yogen | six reconnections ➱ open feb catch-all;

Entry tags:

kokoro connect: himeko inaba

six reconnections ➱ open feb catch-all;

Who: Himeko Inaba and YOU.
What: Catch-all log for February
When: Throughout February.
Where: Various locations as listed.
Warnings: None for now, but will be updated as necessary.

↳ option one. ( during the disney trip, but not at disney )

[Perhaps you're one of the plucky ones that decided to say no to Disney, like Inaba and find yourselves rather bored--and well, given that everything is basically self-study now and Inaba is, well, not exactly hurting in terms of her studies, as she was a naturally good test taker. And on top of that, she was actually decent at math, so it's actually rather...

Well - it certainly doesn't push all her worries, but it definitely allows her to relax a bit, knowing that having an emptier school meant all the nuisances were gone, albeit temporarily.

Which also meant that she could do as she pleased. Hence for those who might still be around, they might notice her in various places, but especially on the second floor - particularly in the cooking room and workshop.

What she can be found doing in the cooking room is well, trying to teach herself how to cook a little better--it's something that she had been doing before, back home and is something that she wants to carry over here. Even more so since it's actually a matter of survival.

Probably doesn't help that she's not all that great of a chef and finds it rather frustrating to do so...]

[But she can't rely on others to cook for her in the first place!! What if someone decides to take advantage of that...! Well, at the very least, she isn't blowing up the kitchen and is instead just frustratedly staring at her cooking notes. It's probably fine.]

↳ option two. ( feb 12th )

[So. How about that tuition, huh?

Inaba, someone who looks at the PDA when she has the time to, even if she doesn't reply to everyone's antics, given the way she is.

But then that ping goes off and well...

...time for her to investigate the matter! People might notice her snooping around places where faculty may be while trying to be natural about it; not to mention that she's polite about it and all. But it's odd that she's trying to be so proactive and trying to actually talk to people, isn't it?

Hm.]

↳ option three. ( valentine's day )

[Otherwise known as "the worst day in Inaba Himeko's existence".

She's awfully aware of what day today is and while she's already naturally distant to most people, today is a day where she's... well, not in the best state. In fact anyone who is a third year, or teaches third years will probably notice that she's looking a lot more lethargic, and not in a 'she hasn't slept' way but she also has bags under her eyes showing that she hasn't slept much lately.

People who are observant will definitely notice that she's fiddling with her pendant idly, sighing heavily every now and again to the point where it's honestly just kind of sad.

After classes, she actively avoids people, wanting to find a room without people--or well. At best a place that she can keep herself distracted.

Which is why she chooses the library, stockpiling on a lot of random books. But none of them are romantic in nature. It's fine.]

↳ option four. ( wildcard )

[I wrote this all at 3AM, come @ me with anything else you want to do with Inaba, I'm down for a lot. She isn't going to Disney, but if anybody wanted to attempt to convince her prior to it, feel free to make An Attempt at least. Feel free to hmu at

tsundereban or on the Discord to plot something out!!]

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You figured out a lot. [ She puts her pencil in her mouth, trying to both think of the right math answer and also process her response to Inaba. ] I dunno... it's like you're a natural at mystery games, or something.

[ Of course with her duplicate, that's because she had more real-life experience than she should have, so... maybe it's the same with Inaba? ]

... I'm Nanami Chiaki. [ Inaba might already know that, though. But it's only polite to exchange names, right? ]

I wouldn't really say that I figured out much of anything, really. Still stuck on a few things, but I'm sure that can be cleared out eventually.

[She sighs, again.]

It might have been better if I had actually checked the scenes for myself, if I'm going to be honest. But I didn't, so I have a disadvantage. Which kind of sucks to be me I guess, but it's not as if I really have to participate in solving this case. There's not much of a point, really, if I'm going to be honest. The killer already did what they needed to; at this point in the game, they're just simply watching, sneering at us. Honestly, they could reveal themselves and...then what? Sure, people will probably make an attempt to punch the living lights out of them, but there's no real consequences. It's all just hollow, I suppose. That's my two cents, anyway.

