Hinata Hajime (日向創) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
futurebullets) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yogen2021-07-03 11:19 pm
futurebullets) wrote in yogen2021-07-03 11:19 pm
[semi-open] third truth bullet: talent
Who: Hajime Hinata and YOU
What: A catch-all log for Hinata throughout the month! Closed things will added by request, open things for stuff outside of event top-levels
Where: Various
When: Mostly July, may also include some backdated threads
Warnings: potential spoilers for chapter 4 of Super Dangan Ronpa 2, after the Final Dead Room Discussion
Notes: I've detailed it more on plurk and on Hinata's plotting post comment, but essentially there's something of a "game" that I have going. Hinata has a "trust" level that's been reset to 0 - if his points are positive enough, he will be updated to either chapter 5 or the end of the game, and if his points fall too far, he will be "reverted" to one of two earlier canon points (chapter 1 or pre-game) and lose all of his Yogen memories. Close CR has more weight at first, but anyone has the power to affect him, so feel free to take a shot at raising or lowering those points!
If you have any questions or would like to plot things, feel free to reach me at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
Yamadori! (You're also welcome to write starters for me as well, just give me a heads up first!)
What: A catch-all log for Hinata throughout the month! Closed things will added by request, open things for stuff outside of event top-levels
Where: Various
When: Mostly July, may also include some backdated threads
Warnings: potential spoilers for chapter 4 of Super Dangan Ronpa 2, after the Final Dead Room Discussion
Notes: I've detailed it more on plurk and on Hinata's plotting post comment, but essentially there's something of a "game" that I have going. Hinata has a "trust" level that's been reset to 0 - if his points are positive enough, he will be updated to either chapter 5 or the end of the game, and if his points fall too far, he will be "reverted" to one of two earlier canon points (chapter 1 or pre-game) and lose all of his Yogen memories. Close CR has more weight at first, but anyone has the power to affect him, so feel free to take a shot at raising or lowering those points!
If you have any questions or would like to plot things, feel free to reach me at
[closed to ouma] 7/1-7/2
And makes a noise in the back of his throat. Who the hell put this here?
A rainbow-colored tablet stares back at him.
But he doesn't know what's on here and doesn't want to check right now, not when there are a few people lingering around the room, so he waits until he's alone later that night to power it on. He expects it to maybe be something like the PDA, that would have apps on it.
What Hinata doesn't expect, could never even prepare himself to expect, is to press the power button and hear Monokuma's voice echo in his empty homeroom.
He starts to sweat, stomach squirming with anxiety as he registers the words that slide through his ears and fill his mind with dread, because. It should be over, he hasn't been here this whole time-
He listens to Monokuma talk about motives with a sick feeling in his stomach, but when the person appears on the screen... it's the person he would least expect.]
Ouma...?
[He listens, deathly quiet, as the video goes on. He hates hearing these things come from Monokuma's mouth, of anyone he could hear it from, but Hinata also feels something settle over his heart.
Something right. Something peaceful.
I knew you weren't a bad person.
He sees Ouma's friends - or is it more of a family, really? - cut and beaten and behind bars, and Hinata's heart aches right up until the video ceases playing.
It feels like some things are finally falling into place. But there's some things that need to be addressed.
He hasn't gone back as frequently as he used to, but Hinata will show up at the survival club's soonest meeting. He'll sit quietly through the meeting, up until the very end - and that's when he'll catch Ouma's attention.]
Ouma. [His voice is gentle, softer even than when he spoke to him about Saihara. It's been weeks since he's really been "normal", but there's a little more life in his eyes than usual.] Is it okay to talk, if you have some time? I have something for you.
[Better to start off that way, he thinks, when there are still other club members nearby.]
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Still, a meeting, if only to maintain the illusion and keep the staff from shutting it down. And Kokichi seems the same as always – unshaken even by all the new deaths, just as capable of laughter and jabs.
Maybe he's just allergic to the alternative.
But it's those same sharp eyes that dart to Hinata at the address, searching for clues even as he plasters on a smile.]
Ehh? A gift from Hinata-chan of all people...? In front of everyone? How bold!
[It's nonsense, of course. Just noise to fill up the requisite space of a response while he silently wonders what sparked this. It's unusual. It's not as if they're particularly close. Or as if Hinata's seemed in an especially social mood lately. He's noticed Hinata's quieting down the same way he's noticed how everyone else has been affected by everything here. Noticing is what he does.]
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Not in front of everybody, no. It's probably better if it's just us. And it's not exactly... [Hinata trails off, thinking better of it and promptly shaking his head.] Well. You'll see soon enough.
[For a second, he thinks about taking the tablet out, but it seems like a bad idea. Hinata was already one person too many, probably; he doesn't want anyone else to be aware of it unless Ouma gives up that information freely.
