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04/04, 23:56

M.Arisu

hey... anybody who's awake to see this. hope you're not having too much trouble sleeping.
get rest when you can. work together when you can.
all we can do is keep trying, but i'm hopeful for this year.
feels weird to say... but it's all going to be gone soon, so...
anyways.
see you at school tomorrow.

Any replies on the forum go unresponded, and at the stroke of midnight, the past year's worth of messages are completely gone from the PDA forum, including any sent over spring break. Hope you have a good memory if you were in the middle of a conversation! Though you should really be in ...whatever you've managed to make your bed... because tomorrow is a big day.

04/05, 06:00

The silence continues until six in the morning with the toll of the clock tower bells, and anybody near the locker area will hear two women in mid-conversation as they phase through the front doors, heels clicking on the ground: "-—didn't even have the decency to finish the job! And now I have to— oh, stop crying, for goodness' sake! I swear—" It's a one sided conversation, mostly, and one that stops short the moment the women spot the students lingering around. While the younger woman, recognizable as the assistant principal, hurriedly scrubs at her face with her sleeves, the unfamiliar older woman with the oddly dissonant voice scowls intensely. "I don't need this on the first day of school! Students trespassing over break! I can't believe it! I don't have time for this—" she huffs, shaking her head and stomping down the hall towards the faculty office. "Miss Nene, I expected better of you! And you! Miss Ritsuka— the two of you shall report to the faculty office after the entrance ceremony. I expect a full report of everybody involved. Now behave yourselves and go to the auditorium."

Goodbye...

The assistant principal is left behind and looks confused and distraught. She sniffles and ducks her head a little, draws a shaking breath and stands a little taller. "I'm so sorry. I'll hear you all out after- after this is done. Alright?" She too heads towards the faculty office, trying her best to smile at those she passes by. While they may be followed, they seem to phase through the faculty office doors which remain closed and locked, and cannot be interacted with until after the ceremony.

Until then, other students start to filter through the front door, seeking out friends and chatting about their breaks, remembering about homework and asking if anybody actually did it so they can copy off them before classes start, laughing at any mention of being locked inside the school all break because what?? that's silly. A handful of students wear yellow armbands on the left sleeve of their uniform, marking them as members of the student council, and these student council members go around finally removing the gorinto from the window sills, tossing the rocks into a bag without any apparent ill effects, and collecting the snacks in a separate bag— though they'll offer the food to anybody they pass who looks hungry enough. Which is a lot of you. One or two might give a short lecture about the importance of eating breakfast to start the day off right. Other student council members busy themselves in the locker area, posting the new homeroom assignments and updating the school calendar to reflect exam dates and breaks for the coming year, or help setting chairs out in neat rows in the auditorium in preparation for the entrance ceremony.

04/05, 08:00

The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Unlike the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

The assistant principal stands behind the podium on stage, looking rather nervous as she glances down at the watch on her wrist for it to be time, and clears her throat before addressing the room. "Yogen High welcomes you, all our new students," she pauses, beaming at the row of first year classes before her gaze sweeps over the rest of the student body, "our transfer students, our returning students, our... repeat students..." Looking at you, Norton, Gawain, Abel... "I, um. You may have noticed that I am standing in for our principal today, who is currently... unavailable... and didn't exactly leave any notes to go off of..." She wilts a little, but trucks on nonetheless and continues the address, promising that the teachers will pass along any important announcements, expressing her belief in the potential of young minds, and wishing everybody a fulfilling school year. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school. Gossip is flying already with news of the transfer students caught breaking into the school over break and what punishments they might get, rumors of what happened to the principal ranging from a family emergency to hospitalization to death, complaints about the water pipes not getting fixed over break, and general excitement over upcoming events listed on the bulletin board by the lockers, in particular new club advertisements, fortune telling ads, and a Charity Auction to be hosted the Monday after Golden Week next month.