In any case, my ability is just something that I've honed over the years. Observation and analysis is a hobby of mine, so there's a few things that I pick up on pretty easily. And taking into account the larger picture and what options are there is just like connecting the dots. Kind of like a roadmap, or -- [She glances at the guide, and decides:] choices in a video game that split off into different branches. You just need to be able to think of what possibilities can lead into the same branch, that's all.

I'd say 'nice to meet you', but this place isn't the best for proper introductions like that.

[She says it so casually with a shrug of her shoulders.]

Do you have a preference on which name to be referred by? It must be hard when the two of you have the same full name.

Do you think they did? [ Her face falls, and she resorts to slowly doodling on the corner of her notepad - just little flowers, just something to do with her hands. ] We didn't figure out M-Maya in time, and.... then there was Hiro... what if they do it again? [ She can hardly bear the thought of another one of her friends dying. ]

But... I can't really think of anything else... [ And she hasn't really had enough focus to think about it much recently anyway, since... yeah. ]

[ She pauses in her doodling when Inaba asks the other question. ] Ah... I... [ She uneasily looks away. ] We... usually we've just been telling each other what's been happening... so that if anybody approaches one of us and thinks it's the other one... it's not a bad thing, really. We're really similar, anyway...

But... we haven't talked as much recently, so... [ She swallows. So that's a burden to people, probably, if they don't figure out an answer. ] I'm... not sure?

"In time" implies that there was a time limit to begin with. We don't even know for sure if Maya and the vice principal's killer was the same person as Hiro's.

[Just putting that on the table for a moment.]

Although it wouldn't be a shock if they were. But if you consider the potential motive, it doesn't really make any sense to kill Hiro if killing the vice principal and Maya gave them what they wanted... at least, not for the motive that everyone's been thinking on.

[It doesn't make any sense to her, why someone would kill Hiro if they weren't caught. In fact, Hiro had stabbed Miyuki because he was an easy scapegoat. Not to mention that there's Subaru, too...

All of it is strange, in her eyes.]

I suppose that there is one motive to kill Hiro if it's the same killer--ah, no. Maybe two, actually? But I'm not completely sure if that's the case or not.

Since nobody solved the case they didn't really need to do anything more than that. Killing another person on top of that only causes more of their hand to be shown. Of course, there's always exceptions to that rule. Like JTR.

In any case, unless they're killing people indiscriminately, I don't think they really have a reason to go attack someone else. But I'm just speaking about that specific killer. I couldn't tell you if someone else would try something, especially here.

[She says that really casually without even pausing, only feeling half confident in her thoughts.]

It's not important what the other one thinks right now, though. I'm not talking to that Nanami Chiaki right now, am I? You're your own person, you know. Even if you look alike and are somewhat similar, there's still differences that people can pick up if they're paying close enough attention.

[Well, Inaba's already noticed enough to tell, even if it takes her a few seconds.]

So what do you want?

[ So there could be two killers. More, even. She clenches her fists, nearly breaking the pencil she's holding. ]

Why? I just... don't understand... why anybody would do that... we're already dead... isn't that enough?

[ Wouldn't being dead be bad enough... torn away from your home and your loved ones, without also taking that out on the people around you? Why does she have to face the threat of dying again? It doesn't seem fair at all.

The other question brings her up short, though. ]

Mm... [ Actually, being asked is a bit of an unexpected kindness. She can't help but smile a little at the question. ] You can call me Chiaki if you like... that would be fine, I think.

You would think that, but some of the people here are...

[She trails off.

There isn't a single word that she can use to properly describe how this group can be. And if she started griping, she'd be here for days.]

And even before the whole "everyone is dead" reveal, people still killed. For lesser reasons. In terms of these specific murders, however, there's a few motives that I can think of, based on the information that we know now.