For now, he jerks a thumb towards the door and allows a smile to grace his face; still not strong, like the ones Ouma is probably more used to seeing on his face, but something that feels more genuine than he's had as of late.]
Let's take a walk for a bit?
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Wow, you need privacy for it? What could it beee...?
[Something about his smirk makes that sound so much worse. And then worse still is when he turns back to the rest of their little club, waving as he slips his arm through Hinata's.]
Hinata-chan's taking me alone somewhere private! So if I turn up dead, you know who did it!
[He looks back to Hinata with a bright grin, like that's just a joke and not a very real possibility in this place. And honestly, knowing him, whether he was joking or actually trying to subvert that possibility is anyone's guess.
Really, the safest thing would be to avoid being alone with people he doesn't know very well entirely. But he's admittedly intrigued by whatever Hinata's surprise is, and he doesn't think it's actually likely that someone would be so stupid as to commit a murder when multiple people saw them leaving together.
Anyway. He's Kokichi, quick to take the lead in dragging Hinata from the room and in some random direction down the hall.]
Soooo...?
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[His voice is half-reprimand, half-protest, even though he knows neither will do no good. It's less that he's worried about anything happening, especially with the knowledge he now has, but it's more of a concern that the others will assume the worst.
But he doesn't say anything beyond that, sighing softly as he's tugged along. Ultimately, he isn't worried, because Hinata's pretty sure they'll both be okay after this.
...Well. Physically, at least.
He still waits a little bit longer to speak, even after Ouma does, because he wants to make absolutely sure nobody else is around. But once he does, Hinata pulls on his wrist lightly to bring him to a stop.]
...Here.
[He could dance around it, perhaps, be more subtle - but that's never been Hinata's style. So he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a certain tablet, offering it for Ouma to take.]
This is yours... Your motive video. If I'd known what it was, I wouldn't have watched it without permission, so... I'm sorry.
[He has more to discuss about it than that, and things to ask... But this, an apology, is more important than anything else he has to say.]
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The relaxed, amused expression on his face shifts as Hinata pulls the tablet out, eyebrows drawing together in recognition and confusion. To see a motive video here at all is...something. But then Hinata specifies that it's his, and it's like his face is just instantly wiped clean of any discernible emotion.
Blank-faced, he takes the offered tablet. Doesn't immediately respond, just taps the button below the screen to turn it on so Monokuma's grating voice fills the space in the silence. Just long enough to confirm it is, in fact, his, and the same one he received back in the Ultimate Academy, and then he taps it off again and unceremoniously cuts the video short.
He doesn't need to see that right now. Or ever again, really. He's already watched it so many times he's got every second and every pixel memorized.
Eyes fixed on the blank screen, Kokichi finally speaks up after maybe thirty seconds, his voice kept carefully free of any little waver of distress or surprise or anything else that might expose him as an actual human being with feelings. It's a cool, collected, utterly unreadable tone – his last defense when even his ability to put on a show fails him.]
...Where'd you get something like this?
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He's never quite sure how to handle blank-faced Ouma, because he doesn't know enough to understand what it means beyond calculated guesses, but now he needs to try.]
The gardening club. It was underneath the plant that I tend to, but I don't know how it got there. [He stops, for just a second, to consider whether he should keep withholding this particular thing. But then Hinata decides that if he accidentally saw something he shouldn't, Ouma is owed at least this much.] I don't know who's messing with us, but things from... my own Killing Game... have ended up here, even if it they weren't things as important as this.
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[His eyes flick back up to Hinata at that. His voice is flat, but there's something razor sharp and perceptive in that stare, even if his expression (or lack thereof) hasn't budged an inch.
What's with this mix? Some people here had never even heard of Ultimates before, let alone anything to do with the Killing Game. Yet others were like Ishimaru and even knew of Monokuma.
Like Hinata. He hadn't missed that tiny reaction to the voice.
There's the tiniest downward tilt to his lips as he frowns thoughtfully, glancing back to the Kubz Pad. It's not worth questioning how it ended up in the gardening club – whoever (or whatever) is running this place is clearly just as capable of planting random shit wherever they want, just as much as the mastermind in the Ultimate Academy was.]
Hope's Peak, right? Like Ishimaru-chan?
[His finger taps against the colorful frame of the tablet, seemingly deep in thought.]
Y'know, you never actually answered my question back then. If you're an Ultimate or whatever.
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[Hinata's entire countenance wilts, dread weighing him down his shoulders with it. He can't tell what hits him worse (even as guilty and ill that makes him feel) - the fact that Ishimaru had to go through a Killing Game of his own, or that Ouma is asking him about his talent.
If he does...
Would it be like when he told Amami?
Or would it be like when he told Komaeda?
