Wouldn't you like to know?

RP sideblog for Jin Saishu. SHSL Sociologist Status: ALIVE | dead EPHEMERALXIV

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

shirowinery​:

It seems obvious to Junko that this game is going to be over soon. Even without the announcement, there’s not very many of them left, right? They could really only keep doing this for so long. It’s a headache, really. Nothing to do but sit and wait. “Well. I think it’s obvious. Someone’s. Going to kill. To get the trial. We’re already so far in. There’s not a point to just. Waiting for the bomb. Anymore. Maybe the bomb’s even a lie. But there’s not a point. Something will happen. And people will go to Hell. And maybe this. Will be over with.” She’s staring at some point past Jin’s shoulder. “Maybe someone will just. Die to help us. It would be sad. But every way we get out has death. Or maybe we don’t get out. We just stay here. Forever. I don’t know. We’ll remember this anyways. And then we’ll die.”

She taps her fingers on the table mindlessly.

”Do you think. There’s a point to it? We all go the same way.”

... Not a point in waiting for the bomb anymore? Actually, maybe that wasn’t too surprising. All the talk of Hell and such gave Jin the impression that Junko probably would be all too willing to accept everything as some sort of final tribulation before the end times.

“The only person here I could fathom being self-sacrificial enough to entertain that thought is you, Shirokawa, considering how much it seems like you’ve just given up on the possibility of things being better. It makes every bit of sense for someone to kill - hell, it might even give them some leverage. Enough of you seem like bleeding hearts that I’d buy you giving whoever committed the murder a chance to be part of the ‘endgame’ as it were as thanks.”

It might be a worthwhile gambit, if they were cornered come the next trial. Considering how lost everyone had seemed the last time, perhaps offering the guarantee of sparing their life in exchange for coming forward could work? Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

“Even the most senseless-seeming violence is motivated by something. There’s some reason somebody is putting us through this. The way people have died is irrelevant. Someone put us in this situation, has a possible contingency in place to kill us all, but hasn’t just executed all of us outright. We haven’t all gone the same way, and from the sounds of it we aren’t going to.”

It’d be nice once the game finally ended and they could be done with the whole ordeal.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

“I don’t like lying. I’m not going to apologize for something I’m not sorry for.”

That’s pretty straightforward and understandable. Either way, Hikaru waves a hand dismissively.

“Seen anything around that could be used for lock picking? Bobby pin, screw driver?”

Back on task, Hikaru doesn’t have an interest in continuing this conversation whatsoever. If Jin hasn’t, or won’t comply, then he can go search for himself.

So that was how he was going to be. Fine, then.

“I suppose that settles the matter of whether you’d apologize or die first. Hardly shocking you’re too stubborn to concede even a bit. A life without compromise is no life at all, Kakimasu, though with how you’ve been acting I’d be surprised if you had much longer to realize that for yourself.”

Jin would consider the few helpful things he’s done as compromise, even if most of them also just so happened to be in his best interest. Getting the wrong answer during a trial was simply not something he wanted, and if that meant cooperating with the others to get there, so be it.

“There’s screwdrivers in the wood shop, but that’s your risk to take. I’m not going to be an accomplice to potential property damage, considering these things are probably locked for a reason.”

Of course, if Hikaru was actually going to go for it, he’d love to stick around just to see what would happen when someone did break one of the rules.

[thebestshsljournalist]

Hikaru shrugs, standing up.

“The wood shop it is, then…besides, if you pick a lock properly it won’t cause any damage.”

Hikaru seriously has little to say to Jin, he simply moves to depart as long as Jin isn’t going to try to stop him.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

”I don’t think using a screwdriver constitutes ‘proper’ lock picking. Have fun with that, Kakimasu.”

Jin had no desire to stop Hikaru. Why would he? This conversation, if it could be called that, was heavily one-sided and going nowhere fast. Unsurprising enough, he supposed. He’d never met a journalist he’d actually liked, though the number of journalists he’d met was... not high. For an occupation meant to be so objective and aware, they’d only ever been ignorant in his experience.

“I’m not going to miss you once you’re gone, and I doubt anyone else will either. Bye now.”

Spoken so condescendingly and. Vaguely threateningly. Cool.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

“I don’t like lying. I’m not going to apologize for something I’m not sorry for.”

