yogen | OK overture

( she knows she's lashing out; always, always, choosing emotion over logic time and time again, with no one but herself to blame. it's so easy to get swept up in negativity; it's so easy to let it consume and gnaw at your heart, but —

rarely, if ever, it's met with a genuine reaction. most of the time, people fight her back, like she's got no right to be upset, like she's got no right to worry, like she's got no right to feel the way she does. when she tried to convince the girls to stop fighting — when momoe insulted her mother — time and time again, she's been met with resistance rather than compliance, and...

it makes her pause, eyes wide in surprise, as amami apologizes for god knows what (worrying about her? is that really something to say sorry for?) and komaeda... well, she watches him get down on one knee, and almost scoffs, a little amused. it's probably as earnest as he can get, no trace of mockery in his voice — maybe it's stupid, but she wants to believe him. and, most importantly, he's right: she shouldn't take her anger out on amami, when he hasn't done anything wrong, except maybe for crossing some boundaries — which, let's be real, she's never had any particular respect for, herself. )

I'm not taking anything out on you, freak. And, um... wait, Ran-tan. ( she wants to apologize. she wants to apologize. she wants to apologize... !

...... but, as expected, it's really hard. being vulnerable, showing that you care — she takes a breath, motioning for komaeda to get up, and shakes her head. )

I... I'm not mad. There's nothing to make up for. ( she assures the both of them, stumbling through her words. ) You wanted to know about the stone, right... ? Well, Rocchi's been looking for rocks since middle school, so I bet he could help you out. And... he's convinced he's known Koma-kyun since childhood, so maybe taking him along would be good...

( i can't fucking believe mise was right )

( yeah, at first, amami is pretty sure komaeda is just out here digging them a deeper grave, to be honest. it's kind of a relief, really, when rika actually speaks up — her voice sounds tired, sure, but a better kind of tired. like she's gotten about as much as she can expect from him, or maybe a little more, and just can't believe how extra he's being about this. (amami almost can't, himself, but guess he's learning a little more about komaeda every day at this rate.)

but, even when she turns to amami to offer up that reassurance, he still looks like he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. he offers a tentative smile, still apologetic; can't let her effort go to waste, you know? but with how fast it all happened, maybe he might still be suffering from some residual emotional whiplash. )

Thanks — I appreciate it, but... are you sure Komaeda-kun is the best person for this...?

( he's not going to outright say it, but komaeda did kind of turn this whole conversation into a downward spiral just now. maybe amami is fine with paying full price upfront. )

( she didn't take her anger out on him? well, it's a damn shame, but maybe that means she's not upset with amami after all — he's an ultimate, so she has no reason to be. at her request to stand up, he doesn't do as told as he finds himself sitting down rather politely on the floor. if he was to add extra reassurance to amami, that's out of his hand, for who is he to come near an ultimate? sighs, it's just unlike him. yet, he watches the way untalented flock to talent, and that's the way things should be. )

Do you want me gone that bad, Amami-kun?

( he doesn't have to say it, but komaeda can speak for him instead about how he feelings, and it's easy to tell when someone wants him gone. it's pretty natural. he crosses his legs, setting both his hands in the middle as they press against the ground like a child as he leans forward. )

Taking your anger out on me also works...

( though, komaeda is well aware he can't do anything to him right now, but his eyes follow to rika who can, instead, put him through an ass whooping. )

But... It's this sort of hope cultivated from two types of people that makes me curious for the future... ( but soon after, he finds himself falling silent once rika begins to speak up about the rocks that amami is looking for. he doesn't want a repeat of last time though to the point of sabotaging him again, so he lifts his prosthetic to begin stacking cheese atop of wilbur's dead body. )

Well, Koma-kyun is —

( and she looks at what he's doing, still on the ground, now...

... apparently stacking cheese on the body of a dead rat wrapped in a plastic bag. )

...

( why... does komaeda... make life... so fucking hard... )

What the hell are you doing?! Stop that — ( yes, she's going to try kicking him in the hand to keep him from disrespecting wilbur any further. )

Ow...

( which is said five minutes after he's been kicked, it's a delayed, but annoying reaction as he pulls his hand away. dropping them back into the middle of his lap, he looks up at rika to see what expression she's wearing now — is she frustrated, still sad, what did komaeda do to deserve this?

he looks towards amami, ready to speak, until the rat bag begins to... crinkle, crackle... like something inside is moving. komaeda turns his head to look at the bag, blink once, then twice, before looking back towards the other ultimate. )

Rokkun and I go way back, apparently... Though, like I said, he may take kindly to you.

( he laughs as the bag crackles again, )

You've helped him before!

Edited 2021-06-13 03:29 (UTC)

( it's not that amami wants him gone necessarily, but... i mean, just look at him? stacking cheese on a dead rat like that... freak.

actually, when rika notices that, it's enough that he can't help the laugh that escapes him. it's sudden, but soft, and the smile lingers on his features even after.

listen, that couldn't have been any funnier if it was planned, okay? )

Me?

