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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.

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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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[Some"thing", he says, as if Komaeda himself doesn't view himself as a person — and maybe he doesn't, but Noah doesn't have enough information to make that assessment. The thought of seeing oneself as less than human — more than human? — doesn't sit right with him, but he keeps his mouth shut. Another battle for another day. That's half because—]

What? How would you know?

[—Komaeda can read him like a damn book.

Noah hasn't let onto much of his past, finding no reason to trust anyone here enough to say anything. Besides, it's not something he just wants to share anyway, the fact that he grew up like he did, the fact that his brother was assassinated and that's probably exactly what killed his "hope" that Komaeda's so bent on him having.

He doesn't think he's lost himself somewhere in the mix, between finding out most of his life has been a lie and finding himself here, but then again Noah doesn't know who he is beyond a day-to-day style of fighting to survive and lamenting the past. While he doesn't want to let Komaeda onto that, to be further red into, he doesn't think he has a choice in the matter. Opting to stay silent, Noah's eyes rest on Komaeda's expression, trying to pick apart what's inside his classmate's head and failing spectacularly.]

( while komaeda's words may be targeted towards noah, his thoughts are focused on something else entirely. there's no need to break down the male before him — he should already know about himself, and komaeda isn't the best therapist to have. to be honest, leave it to komaeda, it won't be long until he starts asking questions about noah's life in an attempt to learn all about him. this is what he gets for being interesting. it only takes so long for the ultimate to become fascinated but he'll allow him a moment's reprieve as the question manages a chuckle from him. he brings a hand to his chin in thought, pale green eyes now falling upon noah almost like he sees straight through him. could he be searching for something? a moment of weakness? something in his actions that's a telltale sign there's more to noah than he lets on? of course, it's — )

The body, is it familiar to you?

( he ignores noah's question in its entirety, leaving the illusion that he's someone mysterious and unable to stay on topic. komaeda can already tell that investing in the other's character is a given from what he says, but that's for another day at another time. instead, he wants to get an understanding of what the other thinks about the situation aside from preventing another dead — the information they need is how this even happened to begin with, and what can they do to get the body for themselves. )

I haven't seen anyone like that before... ( his words drag off into silence as he takes a step closer to the body, and the black cat that sits atop makes eye contact with him. he stops, softly calling the feline over, but it ignores him to pay mind to anything else that isn't him. ) It makes me wonder how long it'll take until we do.

[Ugh, honestly, this guy. Fine, don't answer his question. Komaeda may know more than he lets on, that or he's just scary intuitive or making lucky guesses to prod at Noah specifically; he makes a mental note to be less transparent in the future. Not that he's transparent now, all things considered.]

No, I don't know them.

[Noah doesn't speak much, to anyone, preferring to keep to himself and stay in his own lane. Most of the other transfer students he knows only in passing, but he wouldn't be surprised if there are some gaps missing — some faces he hasn't seen or names he hasn't heard. The only reason he knows Komaeda's name in the first place is simply because he'd seen the other around, and that's the case for ninety percent of the students here. He's not a friendly person, just one with a very rigid moral structure.

At the end of the day, not knowing students too well makes their losses only a little bit easier to stomach; despite that, there's still the lingering feeling that if he doesn't do something, others will end up in that position. He can only dissociate from the matters at hand so hard, after all.]

Maybe... they might have... [ugh, he can barely get the words out,] been killed before we arrived, encased in the glass to preserve their body, and put out on display recently...

[It's the one suggestion that he can come up with as to why people may not know them, but it doesn't have a solid foundation.]

