reckless romantic

"Run, run as fast as you can! / You can't catch me. I'm the Gingerbread Man!" shsl informant for roulette rampage reloaded STATUS: DEAD.

[caramoccii]

[ultimateinformer-blog]

lemolunes:

if only

http://rouletterampagereloaded.tumblr.com/

[ultimateinformer-blog]

[task 8] irrelevance | open

Being confined to only one private room was a bit of a curse. It was out of the way to go interact with you after all. The informant could not even recall ever bringing a person into his room in the first place, so what motivation would someone have to storm into it now? They might think they would be too invasive and leave him to rot. His attempts to be chummy in his last few days alive probably would not get him any farther either. He really hadn't made friends with many people, isolating himself a bit.

That was such a pain.

Then again, death itself was a pain. Loneliness was just the torture that came after it. Sure, he understood that after death there would probably be a digitized version of him, but that did not necessarily mean he wanted that. Why couldn't he have been put into a place more free? Alas, here he was stuck in a tablet for who knows how long. Until he was broken? Until this entire facility was shut down?

Would it get shut down?

The only thing that came from the tablet in his now desolated room was a deep sigh. He was dead, and his memories were uploaded to him. Of course, he had to also now know why he was there.

When he registered a sound of some sort alerting that someone was approaching him whether from the living realm or the dead-- he would realize that soon enough. His anticipation overtook his senses telling him to wait and find out, for he began to speak before he even realized it.

"Yo. The Gingerbread Man, John Dough, Daisuke Suzuki-- my name's kinda... useless now, ain't it? Just add me to the body count. Call me whatever you want. I really thought there'd be a spark this time, but... I'm just a daydreaming, meddling schoolboy, huh...?"

"So if you really want to call me by that bland name, go ahead. If you're here to tell me I'm stupid, I know. Don'tcha worry a thing. I try my best to catch up to speed."

A grin was forced. Was this an attempt at humor? Light-hearted conversation after self-realization? Nevertheless, it seemed as if his display had changed appropriate to his own words. Anything noteworthy save for his scars seemed to be stripped of him and he adopted a more... average look.

More notably, his accent seemed to be... heavily toned down. Was this what death did to this guy? Remove the edge?

[ultimateinformer-blog]

why must u sin elliott

[rouletterampagereloaded]

[Body Discovery] Informative Intermission

A few days after the last motive was announced, Monobear gave his grim morning reminder that they were stuck in this underwater hell. Upon hearing the same announcement over and over, Akihito Ozu decided to start his morning routine with breakfast. Upon his arrival they were greeted with a horrible reminder of just what was in store for them.

Akihito felt their appetite begin to waver as they noticed someone else sitting in the corner. They shuffled closer, only to find The Gingerbread Mans body sat up in a chair as if he had fallen asleep. Only never to wake again.

[shsl-senkoe]

[Motive☆Four] The Gingerbread Man(ga) || Closed

[shsl-senkoe]

Take everything with a grain of salt, Kiyoyuki. He had to keep repeating that in his head; he had to remember that, engrave it so that he could keep himself on his own toes as his bleeding heart wanted to believe everything.

Though the informant seems cool enough, breezy in tone, something he says irks him and he frowns. You don’t find it odd when it’s me but it’s odd when it’s her, essentially… well… there’s nothing that can be said. That’s true. And realizing it makes him bite his lip. That really wasn’t fair to him. How could they work together if he was going to be this biased? It wouldn’t do. The informant deserved better.

“You… you’re right. I’m sorry. I owe you an apology. It isn’t fair for me judge you like that– act like you’re someone more likely to be a bad guy nor is it good to act like Rosa-san is innocent here. I’ll reflect on it, I promise.”

He bows his head. It’s such a small gesture and one others might find meaningless but it’s something he rarely did before; apologize, that is. It was one of the many things he had a tendency to regret, an ever growing list, that one, but one he was doing his best to change a little, bit by bit.

“Ah– alright! Thank you… really! It’ll be good to work together.”

As he was motioned over, Kiyoyuki prepared himself for what he’d see. The informant had claimed Jiang-Li, that Jiang-Li of all people had been saying some pretty big things. Concerning things too. Still, there was only one way to verify it and that had been given to him… or should’ve been anyway. He sat down, put on the headphones and waited for… something. But nothing was with what he was greeted with… not good. In other words, no way to confirm one way or the other. A frown appears on his face as one hand taps against the desk and the other taps the side of his face, mind racing.

If he can’t see he can’t confirm and that’s an obvious worry. But if the Gingerbread Man had offered then he was innocent, right? Either that or he was taunting him… still, despite everything, he still wanted to believe. Wanting is different from the reality though… it’s not that simple. Finally shaking off the headphones he’d put on he gets back to his feet, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Nothing… I guess… can’t be too surprised… if the idea’s to stir up panic then of course we can’t see them.”

It’s more of a thought spoken aloud than a directed statement but when he realizes he’s thinking too much his attention flicks back to the informant.

“I know… we can’t confirm anything… and I guess you have every reason to be on edge given what I’ve accused you of but… I still want to believe you. You’re… an informant… and a hero of justice, right? I don’t think you’d lie about something like this. And I think– maybe– we can still work together on this, right? Maybe if we ask everyone we’ll get a full picture of what everyone saw. Um… are you up for that?”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

"......"