April

School is school... The first thing teachers ask at homeroom Tuesday morning is for students to hand in their spring break homework. Didn't do it? You're on their shit list now. Characters are not forced to attend class, but patrolling faculty and student council members will heckle any truant students into going and can be a pain to deal with. Classes aren't taught terribly, though. The second year math teacher has a knack for easily digestible explanations, even if she writes and erases the board a bit too quickly to copy. The third year literature teacher combines weekly analytical essays with film studies, and is showing Child's Play, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Silence of the Lambs, and Where the Red Fern Grows this month. The first year biology teacher brings eyeballs and frogs and rats for dissection during anatomy lessons, and if you have a special request for a specific eye color, give him a day or two and he can deliver. 2-A's homeroom teacher can be seen stealing chalk from each of the second year classroom she rotates through and is offering extra credit to any students who sneak her chalk without asking questions.

New students will quickly learn that merit points are awarded for a full day's attendance, turning in homework, participating in class and clubs, scoring 80% or higher on quizzes and exams, etc. Less predictably, the PDA may sometimes ping for a single merit point when hanging out with a friend or arguing with a classmate, with stronger emotions (positive or negative) when interacting with somebody else more likely to trigger a point, and if students are abusing this system, it's kept out of the faculty's eyes. As the month goes on, sometimes a student comes to class with a cut eyelid, or a busted lip, or bandages wrapped thick around a wrist, but they always deny anything more than clumsiness or an accident or having pets who very aggressively show their love. Sometimes it's harder to hide, when a bloody nose drips onto the ground or bleeding knuckles brush against the wall, and those near enough to see blood touch the building will find that everything sort of... shifts... Just for a second. The feeling of vertigo that stops almost as soon as it begins, the world tilting without slotting back into alignment. You feel a bit nauseous. Just a little.

You go to the bathroom to splash water on your face and the pink looks a little darker, a little more solid. On the fourth floor, the water has stopped running in the bathroom sinks altogether, and students are told to go downstairs to do their business so that they may wash up after. With more students milling around the bathrooms, it's much easier to notice that people's reflections in the mirrors are just a bit off, lagging that split second long enough to be impossible to ignore once aware.

Every day you have homework. A new essay for something or other is assigned each week. Nobody wants to do group projects with a slacker who can't promise to meet up after school to get it done. Like clockwork, the school empties out at 6 PM each school day, leaving those behind to their own devices. There is no school on Sundays. Golden Week marks the end of the month, and guess who's going to be stuck at school for an entire week with only vending machine junk food to live off of if they aren't able to make progress concerning their living situation? Yeah.

Charity Auction

At least students have the charity auction to look forward to and work towards. Information about the auction set on May 10 can be found on the bulletin board, and appears to be put together by the student council as an annual event and an incentive for students to start the year off strong in earning merit points. Both students and staff are encouraged to donate to the auction, with the items collected and put on display in the auditorium behind locked glass cases. On May 10, students will be able to bid on items using their merit points, those who donate will receive 10% of the winning bid towards their item, and the school will match donations 100 to 1 point with proceeds going towards the "Save A Brain Foundation."

Throughout the month, glass cases lining the walls of the auditorium start to fill up with donations. The most popular donations seem to be physical items: possessions such as jewelry or gaming consoles, or artistic creations such as hand sewn clothing or paintings. There are placeholders for things that can't be put on display all month, such as placards with a picture or description of homemade food that won't be prepared until the auction date, or the promise of fishing lessons with the guidance counselor or a dinner date with the school principal (pending availability). At the back of the room stands the largest case, with the skinny black cat often found lying on top of it as if guarding it, although it will run away when approached.

Inside the case is a body.

OOC

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✽ The plot will only move forward as things are discussed and acted upon, and clues distributed during app acceptances are meant to be shared and connected, so don't be afraid to ask questions and dig into things! I am here to enable.

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[ My npcs are donating things like baked goods and you guys keep trying to curse the student body, watch things spiral to hell bc somebody picked up a cursed bookmark or pair of chalk.