That’s pretty straightforward and understandable. Either way, Hikaru waves a hand dismissively.

“Seen anything around that could be used for lock picking? Bobby pin, screw driver?”

Back on task, Hikaru doesn’t have an interest in continuing this conversation whatsoever. If Jin hasn’t, or won’t comply, then he can go search for himself.

So that was how he was going to be. Fine, then.

“I suppose that settles the matter of whether you’d apologize or die first. Hardly shocking you’re too stubborn to concede even a bit. A life without compromise is no life at all, Kakimasu, though with how you’ve been acting I’d be surprised if you had much longer to realize that for yourself.”

Jin would consider the few helpful things he’s done as compromise, even if most of them also just so happened to be in his best interest. Getting the wrong answer during a trial was simply not something he wanted, and if that meant cooperating with the others to get there, so be it.

“There’s screwdrivers in the wood shop, but that’s your risk to take. I’m not going to be an accomplice to potential property damage, considering these things are probably locked for a reason.”

Of course, if Hikaru was actually going to go for it, he’d love to stick around just to see what would happen when someone did break one of the rules.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

…

Hikaru is not amused, nor particularly bothered.

“Jin Saishu, being helpful as ever I take it? No, I was just taking a seat for a small respite between my searching for a way out, or a clue. Sorry to disappoint, I don’t feel the need to sate fantasy like you might.”

It’s difficult to roast someone who is becoming emotionally vacant.

“Is it a waste of time to ask if you’d found any useful information? Because if so, I’ll simply vacate the area if that’s what you desire. I don’t have the energy for whatever petty quarrel you want to start.”

“Naturally. Though trust me, any belief you have that I’d need to sate a power ‘fantasy’ is misguided at best.”

He knows damn well he’s not being any help right now. He doesn’t feel any need to be, given that there aren’t lives (immediately) at stake. Sure, if you wanted to be technical, all their lives were constantly at stake, but that was awfully nitpicky. Hikaru was right about one thing, though - that was disappointing. No, that wasn’t quite the right word... perhaps, underwhelming? Yes, underwhelming.

“That depends on what you’d consider useful, or a clue for that matter. If all you care about is whether or not I’ve found a way to get into whatever’s in this office, the answer is no.”

At least that was kinda straightforward? Maybe?

"Though let me clarify one thing for you, Kakimasu. Whatever quarrel you think is being started here isn’t on me. I don’t care to start fights, but should someone choose to start one with me? I am not opposed to continuing it.”

Okay. Alright.

“If only you’d kept it to words, we could have put it all behind us as soon as that trial ended. We could have been fantastic colleagues in our efforts here. It’s a pity that you chose to escalate to blows instead, but I’m not incapable of looking past that. All I ever wanted from you was an apology for getting physical first, you know.”

[ephemeralxiv]

Every Nook And Cranny | Hikaru | Chapter 4 | Closed @ Jin

Hikaru enters the office, immediately enamoured with it. Unlike most other new rooms that have appeared, this one looks genuinely useful, like there is something of worth to be found. 

“Alright…give me something, would you? Could use a damn break…”

Hikaru moves to the desk, trying each and everything he could before groaning in frustration at the fact he clearly isn’t getting into any drawers any time soon. Unless he can pick the locks…unfortunately, he doesn’t have the necessary equipment for that, either. File cabinets are a no-go too…Hikaru just sits on the chair behind the desk and sighs in frustration, deciding to take a small break before he considers going and searching for a key.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

This room appeared to belong to a very important person. Consequently, Jin had no clue what Hikaru was doing situated behind the desk. He absolutely did not hold the journalist in high esteem, and, well.

Jin himself wouldn’t say he held grudges, but perhaps he did get more enjoyment out of antagonizing Hikaru in particular than he really should have.

“What’s this, Kakimasu? Trying to fulfill some kind of power fantasy by sitting at a desk you’d never be worthy of while nobody’s around to stop you?”

... Yeah, off to a great start as per usual. Honestly, he knew that it was more likely than not Hikaru was just resting. But, well. Can’t really make a jab about that.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

shirowinery​:

Junko shrugs, rifling through the cabinets without much aim. She occasionally glances over at Jin— she’s not quite worried he’ll try to kill her or anything, but at this point it doesn’t hurt to be looking over your shoulder.

