when the bubblegum pops

[sisters]

Who: Rantarou Amami & you
What: September catch-all
When: September & some backdates
Where: Various locations
Warnings: TBA

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01.) the world lights at your smile
•　open — 08/27-31, around the school

( it's true that, the morning after he opens his eyes in the courtyard once more, amami doesn't waste any time on checking up on the people he feels like he needs to speak to. at the same time, it's a pretty short list, and half of them are gone. how much of a difference does it really make if he comes back one week or the next anyway? if he doesn't go out of his way to find someone though, it's still entirely possible to see him around the school — borrowing a sketchbook from the art room, taking some notes in the music room, or moving what seems to be an obscene amount of money into his locker. noticing the presence of anyone he hasn't seen in a while, he'll offer a wave and a warm smile in the midst of whatever he's doing.

on the 27th in particular, he can be found rummaging through a locker that some might recognize is clearly not his. the first twenty minutes or so are spent haphazardly scribbling notes down from a series of stickies pinned up against the locker door. the remainder of the time is spent picking out belongings from the locker one-by-one to take a look at before he decides whether he should drop them into a backpack that's half-slung over his shoulder. to his credit, he doesn't seem to be interested in too much of it, putting the majority back in after a cursory glance, but it's entirely possible that it could stand out to someone familiar with locker 097. )

02.) and shines at the sound of your laugh
•　open — anywhere, any time

( have an idea? feel free to throw anything else my way, or if you're unsure, you can hit me up via pm or at kagehira! )

Comments

[adsum]

[ The world shifts and falls into darkness like they're so accustomed to, walls falling apart until they're standing in a wide open space, no longer separated into bedroom, common room, and kitchen.

Amami in particular may be hit with a sense of familiarity: they're in an auditorium, without a stage, walls in the real world hiding the scuff marks in this one, in three rows where students stand or sit, facing whatever speaker is at the end of the room. ]

!!!!!!!

[sisters]

... Huh.

( very eloquent, to be sure. anyway, it's not what he'd expected, but it probably should have been, huh? amami looks around like he's measuring up his surroundings, wandering his way over to the window that he remembers being in here so that he can take a peek outside. )

Hey, Komaeda-kun, you remember what I told you about the other day, don't you? About the old school building?

( he might not have gone into all the details, but this is where he'd found that set of rules komaeda had so generously shared with him earlier. )

[commences]

( he's heard of it, rather attentive when amami spoke about his shared discovery with everyone else, but to see it with his own eyes is something else. komeda takes aa step forward, listening for any creaks under his footing to get an idea of how old the location is — ) I remember, so this is where you all were spirited away to.

( this is something easily accepting, telling as he looks around with a smile on his face, drinking in the imagery as he thinks about where they just were, and where they are now. he keeps his distance as he follows amami, but part of him does want to wander off. his eyes every so often glance towards the rows, and then at the back of amami's head. )

How amazing! The old school building really are our dorms, it's comforting to know the setting is once again being reused.

( every time they went to the void, to went to the other version of the world, no matter the location, but this trip is a rather drastic change. which gives certain people a sense of familiarity, and that can be used to their advantage to move through the area without limiting their search. since the other has already once, checking again should prove no problem. ) Anything outside piques your interest? ( even as he says that, he walks over to look out the window himself. )

[sisters]

( he chews on the comments in his mind as komaeda makes them; it's true, this is exactly where he had been before, with meng yao and gundham. he's not sure if "comforting" is the word he'd use, but it's definitely... something. not necessarily bad, but just needing to be processed when that last question draws his attention back. )

No, but... now that we know, I have to wonder about the other rooms, too. Well, there are a few things we can probably check. C'mon.

( he's pretty confident there's not much in here, so the first order of business is wandering back down the hall to where he remembers the bulletin board being, because of course he wants to show komaeda that first. also, it's a good chance to check if things are really the same here through and through, considering that he only really has the two points of reference to compare, and that'll affect the way he approaches the rest of the rooms while they investigate. )

[commences]

( he doesn't latch onto amami for so long, walking away from him as he tries to find the exits of the room — is this where the star room leads them? if they slit their hand in another room, does it take them here as well? he'll have to find out later, but he's already hanging by the room's entrance, waiting for amami to catch up as komaeda's hands rest against the surface of the area, taking it all in. )

Wow... I can't believe you came here, ah... this is different from what I seen.

