twelve reconnections ➱ username: h. inaba

[dereban]

Just a short PSA: starting any rumors about murders is messed up. Don't do it. 0/10, do not recommend.

Other than that, a few things:

1) I'm a part of the student council now, and while I might be new to the job, if there's any assistance that I can help with, please don't hesitate to let me know.
2) I've finished up a guide draft for most subjects -- if anybody wants to take a look at it for any edits or additions, feel free to give me a heads up.

And with that aside, I suppose I have a personal and admittedly selfish inquiry of my own.

If anybody is willing to hear a girl out on a personal matter regarding relationships, I'd appreciate it. It's something that I'd rather do in person, but I just wanted to put feelers out there.

Anyway, that's it from me!

Comments

[taketori]

[ It isn't. He knows it isn't. They have to talk about what happened, but there's something just intrinsically terrifying down that path. Miyuki just knows it.

It's a ploy to hope that something can jump start his mind into figuring out the best way to tackle this. Suddenly, it's like he doesn't even know how to talk to Inaba as a friend.

...a friend, huh. How hard had he tried to convince Inaba that isolating herself would only make her feel worse, that she still occasionally needed to accept help even if she couldn't trust anyone? That all things considered... he trusts her, when he has absolutely no reason to.

Except, of course, the fact that she saved his life. But she didn't want a half-assed reason like that.

Deep down, he could only imagine part of it being that she was one of the seemingly normal transfer students in this mixed up bloodthirsty school. Between robots, magic, unnatural luck, and the supernatural nature of the school, Inaba actually felt like a classmate.

No, it wasn't just that, was it? It was something more selfish than that.

...it's not fair to her. ]

I'm sorry.

[ Miyuki places his head down, palms flat against the table. ]

For the things I've done, might have said last month, I sincerely apologize.

[dereban]

Huh?

[ She's taken aback by his apology as her eyes widen and actually look at him properly. ]

Um... about last month?

[ It isn't as if she doesn't remember it. She has full clarity on what happened. And she's trying to keep her cool. 'Trying' being the key word here. ]

You don't need to apologize to me for that. I mean, that wasn't your fault.

[taketori]

I know, but--

[ He pauses, searching for his words. How to actually express this... ]

--When you told me last month that I wouldn't understand what was going on... you were right. I wanted to believe that it wasn't as difficult to fight against as it was, but I was wrong.

I should've taken this more seriously.

[dereban]

It can't be helped.

[ She doesn't like saying that, her discomfort growing more evident -- not towards him, but rather, the situation. ]

I was also careless... so let's just say that we're both at fault and call it even in that regard. In any case. I plan on kicking the ass of whatever caused it in the first place.

[taketori]

[ Can they call it even? There's just a bitter taste in his mouth over the whole thing. ]

If it can't be helped, what are we meant to do if it happens again? I don't want to make it a point to avoid you. Plus if that influence is that strong, then...

[ Ishimaru would be in danger. ]

[dereban]

I said "it can't be helped", but that doesn't mean that we can't stop it.

[ There's a strangely determined glint in her eye. ]

I said it, didn't I? That I'm going to kick the ass of whatever's behind it. Which means that I'm not allowing it to happen a second time. They can fucking suck it for all I care, I'm going to fight.

Although it's true that a countermeasure should be thought of... well, if they're using 'rumors' as influence, then you just have to fight back with a stronger 'rumor'.

[taketori]

...!

[ That determination's admirable as hell. Fighting against that will, something that sounds impossible... if anyone can do it, it'd be someone who's had to deal with it before. ]

If that's the case-- well, I don't have to tell you.

[ He'll help how he can. ]

Who's really to say that we don't already have that influence? Who's better to spread rumors than us?

[dereban]

That's the spirit. In any case, the best kinds of rumors tend to be juicy gossip. Romance is the most common and easiest one to do, but any huge scandals would also work. Word of mouth is how they seem to spread easily, but what works better from experience is nice hard proof, of a sort. Newspapers are the best option for that sort of thing--photographs and a whole article.

