yogen | npc contact.2

( STOP I ACTUALLY HAD A GOOD NEWS, BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO CHOOSE IT, SO I FORGOT IT AND WAS LIKE KOMAEDA DOESN'T HAVE GOOD NEWS. stop, damn what is good news.

...i remembered the good news. applies this to komaeda's dementia. )

i remembered now, the good news was that... amami-kun solved a murder with his hope!
or rather... he allowed us to take part... an ultimate's hope is a glorious thing.

( solved a murder, is the murderer... fun. )

Someone who pays attention to what you say... and also is fun to be around... hm...

( they can lay down now, yay... he places the pda on his chest, looking up at the ceiling where the rules are taped up —

- NO FLIRTING WITH MY ULTIMATE CLASSMATES IN THE DORMS. THEY'RE ALL MINE.
- DON'T TELL THEM ANYTHING FUNNY. I'M THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO MAKE THE ULTIMATES LAUGH IN THIS SCHOOL.
- NO FLEXING. DON'T TRY AND IMPRESS MY ULTIMATE CLASSMATES.
- MUST SAY "WHAT DA CAT DOING" EVERY TIME YOU SEE LILY MAY AND BEV DO SOMETHING RATHER MUNDANE.

this should have been hikaru's blood, but they've dodged a bullet... he closes his eyes as he listens to npckun describe the first person. he tries to imagine who that is at first, some guy, he thinks... his fingers drum against the screen of his pda, that's quite positive, and kind of them to say. it sounds obvious who it has to be though, because who else would be that engaging and thoughtful? not only that... playing games? is that not part of what this person is really good at? he speaks, proudly: )

What is Amami-kun!?

( he lifts a brow, looking over to npckun to see if he's right or not like this is a guessing game. )

He's good if you need him to hack into things, I feel like... he's best at hooking up your security.

( if komaeda regains some cameras and a tv, npckun can have their own ring when they're sitting in the back office. )

That way you can watch your shop, even when you're not there.

[ ...oh. It's surprising, and hard to imagine, both because of how Subaru is and because npckun themselves has mostly stayed in the same place all their life, friendless for different reasons.

How long does it take to become friends? They've only known Subaru a month, and in about half a year's time, they're going to... ... ]

But you have them now. [ ... ] You have me.

[ STOP he was just humoring them with the whole mystery gang thing, he doesn't actually care, this is like Komaeda coming up to him and saying Amami got a good grade on one of his tests, like good for him but so what?

He doesn't even bother taking the pda to type because all he would have written is "Okay" and then turn to stare at Komaeda and he can bypass one step and just stare. ]

[ They have magic bone crushing security but ngl there's some draw in getting to be somewhere else while still keeping an eye on their shop, and then [redacted] happens and they're never going to leave their shop again actually. ]

Oh. Is he smart or is he dumb? You have to be smart to hack into things... why is he failing?

[ HIKARU'S BLOOD can you imagine having to break mirrors to get out of the void dorms for every letter he writes on the glass ceiling. does blood stick on glass? maybe it drips down on someone's face in the middle of the night. ]

...What do you mean "what"? Why are you talking about Tarou-nii? You're supposed to be listening to me.

No shrine? [ That's something you'd do...normally right? ]

I guess, I'll miss a lot of things. Clamor was nice, he knew magic, and he had a lot of interesting stories. I liked gossiping with him...even if he worried me a lot.

[ She stares down at her knees and forces a smile. ]

Saying it all out loud doesn't make me feel much better... Ah. But I don't mean to be picky...I guess I'm just used to not thinking about it.

( the silence makes this look sooo bad, what the fuck? he's not even talking to him, maybe he shouldn't have brought him out to begin with. he wanted to talk about the void and the shadows, along with knowing that rokkun isn't sick, and how his headache actually happened.

why is he staring, so komaeda will type on the pda again. )

are you in the right headspace to receive information that could possibly hurt you?

You can excel in one thing, and fail in another...

( that's why shin's good at computers, but he's severely lacking when it comes to his grades. he chuckles at the thought, remembering in robotics that he was one of the people who worked into making a new computer with senku... he thinks. well, he found the floppy disks that hard porn, too. )

History has nothing to do with data! So that's probably why, do you want to enlist him as one of your indentured servants?

( I MEANT BED? OH MY GOD NOT HOW I WROTE BLOOD god 2am nms is on something else... i'm tearing up, maybe that's what we do for hikaru as initiation since they're a demon anyway?? no wonder they like lucifer so much! )

Have you ever watched those guessing shows? When you say an answer, you say "what is x"! So I thought you were talking about Amami-kun!

( was he WRONG? )

None in the area meant to receive these sorts of thoughts and prayers.

[ The closest thing would probably be the gorintos, maybe, and talking to the person themselves is more comforting than some god in a shrine you have to pay in order to speak with. ]

It hurts a little, to remember, doesn't it? But those sorts of feelings are important to let yourself feel too, rather than none at all. Mizuki— the school's counselor— would always say that things will get worse before they get better, and it's those who persevere who will make it. It's all part of healing, like inflammation at the site of a wound.

[ ... She thinks about it and no, parroting the counselor's words probably makes more sense than biology analogies, she'll stick with the former instead. ]

No problem?

[ First bag of chips handed off, they rip open their own candy and nod at Komeada as he just stares at them like a dead fish. The vibe of this conversation is so fucking rancid I'm crying, why are you both bullying them....smh. ]

You need to eat! [ They're going to grab a bottle of water out of the vending machine though, good idea. ]

Rokuro has his snack, and I have mine, so you need to pick one to eat or I'm going...to not feel very hopeful, because you'll be hungry?

