be? Hurting her dearest friend all because of some stupid trial– Some stupid window to the outside world?

"W- why…" She gulped out, trying to steady her sobs. 

She clenched her fist to her heart, pulling on her shirt. A distant flash of pain filled her chest. The pain of loss– heartbreak. Kaori knew that pain well, she’d try to hide it all this time but it was a common pain. Always alluding it’s presence deep in the back of her mind. 

"I- I really… I messed up, Reiki-sama… I- Waaaaaaaah…" Kaori gasped out, still clutching onto her own shirt.

Talking out loud in this emotion was never easy for her. Speaking when she was … it wasn’t something she was fond of doing. If the girl said something now, it’d make it more real. The situation at hand, her tantrum, everything around them… But it was real and it hurt. 

"R- reiki-sama….." 

[shslqb]

After a long morning of being knocked out in a cramped locker, an even longer afternoon of investigating, came a trial that had, truthfully, went by too fast. Of course, that wasn't to say the emotional baggage that came with it wasn't any easier to carry than it was during the last time. The entire day had been both physically and mentally draining, ending with him lying face first on his bed as his fingers recklessly tapped the cold frame holding up the mattress. Despite everything, he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, much to his dismay. In a situation as stressful as this, most would look forward to the temporary escape they would be able as they lost themselves in a dream. Atlas was no different. He shoved off the covers then threw them back on, lifted up his pillow then turned it over to the cold side, a small, tiny part of his brain wishing that maybe someone would come over and drug him once again, anything to get him away from this place and deep into slumber. At this point, the nightmares were beginning to feel more pleasant than this reality.

And as he got a single glimpse out of the clear glass separating them from the outdoors, he decided that nightmares were definitely more pleasant. By a landslide. 

"No way."

As much as he didn't expect the yard of a prison to be beautiful flowers and sunshine all around, the fact that there wasn't a bustling city or even just the sight of anything that could hold life made his heart drop. He ignored the bear's classy exit and moved closer towards the window, hoping that he just wasn't looking close enough or it was right outside of his field of vision. It wasn't until his ears picked up a familiar sob did he snap out of his search, and found his attention diverted over to the two figures huddled up on the ground.

"...Um," He started, making his way over and restraining himself from outright asking if Etsuko had been the one to make her cry. "Kaor― N...Natsume-san, Reiki-san."

"Can... I help with anything? I-It's fine if you want me to leave, I mean, uh..."

[shslqb]

im runNiGing out of composition ideas

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

[shsltrifolium-deactivated201412]

Misaki realized that now Kaori was definitely involved. Another thing she knew is that she would try to defend her at all costs. Kaori was someone who was very close to Misaki’s heart, and she would defend her just as quickly as her friend had defended her at the trial. There was no way a girl as kind as her would set up something like this. 

It was obvious that this room was being thoroughly scoured, and there wasn’t much chance of them finding something that wasn’t discovered already if they joined the others in searching the cathedral. Some others had left the room to search the others on this floor, so it wouldn’t make much sense to stay here.

"I doubt anyone has looked downstairs yet… Let’s look down there."

Before waiting for much of a reply from Atlas, Misaki turned to walk out of the room. She turned her head every once and a while to make sure he was following, then made her way down the stairs. She was walking quite a bit faster than a calm person would, but she was in no way calm. She turned quickly into the first room she could think of, which happened to be the cell room.

She hadn’t really been in there much before, but that could have been what drew her to it. She glanced around quickly at her surroundings before walking in to search further. 

[shslqb]

Downstairs, huh? Well, it wasn't like he had any other ideas, so as soon as she made her way out of the room he'd done his best to keep up. She wasn't walking particularly fast, but she wasn't slow enough for him to avoid nearly tripping over his cape in multiple occasions. He could only wonder what might've been going through her mind, or what she was going through in general. Most people wouldn't react well when their closest friend was being accused of murder, but when it comes to a case that was strung together like this? There was no way this was something thought up last minute.

To be honest, he hadn't even considered searching the cell room, especially the one on the second floor. However, that fact made him realize that was enough of a reason for evidence to be there. Misaki disappeared into the block, and he quickly followed. Their search was carried in silence, the two of them split up to cover as many cells as possible. It was only a matter of time until they found something completely out of place, but at the same time, exactly what they were looking for.

"E-Eeh?!" Atlas yelped, stepping back as soon as he emptied the contents of the bag. He didn't get any closer until Misaki had came by, and even then he was still too reluctant to get a better look. A faint, unfamiliar smell came from the sack, and he didn't need more than a glance to see the blood stains.

