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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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Make it ten minutes.

( is he taking the matters into his own hands? of course, thirty minutes sounds too long, and komaeda knows himself better than anyone else. or, that's what he thinks. he glances over to the nurse, and with a raise of his hand to get her attention. ) Forgive me Miss, I have to take your patient soon.

( yes, he's letting her know. he may not be anyone important, but he places a hand on his own chest as he explains himself. )

Understand, I'll bring him back in one piece.

Yeah, yeah. Sure, then...

( and he's not a patient!? he thought he made it clear—he's here to help. well, whatever, the nurse seems to simply wave it off with a humouring smile, none-too worried about wherever norton's going. though he really should be in class, it's good to know that he has some kind of friend in the school despite his age, maybe? something like that. so she doesn't bother correcting komaeda either, only chiding them to return to class whenever they finish.

and so, ten or maybe fifteen minutes later, komaeda will find norton at his locker. )

You came.

( he didn't expect that. )

Faster than I imagined, I didn't know someone of your age could.

( here's where komaeda will start taking a few things out of his own locker from his notebooks, to his pda, and then his bag of cat treats. he leaves his clothes in there for a rainy day, but he reaches over to the manacle, his fingers hesitant to touch it before he decides to leave it inside. )

Here, take these.

It's not like I'm that much older than you, though?

( bro, why can nobody let his age here drop? it's not like he chose to be here, surrounded by all these brats! his brows furrow at that, even as he's handed a small pile of belongings. he doesn't know how narrowly he escaped full on weird-mode komaeda, but whatever, he's just kind of going to look at what he's been given with an expression like ? )

What's this?

My things. I want you to put them in your locker.

( because not like he's going to need them anymore. )

Actually, I just wanted to bother you so I didn't think you'd want to leave here empty handed.

What am I going to do with— ( let him pick something out real quick here... ) —a bag of cat treats?

( come to think of it: where did komaeda even get a bag of cat treats? he'll set them back down though, sighing and instead taking the PDA in his hand, holding it up for komaeda to see. )

And you don't plan on using the vending machines?

Oh dear, I made a mistake.

( not the first one, but he is taking the cat treats and pda for future events. as he's digging in his locker, he sets both items on the flat surface and instead pulls out the bag of cat food. )

You've seen them, haven't you? I try to do my part when I can, maybe it's why I'm still alive.

( ??? what does he need cat treats for? what is the difference between the treats and the kibble? hellooo?

he still accepts the kibble tho. )

I... ( bro. do not be referencing the idea that you could die. banned topic! )

Yeah. That might be it, so make sure you stay on good terms with them.

( because norton certainly doesn't have at track record for helping in that respect, that's for sure. )

The white one is named Lily May, I haven't gotten to name the black one.

( he pauses, looking at norton as if that's his job now. komaeda hasn't been successful, but maybe norton will be able to do what he can't. )

Don't feed them too much.. you're like a dog, so I'm not sure if the cats will come around you.

( he doesn't like this. he doesn't like this! )

Quit that. They probably won't, so you're going to have to keep taking care of them.

( bitch. they're your fucking cats!!!! big sigh. )

You didn't actually need anything, then? ( aside from someone to dump his trash on. )

Are you afraid of making friends, Campbell-kun? No need, they're just animals, and they're man's best friend.

( he doesn't know why norton's against the idea of caring, he looks like he does well with kids. )

... No, I didn't. I just wanted someone to talk to, it gets pretty lonely with no one to hear me out.

( jesus, that's depressing. talking like he's about to die and leave his two children (cats) alone to fend for themselves. now he's like, "i'm lonely!" on top of it? leave norton alone! this man is already depressed! he does kind of look at komaeda with an expression that's like, ?, though. )

I mean... ( do the two of them count as friends? is that presumptuous of him to say? he grimaces, breaks eye contact.

it's kind of like an admittance that norton's like the last-resort for conversation too, so yeah, it probably would be presumptuous. )

Yeah, I guess I get that.

I'm glad you get it, so it doesn't make this awkward.

( maybe it is, maybe komaeda's adding too much to the pot of already mixed feelings. it's not like he's doing this for anyone's sake but his own, he's just thinking about a few things. besides, komaeda doesn't seem too torn as he continues going through his locker to see what else he can give to the other man. )

Milk. They really like that, so spend your points on them.

So the milk the other day...?

( bitch, that was supposed to be for you. komaeda's milk supply, for one, is getting cut off. he's not here to feed the cats???! also because with the kitchen actually being restocked now that the school is occupied, there's no real need to spend points, and he needs to balance gathering them with trying to worm his way into the nurse's office. )

They're not my cats, and you shouldn't be giving them your food either.

( obviously komaeda is finding kibble or whatever somewhere. no need to give them the limited human-edible food to go with it. )

You caught me, it's for them.

( he's not a cat lady, but the thing about this is that komaeda has this sort of bond with lily may mostly, he hasn't really made contact with the other. who is he to let a cat starve when he has food to feed them as well, don't think so cruelly of him norton! he doesn't feel bad about using the other's points, nor does he really care. )

I could stand to lose a few pounds. ( sighs, but that's not the point. ) I'm asking you to watch over them for me, especially the white one, she's hyper. ( he's not giving so much information as he turns to lean back into his locker, picking at a few items that he thinks may be useful. there's a few left over snacks like — jelly beans, and of course he hands those over to him. if he doesn't like them, well, that's too bad! )

Here you go, thank you for your service.

( norton doesn't take the jelly beans, or the snacks, or whatever komaeda's trying to hand off on him now. he hasn't liked this conversation since like two or three tags ago, and he's certainly not liking this either. his brows furrowed—the crime of feeding the cats his precious food can almost be forgiven. this? no. shut the fuck up and keep your goddamn cats, komaeda. )

What are you planning?

Nothing, really.

( komaeda's voice is soft, but straight to the point as he stares at the other. he does pay attention to how norton's brows knit together, and that's not a good sign. despite it, the ultimate stands his ground as he places a hand to his stomach and laughs a bit. )

What's wrong? You sound so serious all of a sudden.

( hm. wonder why. )

I just wanted to get under your skin, that's all!

( even with the confession, norton is unfazed. he'd half-expected the answer. half of him also doesn't believe it. the whole of him decides that komaeda deserves it when he lifts up his hand to flick the younger man on the forehead, hard. bad! bad komaeda! )

Well, it worked. Are you happy?

( because norton's going to be keeping an eye on you for the next week, at least, now. he'll certainly notice any conspicuous absences or strange behaviour. good work, team! )

Not the reaction I was looking for.

( he wanted something more dramatic to get under his skin, but even this didn't work. could komaeda be losing his touch in these trying times? well. )

I'm not really happy that you're hard to break, Campbell-kun.

That's too bad, then.

( because, like, no, komaeda got it. he's sure as hell under norton's skin but, like, what's he gonna do about it? yell? fight him? all it's done is made norton feel bad. thanks komaeda. )

But... ( norton trails off, furrowing his brows. it is kind of strange. the komaeda that he... well, he's hesitant to say remembers, but... the komaeda from that time didn't seem to have such a determination to get under people's skin. he shakes his head to dismiss the thought; realistically, he knows he shouldn't be bothered by that shadow of a person who, in all likelihood, probably doesn't even exist. he's not even sure why he's showing such concern for this version of him. even so... the thought of something happening to the young man before him puts a bad taste in norton's mouth. a sense of discomfort and guilt that creeps under his skin and makes his stomach turn with anxiety. he runs a hand through his hair, and sighs. )

Never mind, it's nothing.

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April

Charity Auction

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