The informant burst into a bit of chuckling in reaction. Catching himself, he tried his best to hide his grin with his hand, though it did little to stifle his laughter. However, in a few moments it seemed to die down to the point that he could lower his hand and still offer a grin to the other.

"...Apology accepted, dude! Like I said, don't feel too bad 'bout it. We all get that way, yeah?"

The informant seemed to be a little bit in better spirits despite saying nothing bad had even occurred. Perhaps it was the fact that he had even been given a sincere apology? He did not dwell on it too long, letting the both of them continue what the entire conversation revolved around: talking about the motive.

He waited anxiously for a response, but the response he heard only seemed to dash any hopes he had. Frowning, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "It was worth a shot. If I can figure out some way t' get 'round this, I'll let ya know pronto. Not like 've got much of anythin' else to do 'round here anyways. Might as well be productive."

Expecting the conversation to end there with just a small farewell or such, the brunet is once more caught off-guard by the response he gains.

"Aaah... Hero! My favorite word, though I sense I'll never grow into it. 've always wanted to be one, but... I think 'm still a few steps behind completing that goal. Heck, I don't even help y'all with yer murders except with very small things you could just get from a coroner."

"But... I ain't one to shoot down a compliment. Heheh... It feels kinda... rejuvenating t' be doin' somethin' noble again... Even if I sound kind of like an idiot just expressin' all this."

Holding out his hand to the other, he gives a lively expression as if he had suddenly woken up from a very, very long slumber and was excited to see the day.

"'m up fer anythin', don't you think otherwise! As long as y' can keep up an' stay loyal to the right path, y' got me."

[shslelectricslide]

[MOTIVE 4] Blue screen [OPEN]

[shslelectricslide]

Normally,Akihito would have jumped, or even flinched, at the sudden waving of the other’s hat in front of him. He still hadn’t been expecting the gesture, but his body felt so heavy… he felt so numb. He watched the card fall in front of him, the Ace of Spades resting face up for him.

This guy… The gingerbread man. John Dough. ….Akihito regretted being unable to remember his real name. It just went to show how unfamiliar he was with him. The last time they talked was on the first day here, and otherwise they only exchanged small banter during trials. The SHSL Informant… a boy as mysterious to Akihito as he was as the informant.

….And Akihito hopes it stays that way.

“….J-just stay away from me, man..” It hurt… he didn’t want to do this. He had actually been meaning to talk to this guy a few times. He seemed like a cool guy to joke around with. …But he couldn’t.

“Ya shouldn’t be nice t’ me.. Ya shouldn’t hang out with me.. and most of all, ya shouldn’t try an’ be friends with me. If ya haven’t guessed, that kinda get’s ya killed around here..” his heart sank, “Or worse.”

This was cruel. This whole place was cruel. It’s like this place was designed to remind Akihito of all the worst aspects of his life. His loneliness, his hopelessness… if even took his one wish and threw it back in his face. All he wanted was friends… and this place made friends the scariest thing he could imagine.

“N-nothin’ good happens when people try t’ be my friend, so if ya don’t wanna end up dead, then stay far away from me..” Why couldn’t anything ever work out of him. He turned his head back toward the computer, looking down at the card.. 

“…Sorry.”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

John stared for a bit before shaking his head.

"Stay away from you? If yer gonna say it with a stutter, it ain't gonna do much but make me feel like I gotta stick by. That's how it goes."

"It wouldn't make me a very nice person t' just be abandonin' someone who's obviously in lower spirits anyway."

The informant contemplated his next move for a second. In the end, he sent a wink after a bit of hesitance, though he slipped back into territory he was more comfortable with not too long after: simply sticking to a grin.

"A hero... 'm not quite sure if 'm cut out for that job anymore, but... I think I learned a good deal from that dream," he said wistfully, looking elsewhere as he spoke. "Even if it's not beneficial to my end, who cares? It's not supposed t' be about me but about the people. The innocent public who just needs a helpin' hand."

"It might sound like pity, an' heck, maybe it is. I don't care though, cause 've got a clear goal in my head. I wanna be nice t' people, no strings attached. If it all backfires on me? At least someone else is better off than me right now and could be doin' some cool stunt right now."

The informant released a very airy, light-hearted laugh that lasted but a second. He reached his hand out again towards the other, this time it being empty.

"So, whether yer curse gets cast on me ain't my business. 'm here for more than just a 'hello' to y'."

“Ah... but apology forgiven nonetheless.”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

nya :3c

[shsl-senkoe]

[Motive☆Four] The Gingerbread Man(ga) || Closed

[shsl-senkoe]

It was good he was being so neutral about this… or it seemed to be the case anyway.

“No, I guess that’s true but still– wait– what? Dreams?! M-meaning? No, I don’t have that kind of thought!!! That’s really– it’s no! No! I’m just saying I-I think that face is yours, that’s all!”

Geez! And to think he had been trying to be all leader-ly here. This was his usual awkward Kiyoyuki reaction. Well, it couldn’t be helped, he hadn’t been expecting that sort of comment.

But wait, what? Jiang-Li? That Jiang-Li, the nervous sensitive stylist would be in a position to ‘not take shit’ from anybody? Well, no one is exactly who they were but that was still quite the image.