"H... Hold on, isn't that..." Gathering the courage to step forward, or to be more specific, swallowing his fear, he leaned down and squinted towards the mess of fabric. The clearer it became, the more confusion arose in his mind. "...Reiki-san's?"

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

[shsltrifolium-deactivated201412]

"Kaori-chan…? Who would…."

Misaki trailed off. It was beyond her as to why anyone would target Kaori. Why? She already had enough with herself being distrusted, but now her closest friend was being framed. It didn’t once occur to her that it was possible that Kaori could have actually made those letters. It just wouldn’t make sense.

With the way Atlas was speaking, he didn’t seem to suspect her either. He also seemed to not remember it all too well. It was to be expected, as due to his claims, he was drugged and shoved into a locker. It explained why he looked so uncomfortable, too. Anyhow, he seemed to believe Kaori was innocent as well.

"Atlas-san. We’ve got to find out who’s doing this. Will you search with me?"

[shslqb]

The use of her first name pretty much set the fact that they were rather close in stone, but it wasn't as if it was surprising to him. Even the blind would able to tell that they were good friends from the way that they spoke to each other, and being the one who knows Kaori best out of all of them, Misaki would know whether or not she could actually pull off such a crime. And unless Kaori was actually incredibly skilled at acting, he could tell that Misaki obviously thought that the idea of her doing this was absurd. For whatever reason, the thought relaxed him.

"It... It's inevitable that her name will come up during the trial, since it won't help anyone if I keep quiet about the letter, but..."

Atlas knew better than anyone that he was in no way good at reasoning, so it's not like he could outright say that he'd defend her at all costs. Well, not without any basis, of course. All he'd done so far is hit his head a couple times and dump all his worries on this poor girl, not exactly investigate the perimeters in hopes of finding any evidence. Misaki's proposal would hopefully get them back on track.

"Yeah, of course."

"It looks like this room is already being covered, so... any ideas on where to go?"

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

[shsltrifolium-deactivated201412]

Misaki shook her head at his question. She definitely didn’t get any letters, and she definitely had no clue what was going on. With how Oten turned out, though, it was obvious that this was no party. She listened quietly to what Atlas had to say. The whole thing was surprising, but the last part sort of caught her off guard.

"Someone drugged you…?"

This whole thing seemed overwhelmingly complex. If the culprit had so much time as to where they could send a letter AND manage to trick this guy into getting drugged and bringing the target up to a room… Why did they put in so much effort? What exactly was going on?

"Atlas-san, do you have any idea who did this to you?"

[shslqb]

"Yeah, drugged, I'm pretty sure."

"Well, then they threw me into a locker..." His voice trailed off as if it was talking about a bad memory he'd prefer to forget, which was pretty much exactly what he was talking about. It was embarrassing to say out loud, but he supposed there was no point in hiding it. Everyone had better things to do than make fun of him for being shoved into a locker like some scrawny middle school kid, or at least he hoped.

As soon as she asked, another piece of his memory popped into his head. Remembering what the letter had said was difficult enough, but it took him even longer to recall who had apparently signed it. A lump formed in his throat as he became sure of what it said. His eyes shifted over to a certain someone in the room, but he knew it couldn't be true. Well, it was more like, it'd really suck if it was true.

"I don't... think someone handed it to me, so I... I can't really be sure, but, uh..."

"Whoever sent it was definitely trying to make it seem like Natsume-san was the one who wrote it." Yes, that was it! She was being framed. That was it! ...That had to be it!

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

[shsltrifolium-deactivated201412]

Atlas took a moment or two continuing his confused stare. Misaki almost tried to say something again to try and gain his attention before he spoke. He mentioned something about a party? What kind of party would happen the night before a murder? Even if it seemed a little silly, he seemed dead serious about that question.

"I can’t say that I was… Did you get invited to one? It seems a little odd at a time like this."

She wasn’t surprised that if there was any party that she would remain uninvited, but this seemed like a fishy sort of party. Especially with someone turning up dead… It really was something curious. 

[shslqb]

He wasn't really counting on ending up with more questions than what he started with, but her response was just about as much as he figured. Nobody else had seemed to remember being invited to some sort of party, so maybe he was just delusional...? No way. What else would explain him waking up in a locker? He had the stiff neck and bruises to prove that. Was there something he was missing here?

"Doesn't it? I thought it was weird too, but... i-it was a party for Kouei-san. A surprise party. Are you sure you weren't invited?"

Bringing a hand up to his chin, he couldn't help but wonder. The name of the sender was still escaping him until now, just as the exact contents of the letter were. It'd probably be a lot easier to explain his situation if he actually had the letter with him. 

