yogen | npc contact.3

[ Thank you for being one of the only students who eats with him. ]

It's going. How are things going with you, Amami? The last time we spoke, I got the impression you were determined to never see me again.

[ "it won't happen again" or something to that nature, but it isn't the first time nor will it be the last that Amami had walked into his office with blood on his hands. ]

That makes it sound pretty harsh. I thought I did pretty well, considering the circumstances.

( his almost-girlfriend had just died the week before, cut him some slack sir. besides, this is just a visit-visit — not even the practicum has stained his hands yet. )

Anyway, I'm doing better than I was. Figured I'd give this whole counselling thing another shot.

[ The circumstances were a lot. Frankly, he's surprised Amami had turned up at all, had taken a seat, had eaten a snack, rather than do the minimum of checking in before storming out the door. But he's not disappointed; if there were a time he most wishes to talk to a student, it's when loss is still raw, at the forefront of the mind.

He leans back on his desk, giving the Amami before him a look up and down. ... ]

I'm glad to hear you're doing better, and I hope we can have an honest conversation this time. What changed your mind?

( he's not a fan of the way mizuki seems to measure him up, honestly. there's even a part of amami that wants to interject — he didn't consider himself dishonest either. he manages to resist though and, after a moment where he seems to think it over, leans forward, hands loosely clasped and elbows resting on his knees. )

You mentioned before that you had high hopes for me. Thought maybe if I stopped by and gave this all another try, I could figure out what that was all about.

You're here for an ego boost, then? To hear me sing your praises? [ ... ] I'm only joking. Any reason to see me is a valid one.

[ Reel it in a little, Mizuki. This is why nobody pays you visits.

... ]

I didn't think it would be so hard to imagine why I think you'll do well. Do you not believe so? Why don't you take a guess. Don't be modest, now.

Nothing wrong with trying to build on your strengths.

( sounds better if you put it that way, but amami appreciates the assumed passive aggression all the same. )

Anyway, there is one reason I can think of, but I'd prefer if it wasn't that one. Wouldn't be fair if I assumed the worst of you.

Why wouldn't it be fair? You make your assumptions based on what you know, and whether that is good or bad should have no weight.

[ As long as there is a basis for the assumption, he will condone it. ]

You needn't hold back due to courtesy, nor be afraid of retaliation for speaking your mind. I'm interested in your honest, unfiltered thoughts, after all.

Well, I dunno how much you know about us when we come here...

( he's assuming it's a lot though, so letting the smile fall off his face, he'll look to the counsellor expectantly. )

But you might know that this isn't the first time I've been locked in a school where they expect us to kill each other.

( not even the second, for that matter. whether or not he performed well in those situations is up for debate, but either way, it's as they say: practice makes perfect. )

Yes.

[ There is no elaboration, just the confirmation. There's something he wants to correct Amami on as well, but that too he keeps quiet about. ]

How much do you remember?

( he shrugs, noncommittal. )

Only one, and in that case, I'm sure you also know that it didn't last too long.

( not for him anyway, but he can forgive himself for that. it's not easy when the mastermind themselves is willing to cheat their own game for you. )

[ It's still experience more than most, when they first enrolled in the school. But at this point, who here hasn't lived and died through multiple "killing games," regardless of whether they have the memory or not? The difference is negligible, in the long run. ]

At least there's something. What have you taken away from that experience?

( when you're really not good at counselling but you want outside but you also think this is a waste of time... he's considering just skipping to asking what needs to be done, but maybe he should play along a little longer first. he looks off to the side, sighs a bit, and glances back to mizuki. they like to pretend to be normal here, right? )

As it turns out, communication isn't optional. If you don't work together, it'll backfire on you.

That's a good lesson to take away.

[ How to get along is a lesson a person typically learns in preschool, but it's still a good one. The bar is on the ground. ]

You've been making friends, haven't you? People you can trust, people you can confide in... people you can work together with despite differences in belief.

Yeah, you could say that.

( ? speak for yourself mizuki, amami learned the opposite. but yeah, maybe... two or three friends... four? four sounds right. )

We'll have to help each other out if we want to figure anything out here.

[ stop learning the opposite of friendship, Yogen is about the power of friendship and teamwork, don't let me down ]

And? How's that been going for you?

We're getting there. For example, you and Miss Nurse have been here for quite a while haven't you, Sensei?

( he thought that was a big one!! next to (checks notes) the fire, the rule change, the tree being an amalgamation of suffering flesh souls. )

Ah, but we're supposed to be talking about me, right? There's still some things I'm aiming for that I haven't quite managed to figure out. Dunno if you're allowed ( or willing ) to give me advice on those though.

[ They sure have. It's not something he'd need to ban together with a group of friends to figure out, though; the counselor's freely stated how long he's been here. "A while." His exact words. ]

Of course, I will help out however I'm able. But you should only go to me as a last resort, Amami. Believe in those connections you've made for information and advice.

( it counts because half of them thought they needed convoluted plans just to meet him before. it counts!! )

Well, I probably wouldn't bother with asking you unless I was running out of options, if I'm honest.

( who wants to go to the murderer-encourager for actually useful advice? who expects him to actually give useful advice? not amami. )

But yeah, it's the kind of thing that nobody else can help me with. Some friends of mine had actually asked me about it before too, so I don't want to let them down. That's why I was wondering what it was about me that you had such high hopes for.

[ It's not convoluted? All you had to do was murder someone. ]

I have high hopes for you because...

[ ...

... ]

Well. Let's just say you remind me a bit of my past self. If people have expectations of you that you don't want to let down, however, you don't need to reaffirm my approval for that. My hope for you has no bearing on what you can achieve.

( ...

not sure how he feels about that one, but he'll smile like it's a compliment all the same. )

And if it does? ( he's quick to cut in on that one though. )

We're not allowed past the boundary you set up, off the school grounds, until "When Mizuki thinks you're good enough." I was trying to figure out what might constitute being good enough.

[ It's not but we can pretend

The quote makes him laugh, deep and throaty. ]

Akari said that, did she? I suppose I can take responsibility.

[ Such a flippant response... he gets why she said it, but still. He clears his throat for a more serious reply. ]

You have been off school ground before, even in this school year. Why did you come back?

I can't exactly leave everyone else behind, and there are still things I need to do here.

( the answer comes easily enough, because from the beginning he's had no intention of leaving this place alone — right down to his initial skepticism of graduation itself as an option for him. as much as he enjoyed his time in lanling, it wasn't his home, and it didn't have what he needed to do, and he knew that kamo-kun was waiting for him to return... he may have overstayed a little bit, but he had always been resolved that he would come back. it would've been pretty cowardly of him to set up there all on his own just because it was the easy way out of all this. )

So what do you plan to do in a forest?

[ If he wants to be around trees, there's one right in the courtyard. If he thinks he can reach a town or get outside help, he is a fool. There is nothing out there for him. ]

Well, I did end up with the survival club to look after, it'd be nice if we could expand our activities a bit. Our poor advisor, y'know, I think it'd make 'em really happy if we could go out some time.

( and if he really cared about his students, maybe that'd be enough of a selling point, but amami shrugs. )

Anyway, I wanted to check it out. If there's something there that'll help, that's great, but if there's nothing, then there's no harm in letting me either, right?

Your survival club that meets once a semester to keep miss student council president from axing it?

[ which reminds me, psa to all club presidents, club activity proof is due at the end of the month too ]

If your answer to "why should I let you leave" is "because I want to," you aren't impressing me. There are acres upon acres of forest, in all directions, and you would be wandering for an indeterminate amount of time without even knowing what you're looking for.

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V3 spoilers

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