yogen | ☆ let's start a brand-new song ☆

Entry tags:

☆ let's start a brand-new song ☆

Who: Subaru & Rantarou
What: (sweating) so what're you doing up here
When: 9/15, but Before the family meet. skipping class
Where: fourth floor, right side
Warnings: none right now

[subaru has to go up this way when he's preparing for the S5 meetings he plans to hold once a week minimum, since it's sort of hard to lug telescopes through a window, so he's gotten used to the sight of the cleared hallway, the skeleton of something that was once there and no longer, the rocks piled up on either side...

it's still creepy in a way, like. they could totally do a test of courage up here some night!!!! that'd be so cool!!!!! actually, they could totally dress this place up more around halloween and—

anyway. he's hanging around with a notebook and pen today, resting his back on one of the more solid frameworks of a classroom, star chart rolled out beside him as he notes coordinates and the like for a future viewing... this is a perfectly good reason to skip class today.

... he doesn't really want to go and act normal, with the thought of talking about what was found in the pool only a few nights ago weighing in the corner of his mind. acting normal so far has sucked.]

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( amami is looking away like he doesn't notice the cheeks, looking around like this is a totally new place he's never been to before until subaru waves, and he can finally return his attention to him. he's not subtle about this at all, and it's very obvious that he's doing it on purpose if subaru already knows anyway, but it's fine.

anyway! he's kinda on the same wavelength, and then it's about the pool and he's only sorta on the same wavelength. he does get it, though. )

Yeah, something like that. Had a couple things I wanted to check out up here. I'm not interrupting, am I?

Nope! I was just writing down some numbers and junk to show my club. [...] And Boss.

[it'd be nice... stargazing again. he has to put his telescope up there beforehand next time though, it's a whole ordeal if he doesn't.

but now that someone else is here subaru's gonna gather his things and stand up, looking hopeful at a new distraction.]

So what're you checking out? I gotta say, I know this place pretty well 'cause I use it to go up to the roof a lot~.

Right, the roof...

( weird how that doesn't have any railings, huh? oh, but that's beside the point — only incidentally related to why he's here. he glances over to subaru, things all packed up. )

I just thought I'd get a feel for the place. ( he has no clue what he's checking out, but— )

It's kind of strange, don't you think? That they'd have an entire wing of the school that they just left burned out and empty.

[... it is, when subaru thinks about it. it's one thing to move school buildings entirely (that's not unheard of, though yumenosaki doesn't have that itself ES itself has separate old... dorms...? help) but to just leave a part totally unrenovated like this, when it could be used for other stuff or kept better off limits...

it's not really kept too off limits, if people like these two can make such use out of it. he hums thoughtfully and shrugs.]

Yeah, it is... It doesn't really seem like they're hurting for budget either, so I don't see why they don't just fix the place up. Though I dunno what they'd stick up here anyway.

[... maybe if they did something with it he wouldn't have to lug a telescope up four flights of stairs]

Even if it was only for storage, it doesn't make sense to leave the frames and fire damage like this.

( isn't that some kind of, like, structural integrity thing? risk to the students or whatever? he looks around at the burned out skeleton of a hallway, and kinda sighs. )

But there's another reason it stands out, too. Have you gone to the other side, Akehoshi-kun?

( makes it sound so mysterious and ominous. in amami's defense, it kind of is. )

I jumped out of a helicopter once and saw my brilliant life flash before my eyes.

[...]

But I haven't gone to the afterlife or whatever before. Or the uh... [... what was it.] The other school.

[the void school, he means]

( hmmmm well anyway, amami nods along, smiling a bit. )

Nah, you've got it — I just meant the school. There's some interesting things you'll find there, but I don't blame you for avoiding it.

( he was also told to avoid it. unfortunately, rantarou amami does not listen well when told to do things. )

As for me, I've found some evidence of a fire in the rest of the building too on my trips there. Or, well, some parts of it. On top of that, a friend of mine also told me about a fire that took place here before, so I'm pretty sure that this isn't the only part of the school that was like this in the past.

[DON'T IGNORE HIS FACT!!!!! HE DOESN'T GET TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE RANDOM STUNTS HE PULLS!!!]