"Well, I-I got a letter, you see... It said something about the party and then it gave me instructions. I... had to bring Kouei-san up to the third floor. I'm pretty sure I did just that, but... the last thing I remember was passing out after it..."

"...I think I got drugged?"

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

[shsltrifolium-deactivated201412]

That morning, at first, wasn’t all too different from the other mornings since the motive began. Misaki would wait in her room for a while, thinking to herself. After a while, she would get up and search for some sort of antidote by herself, despite what that bear may have told her. She didn’t want to give up hope that easily, but lately, it was feeling pretty useless to search around without any clues.

As soon as the botanist was ready to leave, an announcement blared through the speakers. Someone else had died. She felt her heart drop to the bottom of her chest as she bolted from her room in search of who had died. Despite the pain in her body, she ran up the stairs, following the voices of the others. It could have been Kaori, or Junpei, or Miwa, or….

"…Kouei..san…"

She choked out his name as she saw him. Out of all the people who could have died, it was unexpected to see him lying there. He seemed shockingly peaceful in that state. It was a large contrast to the panic he had been in the past few days. 

Glancing around, Misaki hoped to find someone who she could search with to hopefully help find clues. Near her was Atlas. She hadn’t spoken to him very much before. He seemed a bit confused over something, above being surprised to see the body. She turned to approach him.

"Atlas-san… do you, perhaps, know anything about this?"

[shslqb]

Still stuck in his state of confusion even when someone had come to address him, he didn't turn to face her until it seemed like a whole half hour had passed, and even then he looked as if he was staring right past her. Well, it'd be hard to tell where he was looking at any given moment considering his mask, but it wouldn't have taken a genius to see that he was clearly disoriented. He blinked down at the girl, then raised an eyebrow and looked back at the body. Seeing the corpse made his stomach drop, and he was rudely kicked back into his senses, quickly turning away from the body and then realizing that someone was talking to him. 

"Asaihara...-san? O-Oh, um..."

A hand went up to rub the back of his neck as he tried to string a sentence together, and with anxiety not being the only thing holding him back from doing so, he bit down on his lip. This was the first, one on one conversation they'd had since arriving here, but they'd been through a handful of murders together. It wasn't his favourite way of getting to know someone, but he was definitely aware of her. He'd had nothing to hold against her until the moment Monobear had spilled all their secrets, but then again, it's not like he was in any position to resent her for it, considering his own... 

Perhaps she'd be able to shed some light on the situation? Without the letter on hand, he had no proof that any of his questions were actually coming from somewhere, but he was pretty desperate for any kind of answer at this point. He set his hands on her shoulders, forcing himself to make eye contact.

"I... I might know something. But, I-I really need you to answer something for me."

"Were... you invited to a party this morning? A surprise party..."

[shslqb]

[OPEN] Speak of the Devil

As much as he was getting used to hitting the top of his head on surfaces to close to the ground for comfort, Atlas was really hoping that he wouldn't find himself in that situation as soon as he got up from his bed. Though, he didn't wish that under the pretense that it hadn't happened before, since it did enough times for him to get assigned to sleep on the floor because of the multitude of times he'd startled whoever had been sleeping on the top bunk of the bunk bed, but it didn't really make this bump hurt any less. His hand instinctively moved in order to go up and rub the injured part of his forehead, but it took him a moment to realize that it'd be pretty hard to do that with his arms cramped up inside of the locker. It took him another moment to realize that he was stuck in a locker, and a couple more moments for him to come to his senses and start panicking.

It was relieving to know that the door wasn't locked, but as he rolled over onto the cold floor while hitting his head again, he just wished it didn't open the moment he rammed his elbow against the closest surface he could find. Ignoring the pain, he lied on the ground for a good minute while trying to steady his breathing, since being stuffed into a locker takes a bit of a toll on the amount of oxygen passing through your lungs. His eyes stung, suddenly being exposed to light after seeing nothing but darkness just a moment earlier. He peeled off his mask, rubbing his damp face before gaining the energy to make an attempt to sit up. It hurt, to say the least, with his neck stiff and heavy equipment weighing him down. 

Still in the process of figuring out his current predicament, he blinked at the chamber he'd stumbled out of, wondering how he actually fit in there. It was kind of ironic, the big, hefty jock being stuffed into a locker. He probably would've laughed at that fact if it wasn't the least of his worries, his main one being the fact that he actually had no idea how he got stuffed into a locker in the first place.

"..."

"...What the hell?"

Immediately pushing himself up onto his feet and losing balance just as quickly, his back pressed against the wall for support. Slowly, his mind put together the timeline of the events that occurred the day before, but there were too many missing pieces. He remembered being given a letter. By someone. Someone gave him a letter. Their face... Who were they again? Did he even see their face? No, wait, what did the letter say? 