”It’s not like that. I just have burns. From when I was 15. See?” She indicates the scars across her face and neck. “And sometimes they hurt very bad. I think they hurt because. Of Yuna. The fire is in my head. And then I feel it burning. And I think. More bad things are closing in.”

She turns back around.

”Do you feel that too? You’re very smart. So you might know if. Things are closing in. Like they are.”

Even when Junko wasn’t looking at him, Jin never let her out of his sight. It might have been the slightest bit awkward, but he wasn’t the kind of person to really react when someone he was looking at happened to look back at him. It was a mutual understanding that they didn’t quite trust each other, and he was perfectly fine with that.

He nodded some affirmation - yep. Those were burns. He saw them, and was about to suggest that a dermatologist would in fact still be able to help with that and. Uh. This was definitely more Nijimura’s field of expertise.

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I’d say it’s less as if something is closing in and more as if something has been wrapped around us as a whole. The pressure has been there from the start, and has furthermore been coiling tighter as the days go by.”

“Things are dire here, and it’s only going to get worse. People are dying at a rapid pace, which is only going to cause us to run out of overall time that much faster. It’s going to happen again and we can’t say when or who.”

“... Any thoughts on that, Shirokawa?”

It’s not entirely clear what part he’s asking for her thoughts on, but, well. He’ll take whatever. Junko's managed to catch his interest enough for him to bother inquiring.

[ephemeralxiv]

It was something to behold, really. There had been fourteen people alive and walking these halls not all too long ago, and then in the span of just about a week (i think? i’m so bad at math, help) five of them had died. Even in the situation they were in, it didn’t always have to come to murder. As Daichi had stated and Kyoji’s death proved, nobody necessarily had to kill to reset the timer. Someone just had to die.

Not that he cared. This was far more interesting than everyone getting along and one person voluntarily sacrificing themself every few days. The only downside was that someone might try to kill him, though in his immense and overstated confidence he believed that he was being more than cautious enough to mitigate any chance of that happening.

Case in point, seeing Cris enter the computer room wasn’t any kind of cause for panic. Despite the fact that the athlete could probably snap him like a twig just by glaring at him hard enough, he was sure that he’d be able to get away if push came to shove.

“Oh, it’s you, Castillo-Mishra. What business do you have in here? I can’t imagine you’d be especially interested in this.”

Being rude is part of the don’t-get-killed strats.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

Cheeky bastard. This guy really thought he was in any position to leer at him, Jin Saishu? He’d half a mind to rescind his generosity and refuse to help him any further for the sheer audacity. Of course, nobody could be smugger than the sociologist himself. This was just... he’d dealt with a lot. He’d been looked down on before and been unbothered. Everyone else from that sociology course had surely come to regret their actions anyways, just as Cris would surely come to regret whatever words were about to come out of his mouth--

“...”

He barely had time to be incredulous about the second banana comment before Cris gave him something else to take in. This... was definitely not a reference to the widely successful and celebrated Lord of the Rings. If nothing else, it was a fascinating insight as to individual behavior from the athlete. A learning experience, if... an immensely frustrating one. Incompetent. Absolutely incompetent. Tainting the idea of what it meant to be talented with his utter fucking incompetence-

“Okay, okay. You see where all the letters are on that ring, right?”

At this point he couldn’t be too sure.  Cristóbal Luiz Castillo Mishra was full of surprises, and not in a good way.

“Think about it yourself one more time. If you can’t figure it out, I’ll just put the answer in for you.”

[ephemeralxiv]

funny wine joke | Jin | Chapter 3 | Junko

Jin was fairly confident in the fact that he had taken enough personal precautions to avoid any danger. Sure, he might have been widely-disliked, and sure, he might talk too much during the trials. But him, get killed? Nah. No chance. He was far too careful and alert for that to be a possibility… which was why it was incredibly strange that he’d taken off his glasses at all. There was an eyesight chart in the nurse’s office. There wasn’t that much to do and just spending all day in the library would be awful for his health.