“That’s… a weird thing to imagine. I mean, Rosa-san like that…”

Maybe the videos were connected somehow? Were they all false or all true? Was is it a smattering of truths in lies? It was hard to say, especially without seeing it for yourself. Luckily the Gingerbread Man made an offer that would help rectify such a thing but before he could get to that there were concerns to be addressed.

The informant’s reaction makes Kiyoyuki’s frown deepen a bit; these could be dangerous waters, such subjects. He’d only been expressing a possible concern but if he had seen something different on his screen… Kiyoyuki couldn’t blame him for being a little unsure about that comment. It wasn’t the intent, really, but these were dangerous times. But that question.. some kinda mastermind puppeteer? Him? Honestly he wasn’t sure. He wanted to say he wasn’t. But he wanted to say none of them were capable of that. Even though time and time again he’d been wrong; even though people had murdered. He still wanted to think no one, not a person he’d talked to and been with for this long, would do something like this.

“… I’m sorry, that it came out like that but… I don’t… think that, no. Sorry to make you misunderstand, I was just worried people’d jump the gun, you know? I don’t think you’re behind this - really, I swear. I just want everything in the open, you know? Things, can look bad, I know that. And if we begin tearing each other down it’s only gonna get worse. I know it’s stupid but I guess I just had to hear you tell me it’s not true yourself.”

That makes sense to him. It’s foolish, perhaps, but it makes sense to him and that’s enough to keep him going for now. Returning to a previous subject he bows his head a little for sincerity’s sake.

“I think… working together would be the best course of action. So I would be happy to show you my video if you showed me yours. So let’s work together on this, John Dough-san!”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

"...Go easy on yerself, kid. 'm not holdin' anythin' against you seriously."

The petty scold the informant gave was delivered as casually as he could possibly muster. It was accompanied by a forced grin in the hopes that it would be taken to heart and that the voice actor could relax and get past it quickly. It was best to mend an awkward moment by addressing it now in a way to say to never think of it again.

"Ah... But you don't find it odd to see my image in the tape you got. You sure don't trust me much in comparison to her, do ya...? Heh, maybe 've got too much of a backbone...?"

Even with the chuckle at the end, the brunet could not help but feel like a punch to the chest had been dealt. His expression grew more wistful and melancholic, but he tried to shake off any disappointed feelings that were beginning to surface. Crossing his arms, he leaned against one of the cubicles after putting back on his cap in order to free up both of his hands.

He sighed. He wasn't doing a good job at being a hero like he had always wanted to be, was he? He had been satisfied with his role as a sidekick, but he was up as a suspect, wasn't he? It was out of his control, he felt. Fate was rolling its course, and he was just a little pawn-- nothing more than a bystander in the wrong place.

"Yeah... 'm fine with workin' with you," he said hesitantly. "Alright, I'll take you back to my computer and see if we can run it again, but I can't guarantee a thing."

Standing upright, he motioned the voice actor to follow him back. Upon arriving, he held the headphones out and pulled out the chair with his foot.

"I'll look away just so I don't get in the way and put any bias in it. I'll still be right by though, so don'tcha worry a thing."

[shslnakoudo-blog]

Task VII ♥ Don’t You Worry [OPEN]

[shslnakoudo-blog]

Of all the people to show up at her door, Gingie might have been the least expected. Miya realized, watching him fidget in front of her door, that she didn’t really understand him all that well. Always doing things at his own pace, self-assured in whatever moral code he was trying to follow. She certainly hadn’t pegged him for someone that would care much for her advice, but thinking back on their previous conversations it wasn’t all that far-fetched. Despite his eccentricities he seemed to her like a nice guy.

And that he’d thought of her first in any regard was a plus.

“Sure thing, Gingie! I know I have that effect on people~ Heheh.” Being relied on was a feeling she had gotten used to – too used to, she thought, but it wasn’t all bad. It was better than nothing. “Besides, talking to people is my strong point!”

Or, was it? She wasn’t really sure anymore. “…at least, sometimes it is.” The words came out under her breath and half on accident. With a swish of her hair and a smile far more confident than she felt she straightened up and smiled at the bandaged boy.

“So,” She lazily and just a touch awkwardly pushed her door open with one foot, turning sideways in the doorway to indicate that he could come in if he wanted. Or maybe he wanted to chat in the hallway, who knew. “What seems to be the problem, doughboy~?”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

Hearing Miya be so chipper on the matter made him start having second thoughts. How embarrassing would this end up being? He already felt like a fool, and it probably was not likely he could hold up a good banter against a playful combatant in his almost child-like state currently.

Still, he held out hope. Perhaps he didn't have to think of it so negatively-- turn his cheek to the other side and embrace the opportunity that he was being handed without insult. She seemed willing to put up with him for now, so he might as well take his chances.

Putting on a smile, his face lit up. His voice gained a light airiness to it as opposed to the forced gruff and toughness of his usual voice, as if he really were getting excited like a young kid on Christmas morning.

"Well, even a li'l bit of talkin' skills can work like a charm, yesiree! Better than nothin', I say."

Seeing her cue, he paused with a bemused stare for a bit before walking in albeit with some initial hesitance in his strides. Should he ask whether it was right for him to enter her personal quarters? No matter his sudden concern with the matter, he kept quiet on it and faced the other.