He scoffs a little at the doubt that his team might not thoroughly destroy everybody who gets in their way, but complies with placing the tip of his finger at the very centermost card of the spread, direct and without hesitation, as if this is always how he chooses his cards when he asks Natsume to read them: center card, then the one to the left, and finally the two to the right. ]

( STOP HE CAN'T ACTUALLY CURSE THINGS!!! but if anything bad happens to happen after someone gets their hands on a cursed bookmark that ain't his problem that's just confirmation bias at work.

Very good — his spread ends up a mixture of clubs and diamonds, which all generally have pretty positive connotations: Nine of Clubs, Five of Diamonds, Ten of Clubs, Seven of Diamonds. )

...What a lucky future you have - it does seem like you have nothing at all to worry aBOUT. Well, save perhaps some arguMENTS... ( He taps the last card, but we'll get to that in a second. He'll move his finger back to the first card, pushing it forward slightly. ) But let's start at the beginning, shall WE?

The first card chosen always represents the PAST. It's the basis on which we form our present and future conclusions ON, both in fortunetelling and in LIFE. ( doesn't matter if this is the same spiel he's heard a hundred times before he's gonna hear it again, natsume is a fan of theatrics. ) The nine of clubs represents achieveMENT, plain and simPLE. It's easy to divine that thanks to your successes in years past that things will continue smoothly for you in the coming MONTHS.

( So maybe Kouji was right to scoff at the idea they wouldn't win, who knew. And, speaking of the present, Natsume walks his fingers over to the second card. )

The five of diamonds cements this quite WELL, signifying happiness and sucCESS. If there's anything you'd like to start UP, now is the best time to do so: you'll find whatever obstacles you face easily surmountABLE. Whether that be a schoolwide proJECT, a new training plan for you TEAM, a club or other after-school activiTY... A revoluTION, if that's how you'd like your youth to play OUT. ( Natsume's gaze strays to some students with bruises when he mentions revolution, but he flicks it back to the cards soon after. ) You'll certainly win whatever battles you choose to FIGHT.

( Third card now, his pinky resting on the fourth - they're technically paired, both being for the future, so he'll read them at the same time. )

It might be good to stay cautious, howeVER. While the ten of clubs represents success particularly in business venTURES, the seven of diamonds spells out financial trouBLE. I'd advise on staking any worth in getting new supplies for your CLUB, as you might find yourself caught between bettering equipment or paying for damaGES. That being SAID, seeing as the suit is diaMONDS, whatever conundrum you find yourself it should be resolved happily - so perhaps it's worth trying to push for something a little extra if you feel you need IT.

( ...Alrighty then! He'll lean back in his seat, reading more or less through. )

SuccintLY, as I'm aware boys our age have dwindling attention spans: your future looks BRIGHT. I'm lead to believe your team will win without much trouble this YEAR, though club funding may be TIGHT, and you might have to push a little to get what you'd LIKE... but you should be able to achieve whatever it is you set your mind TO. And if you decide to take this as a glance into anything more personal battle-WISE... ( ... ) I think things will work out in your faVOR, Seki-kun. Good for you - not everyone has been looked upon so kindly by fate this YEAR.

[ This is how you get somebody who doesn't exactly believe in fortunes, tell them a good one and they shove the notion of general and predictable fortunes aside and go "heck yeah" ]

..."Don't be afraid to make the necessary sacrifices," or something, huh?

[ This is what he's getting out of it. Do what he has to do, keep the goal in sight. Whatever it takes. ]

We'd better win after all we've put up with these past two years. But hey, that pep talk wasn't so bad. I should send the rest of the group to you- it might boost some morale.

( gottem. )

Only for the right PRICE. Speaking OF, you need to PAY. ( haha. ) If you have any SNACKS, I'll take them for laTER, but otherWISE... I wanted to ask you about something that occurred just before the school year beGAN. Someone posted a rather strange message on the board - do you know the student in quesTION? I'll forgive you for not remembering or for putting it out of your MIND, seeing as it's been a bit since THEN, but it's been bothering me all WEEK.