[ It's that bad, yeah. It's 3AM and Komaeda's asking if he's sane or not and the last time he asked something like that Rokkun did snap, maybe this is why he wanted to talk in the middle of the night, so Rokkun will at least be quiet when he loses his shit.

...

Alright, grabby hands for the PDA ]

What did you do?

...Everyone else gets to go outside, so there isn't even a shrine in town? [ But wait, hang on...isn't the school surrounded by woods? Woods as far as the eyes can see. Where do all the students who aren't transfers go..?

Talking to Clamor himself might be nice but its not like Sara needs to beg his forgiveness. For once this is a death that just, didn't involve her. Just a cruel, pointless thing that isn't her fault at all. So Noah should get to talk, Sara just wants to grieve. ]

Mhm... Sometimes it seems nice, the idea of not caring at all. To just let it out and be as vile as I wanted... I used to think about that a lot. But I want to be better...

[ The biology metaphor isn't that bad, Sara likes it, she likes science. ]

I like being a person who cares and hurts more then someone else. Even if its hard to talk about...and it hurts to remember. I think its good. I think you're right, or Mizuki-sensei is right? It's good advice.

[ ? Sounds fake, because they're the best at everything ]

...I guess he would be good at getting pity sales. [ npckun gets those a lot, all the times they manage to sell a rock, so it's still a sizeable portion of their income ]

I'll write that into the contract. "Pay one hundred million yen* and you'll get your clothes back AND I'll make sure you pass your classes."
*or indentured servitude until graduation day

[ asfdlkjh I JUST ACCEPTED THE RULES BEING WRITTEN IN BLOOD "yes this is something komaeda would do" ]

You're wrong. The penalty for guessing incorrectly is a hundred million yen.

[she gives a small hm of acknowledgement, and takes a few steps closer to a plant, slowly reaching out to touch its leaves, which rustle softly from the movement.]

What if I harm them in my ignorance?

[it would be a shame, wouldn't it? to lose them to someone's inept care.]

...Sorry, I'm asking too many questions. I'll control myself.

( what did you do almost reads like komaeda is always doing something bad in his life, and he looks up at the other for a brief moment before looking down at the pda. he frowns now as he reaches towards it, appearing a little defeated as he taps slow, and hesitant before he stops. he removes his hand so the other can see. )

i wasn't there to protect someone important to you.

( he knows he's not supposed to mope when things don't go his way, so he instead forces a fitting smile like he's over it already. )

You're really good at contracts, is this how the one you have with the school goes?

( he's a little curious, and while it's only something they talked about once, they should at least make it the same as that one. that way, shin can't squirm his way out. )

This offer should be given to all the third years... but then they'd fight for your attention.

( WHOSE BLOOD CAN HE USE... looks at hikaru, maybe they teach komaeda... blood rituals. )

...That's not how this game works, you reward me for being right.

Yup, I do!

[...

he rolls the string around more. they're a lot alike, in the end; the circumstances may be different but the core is the same, it's why subaru was drawn to them beyond his affection deficit. lonely people can sense others of their kind, even if they don't know all the facts.

subaru may never learn the full truth of keigo's past, nor vice versa, but that doesn't mean he can't tell their hearts are the same.]

That's why I wanna do everything I can to help you and the others, 'cause it's my way of saying "thank you for being there".

[thank you for giving me a chance. thank you for liking me. thank you for not leaving.

the incident isn't known here. there's two people who're aware of it, and only because it's in their sphere as idols; but no one else knows, so of course it's easy for him to make friends and keep them. it's bizarre, in a way, and almost puts him on edge--

subaru likes to think that a lot of people wouldn't care even if they did know, but there's still the hesitation, the fear that comes with being known.]

I wanna stay friends with everyone forever, so... [...] Can we be friends even after I graduate, Keigo? I'll come and visit you, wherever you are. We'll hang out and watch movies, or you can take me to all the places your sis mentioned since I don't know my way around here.

That's probably... a little difficult to determine right now. We don't even know if we can find it in the first place -- after all, we know there are people who were already planning to dig it out.

[ When they asked Kouji about it, he either didn't remember or he lied, and the old student council president... graduated and is no longer around to be asked. There's a possibility they succeeded in extracting the box and they hid it somewhere else, isn't there? Shuichi touches the corner of a knuckle to his chin as he thinks, going through the options in his mind.

But as for what they know right now... ]

I suppose if it were possible... I'd rather not do anything hasty. But we can't overlook it, either. We should at least ascertain some things... like for example, if the box is still there and what its contents might be.

[ ...

...ah

... ]

Yeah. [ Their voice falls quiet, gaze cast down. ] We'll be friends forever.

[ That's something they can promise, can hold close to their heart and never break, because they would have to break their own heart first to get to it, but the rest of that... the thought of growing up, of hanging out with friends, of touring the town...

...

Quiet, they reach for him, wrapping their arms around him and burying their face against his chest. Shoulders hunched but hold loose, almost apologetic. ]

[without hesitation subaru returns the hug, pulling them close and burying his face into their hair. a lonely feeling scratches at his chest-- he doesn't know why, but he has a gut feeling there's something else at play with their graduation deadline; despite that he believes keigo when they say they'll be friends forever, even if the rest of it is unspoken, even if they seem apologetic for some reason he can't think of.

...

this time, he's volunteering his silence first. subaru doesn't know what to say anyway, and to break the fragility of the current situation sits wrong on his mind; last year he would have laughed it off, but this year... he can let himself ease off the smiles, at least when keigo can't see his face.]

npc contact.2

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