"Huh... Might as well come clean an' say it. I was thinkin' and well... That ain't somethin' I do too often, so I came up with some nasty revelations. Didn't matter none before all this, but when yer caged up in a place far away from your usual responsibilities and lifestyle, things change too much for a guy's likin' I reckon."

He was rambling. Should he be? He couldn't tell, but he had to finish what he started and make it significant at least. He didn't want to waste someone's time, no.

"You know how Oshiro just died...? It ain't... sitting well with me. She was a criminal, but she was denied her end of a contract which ain't too moral itself. Loyalty's important I thought! This whole business with her... I want her out of my head. She's just remindin' me of a gal back home who I don't deserve and neither does she deserve me. I want to stop thinkin' of the both of 'em..."

"But, ah... I'd have to be getting chummy with other people to be forgettin' all that, wouldn't I? My options are dwindlin', and I wanna live a life I don't regret before I hit the choppin' block, but I reckon no one here's willin' to like me. So I wanted to change myself... I dunno if this is the right thing or if it's fer the better, but it sounds strategic enough."

"I ain't askin' fer much outta you, so don't feel obligated to be reworkin' me into a man I'd never thought of bein'. I'm fine with just practicing speech with ya if that's good enough. Maybe get rid of my phony accent to start bein' easier to understand and sound more polite... or somethin'. Heck if 've got a clue on what 'm doin' right now and if I should even be sayin' this."

[shsl-senkoe]

I just felt like doodling because of sad Akihito and then it expanded oops

Also I drew Kiyoyuki’s brother so there you go

[shsl-senkoe]

[Motive☆Four] The Gingerbread Man(ga) || Closed

[shsl-senkoe]

He seemed to take the entire thing well… was that because Kiyoyuki hadn’t phrased it as much as an accusation or was it because he was being underestimated? Either way he tried his best to keep up a determined stance in front of him, listening as he spoke.

Oh no. Perhaps this is dangerous but Kiyoyuki’s definitely relieved.

Hearing him say that makes him think… maybe it’s a misunderstanding somehow. He could be lying, of course, everyone’s full of lies these days… but that’s just what Monobear wants, right? If he begins to doubt the informant now then he’ll doubt everyone. At the very least he wants to keep talking like this; maybe if he is lying something won’t add up. If he can just try his best to get the truth… then maybe nobody will get hurt this time. Everyone’s succumbed to the motives before. If he can just figure out what the video means, what everyone saw… the truth behind it all… then maybe they can prove to that bear that they’re stronger than he thinks they are.

“I’m… I’m confident it was you. Maybe it’s arrogant but we’ve… been in the same place long enough for me to know your face, you know? But at the same time, I never saw you as the suit type it was… surreal… but real.”

It’s not like the suspicion has vanished, after all, it’s just a flat-out denial which, although is nice to hear, doesn’t say much. But… it’s not the first time something like this has happened right? Kiyoyuki blinks as he recalls the finding from a while back.

“Hmm, no. I don’t remember this at all. Who are those other people…? M-maybe it’s a bad Photoshop job? Geez, that’s creepy~…”

Miya.

She didn’t remember that photo at all. And the question from the beginning was as relevant as ever, really; what happened? Was it possibly this guy, the informant himself, was behind it all? Had Miya lied when she said she hadn’t remembered such a thing? Perhaps the real answer was that neither of them were lying about it; at least, such a possibility was real. He doubted they were working in tandem here so that meant at least one of them was telling the truth. Innocent… until proven guilty, right? That’s how the trials worked too. That’s why he had to do his best to research before losing it.

“If… if you really mean well and I can really trust you then… please help me make sense of it. And I… I want to know, did you see the same thing? If you did I guess … you know that makes you a group target… doesn’t it? But you seemed surprised by it so you didn’t see the same thing, right? I-it could be a long shot but if we all saw something different then maybe we could piece it all together somehow… make sense of it all. Please, I don’t want anyone else to die, not over something like this.”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

It seemed as if his words weren't being trusted to which he could not blame the voice actor for. After all, his talent didn't even seem that noble at first, so who would be willing to just go along with whatever he had said? It didn't matter his own intentions or his past-- life was in the present and people were always everchanging, making any form of "trusting" to be done difficult.

He tries to not lose any patience with the situation and listen. He needed to in order to get anywhere, right? The goal was prosperity. Detectives always had tact and good conversational skills. He might be some second-rate sidekick, but as the numbers were dwindling, he was beginning to get some false hope in the idea of finally trying to fill in the gap left behind, ultimately stepping up.

"You've never stuck 'round me too much though, yeah? 'Less I'm engraved in yer mind and dreams, hah! Er... That's actually kind of awkward. Don't tell me if that's the case."

"I doubt I could get my hands on such a thing 'bout now, but if I was a fool I'd be willin' to even try on a suit and, heck, take off my band-aids dependin' on what you saw. If you don't mind lookin' at my nasty face. 'm all up for extremes-- though what are the chances that we'd be able to confirm anythin' right now?"

Awkwardly forcing a laugh, he used this brief time to think on what he had been told once more. Him? In a suit? Not necessarily unlikely, but it sure sounded... inconvenient if anything. How in the world were you supposed to do anything reckless efficiently in something so stiff and restricting?