( encased in glass to preserve the body is a familiar concept to komaeda that he can't help but stare even more — what if she's only in a deep sleep? though, the chances of that happening is slim with nothing plugged to the case. the serious expression on his face disappears as he looks back over in noah's direction because of the hesitation in his voice upon speaking. the way he sounds so against it, so bothered, it's little things like this that makes komaeda read him the way that he does. he wouldn't say noah wears his heart on his sleeve, but he makes it well-known of what he likes and dislikes, and this murder(?), death(?), body for show 'n tell isn't up to par with what he'd find in a school. )

What if this was her decision, and this is the hope that she wants to show us! ( he sounds.. thrilled, it's disgusting, but he isn't put off as his eyes light up in excitement. ) We'd let her down if we didn't go along with this — she too could have been a mere stepping stone, sacrificing herself so that we'd work hard to get out of here.

( his eyes glance at the floor now, staring at the plain tile as he laughs, and then he shoots his arms up in a y-shape, and then they drop to his side. did he use too much energy, or does he seem like a complete freak, probably both as he continues to speak, mostly to himself than to noah. )

This death is a sign of better things to come, maybe we really are lucky.. that this happened to us! Ahaha! What do you think, Ebalon-kun? Maybe more bodies will drop, and if that happens.. those who are left will be our shining hope — even you.

( quickly, he turns his head towards the youth. )

You can be hope, and I'd even die for such an ideal... because I know with your determination..

[Normal people simply don't look at bodies and think, oh cool, that's nice. That's where they differ, where they'll never see eye to eye; Noah isn't about to put in the effort to understand Komaeda's perspective on this. To, for even a second, think that Komaeda might have a point or a refreshing perspective on an actual crime scene would go against everything he's learnt and stands for.]

Why would she sacrifice herself?

[It's not his place to judge if she has, but still! Sacrificing oneself to motivate others to try and escape the school is a farfetched idea in the first place.]

Death is never a stepping stone or a sign of something better. I wouldn't call it lucky that a student died here. You're insane, you know?

[Noah has dealt with a lot in his life. Cults, human experimentation, a lady who tried to turn an entire village into mindless mutants. Never in his life has he met someone on the same tier as Komaeda; worshipping death in an effort to foster "hope" makes no damn sense. Most death-worshippers he's had the unfortunate experience of crossing paths with are more interested in killing for the sake of killing. This is a different sort of cultish reverence. None of it sits right with him.

And, hells, he should absolutely wish death on Komaeda, but Noah can't bring himself to. That would make him stoop to the levels of those sorts of people. They've already had one corpse too many in this place.]

For the last time, you're not dying. That defeats the entire purpose of getting everyone out of here alive. I have enough "hope" or whatever without you having to end up with a fatal wound. You're not dying, and if I can help it, neither will anyone else.

( komaeda pauses, pale green eyes remain rested upon noah's form, and his expression while the other admits his goal. to protect everyone here by making sure no one dies, and shockingly, can komaeda truly be part of that design? not that he needs anyone's help to prevent him from dying when he's so lucky, he's meant to see miserable things around him while he stays alive. that's how it works. compared to the other who's been in unfortunate events between having to fight and kill, komaeda has only seen death of those that drop like flies because of being near him. for once, that smile of his falls, and he seems to have reservations with noah's ideal. )

.....

( he's silent for once, taking in the words spoken to him as he rummages through his mind on what matters and what doesn't. though, one thing does stand out to komaeda while he's contemplating noah's decision, and it's that one word: hope. to hear that his hope is something as simple as that, and to even hear that he wants to get out — the ultimate cannot betray his feelings any longer, he once again smiles wider than before and chuckles right after. he appears to be in a good mood, better than he was those minutes ago when he couldn't understand what the other was saying to him. )

Do you really mean that? ( they don't even know how the girl in the glass case died, or if she was even murdered by someone else. this could be her decision, truthfully, but how will they know since she left nothing behind outside of the box to explain that. ) What I'm saying is.. hmm... how do we know that something bad happened to her, this could have been her choice. Her hope that she wanted to show us! ( he's rambling, but he doesn't seem to be pulling at straws as if he's backed into a corner, instead, he truly seems to believe what he's saying to both of them. )

What if someone wants to do this to help you all, you'll deny them that too.. even if that was our only option left?