The thought of the latter makes him sick with anxiety. Ouma is an Ultimate, and one that he hasn't really gotten close to, so doesn't he have reason to hate him more than any of the others that are here?
But harmless pranks and friends and family are still bouncing around in his head, so Hinata holds onto that as tightly as he can.]
What he said back when we met... makes sense now. He never told me. [His voice is pained. However, Hinata shakes his head.] But I never told him, either. About a lot of things, I guess.
[Like his talent.
He doesn't want to say this. Hinata balls his hands into fists when he feels them start to shake. Steels himself the best he can.]
I... wish I didn't have to bring this up now. [His laugh, when it comes, is humorless.] But it's only fair, right? If I learned something that important about you, it's only fair that you know the same. And even if I still feel bad about seeing it... it makes me feel a little bit better about telling you.
[Ouma is not a bad person. He wants to believe that with everything he has.]
When we met, I didn't know. I had amnesia, but only about that one part of myself - I didn't know what my talent was. But last month I remembered. [The trembling in his hands stops, but only because his hands are digging crescents into his palms. Not breaking the skin quite yet, but enough for the pain to ground him a little.] Hope's Peak Academy has its Main Course, and something called the Reserve Course. The former requires being scouted for the talent you have, and the latter is for talentless people to pay exorbitant fees to get into for the sake of funding the Main Course.
[He shuts his eyes, for this part at least. He doesn't know if Ouma's expression will change, but he doesn't want to see it right away if it does. That's too much to bear.]
...I forgot that I was part of the Reserve Course. I have no talent. I'm not an Ultimate at all.
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There's a slight twitch at the corner of his jaw as he resists the urge. He wants to, he wants to so bad. But ultimately (ha), he's afraid. If he breaks the stony face and gives in to anything real right now, he doesn't know what kind of expression he'll make right now. What he'll do.
Control is all he has here.
So he smothers it all down, the cruel instincts and the fear and the longing for these people on this video and the roiling doubt that builds in his stomach whenever he lets himself think of them. Shoves it all down and clings to that blank mask that gives nothing away and the cool relief of logic.]
That's weird, isn't it? There's an obvious trend here, for whatever reason. So why are you special?
[It's a weird way to be special, being the only "untalented" person in a group of incredibly unique, special people. But it is notable. And it's easier to fixate on the why and what does it mean than it is to think about any of his own shit.]
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As things stand, Hinata simply shakes his head and smiles a smile full of self-deprecation.]
I'm not, even if it is weird. Maybe Monokuma just decided to pick some nobody off the street for the fun of it. Give him just enough hope by taking away his memory of talent, only to fill him with despair once he realized he had nothing at all. [He shrugs, but there's something a little sad in the motion.] Maybe he picked me out of a raffle of Reserve Course students, just like how Hope's Peak picks its Ultimate Luck. But who knows if I'll ever find out for sure, now that we're stuck here?
[The last thing he wants to do is continue down this line of questioning. Whether it's more because he doesn't want to think about it anymore, or because he's burning with questions of his own, it's hard to determine, but... He can endure it a little longer. He knows Ouma probably doesn't want to discuss what's on the tape, so... just a bit longer.]
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Do you think Monokuma would do something like that so flippantly? Or, y'know...whoever's controlling him.
[He sounds almost bored. Almost looks it too, except it's just a little off. The lack of something that would slit the expression more solidly into that category, the tapping of a finger against the side of the tablet belying tension, unease.
He's off his game. Hinata really blindsided him here.]
And what kind of a talent is "Ultimate Luck" anyway? Hope's Peak sounds like a pretty half-assed knockoff.
[It's a smooth enough transition that it might not immediately read as changing the subject. A smokescreen while he casually (deliberately) moves to tuck the tablet away inside his jacket where it won't be the subject of attention and can hopefully be forgotten.
Shit. How's he going to play this moving forward? Is it too late to claim it's complete bullshit made up by Monokuma? Should he lean into all his worst impulses to push Hinata away now? Fuck, what if he tells anyone else??]
Sometime during the first week of July
Still, they are expected to attend classes, not spend all day motionless.
Their movement through the hallway is slow, careful, and yet, they are unable to account for all possible dangers. Something undetected catches their foot and they pitch forward with a short loud burst of mechanical noise.
Oh hey, Hinata, a huge robot is falling on you. Might want to like, get out of the way.)
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Ouma can get one more tag free of tape discussion as a treatHinata shrugs helplessly. He's about ready to be done with this topic altogether, but Ouma's asking questions, so...]
I haven't really seen Monokuma do anything that wasn't calculated, or didn't have a reason, but... I can't figure out any other reason for it. It's not like there's anything more special about me than any of the other students he could've picked.
[Bitter, so bitter of a taste in his mouth, and Hinata can only hope that it doesn't sound quite as awful leaving his mouth as it feels.]
