MINI-EVENT DISCUSSION TIME [open]

[trialbyliar]

WHO: Everyone!!
WHEN: April 25th, 6PM
WHAT: Who wants to talk about ~murder~?

[There's a strong part of Kokichi that wants to keep everything he's figured out to himself, especially knowing the "winner" of this mystery will gain a ton of bonus points that could throw a serious wrench into his plans. He tends to work alone, after all.

But fortunately, there's a louder, more pragmatic part that knows everyone needs to come together. Whatever the game is here, no rules have been given. It doesn't seem like they're gonna force everyone together to figure things out. And maybe that's the point – no forced teamwork this time around, a prize to discourage people from working together. This whole setup seems designed to have them all working against each other.

Well, fuck that. The status quo is just gonna get more people killed. It's time to herd some cats and get everyone on the same page. If nothing else, it's a way to learn anything others might have figured out, and a chance to see who here has a working brain.]

--–

[Every transfer student will find an unsigned note in their lockers that reads "transfer students meeting @ 6pm 4/25 in classroom 2-C".

When they arrive at the set location and time, they'll find extra desks have been shoved in from other classrooms so there's seating for everyone. On the chalkboard, written in big bubble letters, is "SUPER FUN MURDER DISCUSSION PARTY TIME!!" with some goofy doodles around the edges. This is very serious, guys. One corner of the room has a square taped off on the floor with a single desk situated inside it, a sign taped to it reading "Crazy Containment Zone". A piece of paper on the desk says "reserved for Komaeda".

No one takes credit for organizing everything. But regardless, it's time to have a discussion.]



((HOW THIS WORKS:

- This post is a free for all! Feel free to start your own threads to discuss any clue/topic/theory/random outburst you want. Jump into any thread anywhere, no need to keep things tidy and continuous. This is gonna be a big group crammed into a classroom all talking at once, so just embrace the chaos.

- Please let the people who discovered clues OOCly be the ones to reveal them ICly! You can assume things have already been explained for the sake of discussing other clues and proposing theories and whatnot, just please don't steal anyone's thunder when it comes to explaining the things their characters figured out!

That's it! Let me know if you have any other concerns or guidelines to consider adding, just shoot me a PM or hit me up on plurk or discord! Have fun!))

Comments

[unsurely]

Ah... It's alright, Ouma-kun. I'll handle it.

[ time to notice these two in the middle of this, but also. ]

S-Sorry. Can you hold this though?

[ here is the Disrespect™ you requested aka the half-eaten piece of beef jerky he got from stephanie, he's gonna forget about it soon anyway because komaeda's a full-time job. he hands it to ouma before hurrying over to grab komaeda by his arm. ]

Komaeda-kun, um... I don't have anything in my desk that's... Come to think of it, I didn't have candy either?

[ Where did Komaeda get that? ]

[commences]

( aw, there's nothing in there, but he feels pretty excited to be caught red-handed. rather, he likes people he's messing with to be there when he does things like this. makes it all feel worth it in a way. )

.....

( it's not a free time present, but it is a piece of candy he's now handing over to saihara for him to take (in exchange for his arm). don't ask him the flavor or type because he doesn't know, and it's not like he's answering questions at the moment anyway. )

[unsurely]

...

[ two people can play the dot game, really.

saihara ignores the candy and only drags komaeda further, still holding his arm to make sure he doesn't decide to go back. he's blaming the leash incidents for this, but it feels a little like having a dog that's trying to tell you something but you don't speak dog language.

...

his gaze ends up backtracking to where komaeda dragged the desk. ]

...Did you just want to sit with someone?

[ softly. ok, komaeda gets this one (1) treat. ]

[commences]

( usually when offered something sweet, people will want that than someone bitter, but komaeda didn't have high expectations of it working. especially when it wasn't a well-thought out plan, so of course saihara wouldn't be fooled by something so easy. then he'll just pocket the candy and save it for a rainy day. )

Is that what I want?

( he asks, following saihara's gaze to the desks he's pushed together. it's only a few over there, but it must seem that way. after, he matches the detective's quite tone, as if this is a secret they're hiding from the group and an exchange only meant to be heard between them. )

Or is that what you've personally deduced? Amazing! Using your talent on trash like me.

( there's this little shift of him moving his arm, but he's not taking it out of saihara's grasp. no, he's staying in place. )

I really don't deserve it.

[unsurely]

...Stop it.

[ almost involuntarily, his fingers tighten their grip into komaeda's sleeve as he says that. he's not... angry, per se, but it's difficult to not get frustrated with behavior like this. saihara can tell at the very least that he's being dodgy on purpose. ]

Even if I did deduce that... you could still tell me if I'm wrong, you know?

[ hm...

he looks up after a second, even if with difficulty, trying to catch a glimpse of the other's expression. ]

Komaeda-kun, did you know? A lot of the process of solving a case can involve making mistaken deductions in the first place, and then disproving them with evidence. It's... not as straightforward as people think.

[commences]

( he could think of a million things as to why the other would say that, but instead, the delighted expression he keeps says otherwise. his thoughts never match properly with his smiles, so the chance of komaeda doing this on purpose is there. he no longer keeps his eyes attached to saihara's own, and instead they fall to the fingers digging into the fabric of his jacket. what he's trying to identify is why he'd do that. )

That's not how it works for me.

( that's thanks to his luck and wanting things to work out in his favor, and a little brute force here and there. though, he knows that saihara isn't wrong in that field either, who would know better than the ultimate detective himself? he's in no place to say he's wrong in the first place, and maybe this is why they've come to this. )

Do you want to be right when it comes to me? ( he has another thought, but nothing as possessive as the previous. ) Or do you think I'm leading you astray on purpose? I'm beneath you, Saihara-kun, I can't say if you're wrong or if you're right.