Not that squinting at that chart was much better. Yeah, still bad, big shock, what a surprise. It was… mildly interesting to see if he’d at least be able to identify anything, if only to kill a few seconds of time. The motive was of no interest to him. If he wanted to revisit a memory, he could just think about it. Furthermore… experimental technology? If anyone was stupid enough to enter a device like that, well. Perhaps that was the motive’s true purpose, to allow a would-be killer to find a too-trusting victim shit when did someone else get here????

“Ah, you–!”

Of course, the one damn time he was just kind of screwing around. Go figure. Cue the brief scramble to grab his glasses and put them back on. Tactfully clearing his throat, pretending like she didn’t just actually catch him off guard. This is fine!

“Oh, it’s just you, Shirokawa. Something you needed in here?”

[shirowinery]

“…I’m sorry if I. Startled you. It was a little funny. But I’m not. Going to do anything mean.”

She fidgets mindlessly with her cape. Sometimes it’s kind of funny to startle people, though she doesn’t usually have the energy to do it on purpose. She only really seems to have good luck on minor points like this.

Oh. I was just looking. At what we have here. I get very sore a lot. So it’s nice to know if. We have things for that.” She rubs her eyes. “My skin keeps. Hurting lately. I think it’s a sign. But I’m not sure. What it would be of.”

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

“... Someone being mean should be the least of anyone’s worries right now.”

Junko was... not the worst person who could have startled him like that. Sure, she wasn’t someone he had a great deal of interest in dealing with personally, but, well. Ever since the Glue Incident he’d been very torn between wanting to like. Study her, and wanting to stay away from all that. At the very least, he’d clocked her as more of a ‘be killed’ than ‘kill’ type, so he was probably safe if nothing else.

Someone like Keizo probably wouldn’t have missed the chance to swipe his glasses in order to force him to listen to some kind of lecture about what a jerk he was. Yeah, he was acutely aware, he just didn’t care. Why should he? Just like he didn’t especially care about Junko’s... whatever was going on there.

“And that sounds like a sign that you need to see a dermatologist, assuming you make it out of here.”

He doubted it, personally, but saw no need to say that out loud. He didn’t like Junko by any means, but she seemed like more of a danger to herself than anything in his eyes.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

shsl-polo-athlete​:

Listening to Jin’s vague hint, Cris bit on the inside of his cheek. Not literal? Abstract rotation? Spin? Merry go round? Horse? 

No, he’d already tried ‘horse’ earlier. Rotation rotation rotation. Cycle. Washing machine. No that didn’t seem right either. Rotation.. Cycle.. Revolution.. France? He swivelled around and entered it. Nope. 

Cris’ squinted at the screen and pressed the index and middle finger of each hand to his temples. Ultimate brain opening technique. 

And then it hit him. 

From over his shoulder, Jin would have been able to see Cris’s hands fly over the keyboard and enter: Banan. Followed immediately afterward by the error message. 

Cris tossed his hands upward in a mixture of dejection and resignation, turning back to Jin. 

“Am I hot or cold? Planets. Days of the week. Months.”  

Ah yes, the planets: mars, saturn, dearth, uranus, bupiter, benus, and mercury. He sighed, sinking deeper into the chair. 

“Feels like I’ve m(es)s(e)dubbman.”

Heh. Look at him go. Really busting out all the stops to rack his brains over this. He’d probably come up with something that was a cute attempt, but certainly nowhere near the right answer. Jin severely doubted Cris’s ability to get it on his own, and, well. He could at least track the thought process on why he might enter ‘France.’ It didn’t make much sense, but there was at least a connection buried deep in there somewhere.

His other attempt, though...

“...”

“.....”

“....... Banan? Like the fucking fruit?”

Jin had to push his glasses up for a second to pinch the bridge of his nose. If Cris was just joking, well done, good game, really tricked him with that one. Sure, he’d expected Cris to fail a few times, but... what? What??? He exhaled after a moment. This is cool. This is fine.

“You’re so dense that I’m shocked they haven’t studied you to discover the new state of matter that has evidently replaced your brain.”

Just had to get that out of his system.

“Okay, so that was obviously too much for you. I should have known better. While I’d be more than happy to watch you struggle with this a little longer, it might be better if I just spell it out for you.”

He was already pretty entrenched in this, and. Well. Wanted to show off, even at the risk of getting another answer like fucking banan.

“Picture a ring. Imagine that the alphabet is written around it in order. Do you understand yet?”