If we keep into consideration that the vice principal might have been called out by the killer versus Maya, what seems to be most likely the motive is to change the school and manipulate those changes.

The vice principal gives out merit points to those who kill; it's one of the 'perks', so to speak, of causing a murder. And given how things are here, merit points are most likely needed to graduate from this school, but they've also been used to buy things. There was an auction, for example, really early in the school year where you could bid on certain things. Although it doesn't look like anything of that nature's come up again.

And then there's the contract for Maya--since it looks like killing her causes the contract to change, now the contract is in the hands of Ishimaru. Of a "transfer student". You see where I'm going with this, right?

It's possible they killed those two for that reason. As for Hiro, if I had to guess... the motive might have been as simple as ending his suffering, or something like that. I'm not too sure on that one, but it's a guess.

[...]

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there.

[The apology is said just as casually.]

Chiaki, then. [No honorifics. She's this kind of person, unfortunately.] I'm not a nickname person, so that works fine for me.

[ She'd asked the question in a moment of despair, because everything already feels so hard sometimes without people killing each other...

But actually, the careful and logical exploration of motives that Inaba launches into is interesting. And expected from the type of character she's slowly started learning Inaba is, during the investigation meetings.

So she sits quietly and listens, her doodling paused. She frowns. If this was an Ace Attorney game... what pieces would she try to fit together? ]

You think somebody attacked her because of the contract? But... do you think that would mean Ishimaru-kun is in trouble next?...

[ One of her schoolmates from Hope's Peak, and now again here... Ishimaru's been sweet to her. It's awful to think about--

But the conversation switches back around to the other topic. ] Thank you, Inaba-san. Mm... maybe you should ask her what she wants too, sometime. But she might end up giving the same answer?...

I think it's very likely. Well, it might not be the actual motive, however--there are plenty of other reasons that the both of them could have been killed, but I don't think that Ishimaru himself is in any immediate danger. Or in danger at all, even. At least, not from this specific killer.

[That's what she thinks. That's what she vehemently believes, truly.

She shakes her head, however.]

It's nothing you need to thank me for, though. I just said what's natural. Well, I can just explain it to her. I think she's most likely reasonable enough to understand if I do that.

[ A couple more pieces are put together. ] So you think... [ Sorry, Inaba, even if this is a thought process you're not completely clear on, it's a thought process Nanami wants to follow through on. ] You think... maybe somebody wanted the... contract, to be in the hands of a transfer student... [ She frowns. She'll have to talk to Ishimaru later about this. ]

You sound like... you've been here for a while. [ Playing with her pencil, not quite setting it back to paper yet. ] Is it really so bad here? So many murders? I've heard most people don't even remember their deaths...

[ And that sounds like a two-edged sword: perhaps it would give people a bit more perspective, make them not want to die or be killed again. But on the other hand... remembering it is horrible. She involuntarily shudders. ]

Since before the beginning of the school year, actually. But most likely potentially longer than that...

[Her fingers reach to her wrist, where the five tally marks are.]

Maya wasn't the first student council member that got killed. There were also whole nine murders that happened at around the same time a few months back, too. So yeah, not the first time.

And I don't remember my own death, if you want confirmation on that whole thing... but I want to know. About the things I don't remember.

[ The school year's almost over. ] That's almost a year...! [ And she might have even been here longer and not known it?

She looks at her own wrist - two tally marks. She thinks, because of her own two deaths. She quickly covers it again with her sleeve. She doesn't want to think about it too much. ]

Mm... are you sure you do? [ She goes back to doodling again, quickly, to distract herself. ] If you do remember... I hope it ... it was peaceful.

[ Not like hers. ]

[She nods fully confident.]

I do. I don't think I can stand not knowing what happened to me back home... or how I got all of these tallies. Whether it's good or bad, I think I deserve to know the truth. It'd be unfair to me otherwise.

I don't plan on running away from pain.

[ She doodles silently for a long while while she thinks. It's an admirable emotion, that Inaba's put forth. She doesn't know how she feels about that, herself.