( ... )

I'll take whatever you can give as sufficient payment for my services for toDAY.

[ He pats his pockets as a show of having nothing tasty inside of them, so instead it'll have to be this question that he may or may not know the answer to. ]

I haven't really been checking the forum unless somebody pings me. Who wrote it? What did they say?

From an M. Arisu-san... If I recall correctLY, it was merely ruminating on everything being gone the next DAY.

( He rests forward on his desk, chin in his hand, as if he's thinking hard to remember it - but there's one phrase that he's been turning over in his mind, so he doesn't have to really think too hard, honestly. )

"All we can do is keep trying, but I'm hopeful for this year." I wonder what they meant by THAT... It's a rather strange thing to say, isn't IT? It almost feels as if they've been attempting to change something for a long TIME, but they haven't managed it for some reason or anoTHER.

Everything being gone...?

[ Hm. That's probably... But he's less sure about that other part, which he has to turn in his head for a bit and wish he had more context. ]

Yeah, I dunno. That's Maya you're talking about, though- you know, in your year? She plays piano for choir sometimes.

( Maya, piano. Maybe it'd be prudent to hang around the music room and see if he can catch her, or check the roster to see which class she's in... )

...That's right, she IS. She wasn't in my class last year eiTHER, so I'm afraid her name escaped me for a moMENT. ( God, he's feeling like a first year again, having to do research on people. ) Do you know her WELL, or simply by word-of-MOUTH, Mr. Socialite? Would you, perHAPS... like a romance reading for the two of YOU?

( now he's just being an asshole i'm sorry he's like this )

NOPE.

[ Whatever he could say about knowing people in the school gets a hard shove aside in favor of refusing a romance reading, thank you!!! He doesn't look embarrassed or disgusted by it, just... as a principle of him being a teenage boy refusing any notion of romance by default. ]

It'd be a complete waste of your time: I can tell you, 100%, she is not interested. We've all got more important things to focus on, anyways.

So you've TRIED.

( bully mode activated.... for just a moment. he's gonna still smile like a cat that's gotten into some cream, but he'll lighten up on kouji For Now. )

More important things like what - schoolWORK? I won't deny this school certainly drives its students HARD, but the work itself is hardly diffiCULT. I'm already several chapters ahead in my clasSES.

( This makes him sound like a good student, but he isn't. He isn't. Don't be fooled... )

[ STOP. He puffs his cheeks at the BULLYING but he doesn't deny it... shut up. ]

Some of us are dumbasses, okay? [ He is an okay student, not great, not stupid, and that makes school infinitely harder than either extreme, where you don't care because you do well no matter what or you fail no matter what and so nothing matters. The middle ground sucks: you got to work your ass off just to stay afloat. But it's not exactly that either, and he huffs, leaning back. ]

Anyways, you know what I'm talking about. Graduation? You have another year, but this is my last chance.

( POOR THIIIING OHHHH

and ugh he hates being a second year (again)... Let him out of school hell already. )

You don't want to stay back another year and graduate with me inSTEAD? I'm heartbroKEN. ( He places a hand over his heart. Truly wounded, the boy who constantly jokes about romance. God he is so exhausting Kouji is a champion for apparently putting up with his junior for this long, he deserves to graduate in peace. ) I heard someone was looking to start a tutoring club; regardless of if you're interested in joining it officially or NOT, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to lend you a hand should you need IT.

( ... )

And I suppose I won't always be advertising my fortune-telLING, so if you'd ever like my inPUT, I'm sure I can find some time for YOU. ( He's capable of being friendly, see, he's a nice b ) As long as you can find some way of compensating me for my time of COURSE. ( never mind )

[ Friendship with Natsume was a mistake and he wants nothing more than to graduate and get the hell out of here. Especially since, excuse you! he's not in such trouble that he needs tutoring... probably... hopefully. The school year's still young. ]

Yeah, yeah. My budget's going to be pretty tight, but if you have questions, I have answers— or I can get them.