His train of thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the sound of urgent footsteps pounded against the floors above him, and his face paled when he was able to distinguish the voices. It was clear that something had happened, and in a place like this, he could only expect the worst. He forced himself to make his way out of the room, his movements still groggy from the motive. Climbing up the stairs had never been so tiring in his life― not even the adrenaline could stop his pace from being any slower. Well, it wasn't entirely surprising, since his natural athletic ability was pretty pathetic, but it's not like you needed to be a track star to climb a flight of stairs. In most cases, anyway. Slipping his mask back onto his face, he miraculously dragged himself up to the third floor.

He was still as confused as ever, but with his head beginning to clear up and headache a little more tolerable, tiny bits of memories came back. The timeline still had too many holes for him to be certain of it, but at this point, he'd take what he could get in terms of remembering what happened. He'd passed out. Someone made him pass out, he remembered that. But, before that, he was doing something. The letter had told him to do something... something to do with... Oten?

"K-Kouei-san?!"

Hold on. Wasn't he supposed to. Wasn't he going to? ...What the hell was going on?! 

"...Wait... What?"

[shslperfuming]

[Free time] Base Notes

[shslperfuming]

"Ah-" If anyone could get her mind off the matter, it’d be the dream boat super hero. His speech was awkward as usual, but it meant a lot that he cared enough to stay with her. Or even check in. If it weren’t for that, she’d probably have wandered off or went back to sleep.

With her hands still on her face, she felt her expression lighten up when he agree’d to stay. “Really Atlas? Thank you!” She let her hands finally drop from her face as she listened to him continue to ramble on. They were more alike than she thought. Atlas rambled just as much as she did only he wasn’t as positive as she was. It was okay, they’re trapped in a prison and surely he was doing the best he could. 

"Hmm? Don’t be so hard on yourself… I mean- I think you’re really great!"

Kaori’s face began to burn slightly as she realized what she had said. But was it right to be doing this when the boy she longed to see was already six feet under? It’s not like she could go back and change it, but if she faced forward and moved through it… It was possible that she could move on. 

The Perfumer leaned in closer to him and looked over the new maps on the device. Putting up another smile as her face glowed in pinkness, it finally hit how close she was to this boy. She could smell his natural body odor and sweat, but it wasn’t unbearable. In fact, for how much he sweats she didn’t even mind it.

"Ah- haha.. Um? We could go visit the Monoshoppe? We have these coins so..?" She nodded, looking up at the masked boy. "If that’s okay… or I mean- I’d watch the movie too…" 

[shslqb]

His smile faded at her compliment, threatening to drop completely but only just managing to hang on. If it was hard to accept compliments before his secret was out in the open, it was a million times worse to hear them now. He was tempted to outright deny it, but he didn't have the heart to after seeing how content she looked compared to before. Breathing a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed, tension leaving his body for the first time in what, days? Weeks? Months? 

But he stiffened up just as quickly as soon as she leaned over to get a look at the maps. He'd taken note of this before, but did girls always smell this nice? Or did he just smell really bad? Figuring that it was most likely the latter, he stepped back for her sake, as much as he would've preferred to stay closer. He almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing until she spoke up.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, the coins! The coins..." Slipping a hand into his pocket, he brought out a dollar. Or, at least, what he considered a dollar. He had no idea how this currency was supposed to work.

"These coins?" He asked, as if there were any other coins that they could possibly have on hand.

"The Monoshoppe sounds fine to me! Unless you'd rather go and watch that movie. ...Well, you said both are fine, but we're doing whatever you want to do. A... Anything's good with me as long as it'll make you feel better...!"

"...Why do they even have a store in a prison?" He wasn't really expecting an answer, but he figured he may as well ask. It wouldn't be surprising to him if anyone else was wondering the same thing.

[shslperfuming]

[Free time] Base Notes

[shslperfuming]

If nothing happened, she’d be genuinely happy and maybe she still could be. But, accepting it was the hard part. Hearing the secret in all it’s honesty brought back a flash of emotions and memories revolving around that person. It was as if a dam had broken in her mind, and maybe thats why she felt the need to cry. Her memories were like fish, caught in the whirl wind and storm going on in her mind.

The boy’s face, body, hair, and everything came back to her. What she wanted to do and what she couldn’t do really hurt. A stabbing pain tore at her heart with empty emotions and fake memories pouring out. Though Kaori wanted to move on she stood still. When wasn’t the small girl lost in thought though?

"Natsume-san?"