That... still wasn’t exactly spelling it out.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

doctoradjacent​:

Of all the people she wanted to see right now, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Jin was on the bottom of that list, no contest. Maybe there was another person or two that could compete for the spot, but she didn’t feel like spilling her thought to someone who she knew wouldn’t care.

…It’s nothing.

She crossed her arms. He couldn’t understand – so there was little point in bothering. 

Came here to check out the computer room? Maybe you’ll have better luck than me at that. It’s so plain in this place, I hate it. Can’t they have a little more decoration? Balloons? Another window?

It was never nothing, but even he knew better than to pry right now. Any chance at conversation would get shut down if he tried to push that particular subject any harder.

“If you say so. It’s not healthy to hold onto thoughts like that at a time like this, though. You never know how it might end up manifesting.”

Jin knew well enough he wasn’t exactly someone that people here would really want to open up to, and nothing was magically going to change that. It’d be weird for both of them if he suddenly started pretending to care, and also an extremely obvious act.

More of his concern was whether or not this was something that might stress her to the point of irrational action on top of the constant threat and motive that would surely be delivered to them soon enough.

“I can only imagine that most people would take decorations like that as a mockery, given that there isn’t much cause for celebration at a time like this.”

His personal celebrations during the trials for being such a galaxy-brained smart boy notwithstanding, of course.

“And, well. I can’t imagine they want to risk a repeat incident by daring to let us access any windows. I don’t particularly think anyone would be that foolish, but even I’ve been surprised before. For whatever reason, it’s clear that someone doesn’t want that to be an outcome. You’d think it wouldn’t matter as long as someone ends up dead, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s almost fascinating.”

[ephemeralxiv]

Deep Blue Jeer | Jin | Chapter 3 | Cris

It was something to behold, really. There had been fourteen people alive and walking these halls not all too long ago, and then in the span of just about a week (i think? i’m so bad at math, help) five of them had died. Even in the situation they were in, it didn’t always have to come to murder. As Daichi had stated and Kyoji’s death proved, nobody necessarily had to kill to reset the timer. Someone just had to die.

Not that he cared. This was far more interesting than everyone getting along and one person voluntarily sacrificing themself every few days. The only downside was that someone might try to kill him, though in his immense and overstated confidence he believed that he was being more than cautious enough to mitigate any chance of that happening.

Case in point, seeing Cris enter the computer room wasn’t any kind of cause for panic. Despite the fact that the athlete could probably snap him like a twig just by glaring at him hard enough, he was sure that he’d be able to get away if push came to shove.

“Oh, it’s you, Castillo-Mishra. What business do you have in here? I can’t imagine you’d be especially interested in this.”

Being rude is part of the don’t-get-killed strats.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

shsl-polo-athlete​:

Unlike Jin, Cris’s mind strayed from the sense of impending death and possibility of attackers crouching behind every corner. Instead, he was experimenting with his method of walking. He lunged a couple steps, then replicated the gait of a tight-rope walker, then bounced up and down as he made his way to the computer room. 

Yes, there was definitely something different about his clothes. Was it the fit? No, his usual ensemble still comfortably fit his stature. The texture then, yes that had to be it. Maybe he hadn’t used the right amount of softener when he last made use of the school’s laundry facilities. Then again he’d only become aware of softener’s existence after rifling through the available products.

Cris rolled his shoulders, noting the absence of the crinkling sound he usually took for granted. Did he use too much softener? He remembered something about starch.. Corn starch? If people used corn starch on shirts how did they not sneeze with all that powder everywh-

“Yo,” 

Cris inclined his head in greeting when he caught sight of Jin. In one gloved hand he loosely held a small wire-bound notepad, a pen tucked behind his ear. He strolled over to one of the ancient machines and sat down, tossing his pen and notepad on the table as he stretched his legs beneath the table. 

“It’s something to do,”

He shrugged, appearing nonchalant despite the fact that he’d spent a fair amount of time here earlier, tilting his head and squinting at the third puzzle without result. Did it really matter to him if he never figured them all out? Probably not, but the faintest of suspicions that something of interest laid behind the layers of riddles compelled him – for the moment at least. Either way, he was here to try his hand once again. 