But this is the only part that didn't get a glow-up, huh. [...] So if the other school's got damages that aren't here anymore, is the other school in the past?

[or maybe

the future? got my eye on you ori.]

( it's ok he doesn't have to tell amami about it if he brings him along next time instead?

oh, but at subaru's guess, amami's expression brightens. he looks to the other with a knowing smile, seemingly pleased with that answer. )

Kinda. You're on the right track, but I think it's a bit more complicated than that — because different parts of the school will be from different time periods. If you go to the other side in this building, you'll find evidence of a fire. In the dorms? You'll find something from long before that.

( he's got a running theory on this too actually... )

[the minute we get a helicopter they're gettin out at a thirty foot drop!!!

and subaru looks happy at being right, or at least on the right track, because having never been ~~yet~~ it's more of a feel than anything... it sounds interesting too, but it wasn't something that natsume really lingered on in his yogen lessons; his friend doesn't spend much time there, after all.]

So it's a whole mishmash...? This school's even weirder than I thought! It's like one of those museums that's got all kinds of periods of history in it, ahaha!

[fun...! well, those are fun, this is ~*~worse~*~!]

Well, well? How long ago for the dorms? Why? Have you checked the roof? What's the sky like? If it's clear and there's stars, maybe I can take the club on a special field trip!

( ori's gonna hold us to it if we say that but i think we deserve it actually... )

The dorms — if I had to guess, they're closer to around when the school was first built. If you go to that side over there, you'll find the old building, this one's just the new one. As for the roof, I guess they used to have a real garden up there, and a fence too at some point. I dunno about a field trip though...

( nobody else seems to like going to blood yogen as much as amami does :( but at least subaru's own upbeat attitude makes it easy for amami to keep the conversation more casual. he'll wave a dismissive hand at the suggestion in any case, because he's a little less interested for right now. )

Anyway! I'm not too worried about that side today, so it's not too important. Actually, if it's here, I was more interested on what's on this side.

( rocks... burn scars... inch resting. )

[ori... ori... hear our thoughts... let us have a helicopter we promise to make it worth your while (daredevil tactics)

he'll keep those inch resting things in mind... it sounds kind of cool... especially the roof, the worst part about it is there's no railings, someone could take a tumble]

Oh, yeah? Can I come? I wanna find out what's so interesting about this place too~. It'll make my walks down here way more interesting!

[because it's just. kinda there for him not gonna lie, he's not the too investigative type unless asked or told about interesting things]

I mean, here we are.

( he kinda gestures around them. nowhere else specific in here he wanted to go — they can check out some piles of rocks, if subaru wants. )

Just being in here and looking around is probably fine. It's easier to get the vibe of a place if you go there yourself, and I figure it'll help me get some thoughts straight if I can see what I'm trying to piece together.

Jeez, you're boring~. I'm gonna go back to writing numbers, you can kick rocks.

[plops back down... but he's watching amami curiously instead of doing that anyway. even setting his stuff down and clasping his hands in front of him.]

And talk out loud. I hear it helps.

[he doesn't want to be ignored if someone's here...☆]

I guess I'll start from the top then.

( he'll slow pace through the room, eyes resting on the burned up remains that he supposes would count as evidence. )

Well, for one thing, there was definitely a fire some time after the school moved to this new building. Not just because of the remains on the other side, but a friend of mine was also able to confirm it for me when I asked him about the rules.

You mean the one that're posted on the board? They're soooo weird, and I've definitely broken like, three of them.

[to no consequence...? it almost makes breaking rules pointless. not that he necessarily breaks them on purpose, but sometimes when you don't agree with them it happens]

Yeah, the ones before weren't so forgiving. I'll pass them over to you some time, but if you broke one of those before, you might not be able to warn others not to.

( rip. )

That's actually why I was thinking about what the trick to these ones might be.

[oh, f]

Like if they're riddles or something like that?

[since. they're pretty ridiculous]

Yeah. I mean, on one hand, that's a possibility.

( he seems to think it over for a few moments, sighs. )

On the other, the last rules were meant to protect the students, right? Even if the rules themselves are off, these ones might serve a purpose like that too...