( the memory, which i'll have to tag that back soon, crying, but komaeda's tail end of his coat is visible, before disappearing around the corner. catch up amami, komaeda's beating you! )

[sisters]

( oh, there he goes. luckily, amami's not far behind, and they can make their way out of the auditorium and into the hall. if komaeda pauses at all in the entryway, lined with cubbies for shoes and whatever else you put in an entryway that i'm not double-checking i guess, amami will make his way over too. )

The rules you showed me, the ones from the old school, they're pinned up over here.

( and, as he makes his way up, he'll tap on the board where they're printed in full. )

Like I said, it looks like they were all focused around keeping the students safe from Kazuki-san. I didn't get much of a look around the rest of the rooms though.

[commences]

( pale green eyes glance over to the list of rules, a full set unlike the ones that were etched out by the fire, and he chuckles wheezily. hand on his hip, he lifts the other to point at the rules — )

How lucky... to think you'd go somewhere to see these again, it's almost like you didn't need me at all, Amami-kun...

( each hint written one by one, and as he thinks about it, it would make sense they were meant to be protected by kazuki — komaeda-arata almost watched saihara get eaten alive by him. now, he crosses his arms now, looking towards amami for a moment as his lips purse into a straight line. )

...I wonder if the rules now are meant to protect us from someone, and if not someone... something... or ourselves, have you seen them?

( he questions, trying to recall the newfound school rules, and there's some he remembers vividly than others, but there are some that brings concern, and a bit of hilarity if reread again. )

[sisters]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Ourselves — or each other.

( it can't be helped that he remembers the killing game so vividly; the rules and motives meant to make them turn against one another for escape — for survival. it might just be a hunch, but it's one that he can't shake. "give one another space, and if you aren't satisfied with that space, make those around you pay." that's the vibe he gets. )

Anyway, you say that, but I wouldn't have recognized them at all if it weren't for you showing me back when I first got here. Thanks to that, I was able to make the connections pretty quickly.

[commences]

...I'm glad scum like me couldn't benefit you, it's... an honor really, I guess you were pretty lucky.

( at first, they didn't make any sense, but if they could benefit an ultimate out there, he doesn't feel so useless for a moment, it's brief, but it cuts through the praise as he ignores it. as for the story, he's heard about it, aware of some that happened, and komaeda reaches out to trace his fingers over the rules. )

It's odd, how long ago were these rules? ( with them pinned up front, it's easy to tell that these were seen every day, unlike at the other school where it was hidden by the boards. ) Since they're set up visible like this, hardly hidden... they were the main focus of the student body here. They probably aren't aware of the version that we have...

( how interesting, and he's curious to lift up the sheet to see if there's anything underneath, he's met with nothing useful, and so he sets it back into place. )

[sisters]

Yeah, well it was helpful, so I should show my thanks, right? I appreciate it.

( even if, between then and now, komaeda still hasn't become someone that amami understands. he'll glance to the other, lingering for a moment before looking around again. )

When the school was founded. If I had to guess, anyway — pretty sure they've always been here, and only changed recently. It's good if they're here now though, so that the others who didn't come with us can see for themselves.

Speaking of which, I didn't get to see what was in the other rooms. If you want we can take a look around, but otherwise... this isn't really what I was looking for.

( why was the floorboard in their room all pulled up?! )

[commences]

Kiryuu-kun, and Dito-kun's rooms are filled with a copious amount of pillows, does that align with anything here?

( he looks away from the rules, they only mean so much to him, but to amami, they must have meant the world. it's a good thing that he was able to exchange information with him that long time ago, and they were useful. though, he doesn't know why the other has to show his thanks. he ignores it by latching onto another subject that's presented to him, and wondering if that's what the other meant by checking other rooms. )

If being in our room took us to the auditorium, would their room be... ( he looks in the direction that he knows their room is, and the auditorium stops short of where it should be if he recalls the length of it. ) ...something important, on the far left at least... and the auditorium doesn't stretch as far as it.

( he looks up towards amami, smiling softly as he keeps his distance. )

It's amazing... what you were all involved in... let's double check everything, who know when it'll come in handy for us.