( noah's hope — he wants to bask in more of it. )

[Noah is no philosopher. At the end of the day, what he believes and what he sees in the world comes from that of a sixteen year old who hasn't known anything other than fighting to survive. That, and that the world is insanely cruel with no real reason, that "karma" isn't a thing that exists, and that no one owes him anything. Taking matters into his own hands has gotten him this far, and if escape means he leads the way? So be it. He'll do it. No questions asked.

Komaeda, then, is an interesting challenge, the polar opposite of him. To Noah, Komaeda seems to think of the world in broad strokes — he personally wouldn't have thought she'd sacrifice herself as a means to say "this place is dangerous, get out" or anything of the sort. Still, to sacrifice oneself and end up in this position? That still tells Noah that regardless of what happened to her, if her death was for a purpose or not, that there's something incredibly fucked up lurking in the shadows. That, of course, is obvious given the state of things.]

If it comes down to someone dying so the rest of us can live...

[Hmm... would such a thing happen?]

...I wouldn't be able to make that choice for them. If things really got to the point where a sacrifice was necessary and someone came forward, I'd want to exhaust all other options first, and... assuming that we did that... then it's no longer my choice to make.

[He shakes his head, closes his eyes, and lets out a tiny sigh. Please, please, don't let it come to that.]

But that's not to say I think that should be an option in the first place. Self-sacrifice is stupid.

Ah.. the burden you carry will be immense, I know.

( if someone had to die for the sake of saving others, the group who were given that luxury would have that weight on their shoulders forever. it makes sense to komaeda why they would try to find different options to spare their martyr, but to him that's just running away. that isn't hope at all. he doesn't want the people that he's supporting to be cowards, and so, he feels troubled by noah's words. a hand raises to his chin in thought, and in three slow strokes will his eyes glance up at the body within the case, and the black cat sitting atop of it. )

What about the person you're trying to protect? Wouldn't they have a hard time just waiting as everyone suffers...

( he wonders if the body was in the same position, if she didn't want to do it, it could have been the only way. though, there are chances she wanted to do it, and this was the only option exhausted to her. either way, there are possibilities that made everything comes down to this, and this was her hope for the future. this is why komaeda's able to smile towards the body despite the fact he's unable to tell what hope or despair may be coming off of it. if he was able to do that, then he'd be able to say for sure what the conclusion is towards their death. )

Such despair... I would never be able to deal with it! ( clenching his teeth and curling one hand into a fist, his eyes swirl a mix between black and white, until it's gone with a few blinks as he turns away. his breathing is slow as he tries to catch his breath, but more specifically calm himself down. it takes a few moments, but once he's swallowed down the saliva lodged in his throat and with one more slow breath, komaeda turns back towards noah. his eyes are normal, the same pale green as before as he shakes his head. ) If you're pushed into that position, self-sacrifice is all you have, and that will become their hope. If they died... you'd use it to grow stronger, wouldn't you?

( his arms cross as he continues. )

Or will you let it all be in vain?

...if someone I was trying to protect died, I'd never let that be in vain.

[Never. It's something he swears by. It's why he's obsessed with his own form of vengeance, revenge against those that wronged him and those closest to him. It's why Noah walks the path he does — to let any death be in vain would burn his pride.

But to simply allow others to die without him trying to intervene? That's almost worse.]

I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be upset by that happening, though. I'd want to mourn them properly when everything ended, and I wouldn't... [He motions subtly to the glass case with his head, though his eyes never leave Komaeda's own,] I wouldn't put them on display like this. Rather, I wouldn't allow it, if I could help it at all.

[Such a cruel fate should never be immortalized. No one even knows her name. It makes him wonder why. Why did she have to die? Why doesn't anyone know her? He shakes his head as if to clear away those thoughts. There aren't any answers to them anyway.]

If suffering can be avoided, I believe it should be avoided. I'd fight to make that a reality for others. It's that simple.