( besides, even if he doesn't do that, he does have saihara standing right here with him, holding onto him, and making conversation. this is probably more than what komaeda could have asked for, actually. )

[unsurely]

[ he does wish komaeda would stop saying things like that... look, he can barely take an honest compliment as is, much less one that demeans the other person he's talking to in the process. he's never going to accept it if this is the form it takes. but in a way... maybe that's a form of dodging the requirement to talk about himself, too.

in the end, the only thing saihara truly knows about komaeda is that he doesn't know all that much after all. ]

...No, I don't think I'd mind if I was proven wrong. If anything, I'm telling you I might be more used to it than you think.

[ he shakes his head softly, then lets go at last, freeing his fingers from the fabric a little awkwardly as the more he consciously thinks about it, the more it sinks in what he did. at the time, he wasn't thinking about much except containing komaeda and also a way to repress his frustration so he could think before talking, but... ]

Ah, sorry. What I mean is... I'm only trying to get to know you, Komaeda-kun.

[commences]

( is it because he noticed? that he looked at that exact spot that saihara removed his hand, or was it the reminder of how insignificant komaeda is that he did so? even though the other's fingers no longer cling to his attire, he can still feel the phantom weight that's left behind, and then as time moves, it becomes light yet again. these actions are unfamiliar to komaeda, so he guesses that this way saihara's way of reprimanding him, and with his hold gone, it must not be needed anymore. his comprehension has never been on the same wavelength as others, sorry saihara.

it's because the subject has to do with hope.. that's what saihara is after all, especially to komaeda. so to hear that the ultimate detective doesn't being wrong, his eyes snap up immediately. the world he confides in is filled with talent for those who have it are rays of hope, and the thing about hope is that it's the absolute good. he lifts one hand, the same one whose sleeve the other had held onto, and komaeda settles it right against saihara's chest, over his heart. )

Do you know what you are? ( he leans forward, chuckling softly. ) The strength of your talent... of your hope... you're always right, no matter what anyone says! To deny hope and to say it's wrong... ( he blinks slow, and as his eyelids flutter back open — his eyes spin slowly, black and white as he becomes high off his own words. he speaks like it's all a known fact, and it should be.. ) That's a foolish world to live in! As long as your hope guides them, nothing you say or do is wrong! I want to see it, where it'll lead us... your hope, because you're right!

( on cue, he blinks again, his sickly, pale green eyes returning back to normal as he smiles softly to reassure the other. )

I'm nothing, Saihara-kun.

( he hums, as if he didn't do anything weird before. though, his hand flinches once he notices where it's settled, and he slowly pulls away. )

What you do know is that I'm indecent, a worthless human being who touched you.

[unsurely]

What...? Ah, hey, h-hold on...!

[ komaeda??? komaeda, what's that hand doing suddenly against his chest, please, what in the world are you thinking? it kind of cuts saihara's breath in his throat halfway through, and it's difficult to focus or to remember more words when... there's someone just looming over him, close enough that he swears he can feel just a trickle of air from every word on his skin. he ends up stepping back before he knows it, vaguely aware of the corner of a desk that digs sharply against the side of his leg.

it's not a lot of distance he's gained, but at least... enough to give himself room to process his own thoughts. ]

...

[ how does he begin to explain this? even after komaeda pulls away, he can still feel the hammering of his heart in his chest, a messy mix between some kind of residual panic and the suddenness of it all. and honestly? he can't say he's not happy to catch a break, but... does it need to be worded like that? ]

It's not... That's not what this was. I mean, I did want you to back up, but... it doesn't really have anything to do with it being you.

[ he ends up saying it softly, halfway through still trying to make sense of what he needs to explain. actually, it might have a little to do with that if he's being fully honest, but not in the way komaeda thinks or describes. ]

You were just... really close, Komaeda-kun, and... ah, we're still in the middle of a meeting after all? I'm having trouble making sense of this, that's true, but... you aren't worthless. I never said that.

[commences]

It has everything to do with me.

( it's why saihara moved away, and why his reaction to do so is justified by the simple fact that komaeda has no right doing so. on the scale that weighs them all, he means little compared to the other before him, and it's only fair if the ultimate detective can see komaeda for what he truly is. a disgrace that should have thought more on his actions before going any further to touch him. it's difficult when standing before a symbol of hope, and the chance to touch something — or someone that he's devoted himself to in hopes of achieving an outcome so tremendous it covers the world in its light is an exciting chance.

even though it was only for a moment, komaeda's eyes fall down to stare at the palm of his extremely pale hand, and slowly his fingers curl into a fist. this isn't frustration, more like, realization of what he had at a close proximity and then lost. )

Ah, sorry... to give myself that much self-importance was rude, considering when I'm nothing compared to you.

( saihara doesn't have to call him worthless because komaeda already knows the truth himself. in all honesty, he seems a little disappointed that the other hasn't come to terms with it yet. there's the idea that he hasn't made it obvious, and once his eyes finally lift from staring at his clenched fist, he drops his arms down by his side to gather his bearings. lifting his head, he watches saihara properly, taking a slow breath before a soft smile creeps back onto his features. )

I need to assist the Ultimates, and observe how the talentless handle their hope. ( he pauses, and he takes one more step towards saihara, but there's still some distance between them. ) I need to be used by you, Saihara-kun, and those are things that are obvious about me...

[trialbyliar]

[ ...what the fuck is he supposed to do with this??? ]