Ultimate Luck is... Ultimate Luck. [He grimaces a little bit, but he guesses. They're just talking about literally everything Hinata doesn't want to talk about today, it's fine.] I thought the same when I heard about it too, and Komaeda says as much if you ask him. But... It's uncanny. Almost scary, how real it feels when it's actually working.
[And now! They don't have to talk about that anymore! It doesn't leave his notice that Ouma is tucking the tablet away, so let's talk about that instead of Komaeda Nagito please he is begging-]
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While startled by the noise, his brain does not recognize the sound well enough to parse what it might be, so by the time he begins to turn Legion is already falling into him. Hinata has just enough time to yelp before they both go down.
Pulling himself into a siting position, his body aches from both hitting the floor and the robotic body that's fallen on top of his own. The latter isn't something that's quite registered in his head yet, so Hinata forces his eyes open with a wince and speaks in a completely unaware tone.]
Hey, are you...
[He trails off a little bit as he takes in the sight of Legion, a few emotions playing over his face - apprehension, curiosity, just a bit of fear. Hinata is probably desensitized considerably by the amount of strange things he's had to see both here and on the island that came before, but it's still his first time seeing a Geth and it would be a lie to say he wasn't incredibly shocked.
But- he swallows, clears his throat slightly. They haven't... attacked him, or put him through anything agonizing like Monokuma, so...]
...Are you okay?
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Komaeda-chan, huh?
[The blank mask finally cracks as his nose wrinkles in obvious distaste. Ugh. Of fucking course the bullshit talent is that guy. Kokichi wants to dismiss it out of hand, but the hyper-analytic part of him won't drop any piece of info, no matter how stupid it sounds. That how he figures out things others easily overlook, after all. And thinking back to when he first encountered Komaeda, the way the ceiling tile had broken under him at such a convenient time...
It still sounds stupid. Closer to magic than a talent. But then again, it was pretty undeniable at this point that this place and at least some of the people in it have actual magic too.
Kokichi frowns. This is something he can muse on later. This and Hinata's similarly odd predicament. Once he's alone for the night, he can lay awake and turn all the pieces over in his head endlessly until something clicks into place or he decides he needs to find more pieces to connect them. For now, though, he needs to escape the inevitable. There's been a tension in the air since Hinata handed over the Kubz Pad, unspoken questions he can just feel coming that he wants nothing to do with.
So he lifts a hand in a lazy wave, simultaneously a dismissal and a farewell as he turns away.]
Whatever. I don't even wanna think about that freak. This is getting boring, anyway.
[Time to escape! He doesn't wait for a response before he starts heading down the hall towards the fancy new elevator.]
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[Hinata moves without thinking, chasing after him with an arm outstretched. He hesitates for a very brief second at the sight of the elevator, since he hasn't ridden it yet, but somehow he's still relieved. It's not like he has a good track record with elevators, but it's better than having PTSD every time he goes up or down those Godforsaken stairs.]
I have questions for you too, you know...! [He places a hand on his chest, trying to catch his breath.] And I know that... there's things on there that you'd rather not bring up... But it can't be good to not talk about it at all.
[He pleads with his eyes, if nothing else. He doesn't want to make Ouma think about his caught family or anything else that might be painful... But Hinata knows from experience that ignoring your problems won't make them go away.]
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When he glances back over his shoulder at Hinata chasing him, it's with a more thoroughly bored expression. More exaggerated, his usual dramatization of everything. Whether or not the return of that expressiveness is a good thing in this situation, though...
Regardless. That glance back is brief. He doesn't need to keep looking at those pleading puppy dog eyes. He faces forward again as he continues down the hall, idly stretching his arms up and resting them behind his head in that fucking anime pose.]
Eh? Don't tell me you actually believe that crap. I mean, you know Monokuma. You're really gonna believe him?
[There. This he can do. If he can't just erase the whole memory of this, then he can at least cast doubt on it.
Besides, it's nothing he hasn't questioned himself. Whether or not what he watched (again and again and again) on that video was real... Either option sucked. If it was true, then chances are those important people were dead, or at best god knows where and in what condition. And if it was fake – like so many other things he'd been suspicious of – then that meant he had no one at all.]
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They scramble to get off and away from him, least they risk causing any further damage.
The words, however, give them pause.
They learn three things:
That the person they have fallen on is an unknown male.
That he is conscious and unharmed enough to speak.
That he is concerned for their wellbeing.)
Optical system nonfunctional. All other systems within acceptable parameters. (They pause briefly, headflaps rippling.) We apologize. Are you undamaged?
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He doesn't know if it's a good something; thinks it probably isn't, rather than is, honestly. But it's too important to ignore and let slide.]
