yogen | player event: spring speed-dating festival

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dangan ronpa: kiyotaka ishimaru

player event: spring speed-dating festival

Speed-dating Spring Festival

Believe in your flyness, conquer your shyness.

breaking the ice

Lonely and looking for love? Friends, maybe? Well look no further—the ASUNARO-sponsored Spring Speed-dating Festival has begun. Join us in room 3-A, where participants will then be given an assignment of "even" or "odd" and seated at a numbered table. You only have so long to talk to your partner before the bell rings and it's time to move on, but not to worry, if you find someone you like, the two of you can step out together! At the end of each round, "even" players will stay at their tables, and "odd" will move to the next. This is mostly flavour, but there is one important piece to keep in mind: in the interest of nobody being left out, leaving before the end of the event is only allowed in pairs.

Better hope you find someone you click with!

Icebreakers:

1. Do you have a party trick?
2. Exploring or lazing on the beach?
3. If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
5. If your friends compared you to an animal, which animal would it be?
6. A human hand extends out of the toilet! What do you do?
7. What would be the title of your biography?

Or anything else you can think of!

getting to know each other

So you've found someone you vibe with—congratulations! The next step is getting to know each other a little more. Cementing the bond, y'know? But high school is maybe a little young for marriage, so let's stick to the dates.

For the duration of the festival, classroom 3-E has been transformed into a makeshift movie theatre. Stop in with your date to watch one of these heart-racing movies, guaranteed to bring you and your date closer together! For the more romantic of the bunch, classroom 3-B will be home to dance lessons. Find a partner and get to know a Waltz, Argentine Tango, or request another, and try not to step on each other's feet as you get up-close and personal.

Movie showings: (CW: They're all horror)

April 25: Other Side of the Box
April 26: My Best Friend's Wedding
April 27: The Ballerina
April 28: Don't Look Away
April 29: The Mandela Catalogue Part.1

together forever

At the end of the event, two lucky winners will receive a secret grand prize!

Anyone else who finds someone willing to pair up with them can write both of their names for entry into a raffle for a runner-up prize. Winners of the raffle will be given the choice between riches, quality of life, or valuable information as a thanks for participating and a congratulations on their new life together.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He's aware that Helena chose to attend the event of her own will, and as far as he could tell from a distance, she enjoyed it. Though he'd considered speaking with her there, he thought better of it — after all, she really might be hoping to meet a potential significant other, and scaring off even worthy individuals would be no good. That, and it could be dangerous to let Midori discover that Helena has befriended both his former target, as well as his perceived murderer... Seeing him lurking around her at one point was worrying.

Her abrupt departure is no less so — it's the reason why Alice now seeks her out for an unannounced visit, poking his head into the room once he knows to enter freely. Perhaps she merely grew tired from the excursion, still recovering, and she'll have other visitors, but he won't forget that she was pleased that he came to join Shin Tsukimi, the other day. ]

...Helena?

[seated on the bed in the nurse's office, she has one of her textbooks to the side, her other hand holding her stylus and dutifully recording down information and answers. studying, by all looks, though the event isn't done for the day. she pauses, fingers stilling on the page.]

Alice...what brings you here?

[right now, she means. wasn't he enjoying himself out at the event? whatever she feels about it, after Maple's words - she's good at pretending. pushing it down, folding it in her hands so small, and hiding it in the palm of her hand. it's better this way. it's quiet - it's lonely, but it's nothing unbearable.]

[ Oh, it's schoolwork again... Such diligence! But then, Helena has missed over a week of classes, so no wonder she's taking steps to make sure that she catches up and doesn't fall behind. She doesn't seem to be overly exhausted, either.

Today, however, visiting her may be an unwanted interruption, and Alice hesitates. Still, he steps all the way into the nurse's office, closing the door behind him, instead of taking up the doorway and continuing to speak from afar. ]

I... thought to confirm that you hadn't vanished into thin air.

