yogen | npc contact.2

[ 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!

Oh. Um.

[ ... ]

I just finished investigating everything on my end. You haven't talked to anybody yet? You're so slow. I guess I'll have to help you.

I haven't... I was waiting for something to happen, like an enormous amount of bad luck! It would have made my search a little more exciting.

( and when he thought that npc-kun didn't want to accompany him to talk to the teachers. )

Are you sure about this? ( he asks, holding out his arm so the other can link with it. )

[ npckun looks a little wary, like if they take Komaeda's arm it's going to fall off again

...

They decide to take their chances, linking their arm with Komaeda but also holding on with their other hand, it's more of a clutch than a link. ]

None of those lockers were useful. Wasn't that bad luck?

( it's fine they can have his organic hand so that it doesn't fall off unless ripped, and only npc-kun can do that to him if they're ready to end his life. he'll walk them towards one classroom, peeking inside to see if there's a teacher at their desk willing to talk to them. )

Hm... Should I accept that as bad luck? Good things will happen, but what if something better is further down the line if I gather more bad luck?

( not how it works, but it goes back and forth without him, and so... if that was bad luck, they're due something good, but he's always hesitant to accept anything positive with his luck. )

I think...

[ peeks around Komaeda's side at the empty classroom— empty aside from the teacher with their head down on their arms folded over the teacher's desk, because sometimes your entire class is absent with some sort of contagious migraine so you take the opportunity to nap and get paid for it. ]

...when life is bad and gets worse, you should take what good you can, when you can.

[ It's called quitting while you're ahead, don't wait for the jackpot. ]

The good luck... I could never say what I think it is, because it'll only last for a moment.

( it's then his arm squeezes a little tighter on npc-kun's arm, alluding to something... wonder what that is.

his voice remains low though, staring at the teacher as he keeps the shopkeeper hidden behind the wall so they can't be seen. )

I'm enjoying everything I have. Hm... Let me talk to them, and see what they say.

Good luck's not supposed to last more than a moment anyways.

[ ?

Anyways, they're reluctant to let go of Komaeda's arm after that little squeeze, but if it's talking to a teacher...

Okay.

They slip their arm out. ]

Good luck. Do your best.

...Is it? Hm, I wonder.

( just a moment then why isn't npc-kun gone? it can linger for awhile, but he's sure the other will leave him sooner or later.

...

...

...

as soon as his arm is let go, he'll walk into the classroom with a small smile, and an apology that he couldn't make it to class today... he wants a rubric for what they're studying and learning... and will do better next class. )

[ The teacher looks at Komaeda funny and gently reminds him that his homeroom is upstairs. If he needs a rubric, though, he'd better visit the faculty office to pick up handouts from all the various classes he might've missed, instead of tracking teachers down one by one. ]

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