But now the problem comes to this: what rumor would we even spread to counteract what's already there? Something that would outright negate it would be best, but that would mean putting on a show for everyone...?

[taketori]

In some cases, it has to be something that starts small and snowballs into something bigger. I don't mind the idea of using a photograph, but there's also merit to putting on a show so to speak. Having a conversation that sounds coded enough that somebody eavesdropping may think it's worth sharing.

Is it even possible to spread a rumor about the school itself? Something that can effectively put an end to this nonsense once and for all?

[dereban]

I mean, I was thinking of staging a public breakup in the early parts of last month...

[ INABA??? ]

Even if that was possible, that wouldn't answer the questions that I have about everything.

[taketori]

[ ...holy SHIT he dodged a bullet? ]

R...Right. I think we might've at least laid the groundwork for that through the school network. The rest probably isn't needed.

[ Anyway. ]

...I take it, relating to what happened last year?

[dereban]

Part of it, yeah. But there's other things besides that as well.

[taketori]

...

Am I allowed to ask what, exactly?

[dereban]

You can but it's a lot--but the major one revolves around "is there a deeper meaning to the term 'transfer student'?"

[taketori]

You know, I never thought of that. Considering the nature of the school, what makes us transfers compared to the other students?

[ Which... hm, he does have a thought. ]

I wonder. If one of the transfer students was rumored to not be a transfer at all, would we be able to see a difference?

[dereban]

Yeah. I had been thinking about it a bit -- how it might have been something regarding our memories, or how we're the ones who can't leave the school properly unlike the others, but... is that really just it? If this is the afterlife, why have 'transfers' in the first place? It doesn't make sense to me, unless there's some deeper meaning to it.

[ ... ]

That wouldn't work. For some reason, everyone inexplicably can tell the difference between transfers and non-transfers. It's... odd, really. How can they just-- tell? Like, I get it with most of the others, since like... they don't blend in very well.

[ They don't have the stereotypical dark hair and eye color. ]

Arguably, I'm the closest, looks-wise, but given everything that's happened lately, there's no way anyone would believe that rumor if I was used for it.

[taketori]

...

Well, maybe if I dyed my hair? [ He says, pulling on a bang... ]

[dereban]

No. Not allowed. You're banned from it, too.

[taketori]

Why not? I've kind of wondered how I'd look with darker hair. It might wind up looking pretty cool.

[ With all of the confidence of a Chuunibyou. ]

[dereban]

Oh, when you put it that way...

[ There's a pause. A glimmer of hope in the darkness. ]

...absolutely not. What are you, a middle schooler who missed their edgy, rebellious phase? Come on.

[taketori]

Now now, if I truly wanted to get edgy, I would have gone with something I did want to do. Dark hair is cool, but you rarely get to see students walking around with silver or even white hair!

[ Is he even being serious about this at this point??? Yes. ]

[dereban]

[ Immediately, Inaba gets up from her chair. ]

I don't want to see it. In fact, we can pretend this whole conversation never happened. This is a dream. Yep. A figment of my poor imagination. I can't believe--

[ She stops herself and her dry tone before she says something she might regret. Clearing her throat, she goes back on topic. ]

Anyway. We're not doing that, and that's final.

[taketori]

[ Can't believe... he'd say something so painful? Yikes, okay, time to circle back then. ]

Alright, alright.

In any case, a rumor to figure out that deeper meaning's a tough call. It'd be easier if we had more information on... well, our 'enrollment', as it were.

[dereban]

[ That isn't what she was going to say, but believe what you want!!

It is painful, though. ]

Honestly, it'd probably be easier to just get the info off something, or someone. But that's something that'll come in time, I'd like to say.

[taketori]

Hm. Thinking about it, that much doesn't really require more power than we already have.

[ A brief pause. ]

It may require talking to our new librarian though.