adsum | npc contact.1

[ The girl smacks Komaeda on the cheek with her paintbrush at being called an ordinary person. ]

Too bad, no take backs! And I've been asking you since middle school, Sena, you can't pretend you just forgot!

[ That's the convenient excuse of a Liar and a man who breaks his promises, huff puff. Before they can say no and leave, she's quick to pull up her own easel and stool as soon as she gets her brush rinsed out, sitting herself in front of Izumi and positioned just so so that if neither of them move, Izumi blocks out Komaeda completely. ]

I'm surprised to see you two here, though... What did you come here for? Not to join the club?

[ ...Natsume is right. It's difficult to know who to trust in a situation like this, even among each other -- much less with the staff or the regular students, who clearly differ from them and are able to go outside. But if they don't start anywhere... they won't be making any progress. If Natsume trusts Maya, then that's enough for him; and Shuichi's about to say so, but it's cut off as the person in question walks in.

Sorry, Natsume, I guess you're the only one caught saying embarrassing stuff today. ]

Wah...!?

[ Though Shuichi sure startles like it was him too; because I thought for a little if he'd be stupid enough to put his back to the door and then decided it's funny so yes. He just liked facing Natsume that much for their matching poses. Anyway, he turns around quickly when Maya appears, and then kind of... side-eyes Natsume while trying to calm down from his surprise because... he's making this sound like some kind of shady deal!?

Or actually... never mind, that's pretty much what it is. Good thing mixing guilt and earnestness is pretty much a Shuichi natural skill. ]

...Sorry. I know that we aren't being exactly clear... But, it's really something important.

[ Real hecking shady, you guys. But from the way Maya doesn't look surprised at all, maybe she's just used expecting this from Natsume, though she does stare at Shuichi long enough to become uncomfortable. ]

...transfer students. [ she repeats with something of an exasperated scoff, but lifts her chin and turns away. ]

You're right. You're not being clear at all. Say what you mean without all the pretense, and it will save everybody a lot of headache.

[ With a little sigh, she moves further into the stairwell, going ahead and standing on the first step so she can be just a little bit taller and closer to their heights, while at the same time having her eye on the door and ear out for the stairs behind her. ]

I will hear you out first, and whether or not I agree will depend on that. Tell me enough to provide context, but not so much that I would take all your hard work and report it myself, if you have not done so already.

You're so SHREWD.

( he doesn't dislike that but where is your theatrical spirit... natsume takes care to lower his voice, aware stairwells carry sound all too well. )

Very WELL, I'll get on with IT. To put it plainLY, we've inspected the body of Okane-san as well as the area and oTHERS, and found out some key deTAILS... Such as how she DIED, where the clean-up WENT, and an idea of what she may have been up to in her last HOURS. FurtherMORE, we're aware of who was behind the explosion a few days prior to Okane-san's pasSING, and we're aware of a reason why the water here runs as rosy pink as a maiden-in-love's CHEEKS.

( it's all probably vague enough, so he'll glance at shuichi -- anything to add? )

[ Wait... should they be mentioning the water? Come to think of it, Shuichi's never heard any of the regular students wonder about its color, much like how it was only them who freaked out about a certain display case in the auditorium, or who ever questioned the lack of red paint in the art room. But well... it's too late to take it back now, so the most he can do is to covertly watch Maya for a reaction as that part's brought up.

He only hesitates for a moment, before: ]

Ah... The incident in the library from a while ago... We've investigated that too.

[ He'd drawn his gaze away before, under the scrutiny he received that had made him uncomfortable, but now that he's talking to her... It feels just a little dishonest not to face Maya. And so he does to the best he can, with just a single cautious look at the staircase behind her. He knows why she's guarding it... actually, the fact that she is somehow helps. ]

I know that all this should probably be reported to the staff or the student council, but... We have reasons why we've decided not to so far.

[ And came to only her in person, instead. She's part of the student council, that's true... But she's not the whole group. ]

...Yeah, sure. I absolutely don't remember much from middle school, though. Are you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else because I'm going to be soooo peeved.

[ this is very sus. visual art is definitely out of his element though; he's more trained in composing lyrics for leo's sake and is currently expanding his knowledge on knitting and sewing in this dump... at the very least he's no stranger to modelling for artists.

ah, but as for that other question, he'll just tug at komaeda's leash again. ]

We just wanted to drop by, is all. Komaeda got curious enough to check in, and I just so happened to be around.

[ with a leash. yeah. ]

Edited 2021-04-19 23:10 (UTC)

( komaeda noticed that too — middle school — which is actually the first time he's heard something like that. almost makes it sound like their lives date back longer than what they... believe them to be? of course, he plays off izumi's curiosity with one of his own. )

I remember you well... ( no he don't. ) You had braces, and you carried that same light, baby blue blanket everywhere. I think it's name was "Blookie"...

( yes, komaeda is lying out his ass, but if he's wrong, the female will correct him so it works out... how very strange. )

Ah, the memories... and I do enjoy being around my peers, so I begged Sena-kun to take me for a walk.

( ............. izumi, you owe him even though this is a normal lifestyle for him. of course, he moves a little closer to the idol, brushing their shoulders together because that's what dogs do when pulled. )

I hear a lot of amazing things are made in this room from such (un)talented individuals, we were wondering who stood out the most.

[ Well it seems the other was going to go somewhere else. Diona thought maybe there was a better napping spot? ] Oh it looks like we are going on an adventure - maybe we can have our own get together spot?

[ She is crawling rather comfortably on all fours. Where she looks akin to a gremlin the way that she is walking, but it matches the animals none the less. With her tail that balances her perfectly. ]

Yeah, maybe...

[Angel gets up, sounding unsure. But she’ll join Diona and the cat in wherever they’re going.]