[ It's the truth! She disappeared so suddenly, slipping away unseen! ]

Since I've ascertained that you're here, and you're clearly solid, I suppose I should leave you to your studying...

You don't have to run away so soon. I know it was rather abrupt. But...there's just much to do, and perhaps it's better if I tend to things here instead of being there.

[she smiles, calm and contained, eyes betraying nothing. history work is merely...filling space, at this time.]

...Tell me, are you enjoying the entire event? Is it making you happy?

[ He doesn't flee, approaching the bed in a few more strides. His footfalls are deliberately heavier; he can avoid making too much noise, but he isn't sure what cues Helena listens for to maintain her orientation, and it strikes him as less disconcerting to let his whereabouts register uninterrupted.

This time, he pulls over a chair himself to take a seat, rather than talking from somewhere far above Helena's head. Her questions give him pause.

Wasn't she having fun? She's a good student, so staying longer couldn't do any harm, could it? ]

The event... [ It would definitely be a lie to say that he was enjoying the entire event — hopefully Helena didn't overhear his strange roleplay with Midori! ] Honestly, it wasn't that I attended it for the... err... the expected reasons. However, I won't deny that some people were pleasant conversation partners.

[ And Dynamo was endearing! ]

And you? Do you intend to return after you've made more progress?

No. I've done all I can, I think.

[or all she should do. it's not right for her to be there - it's cruel, isn't it, to be spying on people like that. even if it was just borrowing some happiness for a little while. the best she can do is not take up too much space in that realm.

how can she delicately put it? Alice is a kind person - she doesn't want to burden him with her own doubts, but she can't make it seem as though nothing happened, because it did. perhaps just clinging to tiredness, to the veil of her injury, will be enough.]

It's a shame to miss it, but I really do hope that some people find this to be just the nudge they need to let their feelings out.

[ These are odd things to say, Alice thinks. He regards Helena with a frown, pensive — is it truly about her missed schoolwork? To his ears, her words are an admission that she wishes to experience more of that event, but she's denying herself what she seems to view as an indulgence.

Finally, leaning back in his seat, Alice shakes his head. ]

I don't see why you should miss out, Helena. If you were enjoying yourself, I mean, and hope to meet such people... It's hardly so many hours that your grades would suffer!

[ And the event spans a few days, so there's still time left, if it's a matter of resting first. What Alice has observed so far hasn't been alarming, with the exception of Midori so focused on Helena. ]

...Of course, you shouldn't push yourself to work hard or to have fun, without rest.

[she smiles, closing one of the textbooks gently.]

Hmm, how should I put this...I wonder if some people would feel differently about attending if they understood that there's someone who was listening, hoping to gather some insight instead of engaging in their own pursuits. Pursuits that may be...ill fated. Or destined never to complete at all.

[ Someone who was listening, hoping to gather some insight... Alice stiffens in his chair, heart lurching uneasily. Helena's phrasing is polite and indirect, and he wants to believe that he's mistaken — some of it is quite mysterious and mystifying, even a little ominous — but there's a possibility that she's discreetly telling him that he should have minded his own business, isn't there?!

If he ruined her enjoyment of the event, or really did drive people away... ]

W-Was someone like that there...?

[ He should explain — he will. ]

Well, even if that's the case, that person isn't acting maliciously. And there aren't any rules stating that attendees are only allowed to be there if they're actively pursuing a romantic relationship!

...You...wouldn't think that was a strange thing? For someone like that to show to such an event, despite their status?

[does he not think it strange and cruel of her? that's a rather nice thing to find out.]

Why would I think that?

[ Increasingly perplexed and uneasy, Alice shifts in his seat with a rustle of fabric. The same sound, quieter, repeats a moment later; Alice's fingers fidget with a fistful of his shirt. ]

Observing the event to gather insight doesn't harm anyone. I'm sure that plenty of people do it, so I don't find it strange...!

[ A heartbeat. Alice searches Helena's expression. ]

But that's another reason why you left so abruptly... Correct?