If you know Monokuma, you know he mixes the truth with lies or omits parts of it when he needs a specific outcome. [As he follows, he keeps his voice gentle as he speaks.] But he doesn't need to change anything at all when he knows the truth is what will hurt the most.
[He shoves his own file out of his mind. No time for that right now.
It's at that point in time that his tone drops into something even softer.]
Besides... If it really wasn't true, why did you react that way when you saw what it was?
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He makes a sound like he's holding back a laugh, shrugging.]
I thought you didn't have a talent. Don't tell me you're gunning for Ultimate Detective! Should I tell Saihara-chan you're after his title?
[His tone is lighthearted, playful, but it still feels like there's something sharp in it. A jab that's meant to sting, meant to ward Hinata off continuing down this path. There's nothing for him here. There's nothing for Kokichi here.]
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Optical... system... Wait, are you talking about your eyes? [But Hinata shakes his head, even if they can't see it.] You don't need to be sorry, it was an accident and I'm fine.
[Something in his chest eases.
Monokuma, though he had the appearance of a stuffed animal, was most likely a robot being controlled by someone.
But this one... is not like Monokuma. Not if they want to know if he's okay.]
Did... something happen to you, though? That doesn't sound good.
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He can't tell what's worse - that he brought up his lack of talent, or that he brought up Saihara.
He wonders if Ouma meant it, to mention all three of the things Hinata doesn't want to think about most throughout this conversation.]
God damn it, Ouma, don't- [His voice shakes, and Hinata desperately tries to reign it back in.] Don't bring that into this anymore. Or Saihara, for that matter.
[Maybe his voice sounds a little less wounded, this time, when he says his name.
Hinata forces himself to focus, to not get lost in the pain - but it's hard, when his two worst wounds of the moment are being dug into.
But if he thinks about it, and thinks about when they talked about Saihara before- things click into place a little more. He thinks about that instead, and even if his voice is hurt, it gets soft again.]
Why do you always do this? Does it... really bother you that much? Having people care about you.
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Kokichi's not a monster, despite his best attempts to prove otherwise. But he can't bring himself to give into that begging either. Not when he knows all too well how people work.
So he scoffs. His tone is as carefree as ever, and he waves a hand dismissively at the dumbass still following him.]
Pshh. You don't care. You just feel obligated to stick your nose into things because you're "nice" and you found that dumb video. I could get brutally murdered tomorrow in a place like this, and you wouldn't miss me at all.
[Who would? He's the bad guy, after all. Even at his best, he's the annoying prankster that likes pushing everyone's buttons and can't bear to open up to anyone. Maybe some people have just enough brain cells to recognize that he's smart and useful sometimes, maybe some of them are just nice people that feel like they've gotta be friends with everyone. But that's not the same as actually liking someone.
He comes to a stop in front of the elevator, pressing the button to call it. And paused there, waiting, he finally glances back to Hinata, latching onto the opportunity he was unintentionally handed to change the subject.]
And aaaanyway, weren't you the one who was so determined to drag Saihara-chan into everything back after the cat incident? Why don't you wanna talk about him anymore, huh?
[Deflect, redirect. He's fine.]
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(And took their sight. They don't bother to try getting to their feet, instead sitting on the ground. It seems safer this way, at least for the moment.)
Your voice is unfamiliar to us.
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It is, however, very, very hard.
But it's a little bit easier when he makes himself think of the possibility of Ouma being gone; like ice water in his face, cruelly stinging his skin.]
...I would miss you. [He says it very quietly. Sadly.] I would've missed you before the video, and I'd miss you even more now. I would want to cry, like I wanted to for all five of the classmates I had to see turn up dead, and know that I couldn't because I needed to find out the truth of what happened. And even after I found it, I'd feel hollow inside, because it wouldn't bring you back, and I would have to live full of regret for all the things I didn't say or do.
[He thinks, suddenly and unwillingly, of Saionji. Starkly different from Ouma in how her defense mechanisms work, but with barbed wire and cutting edge to get people from getting too close.
He thinks of how now, Hinata will never be able to, because she pushed him away all the same.]
So don't... tell me what kind of person I am, or how I feel. Not if you don't really know.
[At that point, he finally breathes out, looks away.]
In any case, don't worry about Saihara. What happened is between the two of us. We'll... figure things out later, but- [Knows he will because Hinata's still worried after the meeting in spite of everything.] I just... don't want to talk about him right now.
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His expression shutters again. The only hint of a reaction beyond that is a slight tensing in his posture, shoulders squaring just a bit almost defensively. It almost reads like he's readying himself for a fight. His eyes face forward again, drilling into the closed elevator doors as he responds flatly.]
You don't even know me.