Maybe a younger version of her would walk into fire no matter what, because she always believes there's a chance she could come out okay on the other side. Some part of her knows that she still would do that.

And she doesn't want to forget her home. She doesn't want to forget her friends. She couldn't bear not being able to remember their faces.

But ... the nightmares haunt her, even when she isn't asleep. And she's just so tired.

Still, she can't help being impressed by Inaba's steadfastness. So eventually she nods, rubbing her eyes to dispel the sleepiness, to bring her back to reality. ]

That's... good of you, Inaba-san... [ She glances at Inaba. ] Even if you want to know everything... it's for good reasons, I think.

Hm, I wouldn't say that it's good, really... or that I'm doing it for good reasons. It's all simple and selfish.

[...]

Do you need help with those math problems, by the way?

[ Is it? What does selfish even mean anymore? Especially in the afterlife?

But those questions are pushed out of Nanami's mind by Inaba's other one. ] Oh! Ah... maybe? [ She shows Inaba the problem she's stuck on - it's trigonometry. ]

It's been a while since I've had a real math class, so I'm still getting used to it again... [ This despite the fact that she's clearly wearing a school uniform - and it isn't Yogen's. ]

[A lot of people are awful at math, so it doesn't come to her as much of a surprise when someone is struggling.]

I can help out with that. I'm pretty good at math myself, and I've been writing a guide... anyway, trig's not too bad.

[Inaba's wearing the Yogen school uniform herself, but that's mostly to keep a sense of normalcy.]

Is there anything in particular you don't understand? I can share my notes if you'd like.

[ALTHOUGH TBH INABA WOULD KNOW TRIG VERY WELL AND EASILY EXPLAIN AS NEEDED but i unfortunately do not, so]

Edited 2022-02-22 09:18 (UTC)

[ She twirls her pencil while she thinks. ] Mmm... sometimes the teacher's explanations are sort of short, so... seeing how somebody else thinks about it might help.

[ It's not too surprising, though, that somebody as analytically-minded as Inaba is good at math. ] Thank you... um, I don't know how I could repay you really, but... do you want to come to game club sometime? I don't know what you do after school, but I'm there a lot of days and it's pretty fun.

Yeah, some of the math teachers here are honestly not great. But it's not something that you need to repay me for. I was already working on stuff to help people with math to begin with, so if this works for students that are already here, then I can keep it. And if there's something that still is difficult, then I can adjust to it. That's already enough for me.

[Just puts it plainly.]

I'm usually free after classes since I'm not in any of the clubs. I can probably pop in the game club for a day, I suppose.

You're not? [ Huh.

Come to think of it, she hasn't ever seen Inaba in the dorms... ] I don't think I really see you much after school, Inaba-san... what do you usually end up doing?

Have no reason to join a club.

[That, and she simply doesn't want to. The only club for her is the CRC--one that she isn't even in, anymore.]

Mm... I mostly keep to myself. Sometimes I'll visit the robotics club for some parts for my laptop, sometimes I do other things. It's not really anybody's business, though.

That does seem like a really smart club to join.

[ By which she means - a club for really smart people. She smiles a little. ] So that means that I wouldn't be dragging you away from something to bring you to Game Club, huh?

It's a fucking sausage fest, though. Which is why I don't join it.

[It's not the only reason. But it's a reason.]

And no - well, unless I'm busy doing something important.

Then I'll definitely bring you sometime, Inaba-san.

[ She hesitates and frowns at her papers. ] Well, once I'm done with all this, anyway...

That might be a while... are you sure you'll even finish today?

[Honestly Inaba could stay here all she wants, she's in no rush. Although she could also sneak off later, too.]

Well...

[ She looks back down at how much she has left. A lot... there's a lot of problems left. ]

M-maybe I should leave some of it for another day... [ She rubs her eyes. It's hard for her to focus, anyway, the sleepier she's been getting over the course of the afternoon. ]

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dereban - 2022-03-01 06:26 (UTC) - Expand

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