[well

if they're not riddles good subaru doesn't wanna solve them ☆]

They sound like something Natsume'd cook up when he doesn't want people talking to him, not gonna lie...

[hmmm... antisocial rules.]

Do y'think we could ask one of the teachers or something about them? Or maybe a fellow third year... No one else seems that bothered by them, but I came in kinda late to the year so I dunno if they're just used to it at this point or not.

Hm, it's not that I haven't thought of that, but the natives here don't really hear us out when we mention something being off.

( they do, however, all seem to agree that the transfers themselves are freaks. )

Generally speaking, everyone seems to know what to expect here but us. Everything is treated like it's natural, and anything unnatural is ignored. The same way they don't mention anything about students disappearing, or they send murderers to the counsellor's office, I'm pretty sure the rules are just a part of "how things are" around here. We could still try, though.

( he's not typically gonna shoot down an attempt. )

[yogen is simply a high school-based supernatural anime from the normal student's pov......

subaru does that cute lil motion of kicking his feet together, yknow the sort you do sitting on the ground, and leans back against the framework again. how things are... he wouldn't mind trying again, there's gotta be someone they can get some answers out of, but who... who can he annoy...]

We're expected to know too, right? 'Cause everyone already knows us, but we don't know them anymore. I kinda wish I did though, it'd make talking to some of 'em easier... I wonder what I was like before I wasn't that me anymore.

[popular... but that's no different than normal even if the popular he's experienced is the more lonely sort these days, the awe-struck "oh, it's akehoshi-san from trickstar" vs the kind he'd like with a lot of people he can talk to and mess around with... that's one of the nice things about yogen, actually, that he has that now. popular, but they'll actually come up and interact with him vs looking from afar

i guess they're getting a little off track but this isn't unusual]

I mean, nothing stopping you from asking, I guess. I don't really talk to too many people in our class either, but there's some people in the others who are pretty interesting.

( which he'll leave at that, up to subaru on the specifics there. )

There is another thing though, that my friend ( "friend" like amami didn't go on a mission where they planned to kill his ass ) mentioned to me about the students here.

["nothing's stopping you from asking" it hasn't come to mind that he can actually, now he's gonna

like after everything is solved but he's gonna,]

The way you talk really gives me more questions than answers. [not mean or anything, just fact. subaru wants to ask like three things but he feels like he's being tugged by the leash to one in particular] What'd they say about our fellow students?

That's a good thing, isn't it? We'll never find answers if we don't ask any questions.

( he did warn subaru that he had a lot of things to think through here. )

Anyway, when I was asking about when the rules changed and why, he mentioned something to me. A while back there was a fire, right? Apparently after the school was fixed up and the students came back, they were a lot more tense than in the years before — at least, from what he could tell.

[HE DID WARN SUBARU BUT SUBARU WASN'T AWARE HE'D START TO GET REALLY INVESTED IN IT TOO!!!! he lowkey loves mysteries they're fun to read about and solve with friends!!!!!]

... You think we could find out how long ago? We oughta be able to ask some of the alumni about it, I'll bet some of the teachers graduated from here. I wonder why they got so tense, though~. It's probably hard to come to school after something like that, sure, but did they think that it could happen again? Or maybe something else happened during it~? Ooooh, I sorta wanna find out myself now! It sounds fun!

[he's back to being interested in history outside of his very attractive classmate talking about it]

The timeframe I was given was just "many years ago." It might be worth checking out though, maybe there'd be some kind of records or newspaper clippings in the library too?

( most school libraries keep newspapers, right? that's normal. )

And I have a hunch that something else happened too, but... Well, what's important to know about it, is that there were a lot of students who died, so I was wondering if it might have to do with why this wing of the school is like this. You know what these are, don't you?

( he nods his head at literally any direction probably because this place is filled with rocks. )

They look like Kudo-chan's gorinto! But like, broken up. Right?

[because death... rocks... it connects. subaru'll take some of them nearby, trying to fit them together. of course they don't go together, really; there's so many of them here, it'd be hard to actually... rebuild one.]

Me, Sai-chan, and Nene talked to her. It was...

[...]