Cris swiftly entered the answers to the first two puzzles and there it was, the string of gibberish and that cryptic line beneath it. He stared for a moment, scribbled the lines onto his notepad, then held it in front of him, rotating the gibberish as he assumed the puzzle intended.

After a rather short and fruitless moment, Cris turned to Jin, waving his notepad a little. 

“You got any idea what this means?”

Oh, how quaint, the big jock had a little notebook. He must have really been wracking what little brain he had over this. Such was the nature of life at times, to persevere even at a task unsuited to the organism performing it. Call it perseverance, call it stubbornness, it all amounted to the same result in the end for this in particular.

A fruitless search for answers he wouldn’t find... on his own.

“That is a series of scribbled lines with no apparent meaning.”

Way to state the obvious. He Will Not Stop acting like he has to do that every time he talks to Cris. Jin pointedly did not like him enough to say what the answer was outright, but, well. He had figured it out, and he couldn’t turn down an opportunity to (metaphorically) flex on the athlete. It wasn’t like he stood to gain much from keeping this to himself, anyways.

“Of course I know the answer, if that’s what you’re asking. I already solved this puzzle, though it’s clear you’re having a hard time with it.”

Prideful basard. He wasn’t going to leave it at that, but it wouldn’t hurt to make it a bit of a challenge for the other. The fact that he was going to offer any help at all was more than enough, and of course he would eventually say it outright if Cris was genuinely and truly lost.

“You’re thinking about it too literally. Consider what else ‘rotation’ might mean other than a literal, physical transformation of what you see directly in front of you.“

He thought it was a pretty good clue, if a bit deliberately... obtuse. He wanted to watch Cris struggle ATTEMPT to figure it out from that alone first.

[ephemeralxiv]

Nowhere To Go But Down | Miharu | Closed @ Jin

Ever since the end of the last trial, Miharu had found herself in something of a distracted daze. There was a lot she didn’t want to think about – a lot she didn't let herself think about. Perhaps a part of her would be content mentally drifting away until three days passed.

Perhaps a part of her suspected that another death would happen before that limit’s reached.

Eventually, she made her way to the computer room. She scanned over the devices, muttering curses when she couldn’t access any of them.

Dammit…I just wanna get outta here. It’s…it’s my fault that…

Mumbling to herself, she was too focused on her thoughts to notice the entrance of another person.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

Of course Jin would be interested in the computer room. The library was nice, really. Great, even! He strongly doubted there would be any access to online resources (like hell if someone would stick them here for whatever devious purpose and randomly give them Internet access, that would be nothing short of foolish) but there was always the possibility of there being something.

Interesting, interesting though. He wasn’t the only one, though he was the only one internalizing his thoughts, it seemed.

“Oh? What is it exactly that you’re at fault for, Ayanokouji? It sounds like there’s a lot on your mind.”

It’s not especially sympathetic. He’s not especially sympathetic. It’s just as much an offer to listen as it is a demand to know. If nothing else... at least he’s not being as smarmy about it as usual. As far as the people here went, he was decidedly neutral on Miharu, which was about as good as it got.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

wretchedpawnhearts​:

Jin also isn’t familiar with popular media, they’d have to note that down for any future conversations and whatnot, if they even have any more conversations in the immediate future considering both he or they could die at any moment now. Most likely him though, even if they’ve been somewhat rude to others, they know they’ve at least got their principles while Jin… Is Jin. 

Not that they’d ever tell that to his face because he’d… Probably agree anyways, so why even bother going through that effort. They just hope he knows that it’s not a good thing. And if he doesn’t know then he’s going to be finding out sometime soon so it’s no skin off their back. They just would feel bad if they can’t at least find something this mini Dr. Evil enjoys.

“Are you more of a Hello Kitty person? Aggretsuko maybe? There’s got to be something you like. But you also think video games are a waste of time even though they’ve been scientifically proven to aid in multiple ways.”

They would try to be a lot snarkier but they’re just not feeling it right now. So they’re going to stay cool-headed. Last conversation got a little heated between them but it’s nothing that wasn’t too on the oppressive side. But just staring down at him is kind of awkward so they clear their throat and just leave the chalk on a nearby desk, crossing their arms as they speak from one end of the classroom.