[her expression shifts some. caught out, at least for some of it. she won't bring Maple down by saying what happened there, but the guilt had definitely crept into her heart and poisoned everything.]

That is...

[the stylus in her hands gets fiddled with, something to touch, to center herself in.]

I don't ever wish to make someone else uncomfortable. Even if I have an explanation.

[ Helena's answer is something else to ponder, and so is the change in her expression. Brows drawn together, Alice examines both — any reproach in her earlier remarks wasn't meant for him. They take on a different shape altogether, somewhat clearer to understand: for some reason, Helena feels ashamed, doesn't she?

She means herself, describing her actions like spying on others, nosily prying into their affairs. ]

...Did someone say that to you? That you've made them uncomfortable? It's rather difficult to imagine it, you know.

It was...pointed out that even if I'm fond of the stories I can observe, it's an unkind thing.

[that's not precisely what Maple said, but it's how it feels to her, how she's interpreting the words. she had confessed something quite private, quite vulnerable, and it had been soundly shot down and rejected. how else can she take it, except as a reprimand? one that didn't cut in quite the same lines but reminded her that such actions were in the end foolish and illogical. they only made her dream about things she can't have, she won't have, because even if she tried...

it's not kind, to spy on others. this pointed out makes Helena feel so, so small. things like classwork, there are rules and structures to follow. it's easy to do, to bury her mind in it. ]

...oh, I know this will reflect ill on me, but I do listen. To other people, I mean. What they say and do around me, when they think I'm not paying attention, about things that I haven't experienced or that I'm unlikely to. I only want to know, but...

[she's waiting, waiting for the sound of his scolding or his leaving. something that justifies how inside she aches, a bruise left on her heart.]

It's a bad habit, I know. One I need to break.

[ For a few moments, there's nothing save the sound of Alice still nearby, the slight surprised shift in his breathing. He's piecing together what he hears, arranging the picture formed bit by bit, but something must be missing, or he doesn't entirely understand what Helena sees as such a bad habit. What someone criticized as unkind.

It's not as if Helena goes around spreading rumors or doing anything else with her observations against people's wishes. That would come as a shock. ]

You're saying that the people you were observing found out, and they thought that you were eavesdropping creepily?

[ To live vicariously through their experiences? Even that doesn't sound like something to equate with malice, in his view — it reminds him of Kanna Kizuchi's apparent interest in discovering people's types. ]

Or that it was strange that you weren't... engaging in your own pursuits?

Something of a mix of both.

[because Maple had been concerned about the latter, but then it had shifted to the former. her hands, turning the stylus in them, betray her mind running at top speed.]

It isn't as though I don't want to, I... [take a breath. no, try again. her hands still.] If they think my actions need to be altered, then they do. I just...wanted to know, from my heart, about it. So I could write about it, but also for myself. After all...for happiness like that...that's as near as I'll get.

[there's a hint in her voice of something pensive, like a shape underwater. something farther away than a simple answer.]

[ He'd thought that he was beginning to understand Helena's reasoning, but it's slipping through his fingers again — that final note, strangely forlorn, tugs it from his grasp. "Happiness like that"... Romantic connections, in other words? But why shouldn't she experience that herself, if it appeals to her?

Why shouldn't she write about such topics, not to gossip, but the way novelists and poets already do? ]

Perhaps it's a misunderstanding? [ In Alice's voice, there's distinct puzzlement. ] Some people grow up more sheltered than others, and it's not their fault... And it's natural to be curious.

[ Besides, Helena isn't an old man stalking young couples or anything that could objectively be questioned as suspicious behavior! ]

That said, I'm certain that you could... well, gather personal experiences sooner or later...

That's...not very likely, Alice.

[how does she say this in a kind way, that doesn't portray her bitterness? how does she explain to him what she knows of as facts in the world?]

I'm not someone who would be chosen for that. I've known that for a long time. As self-sufficient as I can ever get, no one would think about a serious future with a woman who couldn't give what was expected to a home, when she needs care herself.