A voice broke the war going on in her head. Putting on a show would be very unlikely under all these memories and thoughts… But at least maybe she could focus on Atlas. A super hero could surely save her, or just… keep her company.

Kaori slapped her face with both her hands to put on a brave face. “A- atlas! I- Um…” Taking a minute she pulled herself together before replying. ”Well… Maybe? If you could just hangout with me maybe..? S- sorry… Hah..” 

She couldn’t really muster up her old facade, but hopefully he’d still want to hangout with her. All of these things didn’t really help her, especially with them all knowing her secret. Sure other’s were worse but it couldn’t be helped. 

[shslqb]

Her face was notably pale, maybe even more so than his own. Which, in fact, was saying something, since his default state of being is basically 'pale and sweaty.' It wasn't so surprising, since anyone would be on edge after a trial as intense as the last, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with it. As it was with anyone, Kaori looked way better with a smile on her face. Also as it was with anyone over the age of twelve, he had no idea how to make them smile. If teenagers were as simple as kids, then all he'd have to do is whip out a pair of beaglepuss glasses and their cries would be instantly replaced with laughs, but he didn't even know if he'd have the heart to do that in a situation as extreme as this one.

Jumping a step back when she slapped her hands against the sides of her face, the coins that were still held in his arms spilled onto the floor once again. Fortunately, his reaction time was plenty faster and he only scrambled around for about a minute before standing back up again. He managed a smile in order to ensure that she wouldn't be the one worrying about him when it was clearly the other way around, then finally stuffed his stash of coins into his pocket. Hearing her request, he nodded right away.

"No need to apologize...! I'd love to hang out with you... I mean, only if you actually, uh, want to. With me, I mean!"

"I totally understand if you don't. I wouldn't. N-Not with you, I mean with me! I wouldn't hang out with me! Fuck. I mean, nevermind!

He took a moment to mentally sock himself in the face for acting so stupid. Atlas was supposed to be a man that radiated confidence, was completely self-assured, and basically everything that Manabu Makoto was not. But, since it was far too late to choose to play a character that was actually close to his personality, he knew he had to at least make some kind of an effort. If there was some sort of option to redo any actions you've done in the past, he'd probably abuse it.

"A...Anyway," He sighed, pulling out his device and looking over the maps. "Is there... any place specific that you want to go to?"

[shslperfuming]

[Free time] Base Notes

Waking up from a restless night, the same cheerful voice played over the loud speakers. How Annoying. Was this what she sounded like everyday? But it’s too late now to care how she acted. Her head pounded as she groggily made her way out of the bed and into the cell block. The Perfumer figured she’d make it long enough to listen to what the bear had to say and try to head back to sleep.

Dreams of that boy played through her mind. As she closed her eyes the fresh sound of car horns blared. If she could just pretend it hadn’t happened it’d be no problem but, it did and facing it now was her priority. Still… The whole thing was hard to believe: the body, the crash… It was real. Was she really powerful enough to pretend it didn’t happen? Of course she was, even if it never occurred to her how much she truly hid. 

Kaori spaced out as she took the coins into her hands, flipping them over in her hands as the other students went off on their way. Just what was she supposed to do now? It was bad enough that the secret made it seem like she killed him herself. Who could really trust her after that… The way she acted during the trial wasn’t very trusting either. 

"Misaki-chan… knew my secret all along…" Her voice was hushed as she continued to play with the coins. 

Even if she did want to go back to sleep, Kaori feared seeing the crash again. It was still so fresh in her mind and every time she laid her head down it was all she could think about. Glass, blood, tires screeching, and Him… Why did she have to watch that over and over all night long..? The only other thing she wanted to do was eat breakfast and watch the movie in the lobby. Hopefully alone.

[shslqb]

Sleepless nights came more often than not, in his case. The terribly uncomfortable mattress and pillow that was about as soft as the ground only added to his toss and turns. But, even the most luxurious bed in the universe would still have him waking up in cold sweat. If anything, the comfort and lack of distractions would just make his late night head trips even more prominent. Atlas had sworn under his breath at the sound of Monobear's voice ringing throughout the building, but, to be frank, was relieved to push off the blankets. They were as thin as paper, maybe even as soft as it, but he felt like he was suffocating underneath the fabric. But without them, he felt as vulnerable as ever.

His hair had become a rat's nest after days of not being properly styled, but it somehow kept shape despite that fact. He ran his hands through the strands, feeling the thick locks and faint traces of gel. The trademark mask that was always placed on his face didn't fail to be there today, and once again, he was grateful for it. There was probably no point to dragging on the superhero act with his secret out in the open, but with everyone drowning in their own thoughts and worries, he figured no one would care if he kept it up. Besides, it's not like he had any other outfits to change into.