[Because Kokichi tries very hard to make sure no one does. Because butting up against the craving for understanding is the fear that that's what would drive people away – if there was no more mystery to prompt intrigue, if people actually knew him, what would they stick around for? Hinata has that same drive for the truth Shuichi has, apparently. Just a need to solve mysteries, even walking ones that lie constantly and annoy the hell out of them. No wonder he's so fixated. So for the same reasons, Kokichi knows not to read too much into it.
The elevators dings as the doors slide open, and Kokichi steps in with a smooth motion, finally turning to properly face Hinata even as his finger moves for the door close button. He's smiling again, but it feels fake. Not the cheery grin he usually goes for. No, it's thin and bitter and comes nowhere close to his eyes.]
And y'know... People die preeetty easy here. So if you have things you wanna say or do, then maybe you should just do them instead of crying about it after it's too late.
[He's a hypocrite. He died full of regrets, full of things he couldn't ever say but wished he could have. And despite being given this second chance, he still can't bring himself to say any of it.]
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[He's kind of glad, now, that his project had been taken out of his hands.
But he notices that Legion isn't getting up, so he'll just. Kneel down near them.]
Ah... Yeah, I don't think we've ever met before. I'm Hinata. Hajime Hinata. What's your name?
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I know what you've shown me. And I want to know what you haven't, too, if you'll let me.
[His arm's a little sore, but he sighs in relief once he's inside, leaning up against the wall. He gives Ouma space - in part because his words still burn at him, like acid, but also... because he still wants to reach out, but not to force.]
They do. We've lost a lot already. [He agrees quietly. When he leans forward enough to look at Ouma, his eyes are piercing.] And that's why I'm not giving up on you. Because I don't want to have any regrets.
1/2
He just needs to ditch this guy.
Kokichi doesn't budge as Hinata slips into the elevator. Not to flinch back or give him space, nothing. He just matches Hinata's stare, flat and unmoved, gaze tracking his movements as he positions himself at a tactful distance.
And then, unceremoniously, Kokichi reaches out and mashes all the buttons. This asshole can enjoy the elevator ride from hell alone while Kokichi slips out just before the doors close. That'd teach him not to bother reaching out so earnestly. Surely he'd give up then.]
2/2
He doesn't get a chance to move. The doors don't even have a chance to shut all the way. Before he's even pulled his hand back from the button panel, there's a sudden lurch like his stomach just shot up into his chest cavity as the elevator abruptly plummets. Uncontrolled, rushing towards god knows what final bottom level before it'll crash and he'll be crushed again, dead again because of his own inability to rely on anyone else again–
It happens so fast he doesn't even have the chance to process that what or why. There's just the recognition that he'll die, and his hand shooting out to catch at Hinata's arm. For some futile support maybe, instinctively grabbing something to steady himself as if he could be okay as long as he does't fall.
Or maybe not. Maybe the instinct is in the reaching out for that tiny bit of human contact, recognizing the end surely hurtling towards him and not wanting to meet it all alone again.
It'd serve him right, really. It's just a shame he's dragging Hinata down with him this time.]
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Because, quite suddenly, they are both thrust downwards, and there is no more time for thinking.
There's a hand on his arm- is it for balance, something else? - but Hinata is moving thoughtlessly before the "why's" are even processing in his head, footing unsteady as their sense of balance is thrown off entirely, but he forces his body to move because he has to.]
Ouma-!
[He folds over Ouma, trying to shield him. Even if Ouma ends up hating him for trying to figure him out. Even if it turns out to be futile, that the ceiling won't collapse on them and they'll instead just be flattened by sheer pressure alone.
Because he wants to believe that Ouma is good.
Because even if Hinata doesn't make it, maybe someone else will still come along that won't want to give up on him.
Because if he's going to die, he wants it to be without any regrets.
It is, perhaps, the longest minute of his life. At some point he's fallen into the wall, barely on his feet, but... Gradually, he notices that something doesn't feel right.]
Are we- [His voice cracks, so Hinata clears his throat.] Are we... slowing down?
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(They can't really look at anything, but their head tilts toward the floor.
They look up again, however, when he introduces himself.)
Acknowledged, Hajime-Hinata. We are Legion.
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Except then they don't.
He's pressed up against Hinata, breathing heavy, and he notices the slowing of the elevator just a second before Hinata points it out. On unsteady arms, Kokichi pushes himself upright, eyes wide and jaw tense as he looks around – one hand still twisted tight into Hinata's sleeve.
The elevator definitely slows, and then comes to a controlled stop like it was simply arriving at another floor without a deadly drop in the middle of its trip. There's a soft ding, and the doors slide open.
And Kokichi freezes, because he recognizes this scene. Sort of.