“There’s plenty of other far more interesting rooms and you decided to check a bland, dull, boring, droll, doldrum classroom. Why? I don’t think I need to tell you that there’s better ways to spend your time.”

Oh, Jin was very murderable. Very murderable indeed, as demonstrated by the fact that he didn’t even fight back at the end of the trial. What were the odds he’d be able to retaliate against someone actually trying to hurt him? Probably very small.

Reo’s questioning was... strange, to him. Very strange. For what purpose were they questioning him about this? It’s not suspicious, exactly, but given their previous interaction he can’t quite tell what, exactly, is going on here.

“Of course there are things I like, but I don’t exactly feel compelled to share them with you. As far as those go? I’m more interested in how deeply they’ve permeated popular culture than the characters themselves. Interesting enough, I suppose.”

Even Jin knows about Hello Kitty and the like. It’s kind of impossible not to, really. Cultural icons and all.

“Maybe there are, but it is truly unfathomable that I’d just want a quiet place to think? Sure, you could say I’d be better off in the library or my own room, but a change of scenery - uninteresting as it may be - tends to be better than staying in one place.”

“The fact that someone decided to use what should have been one of the nicer facilities as their location of choice for murder is also a difficult thought to dispel.”

Spoken like it’s more of an annoyance than anything. Seriously, how dare they!

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

“Although you’re a brat, I think you’re at least smart enough to realize that spreading seeds of doubt and mistrust is a terrible idea. Unless of course, you wish for another murder to happen. Judging by your response to the prior trial, that wouldn’t really surprise me.”

Hikaru shakes his head slightly, twirling his pipe between his fingers.

“Go ahead and tell everyone what I’m doing if that’s what you’d like to do. I suppose you’d like a more difficult trial, hm? My diligence would make it too easy for you and ruin the enjoyment?”

He’s just straight up accusing Jin of being a sociopath now.

“I don’t need to spread them. They’re already there. It’s a far worse idea to pretend that everyone is going to be able to move on from the ever-so-kind Ragavade killing someone. How do you reinstate trust after a betrayal like that?”

Not that it seemed like he cared, personally. Go figure.

“My wishes or lack thereof are irrelevant. Another murder will happen, unless something changes both quickly and drastically. And I, personally, doubt that anything like that will.”

“... It’s a claim that can’t be substantiated. Even if the other person felt how I did about this, it’s unlikely they’d want to step forward and corroborate even if I were to state it publicly. And since you decided to pretend to have some kind of moral high ground to the taste of the others when it suited you, they’ll probably think I’m just being petty rather than raising a perfectly valid argument.”

And they wouldn’t exactly be wrong, since it wasn’t exactly like there was much else he could do in retaliation. But if it would just be brushed off, then it was useless to try it so soon.

[ephemeralxiv]

Baby Snark Fights | Reo | CH 2 | ATTN: Jin

There’s plenty of new rooms for Reo to have visited; the trial still played out as lively as ever in the back of their mind as did the execution of someone they never took the time to speak to: Akash Ragavade… Or was it Chitose Hanamura now? It was difficult to tell what the former engineer would’ve wanted to be really called given that they seemed prepare to accept their demise. It was foolish, how they chose to reveal themselves anyways. Had it been them? Reo would’ve gone down fighting, they know this much, and those thoughts never once stop pervading their thoughts.

Maybe they just had a hard time accepting that someone else’s life was gone now. That’s why they find themselves in front of Class Room A at the moment, a singular piece of white chalk scratching against the board itself with unexpected smoothness, the white lines without as straight as could be despite the bumpy surface of the board as it made contact with the chalk, and the thing they were drawing would make itself incredibly evident to whoever steps into the room next, who just happened to be someone they’d have… Not quite a disagreement with, but not someone they could see eye to eye either. Not to mention how they thought of his performance at the trial.

The doors swing open and as Reo turns back to look, Jin would see drawn in the board at the front of the classroom a picture of Kuromi and Melody holding hands. They just stare without shame towards Jin.

“Do you like them too?”

That really is all they have to say to Jin.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

Well, everyone dealt with stress differently. That, he knew all too well. One didn’t get this deep into a field involving humans as Jin did without understanding that much. Sure, Mieko was the one who more handled the psychological elements in their collaborative research. Actually dealing with people coping was more her job. This, however, still caused him to raise an eyebrow. Not judgmentally, per se, although his vibes probably cause it to come across as such regardless.