"..."

Distracted by the tremendous amounts of concern he had for a tremendous amount of things, he was taken off guard by cold coins suddenly being forced into his hands, resulting into them being spilled onto the floor. It took a moment for him to gather up the energy to lean down and pick them up, and by the time he'd finished, a majority of those left in this prison had already been on their way. He was about to follow their examples when a familiar voice behind him caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Natsume-san?" The name slipped out of his lips before he could even process what the right thing to do in this situation was. Feeling incredibly stupid for suddenly calling out to her for no particular reason, he bit down on his tongue. Whatever the case, it was far too late for him to try and pretend that didn't happen, so his plan to turn around and walk away at an alarming speed was pointless. Seeing her look so glum bothered him, but he didn't need to ask what it was about. He'd heard her secret loud and clear during the trial, and while it definitely wasn't a good thing to know about her, he couldn't help the concern begin to arise in his chest after seeing her reaction. Atlas wondered if she even wanted to talk to anyone about it right now.

"A-Ah, sorry," He stumbled, taking a couple steps closer to her. "Is... there anything I can help you with?"

[shslqb]

these would probably look better if my handwriting wasnt sh*t

[shslqb]

[OPEN] RIP all my ideas for post titles | Investigation Start

[shslhitman]

It was time to get down to business and get to the bottom of this, preferably in a shorter amount of time than last time. They could get to trial, find the culprit, and end this, at least for now. He gave a nod to Atlas as he went off to look at the rest of the room, and set Boa’s body on the floor in front of him. He continued to look at her as he slowly removed his gloves, and set them aside. 

He rubbed his hands together a moment so they wouldn’t be cold, and then realized it hardly mattered.

“My apologies, Hoa-san.”

He began to inspect her face, first, checking the strangulation marks on her neck to see if he could begin to tell whether the hands may have belong to a man or a woman. For now, it was unclear. Then, he checked her eyes, opening them, and closing them, and finally opening her mouth, trying to see if there was any sort of offending substance in them, thought it wouldn’t make sense if there was, considering the circumstances. He really was all too calm as he did this, though tears threatened to fall, he wouldn’t allow them.

Seeing the thing that had been used to hang Boa, something occurred to him. A bedsheet was a strange thing to use, sure, but they’d managed to do it…that aside, what was the point of this? It didn’t make any sense. He stopped investigating her body for a second and called out to Atlas.

“Atlas-san! I think…I think that perhaps the murderer was trying to make this look like a suicide by hanging her after strangling her.”

“Very sloppy job, honestly, especially with the marks they left…”

[shslqb]

His hands trailed along the pattern on the bed sheet, keeping an eye out for any suspicious stains or just something that could give him a hint to figure out what really went on here. Did anyone here own a striped bed sheet? Well, he doubted that anyone would own up to it if he were to ask, so supposing that his next course of plan would be to take look in everyone's cells, Atlas untied the bed sheet and threw it over his shoulder. It probably looked stupid considering the fact he was already wearing a cape around his neck, but there were obviously better things to think about than how cool you looked at the moment. 

Taking one last look over the cafeteria before descending down the stairs, he couldn't help but think about the other murder. The causes of death weren't exactly similar, but were they connected in some way? Did the same person kill the both of them, if there was even a third party in the first place? He knew that with the amount of evidence he had on hand wouldn't help him draw any conclusions, so he figured he just had to find more. If he couldn't think of any theories, the best he could do is help people with it.

"Sloppy, huh..." He mumbled, making his way over to where Oten was crouched over the body. "If that's the case, they probably aren't a very good thinker... Or at least, couldn't think clearly at the time, or something, I dunno." His eyes were still scanning the room as he spewed out ideas. If he weren't so focused on finding clues, he probably would've felt embarrassed. "Well, getting rid of marks like that would be pretty hard. M-Maybe they were just really strong? After all, they had to carry her up there... Ah, s-sorry! I... I'm not really good at this kind of thing..."

Had he gone on any longer, he would've ended up getting flustered and mixing up his words. He set the bed sheet onto the table next to him in case Oten wanted to take a closer look, then thought about which area to check next. With the kitchen looking like it's been cleared, that wasn't an option, so he decided to just poke around the main area of the Cafeteria. He took a couple minutes to stare at the ladder as if it would tell him anything, since it was probably a witness to the crime, but of course, that was a useless action. 

"Might be stuff underneath the tables," He told himself, then proceeded to crawl underneath not only those, but the chairs as well. Despite hitting his head on the surface more than enough times to bruise, Atlas pressed on. 