Well, she "said" some interesting things~, but I still dunno what it all means. I felt bad for her, though, like... [...] Can you imagine it? Reliving the moment you died, just 'cause of a bunch of stones.

[... oh, he's remembering something else now, and it's making him feel itchy. a very particular set of words, and the confirmation that came with it.]

Oh, that was you! But wow...

( he's about to say more, but then subaru's words really start to sink in, and he goes quiet for a moment. )

Reliving the moment you died, huh? ( ... that definitely wasn't mentioned in the notes amami copied down. ) That must be why...

( oooohhhhh, okay. don't like that. )

[look he don't either]

Yeah, and... some other stuff... that I didn't really wanna think about when I pretty much just-- what do they call it? Woke up? Whatever. It's depressing~.

[and. terrifying.]

So I'm kinda glad these things are all broken up, even if it means we can't talk to them or anything.

The fact that they are is kinda depressing too though.

( who's to say that just 'cause they're broken up doesn't mean the same still holds true? it feels bad that they were here in the first place. it feels bad that they fell apart. it's just not a really fun thought to go over no matter how you spin it. )

Sorry, Akehoshi-kun, but I'm gonna have to ask you to think about it for me. Something tells me that knowing more about this place is pretty important.

[figures.......... subaru cracks open his notebook, the one he'd been writing in, and his hand gestures seem more focused on the margins this time, with rhythmic strokes of his pen. drawing daikichi helps a little, at least, since amami's right... and maybe once he tells someone, he won't have to a second.]

Probably. 'Cause it's sort of like a holding ground, from how she described it.

[turns out the nurse's office isn't going to be the first place amami knows of subaru's keen memory.]

Everyone comes back. Graduates and anyone else. We've come back too. From... y'know. [... this is the hard part. the part he wishes he could just laugh off and say "just kidding ☆" with a smile--]

The dead.

She seemed mad that we didn't remember any of that. Or that the others — mostly everyone who dies — their souls are in the big tree out there.

[the wisteria, he means.]

"Sometimes you die and your soul is reborn anew, given another chance at life. Sometimes you're beyond help and you cease to exist."

And sometimes you're in limbo because a couple of teens decided to ask you question they oughta know the answers to already. [...] Third years don't usually get to repeat, though, unless the president's contract says so.

[so.

don't die. (:]

Oh...

( ... )

So it is like that.

( he'd had suspicions — had expressed them to someone before, but they didn't quite hold. had nothing to confirm them, and so he had to move on in uncertainty. in any case, it's not news to him that he's dead, but he knows... that it must be a hard fact for someone else to come to terms with. especially... the ones who are younger, safer, with their whole lives to live ahead of them.

it's not that amami isn't upset, it's just...

...

he breathes a heavy sigh. )

Got it. Sorry for making you dredge all that up, but... it's pretty important to know. It helps a lot, actually.

S'okay. Kinda nice having someone else know.

[now he can safely repress it again.]

I kinda hoped that I would've been able to travel the world before I died, [the single tally mark ever present on his wrist, unhealing and sore to the constant touch he gives it when he's alone,] but I guess something happened in the jungle.

[assuming that how they end up in this purgatory is death,]

Yeah...

( he wants to apologize. for what, he's not sure, but... the weight of this knowledge slowly begins to settle on him, running a hand through his hair as his mind begins to race through all of the things this means. for him. for the people he's come to care about here.

this sucks.

but he'll swallow it down, meet subaru's gaze with an apologetic smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes — they don't often do. )

I get it. There was... something important that I needed to do, too. But I guess it makes sense why everyone wants to graduate now.

( at least they've figured out the first half of step one: why they're here. )

[yeah no joke. the lack of it reaching amami's eyes is something that's familiar to subaru, actually, because he's seen it on others before (eichi, for example, as a midorikawa character,) and he points at him with his pen--]

We're totally screwed if we don't. Now you've definitely gotta attend class, 'cause even if this school's weird you don't wanna be held back just 'cause you skipped!

[he wouldn't be surprised if that's the one thing that stays the same.

and then they both proceed to skip several days in a row later but look, that's different.]

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☆ let's start a brand-new song ☆

🤝

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