"Ah, no. Sorry, but I saw the Rosa dame over yonder," he said, pointing behind him towards the elevator blindly, not expecting to actually be directing the other's gaze towards the actual person he was mentioning. "All dolled up an' not takin' some rascal's shit over the phone or somethin'. Nothin' too out of the ordinary, so I figured it was a weird video with her talkin' to some criminal she don't approve of considerin' her tone and what she said precisely. 'm sure I could show you it if we wanna take a swing back towards my monitor."

"If we manage to be able to do this, lemme take a look at yers, yeah? An eye for an eye? Hammurabi's Code an' all... but more civil and less lethal here, heh!"

The informant's bright attitude masked his reflection over the grim concept of being a group target. The other wasn't serious was he? Did he really think that lowly of him?

Clearly, The Gingerbread Man had given off the wrong idea when doing his job.

"You... You think 'm some kinda mastermind puppeteer orchestrating this all? I dunno if I'd let you all see somethin' showin' me in a bad light if that was the case. Can't say it'd be a strategic choice, yeah? I might... have done some shit in the past I don't recall, but 'm certainly hopin' that that's not the case. It... don't really mix well with my morals."

Looking as if he was wincing, he closed one eye and let his gaze move elsewhere as he used one of his hands to gra the other arm, rubbing it uncomfortably as he stood idly.

[shslelectricslide]

[MOTIVE 4] Blue screen [OPEN]

That was Kyo… Why did he have to get a video of Kyo. Of all people.. 

What the hell was he doing? He seemed to be leading something. And who was that girl? While he had to admit, Bro looked pretty spiffy in a black, tailored suit, something felt incredibly off. Everything felt off.

The one thing that was messing his head up the most was the mention of the subsea facility. That was.. this place, wasn’t it? It was drilled into their heads from the start that they were clearly trapped under an endless ocean. And Kyo seemed to be tasked with escorting someone there.. And while he didn’t recognize her in the slightest, it was still very concerning.

What was this video trying to say..? That his bro was.. it couldn’t be..

“T-this is.. w-what th’ hell is this..?” This had to be a trap. That bear just wanted them to have more motivation, and he wasn’t gonna let himself fall for more tricks! …But this felt different. This felt real, convincing.. conclusive. He couldn’t imagine Bro being much of an actor, so if he was seeing this unfold on film, it was hard to refute it as fact. Could it be a mistake..? A misunderstanding? Maybe it was out of context.. but what other context is there?! The only answer he can come to is.. Kyo is behind this. At least, in some way! Major a major contributor at best, or worst in this case. He was against them.. he did this to them…

He lied.

“Y-ya gotta be kiddin’ me..” For once he had a real friend.. he had friends, but that number seemed to be continually dwindling. Kyo was the first person to keep a promise to him.. he still had those headphones he gave him! Why… why did he keep losing friends..? Who else was lying? If someone as reliable as Kyo could end up betraying them all like this, who’s to say he’s the only one. Maybe Mike’s in on it, too? Maybe they all are!

Maybe this was just one big joke.. all at Akihito’s expense. Let’s all scare the loser, let’s make him cry, just like before. His childhood of pranking and fucking with everyone around him seemed to be biting him in the ass big time, and it hurt in every way possible. This was the worst.. how was he supposed to cope with this? How could he accept this? What was he supposed to do, everything he knew felt like a lie!!

He hated this.. he hated this. This wasn’t supposed to happen, even if this place was a hellhole, he thought he could finally make some friends. He just wanted to pretend he never saw that. Why did Monobear have to show him that.. it was ruining him..

“………….” This was the final nail in the coffin. This was it. There was no doubt in his mind now. It was so clear to him.

Akihito Ozu was never going to have friends.

He sat at the computer, the video over, but unable to take his eyes off the screen.. he didn’t have anything to say at this point, not until someone would address him, at least.

[ultimateinformer-blog]

Done with his video, John was almost too ready to just continue his life as before (or rather resume his new life significantly changed with this imprisonment). Leaning against his cubicle as he looked back to the discarded headphones and now unattended monitor, he let out a sigh and reached for his cap, slapping it on over his head.

Walking out, he began to whistle a quiet, jolly tune to himself until his eyes glanced over the rest of the remaining student body. The reaction they all held even with just a brief look and listen seemed to contrast extremely with his own much calmer response, prompting him to wonder if he had witnessed something much much more different than the others.

Was he being misled?

Growing a bit curious, he had come to a full stop and watched the rest. Perhaps this was his nosiness finally resurfacing, as he could not help but edge closer and try to get a better look at each person's face. He wanted to know the truth once more, and anything could be useful material.

Many had decided to leave with varying initiatives and routes to take, and whilst the informant had kept an eye on them too, in the very end his eyes fell upon the electrician ultimately. After all, the other brunet was just sitting there in silence as if he were never going to move.

Approaching the other hesitantly, John took off his cap and extended it in front of the other's face in order to try and grab his attention whilst still keeping his distance just in case. It took a while for him to speak up, but when he did he spoke more quietly than normal in a softer voice.

"...Yo, Ozu? You alright?"

Putting his cap back on his head, he rummaged through his pockets searching for a few moments before he took out a simplistic item: a single card with a hole through the top-center area of it. It depicted the Ace of Spades.