[shslqb]

[OPEN] RIP all my ideas for post titles | Investigation Start

[shslhitman]

This time, he doesn’t cry.

Oten had heard the commotion from his jail cell, and woken up and walked out to join the rest much after everyone else had. As soon as he heard everyone running around, yelling and finally the announcement being made, he knew that it had happened again. A murder. He’d heard who it was, as well. The mathlete, Boa Hoa. He hadn’t moved from his bed. His mind was still processing her death when soon after the commotion shifted. Another body had been found. This time, the speed painter, Nagisa Iwase. That was when he got up.

He adjusted his clothes with an almost eerie concentration, before making his way over to the cafeteria to see one of the bodies for himself. As he walked, he kept his lips in a tight line, his eyes straight ahead. This wasn’t supposed to happen again. He was…he was really hoping it wouldn’t. But the fact that it went just went to show you - humans were truly some of the most disgusting beings on this planet. And he really couldn’t trust anyone here. Except perhaps a choice few. But even they were sketchy. It was to not trust anyone in full.

When he saw Boa hanging from the burger, all he could do was frown. There was a certain coldness in his expression, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t upset over this. He felt completely anguished inside. Boa…someone who he was just starting to see as a possible friend, someone to trust, brutally murdered. But he wasn’t going to let it show. He was going to stay strong. He’d had his time to be weak with the previous murder, but that wasn’t what everyone needed. At this point, he felt as though hope was pointless, and what was needed now was justice.

In a time where everything was going against his code of honor, he couldn’t afford to sit around and cry. 

He continues to watch as Atlas manages to take Boa’s body down, and sees Junpei and Jinta leave out of the corner of his eye. Boa…she looked so serene, almost as though she was asleep, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Once the body and Atlas are before him, he’s ready to begin. He spoke in an eerily calm tone, but really, it was his expression that was unsettling. He seemed almost…hollow.

“I will help you, Atlas-san. Please leave the handling of the body to me. I have experience with the dead.”

[shslqb]

Experience with the dead? Atlas isn't entirely sure how to react to that, but if it was going to help them get any closer to finding out who the murderer is, he wouldn't question it. Besides, he didn't know if he could handle having to look at a corpse for much longer, even if he was the one who went through the trouble of getting her down in the first place. While watching Jinta and Junpei make their way out of the cafeteria, his eyes shifted over to the body, then to Oten. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn't in the least bit wary of the boy, but Atlas didn't doubt his ability in the slightest. So long as they weren't the killer, he'd be leaving her in trustworthy hands.

"O-Oh! That... That's a relief. I'm sure you're much more capable of doing this than I am, s-so..."

Taking one last look at her to see if there was anything he missed, all he could think about was what could've been going through the killer's head. It was evident that she was strangled and may have died from that, but if that was the case, why hang her? And next to the burger, of all things... Well, he doubted that he'd be able to understand the thoughts of someone who had the nerve to rob someone of their life, so he decided to approach this differently. 

He flashed Oten a quick thumbs up before going off, the gigantic burger still proving to be a distraction. Staring at the worn out patty, his eyes fell onto the rope he'd untied in order to bring her down. He regretted not taking a closer look at it in the first place, so figuring that it should be his second order of business, Atlas began to make his way over.

"I'll j-just be taking a look around the Cafeteria, then..." His voice still as shaky as ever. This time while climbing the stairs, he kept his eyes peeled for any clues, and continued so as he found himself on the walkway. From here, he had a good view of the room. Now, he wasn't one with high standards, but when he was told that he was invited to an academy as prestigious as Hope's Peak, he really did have high hopes for where they were going to be eating. This place didn't even come close to his fantasies.

"..." Shaking his head at the irrelevant thoughts, he decided to just do what he came up here for and take a closer look at the material he found tied tightly around Boa's neck.

[shslqb]

[OPEN] RIP all my ideas for post titles | Investigation Start

[shslhighdive]

While Junpei’s standing numb, petrified, he’s dimly aware of a blue and red flurry moving past him, climbing to the burger suspended from the ceiling. He only snaps out of his stupor when he notices they’re untying the knot around Boa’s neck, and for a brief, irrational, terrifying moment he thinks it’s the culprit, trying to remove evidence right in front of them. But it’s only Atlas, gently catching Boa’s body and bringing it down to one of the tables. Slowly, nervously, he moves over to get a look at her.

…Down here, she almost looks like she could be sleeping. He hadn’t been able to get a good look at her face up there, but her expression is almost serene. He looks up at Atlas, about to speak, as the second body discovery announcement rings out, freezing him in place. Someone else was dead, somewhere in the prison. Frantically, he gets out his student ID and opens the Monobear files. The first is for Boa, as expected, but the second — the second takes him by surprise.