( No you implied they were friends and now you have to deal with it, either get overly friendly to the point that Natsume's like "go away" or . no there's no other option, Natsume would live to annoy the shit out of someone, sorry. A rivalry would not have fared better. )

I prefer an exchange of information anyWAY, given my TRADE. ( ♪ ) I suppose I did have one more thing to ask you - in exCHANGE, I won't make you pay for the next favor or question you ask of ME. Think of it as me paying it forWARD. Do you consider that equivaLENT?

Not really.

[ Not at all, says his expression as he reaches for the cards so he can shuffle and stack them like they're regular old playing cards. ]

If you have questions, just ask me. Why keep score?

[ Who does that? keep track of who owes what. Surely not friends, and surely not... normal people, which Kouji likes to think himself as. ]

( natsume crinkles his nose a little at the stealing of his cards, but replies very simply: )

I don't like to owe peoPLE.

( which isn't normal no but natsume is not normal - and as friendly as he's been to kouji here he also wouldn't (can't) consider them friends.

...he has a hard enough time recognizing when he has friends normally, considering his penchant for using people by getting close to them. natsume waves a hand dismissively, M o v i n g o n. )

AnyWAY, I was just curious if you had seen any strange marks on other stuDENTS. Recently, I met someone with two scratches on their WRIST, but it looked like they were keeping score rather than them being incidental or from a bad run-in with one of the CATS. Tallying someTHING, if you WILL.

( so casual. )

[ Kouji pauses in his shuffling to glance down at his own wrists, as if trying to imagine them covered in tallies. The long sleeves on the winter uniforms tend to hide everybody's wrists, so all he can really do is shake his head— slowly, still trying to think of any time he might've seen something like that. ]

...Are you sure they were scratches? Or more like...

[ How to ask this delicately...

He sets the cards down to the side and pulls both of his sleeves down— the left wrist is neatly bandaged, while the inside of the right is smooth bare skin— and mimes cutting across the wrist from one side to the other. The tally marks are like a centimeter tall ftr bc some people have over two dozen and they need to fit. ]

( peace and i have been tossing around theories on what they signify and she keeps insisting its "the number of boyfriends/girlfriends everyone has" so it's really funny for people with like almost 30 marks

Anyway,

That's ... about the reaction he thought he'd get, asking about them - that's why he hasn't shown off his own. Kouji's left wrist gets a glance, but he'll get to that in a moment- )

Very SURE. They aren't as... ( He pauses to consider how to describe it - hm. ) Cleanly cut as you might get with an instruMENT.

( ...yeah, that sounds fine. )

IncidentalLY, they're on the person's left WRIST. ( He'll tap the side of Kouji's left, hello bandages. ) And the last mysterious thing is this: they don't have any recollection of how they came to BE.

( no, there's other mysterious things - like how they're always red and raw and sore - but he's caused enough Concern for this conversation already. )

As uncharacteristic of me as it IS, I'm conCERNED.

[ Hello bandages. He nervously pulls his sleeves down when attention is brought to them, fiddling with the fabric. ]

I mean... sometimes I wake up with cuts on my knuckles if I'm tossing and turning in my sleep and don't realize it, but the wrist is kind of weird. Who is it? I'll go talk to them.

[ Because, characteristic of him, he's concerned too. ]

You're such a good BOY.

( Is this actually a compliment coming from him? Who knows, but he's shaking his head. )

Don't worry about IT. Maybe they just scraped themselves on something and didn't realize IT, and that's just how it ended up looKING. ( —well, he's going to reset his fortunetelling tools into the set-up they were prior to kouji coming around, hemhem. ) You should get back to your classroom before lunch ends, shouldn't YOU, senpai? I appreciate the CHAT.

Hm.

[ "Don't worry about it" doesn't hold much weight when Natsume was worried about it enough that he'd ask Kouji instead of shrugging it off. ]

Sure. I'll keep an eye out anyways, and I'll see you around.

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Charity Auction

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