"It's not much but... Oh heck, it's not even a full deck of cards to be doin' anything worthwhile to distract you, but a good young woman I used t' know liked these. She kept me in check, so maybe she'll look after you too, yeah...?"

"Agh... This is too cheesy, ain't it? Whatever. Take it or leave it. 'm willin' to leave you be, but I'll extend the offer to hit the town-- er, well, more like some other place 'round these parts and, um..." He coughed into his hand, averting his gaze a bit in his own awkwardness and slight embarrassment. "...'hang out', if that's any help?"

[shsl-senkoe]

[Motive☆Four] The Gingerbread Man(ga) || Closed

[shsl-senkoe]

It was a shame, really. It’d been a while since he’d spoken to the Gingerbread Man and now it was under such a grim and suspicious circumstances. The informant was actually someone Kiyoyuki had silently been respecting. He had a natural tendency to cling to and idolize people, he supposed, but it was different from the usual ‘looking up to’ he had in regards to people like Tetsuo and Kyo. It was hard to put into words… it was just good to see someone stick up for people. And really try hard, no matter what, to do the right sort of thing. At least, that had been his perspective. That sort of naive thinking had probably got him into a lot of trouble lately.

“Yeah. I guess I’m not being that subtle about it…”

Not that he was necessarily trying to be subtle, mind. Half of him wanted to apologise in advance for even going about this line of questioning but he told that part of him off. If he was going to get anywhere, get any answers, he had to be as collected as he could.

“I’ll… I’ll be frank. I saw you in my video. Except, you looked all fancy, dressed in a suit. There was… this big expanse of nothingness. Like a ghost town or something. Guess you were in a tower or something given how you were looking out at it all… anyway, there was a phone call and … you said something about ‘not wanting this shift’ and how you ‘didn’t think they’d follow us all the way from Japan’. Something about ‘higher-ups’ too…”

With the explanation finished, he takes a deep breath, eyebrows furrowing, both in thought and in frustration at the naturally perplexing and possibly disturbing subject matter.

“Seeing that video it really… burns an image into your mind. I can’t quite describe it well but… when I watched that I just got really overwhelmed. The place it was just so empty… and I couldn’t see anyone else, not a single soul. No one but you. So please… if there’s anything you’re not telling us– you’re not telling me, please share it now. I know we all have our secrets but… we need to band together as much as we can… so that no one else suffers. We have to do everything we can to stop people from hurting each other… before the idea comes into people’s heads. So if there’s anything about the video, anything you remember, anything at all… you can tell me.”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

“Nah. Bein’ transparent makes these things go faster though, so don’t sweat it.”

John laughed a little, forcing a bit of a optimism and laxness into the conversation if, at least, only to himself in the situation. He continued to hold his cap in his hands if only to serve as a way to relieve any extra tension and stress during the upcoming exchange. He needed to remain cool.

Still, he could admit he was slowly slipping into his comfort zone now as he listened to the other speak. Being supplied information was fine by him. He just had to respond to it and call it a day, right? It wasn’t necessarily a life or death decision.

…Yet, anyway. Anything could change, and he had to keep that in mind. Still, any graveness of the situation would be kept to a minimum for now unless he was given a sign of a need to go to desperate measures.

“I don’t doubt you, but… you sure it was me? I hate sayin’ it, but if I was wearin’ somethin’ so ordinary, then I reckon it could’ve just be any ol’ Joe off the street. ’m not the most unique lookin’ guy without my decals, yeah?”

He regretted saying it, but he might as well expel the truth if the other truly believed it to be helpful in this situation. Giving a deep sigh, he continued after running one hand through his hair.

“Anyways, I don’t reckon I remember much a’ that description. ’ve only worn a suit for two reasons: to go to court and to go on some fancy date. Ain’t nothin’ but the whole truth in that. I'll swear on the Gods above if y' need me to for Pete's sake!"

"I'm not up to no good, you can trust me."

His last words carried a heavier air to them as he stared directly into the voice actor's eyes, his phrase being uttered very slowly and sternly.

[shsl-senkoe]

[Motive☆Four] The Gingerbread Man(ga) || Closed

What… was that, exactly?

That video… that really freaked him out. It was like ripping open a curtain and peeking into a whole new reality. Was that really… you know… him? Daisuke Suzuki, that was his name, right? Well, that name seemed to suit whoever he saw in that video more than the guy he’d seen around this place. It was amazing how much clothes could change a person, he supposed… but… it was his demeanor too. He seemed like a whole different person even though it was… the same guy. It was the same guy, right? What was he talking about…? Everything he’d been saying sounded so ominous. If he’d found the bad guy of this entire thing, that was great but if Monobear was handing out these videos like candy… it wasn’t that simple, right?

Honestly he wished he knew what to make of it but it sure put him on edge. Ahhh, not good… he didn’t like this creeping feeling of paranoia coming back… but it felt like they were so close to finding out something big, finding out why they were here. Was that what Monobear was doing? It was hard to say. It really could just be a big old lie, a doctored video. You’d see those things in showbiz all the time and he’d lied to Aiko, right? Aiko who’d been working with him so it wasn’t out of the realms of possibility. But… all the motives had been based on truths so far.