"…A-Atlas-san, the file… it says that the second announcement is for Iwase-san." Nagisa. Unflappable and confident that nobody would kill over this. He had told her it was a dangerous way to think, but to think that she actually… that she’s really— 

…But no, he can’t think like that! All he knows is the time she died and  that she had a heart attack. He hasn’t seen the body yet, doesn’t have the image burned into his brain. As guilty as he is for thinking it, it can afford to wait until later. Right now… finding out what happened to Boa is the priority. 

"A-anyway……Thanks for getting her down from there. I didn’t know her that well, but… I know she deserves better than to be… hanging from something like that."

A pause, just for a beat. “…I’m going to… I’m gonna take a look at her. I don’t know what it’ll do, but… someone’s gotta. Sorry, Hoa-san.”

The words come out thick and uncomfortable, as if his body’s still catching up to his mind. He hadn’t done this part of the investigation last time; it’s new, and frankly, scary — it’s Boa in front of him, after all, dead when she was alive hardly a day ago.

Like he said, though… someone’s got to do it. Attempting to keep his composure for the sake of the investigation despite the lump in his throat, he leans over to look at Boa’s neck. The file says she died of asphyxiation… which he guesses is suffocating. It would make sense with how she was found, and he’s not really sure what he’s expecting to find, but… it’s worth double checking everything. The last investigation taught him that much.

[highpresidential]

Overhearing the conversation between Junpei and Atlas, he too went and grabbed for his student ID. He whipped out the device from him pocket, almost dropping it, but managed to control his slightly shaken hands from causing too much damage. With his index finger, he slid the screen to read the newly recieved files. It was obvious that Boa had died from suffocation, but Nagisa from a heart attack?

He put that thought away for future reference and continued on with the file. Apparently Nagisa had died not too long before Boa did. A solid 11 minutes between each murder. He slid down the page for more details, but the screen just bounced back up to the cause of death. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, analyzing this information. However, it was difficult to focus with all the chatter going on.

"Nakagawa-kun, if you’re still going to check on Iwase-san, I’ll join you."

He had an experiment that needed testing before he could make any conclusions, and to be honest, he was afraid of going off alone. Two people had already died, so whose to know if they won’t strike again?

"I’m not sure if Atlas wants to tag along, but he’s welcome to join as well."

[shslqb]

The colour drained from his face at the sound of another announcement ringing through his ears, and while looking up at wherever the voice appeared to be coming from, he clenched his fists around the fabric of his cape in distraught. One person dying was more than enough to swallow, but two? In one day? What the hell was going on? The thought of someone murdering anyone right after they found a body was not only frightening to think about, but also pretty reckless when you thought about it. With that possibility out of the way, the only thing left was that two people had died right under the nose, and they hadn't been able to stop that. 

A familiar voice next to him spoke up, and Atlas turned around to face him, feeling sympathy with the distressed look in their eyes. While it was relieving that Junpei Nakagawa wasn't one of the two dead, it didn't make him feel much better in the slightest. Pressing his hands against the surface of the table, he kept a steady stare towards Boa's body as he responded to him.

"Iwase-san... She's..."

Pulling out his own device, he finally laid his eyes onto the new additions to their collection of files. He glanced at Boa's file, taking note of the time and cause of death, then looked at Nagisa's. His chest ached as he recalled having never spoken to her before, but he wondered if that was for the best. It would've been a lot more painful to bear if he'd gotten to know her. A heart attack, however... Was it really possible to murder someone by giving them a heart attack?

He shook his head at the thought, dismissing it quickly. He figured he'd get nowhere if he tried to figure out what happened with both murders at the same time, so he knew it'd be best to do this one step at a time. The last trial had went by with him saying almost nothing useful, and he didn't want to make that mistake again. In any case, he decided to investigate this one first, since he'd already gone through the trouble of getting her down.

"I-It's no problem. We... We won't find out anything if we don't go at least this far." He said, his gaze locked onto the strangulation marks around her neck. How brutal...

Attention diverted towards Jinta, Atlas was relieved to see that he was taking initiative in the investigation. Having people spread out across the building collecting clues for each of the cases would've gotten things done a lot faster than everyone just focusing on one.

"Ah, I. Uh, no, thank you, but I'll stay behind. For now, I mean. I-I'd like to investigate here first."

"You're... You're free to go, Nakagawa-san! I could try and catch up with you guys later, if that's alright...?" He managed a reassuring smile, wondering if he'd able to find anything on his own. 

[toripng]

I’m sorry but this is all I could see