yogen | npc contact.2

( stop what's in her locker ? a note to past komaeda listen. )

Maybe, we should find out... tell me three locker numbers, and we'll guess his.

( oh my god, not how npc-kun is seki v2, yes, we will be getting npc-kun everything that seki has and more, and they'll pawn that too. )

It's been awhile since I had a sidekick, so this is fun.

[ ? ]

You're my sidekick.

[ But let's see, hmm, I rolled three numbers and they're ]

020, 177, aaaaand 102.

( google rng said 102, so i guess we found his locker. )

Hm? Nope, I'm something else to you than your sidekick, besides... sidekicks don't go to Saransk.

( alright, it's time for them to trot, trot, trot. )

Saihara-kun's locker is close to that one: 102.

[ Oh- okay, then he's not their sidekick, because they do still want to see what all the hype is about Saransk ]

Saihara wasn't on your list... Should we break into his too?

Huh? Never! We could never do that to him, that's... against everything I stand for!

( they are never going near his locker, but they'll finally walk over to 102, and he'll look towards npc-kun. )

Here... you have the honors, if you can get in... maybe I can think of what house we should have when we move.

Something made of brick.

[ But okok they're going to do the same thing Komaeda did and press their ear to the door and try to figure out when to stop turning, mumbling numbers under their breath. There's only 39 numbers on the lock, so... 39 times 39, 1 27+8 351 27 9+2 1170+351 1521 times 39...

...

...

It's only 59,319 tries if they go at it one by one. They'll get it eventually. ]

... A brick mansion? Sounds durable, I think.

( let him think about it, a mansion with what color brick? maybe red, or perhaps white... he's seen a few glass ones as well, but with how big they are... and the echoes, it's sort of lonely — or that's how it was when he lived in one. older, however, he didn't have that luxury, it was always loud with the kids he had running about — causing mayhem, killing adults, and as he looks at the back of npc-kun's head, he doesn't know how active the other is but... )

How many rooms... I never had a small home, so we can go with the usual.

( maybe he should format it like the cabin? rolled a d20 three times: 12, 8, 13.

yeah... sounds like a struggle, but two are above 11... so maybe npc-kun gets a little luck as a treat. )

2 bed, 1.5 bath.

[ One bed would probably be fine too, since they—-

oh!

Once the first two numbers are guessed correctly, all they need to do is turn the lock while tugging on it slightly and the door swings open when they pass over the correct third number. ]

Let's see what's in here!

[ They can see lots of colorful folders, those thin plastic ones you assign colors to subjects and npc-kun picks up a blue one and is surprised it's not math inside. Which color's math... Math is red. Inside are slightly crumpled old math exams with failed grades. ]

( it's kind of... different to discuss living with someone when he's not going to make it. two beds, half a bath, and is that the little tubs that doesn't have the shower connected? )

...There should be a small library, and—...

( he stops as npc-kun manages to get the locker open, and he claps his hands surprised at how fast they went about it unlike komaeda-arata did. look a' there, they're getting the hang of this. )

Oh, let me see. ( he's walking up behind them, placing his chin on top of their head as he looks down. )

30... 15... 35... this student was a failure, don't memorize any of this...

( choose another folder. )

[ npc-kun mutters something about being able to correct these answers, but dutifully puts the folder away to swap for another, trying hard to keep their head still so Komaeda won't move his away.

What else are they confident in... Science. They open the green folder and see... science!! The universal constant. ]

Wow, they're pretty bad at this too.

It's actually despairing... maybe that's why they haven't came back to school.

( science, let's see, he wonders if it's plain science or... the most evil version: chemistry — which komaeda-arata's a rich boy, and attended hope's peak... half of these subjects don't apply to him. this is like the poor man's knowledge when he has to learn like... more important stuff. )

If we were given grades like this in my old school, they'd kick you out, and it'd be pretty pathetic...