Those buttons were intended to drown the victims…

Their secrets were real…

Would two people of the killer’s choosing have escaped? … Honestly who knows. Maybe Monobear had decided to simply stack the odds against Aiko for knowing too much. That in itself made him angry. If only he had talked to her more before all this…

But he won’t make that mistake again. There’s someone he definitely has to talk to. Without talking to him he won’t feel like anything’s been resolved one way or the other and he needs to talk to the person in question. He’s been lied to a number of times now - maybe the Gingerbread Man will lie to him, too. But he has to confront the problem to have any chance of figuring out what to do next. That’s what a good detective would do, right? What Tetsuo would do, maybe? Well, that’s in the past… he already knows that’s not him. All he can do is what he can do. Take responsibility and clear doubts!

Kiyoyuki made a beeline for the Informant. He may have been smaller but he tried to put all the determination he could into his gestures. He would be taken seriously.

“John… John Dough-san! We need to talk.”

[ultimateinformer-blog]

Watching his own tape, the informant had admittedly... been a litte more confused than he had wanted to be. Motives prior to this had been definite. There was no arguing what they bargained with you for, and you had a choice to accept it or not. That was it.

This one begged for more interpretation, though with having something that was barely an exchange and only one side of it, it was difficult to know precisely what to make of it. Sighing, he took off his headphones and grabbed his cap, deciding to make his leave shortly afterward. Perhaps he just needed time to think.

Yet, it seemed awkward just considering that fact. Before he didn't want to stop and theorize. He just wanted to relay information. He had nothing now though, and he was alone. There was no almighty force to pass anything to or a clear target. Everyone was the jury, the prosecution, the defendant, and the defense. It made matters harder than the simplistic black-and-white life he sometimes favored.

As such, he was a little slower than typical when it came to moving out and away from the crowd. It did not take much to take notice of someone actually walking up to him for once (it had been a while since that had occurred outside of mere coincidences, hadn't it?), especially with the grand gestures made.

Stopping and turning, he looked towards the voice actor with some curiosity. He couldn't help but get a little excited, his face brightening up a bit with childish giddiness and euphoria, but he quickly tried to force a sterner face to match the obvious urgency of the other's request.

"Ah...? Yeah? What'cha need?"

His tone might have been more conversational, to which he blamed his lack of real social contact for a while. If anything, he was glad he probably wouldn't be judged if he was a little off or awkward for a bit, though he could only hope he was strong enough to take whatever topic was being brought up to him with a cool, systematic approach.

"Irino, right? This thing yer hankerin' t' talk 'bout... Is it dealin' with the motive?"

[shslnakoudo-blog]

Task VII ♥ Don’t You Worry [OPEN]

This was all so annoying. Aiko on her own would have been annoying enough – that she had so callously played along with this game wasn’t something that Miya wanted to think about for very long. But it wasn’t just Aiko – Nana wasn’t the murderer in this trial, but not for lack of trying. Even the victims weren’t innocent, considering their plans to commit a murder anyway.  Was everyone having homicidal thoughts by now? 

And it wasn’t lost on her that most of those recent attempts at killing stemmed from the desire to protect someone else. That had become almost painfully clear.  How embarrassing, to be irritated by such an obvious motive.

While the antics of the trial and Aiko’s brutal execution had kept her occupied at the time, once it was over those thoughts consumed her through the elevator ride. Despite her hopes to the contrary they continued even after she woke up the next morning (although Monobear’s grating voice definitely wasn’t taking her mind off of it). Usually she would have at least scoped the place out, but exploring the new area didn’t seem very appealing at the moment. Leaving her room at all didn’t seem appealing. So with a small huff she rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head, deciding she might as well just stay in her room all day. At first she couldn’t manage to get back to sleep at all, but eventually she managed to fall into a light slumber.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept; it could have been a few minutes or a few hours, but Miya felt her eyes shoot open abruptly. Had she heard something? Was someone at the door? Was she just hungry and imagining things? Not really trusting her groggy mind, she dragged herself to the door and cracked it open, peering out to see someone standing nearby.

“Huu…wha~?” Opening the door a little wider Miya yawned, leaning her head against the door frame as she tried to blink her eyes awake. “Did you say something?” Hopefully they didn’t actually want anything from her, but it wasn’t like they would talk to her for any other reason.

[ultimateinformer-blog]

Struggling to drift off to sleep, the informant had tossed and turned throughout the night after the trial. It seemed near futile to try and catch a wink, so the brunet had laid there questioning everything. It seemed like the right thing to do.

He couldn't recall when precisely everything blacked out for him, but he woke up groggily and quite literally rolled out of bed, falling onto the ground and collapsing. It was not the most noble of ways to start the day, making him look more like a lazy, bumbling fool than anything, but with how little sleep he was getting these days it didn't seem to matter at that precise moment.

He was quick to rise anyway despite his shortcomings, not quite enjoying face-contact with the floor. Pulling himself up, he looked around his room, reaching to grab his typical garb of his gakuran jacket and cap. Feeling something more metallic, he looked at where his fingers had mindlessly brushed at and found a small, phony police badge.

Ah, right. He had gotten that recently, hadn't he? He didn't pay it too much mind, carelessly dropping it just about anywhere immediately afterwards, but now that he was taking another look at it, he grasped it more and took a closer look at it.