It seems to be outdoors, impossible as that should be. There's a familiar pathway cutting through a freshly landscaped lawn, one side leading up some stairs while another disappears off to the side, and set by a plaza in the middle is what looks like a birdcage-shaped conservatory of some sort with a red door. In the distance is an enormous wall, mockingly cut in the silhouette of a city skyline, and stretching up above that is a giant cage. Kokichi knows all of it all too well.
Except it's not quite as he last saw it. The "sky" above isn't the clear blue he always remembered, but instead a hazy red that casts an ominous light over everything. It looks like a warzone – rubble everywhere, the buildings half-destroyed. The conservatory roof is shattered, the entrance blocked by twisted scrap metal and displaced chunks of pavement.]
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[Roughly, Hinata shoves a hand through his hair. He doesn't know if it's just because Legion... seems to not be human, but the school throws enough trouble their way that he wouldn't be surprised if it affected people regardless of species.
But he sighs, looks up at them again.]
Sorry that it's like this, but... It's good to meet you, Legion. [He's a little curious about the "we", but it seems a little too rude, even for him, to ask about it directly.] I know she might not really be equipped to handle cases like yours, but... Have you tried talking to the nurse? Maybe she'd have some ideas about what might help, if nothing else.
[Probably isn't much that she can do to treat "blindness caused by possessed flour" or whatever it is, but... If he had to judge from the time he spoke to her, she seemed like a person that would at least try to do everything she could.]
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(They can hear the exasperation in his voice, even if they cannot see his expression. It is understandable, they think.)
We will consider this option.
(It may be worth pursuing... but they don't trust the faculty.)
We also intend to seek assistance at the robotics and programming club.
(Though there are people they don't trust there, there are several that they do.)
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[His tone is disbelief, uncertainty- apprehension. This doesn't make any logical sense.]
Even if this were part of the school... we shouldn't be able to see the sky after how far we went down.
[Anxiety twists through him like a river. It looks like something awful tore through here, so much wreckage left in its wake, and the sky... It didn't look like that when they came down here, and even if it did, something about the shade of red seems almost... unnatural.
He has no way to know the things that don't make sense are the least of their problems.
Part of him wants to look, because maybe... There's something very wrong here, but maybe Hinata can find some of the answers they've all been seeking. Maybe from this inexplicably wrong floor, they can find out why they can't leave.
But.
He needs to check on Ouma. That's more important right now.]
Hey- [Hinata says it softly, reaches for his arm and holds on. Gently, carefully.] Are you okay?
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And then Hinata's turning away from the giant glaring mystery before them to give him that horribly soft expression and gingerly holding his arm, and Kokichi has to tear his eyes away from the scene as well. Y'know, just to give Hinata an incredulous look, like he can't believe Hinata's still worrying about him right now. Bizarrely, it's not a completely unfamiliar feeling, though thinking as much is a needle jab in the chest. That same old grief and frustration and aching, foolish fondness he remembers from how things ended with Gonta.
Too good for him, so much so it was stupid. The unfairness of it all pissed him off.
That that's what he's reminded of right now seems almost ridiculous. Is anyone really as unfailingly, idiotically kind as Gonta, though? It doesn't even seem possible, yet here's Hinata, still fussing over him despite Kokichi being himself.
He belatedly gets his shit together after a moment, schooling the shocked, confused expression back into calm. Not the blank mask, just ease. His tone is conversational – not syrupy sweet or cheery, but there's a dry bit of humor in it as he glances past Hinata back at the red-tinged landscape outside.]
Nope. Pretty sure I'm dead.
[ that's a lie etc etc
Then again, it really isn't.]
You don't even recognize it, do you? Since your school was different.
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Hey, don't mess around like that.
[Hinata nudges him, lightly, but his voice is only lightly scolding. It comes out more worried than anything. He looks him over, but... There's no visible harm that Hinata can note.
But then he's concerned for another reason altogether.]
What do you mean by my school? Are you saying you... recognize this place?
[How has Ouma been down here already if the elevator was just recently installed?
Unless...]
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It's amazing what kind of possibilities open up once magic bullshit is on the table, though.
Humming noncommittally, Kokichi just steps past Hinata, catching the older boy's arm to drag him out of the elevator. He glances back just to see the situation with the elevator shaft and isn't surprised to find the doors are set into the stone wall dividing the upper and lower levels of the school grounds. No where for the elevator to even have come from, and yet here they are. He gives no reaction to that and instead just pulls Hinata in front of the stairs, pointing up at what hadn't been visible from inside the elevator.
It's in ruins – holes blown in the walls, roof collapsed in places, windows shattered – but shape of the Ultima Academy for Gifted Juveniles remains looming over the grounds.]
Ta-da! Murderschool 1.0.
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But it quickly drops, face going pale at the sight of the school - this school that cannot be Yogen, the lack of clock tower strikingly clear in its shape - and Ouma's words.]
This is...
[There's a sinking, nauseous feeling in his stomach as he takes it all in and what it has to mean.]