( and when komaeda points that out, he points at himself, caught off guard and even glancing to rika momentarily. he... doesn't remember helping that one before — lends a hand to the native students once in a while, sure, but he's gone out of his way to make a note of arata, so — )

Are you sure? I think I'd remember if I did...

( they're both freaks, is what rika wants to assure amami about. they fit together like mismatched gloves, in her opinion, because they just feed each other's insanity, but whatever — this isn't the time to get into that. she's not sure what's this about amami helping rokkun before, either, but if that's really the case, then... maybe he can get that stone easier than expected.

at any rate: )

Well, if he knows of you, that simplifies things. ( she shrugs, about to drop the subject, when...

the bag crinkles. now, she'd ignore it, thinking it was a mere hallucination, probably due to the headache komaeda is giving her, but... no. it does it again. )

... what the hell did you put in the bag, Koma-kyun?

I'm sure. ( ... ) I remember.

( he was actually surprised about it, and komaeda can vividly see the scene again in his head. he even managed to take hinata's, but those were simpler days, simpler times. they're gone now, but he doubts that rokkun would forget whose pda's that he takes, because he wouldn't want to double up... would he? )

Just tell him your name, and that should be enough...

( he's a bit unsure as he says that, and then his eyes shift to rika to look down at the bag. he's just as confused as she's confused. ) Wilbur, he's the only one who can fit in the bag...

( he pauses, coming to his own twisted conclusion. )

Think he can't breathe?

( just his name, huh? he guesses that's fine, but more it's hard to respond to that when— )

Don't tell me you put something alive in there...?

( he looks at the bag and, honestly, yeah. this is the thread where amami realizes something is deeply wrong with this man. bro, he thought this was supposed to be a funeral, get it OUT? )

( once again, she's totally distracted from the subject of rocks by something komaeda does. staying on topic with this guy around is just impossible, huh?

it's what she thought, too, but when amami actually voices the question, she gasps, kicking komaeda again. just for the hell of it. )

Did you put Wilbur alive in there?! G... get him out!!

( why is he being kicked again! ow, ow, ow!

how can he get him out when she's doing that? he's too busy letting it happen to actually do anything, so while he's the center of attention — )

Amami-kun! Will you do the honors?

( what is wrong with you? what is wrong with you? what is wrong with you?

amami doesn't know what the honours are, but he guesses there's really only one thing they can be in this context. closing the distance between himself and the other two, he'll wince visibly as he crouches down, another sharp inhale through clenched teeth, and he'll kinda... you said the bag was plastic, right? he'll tear open the side — but the kind of tear where he's really just pulling each side apart, so that his fingers don't end up in the bag touching dead zombie rat.

actually, on that note, he faces the opening of the bag away from rika as he does so. )

( there...

amami sees it... the guts of a flattered and choked rat contorted by dito's gentle fingers! he was a pretty fat rat before his organs and guts came shooting out of his ass, but that's not what's special about naughty wilbur. it's the fact that there's something moving around in the guts, trapped between it and the dead rat body...

something special that the ultimate ??? will see after a few seconds of the creature kicking. a blessing, caught between life and death...

will you save it? )

( she's too busy trying to kick komaeda to death to really pay attention to the way amami opens the bag, facing it away from her.

she does turn her head towards him when she hears it rustle, though, narrowing her eyes. )

... what's in there? Did this idiot put Wilbur in a plastic bag alive?!

( incredible. he's the ultimate midwife now. honest to god he does not look all that happy about this — there's a moment of surprise, replaced quickly by a grimace as he realizes that there's really no way he can get out of this situation without touching nasty rat guts. because apparently, rika was attached. and he still feels pretty guilty. so here he is, reaching into the bag without hesitation to untangle the little something special that's caught inside. )

Hold on...

( but even if he can pull it out, he's not, like, the ultimate vet? pretty sure he can cross that one off, because he's got no clue what to do next. hopefully just that would have been enough... anyway, with it in the palm of one hand, he's going to use the other to... close the visual on wilbur's guts and glance back to the other two. )

There are sinks in the art room, right?

( aside from washing his own hands for 10 years, they might want to rinse off naughty (name pending) jr. too )

( komaeda's on alert when amami speaks, and even he doesn't know what's going on aside from getting beat up, a funeral, and learning about some rocks. which, he's actually enjoying getting his shit kicked because if he can persevere, his hope is pretty bulky. thanks, kawaii-san! with every kick, he's leaning up properly as he looks towards amami with a tired expression, and a hitch of his breath once the tip of her shoe comes in contact with his side.

he doesn't know if rika is paying attention to an ultimate's question, but komaeda sure is, and sure will — )

Ah(t)... It's our safest best — ah(t)... with Ball Monokuma rolling around...

( he's going to get up from the floor, a little dizzy, but he's managing. )

We have to hurry if Amami-kun believes Naughty Wilbur can be saved!

( oh jesus fucking christ.

she stops kicking komaeda immediately, rushing over to the door to hurry amami out. )

Let's go then!! We can't just let it die!!

OK overture

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