Like you said, towards the end, it isn't your choice.

( he sighs, watching where noah's own eyes drift between him and the glass case, but the more he talks, the easier it is for komaeda to decide how the other's hope fluctuates. what komaeda can tell is that such loss won't be easy for noah, but he'd use it to move forward to reflect on their memory properly. as long as none of them remain stagnant, it's a perspective that he's willing to accept for the moment. )

All you can do is carry on their wishes, and bring about the hope they died for. It's not a bad thing, Ebalon-kun.

( hope, that is. it may be hard for the other to understand now, but there's a reason why they have to use these deaths as stepping stones to push forward. if that was her plan, then it's obviously working considering everyone here either wants to buy the body to figure out what happened, or just to save her. neither is a wrong choice, but part of him is glad that this was showcased to them — they needed an extra push, the people who live within this school were becoming too comfortable. )

Then you're sacrificing yourself... wasn't it you who said self-sacrificing was stupid. ( he may be the pot calling the kettle black, but he's also the same when it comes to being a hypocrite. contradicting his words left and right for the same of hope, it really doesn't matter for him. though, was it worth it to pick apart noah's ideology and use it against him? well, he didn't have a goal, but he did want to make it known that his hope, and the caged girl's hope in a way is similar. ) Isn't it funny what people will do for one another?

...I suppose it is funny, in a way.

[At the end of the day, Noah can preach about how self-sacrifice is stupid all he wants, but if everything came to a head and there was no other way out, he'd be the first to stay behind so that others could survive. Hypocritical, yes, but he'd honestly rather it be him than them.

Which is not, of course, to say he wants to end up in a glass case or displayed like some doll. Self-sacrificing is the stupidest thing someone could do, and that's why it's only a last resort.]

And what about you? [They've already sort of discussed Komaeda's stance on the issue, and so Noah adds,] You said you'd be willing to sacrifice yourself for "hope", but the way you talk about it makes me think you wouldn't fight tooth and nail for self-preservation before deciding to throw in the towel and die. Am I reading you right?

[It's not like Komaeda had bothered to answer his earlier question anyway, and Noah won't be shocked if this one goes unanswered. Still, it would be good information to have. What, exactly, is he up against in this place? What lengths will he have to go to, to ensure that everyone can survive? He doesn't want to butt heads with anyone if he can help it, but Komaeda poses a unique problem, one he's never faced before. Would Komaeda kill someone else in the name of this hope? That's the most concerning possibility that Noah can think of right now.]

You're reading me wrong.

( he wouldn't call it throwing in the towel and just dying, his death would be for a purpose after all. it's a nice educated guess though, he'll give noah that, but he should have more faith in komaeda's actions. even now, komaeda's thoughtful with his words as if he's choosing specific ones to help mold the other's thought process — though, that may be tedious given the fact he's never been easy to read. ) It's like this... ( he starts off, clearing his throat as he offers a smile towards noah to reassure him that he actually has an answer. it may not be a perfect one, but it's enough for him to get the general idea. )

I'm incompetent, my existence means nothing outside of hope, and I'll live for the sake of it. ( he takes a step towards the glass coffin, and the black cat turns in his direction before jumping off the body to stare at komaeda. their eyes remain locked for only a moment before the feline decides to scurry off before komaeda attempts to come any closer towards it. once close enough, he reaches out to the glass case to place his mechanical hand along the surface, and it leaves behind no fingerprints. ) I live to be used by many "Symbols of Hope,"... if they'll have me.

( the female inside appears serene, almost like she didn't suffer at all. he knows nothing about her, who she is or where she came from, but what if her cause was just the same as his? though, that idea simply disappears as soon as it came as he pulls himself away from the body, and then walks back over to noah as his expression a little irritated compared to before. )

I won't die for just anything, if your hope is as strong as I imagine it to be, I'll give my life to help you achieve it. If not, you can die alone in that pathetic world lacking hope.

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