[it had been carefully, firmly explained to her. and it was better that she avoid flirtations that only would seek to toy with her than to hurt herself trying for the impossible.]

So what I do learn...comes from books, and secondhand accounts, and what happens around me. That's what I mean.

[ Hearing that, Alice sits up with such sudden force that he almost knocks his chair over. ]

What?! That's—

[ Ridiculous, he wants to say. It's utter nonsense! For one, Helena is easily one of the most capable people he has ever met, and the idea that anyone would reject her as somehow inadequate based on antiquated notions of a woman's role and her blindness is appalling.

Then it occurs to him that Helena genuinely believes it, from beginning to end — that such thoughts don't materialize out of nowhere. She states them as though they're facts, a reality that she has resigned herself to accept, but surely it hurts her, if it makes her feel alone.

Alice searches for more careful words to disagree, ones that won't trample all over Helena's feelings on the matter, treating her as foolish. ]

If anyone thinks such things, they would plainly be no one worth your time...!

[the intensity in his words surprises her. why does this catch him off guard? why do these ways of the world that she knows seem to confuse him so deeply. startled from the sound, she can only blink, lost at his statement.]

But isn't that most people? Someone would have to be extraordinarily patient to be otherwise. And if there were other, more attractive options for companionship, naturally they'd gravitate to them.

Really, Alice...you don't have to spare my feelings for this. I already understand.

Helena...

[ The name alone is uttered in protest, dismayed, and there's a great deal that could follow immediately, in a torrent, if not for the realization that Helena would see it as nothing more than forced politeness. If she thinks of herself as such a burden, tolerated at best, all assertions to the contrary sound like lies to her, don't they?

The strain of holding back leaks into Alice's tone. ]

Have they said so? Other people?

[ That Helena's company could only ever be an obligation to put up with, that it's some kind of sacrifice or a last resort to endure it? ]

What sort of selfish— Then they can have a serious future with a battery-powered vacuum cleaner or a microwave oven until they reconsider their absurd priorities!!

That...that doesn't make sense. Who'd do such a thing?

[it's a tissue thin shield to hide what she really means. how could it be selfish, to consider a future with someone else? if they needed someone more capable, then that was what they needed. so why does he react so vehemently to the idea? it's painful to admit these things, to say them aloud, but him countering it...]

...is...that not how it is?

[at least in his world?]

It's the life that the likes of these types would deserve!

[ Of course no one marries household appliances, but that's beside the point! Helena seems taken aback, however, put on the spot, and Alice wonders whether she's reluctant to point fingers at anyone, even if they aren't anywhere here to see the error of their ways. Identifying them isn't necessary, at any rate — the thoughts exist, convincing Helena of things that aren't true. ]

I won't pretend that everyone even in this day and age disagrees with that kind of thinking... But I doubt that most people seek relationships based on such expectations! Other factors are far more important — emotional connections, for example. I'm sure of it!

[ A "serious future" would be incredibly unfulfilling, if the relationship is closer to hiring someone as a servant... ]

...That is what I'd like to believe - that the freedoms of now would allow people to choose based on their heart, before anything else. And that is what I had been hoping to observe, in these festivities.

[just. not extending the same hopes to herself so far. it had been a surprise to adapt to the less serious nature of dating in the first place, but it had nurtured new thoughts, new ideas, and a wish to truly understand. and yet, these things take time...]

Was it completely disappointing, in the end?

[ Or was it only that because it was cut short before Helena could experience much of said festivities? Let alone become better acquainted with anyone interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to pursue any budding feelings...

What did she observe? He'd thought that she had fun — then again, he couldn't keep track of absolutely every second of everything himself, least of all when Midori came to make his rounds. ]

...The substitute school nurse and I aren't really former lovers, for the record! Don't consider any of that an example of... insight!

[ Far from it... Very, very far. Alice grimaces at the memory, but he settles to study Helena for something to reveal her opinion of Midori. ]

player event: spring speed-dating festival

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