Are you saying this is- [Pieces in his head, clicking together- "You don't even recognize it, do you?"] ...It's your school, isn't it? The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles?
[It has to be. That's why he recognizes it, isn't it?]
...How the hell did the elevator take us here?
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[Just a teensy bit.]
Buuut hell if I know what's going on. Magic, I guess? Some people have been pretty insistent that that's the explanation for everything weird here.
[And even his conspiracy theorist brain has a hard time coming up with an alternate explanation for Nene turning into a fish right in front of him.
Frowning thoughtfully, he moves to head up the stairs, and then abruptly stumbles back like he just ran into a wall. There's nothing there, not that he can see, anyway. But when he reaches out, it feels like a hard surface under his hand. An invisible wall.
He scoffs, rubbing his sore nose – he did kinda walk face-first into it.]
Guess they don't want me to give you a tour, though. Too bad.
[Whoever or whatever "they" are.
But with that route blocked off, he turns back around to see the other options – most notably, the ruined entrance to the Shrine of Judgement, and the path leading towards the hangar. Neither is pleasant to think about.]
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[Even if Hinata isn't a member, he does try to keep up with what his friends are up to. It's a little bit of a surprise to hear it brought up now, but he supposes it's a logical club for Legion to choose.]
Thinking about it, though... I guess that makes sense. [He nods a little; hopefully they've been getting along okay... Although Nanami is so relaxed about everything, he can't imagine her being bothered by Legion.] Even if it might not hurt anything to check in with the nurse, the club sounds like it might be better suited to your needs.
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(Their headflaps shift a bit, and their eye twitches, despite being unable to look at anything.
This person is also an ally of Nanami-Chiaki?)
The robotics and programming club contains both synthetic and non-synthetic allies. Their assistance is preferable.
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...I remember Moriarty talked about it in a really convincing way, but even so it seems crazy... to think that magic might actually be real. [And yet, Hinata glances into the spot that Ouma just crashed into.] But... what else could explain things like this?
[Pushed back an invisible force with no explanation?
Ending up in a place that should be impossible to get to from an elevator plummeting to its lowest floor?
As much as Hinata would love to find an answer based in logic and reason, he isn't sure that there is one.]
I don't know if I like this, though... [He can't really explain it, but there's a chill of unease that clings to his spine.] If they're blocking us off from certain areas, that almost feels like we're being herded.
[Or trapped. Confined, for some reason that he doesn't have information to pin down. The fact that so much of this place seems wrecked doesn't really lend any good feelings to all of this.]
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Right?? It kinda pisses me off, honestly!
[There's a brightness to that statement and a bit of a smile, but there's an almost hysteric edge to it. A very narrow edge, but it's still there. Maybe he doesn't have his shit together quite as much as he'd like to think.
All things considered, he thinks he should be forgiven for that much at least. He'd said the Ultimate Academy was hell, but he was wrong. It's this school that's hell. The Ultimate Academy was just the appetizer.
Glancing between their two main options here – the hangar and the Shrine – that smiles hangs around like it doesn't quite know where else to go.]
But that means there's gotta be something to see, huh?
[Part of him wants yo reject it all out of spite. Refuse to play along with whatever the plan is here and just go back into the elevator. He hates feeling like just a pawn in someone else's game, like everything he does is because someone arranged it that way. A chess board where some invisible figure is holding his hand and forcing him to play his pieces where they want. More than anything, he wants to just flip the board and scatter all the pieces.
But he's not pure chaos. There's a method to his madness even if no one else ever sees it. He can't do anything without more information, and leaving now is turning his back on potentially a great deal of it. He huffs an annoyed breath and drags Hinata towards the shattered Shrine.]
Did you have one of these, too? Y'know, since you guys had a killing game too and all that. The trial grounds were down there.
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But he doesn't bring attention to it for now, making a soft noise of affirmation in response to Ouma's words.]
...We should be careful, then, if we're going to look. Given the state of everything we've seen so far...
[He trails off. It goes without saying, probably, that nothing good is waiting for them.
Nothing good is ever waiting for them, when there's a Killing Game involved.
But Hinata lets himself be pulled along, completely unresistant as Ouma drags him. He can't blame him. If they'd ended up on Jabberwock and it looked anything like this, Hinata wouldn't be able to leave it alone either.
At the sight of the Shrine, however, Hinata makes a face.]
...This is what brought you to your trial grounds? [A pauses, just for a beat, then-] ...Well. It's not like ours was any better. Monokuma brings us to this mountain with four of his heads carved into the peaks... and an escalator comes out from one of them, with the elevator inside of the mouth.
[He doesn't know why he feels second-hand embarrassment recounting this and kicks himself for it, because it's not like it's his fault Monokuma is weird.]