“... I do not have any strong feelings about them.”

Walking into a room and being asked for his opinion on Sanrio characters was... not a situation he had ever mentally prepared for. It was clear that Reo had caught him somewhat off guard with that one.

“If you’re asking for technical feedback, I’m not an artist. The dexterity required to draw smooth lines without some sort of guide is a skill that many lack, I suppose.”

If nothing else, he’d seen enough shaky blackboard drawings during classes to learn at least that much.

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

“I don’t have a superiority complex, I’m simply conscious of those both below and above me. From your…position, I think it’s just clear where you land.”

Short joke.

“Really? A waste? If someone were to plan around my plans…and only you and one other individual knows them…wouldn’t that just make it a very simple case? I doubt you’ll kill anyone anyway, I can tell you’re smarter than that at least.”

Hikaru turns his head to the side, thinking for a few moments.

“Hm…though I still must say, for a sociologist you have no idea how to deal with social interaction. It’s some level of amusing.”

Was... that a short joke? Jin was above (lol) being insulted by those - petty, petty appearance-based jabs were pretty ineffective on him. Still, the journalist’s perspective was an interesting one. Frustrated as he was with Hikaru, he couldn’t deny a vague curiosity about that. How annoying.

“So what qualifies somebody as being above or below you, by your definitions? If you’re going to say it with so much certainty, I’d hope you have some actual criteria for that.”

“And what makes you so sure that both myself and this other person can be trusted not to share that information? You might argue it’d be in our best interests not to, but it would be just as fair to say that everyone has a right to know what you’re doing skulking around like this.”

“I mean, someone might get the idea that you’re planning something under the guise of wanting to be prepared. To avoid that scenario, wouldn’t it be better to be completely transparent about your intentions? If you’re that diligent, it shouldn’t be any problem for you even if everyone could make the effort to work around it.”

A short joke and being told he wasn’t good at socializing in one interaction? Truly, a lucky day indeed. He just scoffs it off.

“Believe that if you want, Kakimasu. I just don’t see any benefit in navigating whatever you consider a ‘proper’ social interaction with you.”

[whatsthestoryinkairaimori]

thebestshsljournalist​:

Great, this bitch.

Hikaru is no more happy to see Jin than Jin is to see him.

“…I could ask the same question.”

Of course, he isn’t going to give a straightforward answer to this sociopathic sociologist. Hikaru enters the room with little regard for what Jin is actually doing, beginning to…take inventory? He seems to be noting down everything in the room, particularly dangerous equipment and where it’s stored.

“If you must know, I’m raising my own awareness of dangerous equipment so that I can ensure an easier time locating where things may have been moved around in the case of another murder.”

Hikaru’s expression is relatively blank when he turns to look back at Jin.

“How’s the face.”

It isn’t a question either, it’s a statement, to remind Jin that he got his ass beat. It’s a power move, a means of Hikaru immediately having the upper hand on Jin in this situation unless he intends to strike back in some meaningful way.

Lovely. The palpable tension in this room was just lovely. You really could have cut it with a knife, although frankly if either of them were carrying knives there were going to be bigger problems than the tension. Heh. Taking inventory.

“So you could. I’m just investigating the newly unlocked areas for curiosity’s sake.”

Oh, he really just had to go there, huh? Jin’s expression briefly flickered back to something adjacent to anger, looking almost like he had something to say to that and only barely managed to stop himself. God, he did not like this guy. Was it smart to provoke this further? No. He knew that much. Was he going to anyways? ... Well, if the worst it was going to get him was slapped again, he couldn’t just pass up the chance to get another barb in.

“Oh, that? It’ll be fine. How’s the superiority complex?”

What a little bastard. (With very little room to talk, might I add-)

At any rate, he does have something serious to bring up here. Begrudgingly, only because he knows it’ll be good for him too, but nonetheless.

“Be a little more careful about who you tell you’re taking inventory, Kakimasu. If people know you’re keeping an eye on it, all that’s going to do is make them plan around it. Wouldn’t it just be such a shame if all that effort went to waste?”

Not that he was planning to take advantage of that knowledge personally (probably.) Just a little bit of not-so-friendly advice.