( he reaches out to point at one of the topic on the paper. ) What do you think, he must've got stabbed for the right reason?

[ Chemical equations are fun... but then it quickly becomes more complicated than npc-kun can handle. What's in this notebook doesn't look too difficult, though, and by looking, they can follow the student's thought process and where they went wrong. ]

-—huh?

[ Tearing their eyes away from the papers, they look over at Komaeda ]

This person got stabbed?

Why do you seem so shocked? It was for hope, after all!

( or their own brand of hope, komaeda-arata only knows so much, and he doesn't want to worry npc-kun with it — they should know that this school isn't chalked up to being the best. everyone has their own secret agendas, they fight for the chance at graduation. )

It was before you got here, P-kun. It happened awhile back, but I never met him though... If he survives, then he has a pretty decent hope, that's all.

( he'll reach out to pull at another folder, is there anything interesting for a disposed student, he thinks. )

[ Okay so I forgot we were talking about Seki, he hasn't existed in like half a year ]

Oh... So all this stuff is from the beginning of the year? That's sad.

[ Beginning of the year is when things are still easy. This is sad. ]

( he dead as hell, we moving on, he ain't leave no clues but the shovel one... goodbye. )

... No wonder he might be dead, oh well, do you think Fu Hua had better grades?

( god that's when teacher's basically gave you the answers. anyway, fu hua's name is cute so komaeda-arata is hoping for the best. )

No. These are all people who stayed home because of a little headache.

[ They're not serious students. They're not me who goes to school with a migraine and makes attendance and then goes to the nurse's office to throw up and go home. ]

They are... it's a shame what happened, do you think the third years will make it...

( to graduation because they staying out over a migraine is kind of embarrassing.

ok i'm talking shit about them but i'd stay home too if i had a migraine... crying. )

How can you make a sell if you don't have their studies... They're not smart enough to have learned about the manifolds...

Nah.

[ Graduation's rough and npc-kun lacks the faith. Even with study guides...

They step back away from the locker and closes the door, because there's nothing useful for them in here. ]

They'll fail even with study guides. Maybe they'll pay me to do their homework for them.

[ Like, if they do well, great. If they struggle and get bad grades, at least it wouldn't be too far off to cause suspicion ]

Now now, one of them will... Not all of them, but it seems like none has anything useful to help with.

( they could go into other people's lockers, but it'll probably give them nothing unless they go straight to the source. komaeda-arata thinks about it for a moment, wondering if he can act like a third year again... since he can sit in their class and play the role perfectly. )

If you're not there to do their exams, it'll do no good...

( can't help those that can't help themselves. )

We could always ask the teachers... Hm...

I don't want to talk to the teachers. Go by yourself.

[ They can... split up. Komaeda can go pander the teachers while they stay here and learn how to crack safes. ]

Alright.

( like he's taken the chance of a lifetime, which he'll peel himself off npc-kun, and then proceed to find the stairs to go up without even looking back. his footsteps are loud until... they're gone, like a ghost's footsteps, soundless... and just the beat of his shoes left in the memory.

at least the second story is the 3rd years... so he can pick a random classroom... )

[ not how he doesn't even look baaaaacck

...

okay, yeah, they're following him up the stairs, little tap tap tap footsteps up the stairs. ]

( trot, trot, trot!! now they can see the life of komaeda-arata from afar, which means... the lights flicker above him from time to time and cancels out the sound of a certain shopkeeper's footsteps, and he stops to look up.

...

there's never a reason to look back when he's always guaranteed good things if he moves forward. )

[ NO........ flickering lights mean an impending blackout and so those tap tap taps become taptaptaptaptaps until they're right behind Komaeda and making zero attempt to be stealthy. ]

Uh... I didn't think you'd follow me, I thought you wanted to go our separate ways...

( he heard the rushing taps, but the lights aren't flickering anymore... they're normal, blinding as they were at first. )

Did someone talk to you, you can ignore them if they did!

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