Holding it in his hand, he had found himself absent-mindedly walking outside not too long after waking up and knocking on a neighbor's door. He distanced himself appropriately a little after realizing where his feet had taken him, though he still held up the plastic badge in his hand with curiosity.

When the matchmaker had actually walked out, he came to his senses and found himself at a loss for words. Of course, she would actually investigate what was disturbing her in the morning and come out only to see him dumbly standing there with what was probably just a toy.

Yet, when his eyes glanced back to it, he felt a need to get out and talk more-- make amends for his sour attitude he had adopted after the late police chief's death, perhaps. Dropping his hand to his side, he awkwardly dropped the accessory in his shirt's pocket before more properly facing the other.

"Ah... Yeah-- er, not really t' be truthful, but..." Smooth start. Clearing his throat, he tried to steady his gaze and speech. "Sorry fer comin' out of the blue, but I've... been considering things and figured I might wanna try talkin' to people better."

"You don't blame me fer thinkin' of you first, do you?"

[ultimateinformer-blog]

Jiang-li appeared on the tape sitting in the break room, dressed in a black business suit. She would look like a business woman from any typical office if it wasn’t for her extremely colorful hair. She merely sat there in deep thought until a funky tune rang out, causing her to jump. After taking a deep breath, she pulled a cell phone from her coat pocket and answered.

“J-Jiang-Li.”

After a moment of listening to the other end, her expression soured. It was a mixture of concern and annoyance.

“I’m not going ta lie, I think yer full of it. Th’ rest of us are together on this, we’re not gonna go with yer idea. It’s downright wrong and headquarters is going ta flip on ‘ya if they hear it. I’m doin’ ya a favor by keepin’ quiet.”

She listened to the other side for a while before abruptly hanging up. She then began to sip from her styrofoam cup, hand shaking.

The video cuts off.

[ultimateinformer-blog]

[task 6] join the great majority

[ultimatehairstylist]

  She’d rush out of the room as soon as possible once she had her run-in with Miya, unable to bear the image of 2, if not 3, dear peers of hers dead before her eyes. But if there was one eye she couldn’t elude it was her mental vision that simply wouldn’t stop prying away at what was left of her. But she wouldn’t stand for this.. She couldn’t. As a means of escape, if not for investigatory purposes, she reared over to the storage room.

  And before she knew it, she was confronted by another familiar face to both her dissatisfaction and relief. Unclear how to respond she only attempted what would be a smile, and  mustered the words that was just in her range of speaking.

"Oh— - uu.. I-I suppose. Everyone’s concentrated in the c-central area of the crime scene a-anyways, it’d be a waste to just let these parts remain unchecked, a-ah? Besides, it looks like ya’ve gone through e-everything in store here."

  That would suffice, yes..?

"Well.. actually.. there is one thing I’ve been itching at a lil’. I found a key, that would then release Yasuda-san from those manual strains. But.. it makes me wonder where they’d something obtain like that! I-I remember Yashi-san being in possession of Chief’s jacket.. perhaps that’s where it is from, or they got it from the Monomono machine..! I only ponder if the place  ’as a room to get stuff like that,  if it is pertinent to the topic— -."

"—Oh, and there’s alot of wood chips o-on both of  their heads.. Do ya remember anything, t-tool or weapon, that’d leave that sort of imprint..? F-forgive me for the ambush..!"

[ultimateinformer-blog]

It did not take very long for the informant to recognize the other by her voice, so he continued to look and listen at the same time. Hopefully she wouldn't mind. As long as someone was getting down to work, that was enough justification to dismiss common courtesies for just a bit. If he left empty-handed though, that would end in disappointment probably.

...Shit, maybe he should of thought of this before.

Halting in his rummaging at the thought, he turned to face the hairstylist, awkwardly trying to sift through things once more somewhat blindly with his hand awkwardly patting around and inside things, his gaze barely going back to where his hands were traveling just to make sure he wasn't touching something he would regret.

"Yeah... I would've taken the fronts on this one, but I figured I'd rather go to somewheres unattended. All 've been doin' is restate that autopsy report in fancier words, and 'm no medic to do it this time. ...Even if I was, I doubt you guys would like t' see a corpse cut open and thoroughly inspected. Kinda gross, yeah?"

He laughed weakly, but his own words were not amusing enough to himself to warrant anything too uplifting. He covered his mouth a bit, wiping at it as if he wanted to clean it of something most foul. His hands moved back to his jacket, patting them down on the rough cloth.

He gave up on searching, especially after the other noted that it looked like he had done a good enough job already at this area.

"A... key...?" he squinted. "It could've come from the garage too I reckon, but any odd storage room would suffice. But uh..."

He looked at her sternly but tried to adopt a softer voice for the sake of seeming more amiable and better to work with.

"Say... Jiangi-li? Since y' mentioned it, what'd you get outta the monomachine? 'm willin' to tell you mine too. I had figured nothin' harmful had come out, but if you've got somethin' to contradict it, might as well consider it, eh?"

"As for yer last question, it'd, of course, have t' be somethin' wooden. In addition though, it'd have t' be somethin' that can easily break an' is used t' create blunt force head trauma. I reckon it'd have t' be a wooden bat probably if yer gonna guess that it's an instrument of sorts an' not somethin' larger like a barrel even."