I’m not sure if we’re going to get a spot we can all share, after all the chasing I did to that cat.

Edited 2021-04-20 00:39 (UTC)

[ "I absolutely don't remember much from middle school" as if middle school weren't like two months ago. I was originally going to have her call him "Sena-senpai" because that felt right but then I saw that both him and Komaeda are first years and went oh ]

Nuh-uh! There's absolutely no way I could ever mistake you for somebody else, Sena! I've been watching you for a long time, so—-

[ She claps a hand over her mouth because no, stop talking. He doesn't need to know that. Deflect. ]

...I'm the best artist. It's me.

[ There's some snickering around her, but nobody says anything, because they're too busy drawing to do anything more than eavesdrop, to save me the trouble of writing 2473804920 npcs at once. ]

[ A better napping spot is not in the middle of the hallway, surely, where people can step on your tail and dogs can come running over and nip at your toes, but the cat trots at an easy pace until it reaches the home economics cooking room before it sits down in front of the door and looks at Diona expectantly.

You, with the thumbs. You know what to do. ]

[ Maya's reaction is very much a lack of— not that she seems dismissive of what she's hearing or acts as if she already knows everything Natsume and Shuichi are telling her, but her general demeanor is calm and she looks intently at whoever is speaking without betraying her feelings on the matter. ]

At least you have some sense. Reporting incomplete information will prompt people to act on false assumptions and lead to a faulty conclusion. That aside...

[ Shuichi is the one who looked away, so she chooses him to pin her piercing gaze on, even though she's following up on Natsume's words. ]

Okane's body was never officially found, and yet you claim to have seen it. If you decide to report any of this, you'd better have a damn good reason why she's still missing.

[ look sometimes you just pretend that you wanna forget everything that happened in middle school and start anew. but is that really what's going on here? he shoots komaeda a Look at the blanket comment and rolls his eyes, even though he should be thankful that his ""pet"" is playing along...

he stares down at the girl for a moment, unblinking, then at the rest of the artclub who were giggling among themselves just now. man, if looks could kill. ]

So you've been eyeing me ever since? At least you know how to use 'em. [ her eyes, that is. because he's pretty. but who knows if she can put them to good use in terms of art, especially with that declaration. ] It's also suuuuper weird that I don't know your name at all, so if you could just spit it out already so that I'd know who I'm working for here, it'd be very appreciated.

[ he's still senpai in spirit, so it's aight. probably. ]

And another thing, I'd just need to know one thing before we start. Did Okane Aiko-san drop by the art club a few days ago?

Edited 2021-04-20 07:25 (UTC)

( komaeda remains silent, lips pursed into a straight line as he hears the light chuckling of students around them. that doesn't sound like they're on her side, but a little praise here and there might be able to make her budge when it comes to information? you never know. komaeda fakes it, gasping as he looks at the female who claims she's the best here. )

Do you really need to have Sena-kun stand here to paint him? If you've been watching him since middle school, and even now... ( he turns to the other, and komaeda raises his better arm to slip his index finger under izumi's chin, lifting it up. he gets a good look at how thick the male's lashes are, the way his lips stand out, and the contours of his face only to drop his hand down and look towards the female once again. )

You should be able to paint him by memory...

( should he tack on that izumi doesn't do good with joining a club filled with liars? it's an idea that passes in his mind, but he ignores it to follow up on his next question. )

That too... I heard Aiko-san's the best when it came to art, but if you say it was you... I'm just a little disappointed.

[ Do you ever lowkey/highkey crush on somebody for a very long time and they turn around and say they don't even know your name?? holy shit ]

Aiko-san this, Aiko-san that! Her art's not that great! She doesn't— Not like-

[ uuuuuu no, even she can't badmouth her dead senpai, and she clutches at the piece of charcoal on her lap to stop herself from beaning Komaeda in the middle of the forehead with it. ]

Was she the one you were interested in, Sena? Then you should have come by more often— she always went to club if she didn't have a meeting to be at.

[ HE'S JUST A VERY POPULAR GUY HOW WAS HE SUPPOSED TO KNOOOOOOW

izumi couldn't get a chance to stop komaeda showing off his pristine features, and it takes more than a hot second before he can smack his fellow transfer's hand off of him. no touchy the property! :/

but now he's faced with another weird conundrum - how is he supposed to tell her he's not interested in girls... just because he sings about escorting princesses doesn't mean he'd actually do that IRL?? if he could get away with that since idol purity shit is always at play, rip. ]

Don't just put words in my mouth! I was busy, all right? I didn't know that something like that could ever happen here! [ except he now does, with the body in the case. he takes a deep, tired breath. ] I'd remember your name if I could. If you could say it again, I'll try to drill it in my head.

[ keyword "try", because most of the time he wouldn't care? but in this instance he might be able to get some mileage out of her. ]

( chile, not izumi's delimma that komaeda can't do anything about, and of course, he allows his hand to be smacked away. he shakes it like he's trying to do away with the sting against his flesh as he rubs the area with his mechanical hand softly. oh, that hurt! well, not really, but he can continue to act like he's been hurt. )

That's no good... ( he starts, shaking his head as he stares at the idol slightly disappointed in his words. he has to do more than that to make it up to her, and to do that, they must go the extra mile. ) How else will Sena-kun ask you to prom if he doesn't know your name.

( yes, this is a path that only izumi can do because komaeda's not about to. if anything, he's still curious about how she's so aware of him and the gaps between their memories. ) I'd be embarrassed having the man of my dreams walk up to me to ask me out and yet... he can't even say my name... Imagine how much of a laughingstock I'd be... How you'd be!

( small sigh. ) With Aiko-san dead, you can have him all to yourself. She was just a stepping stone for your lovestory. ( yeah, he went there. )

[ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH MY GOD

First the both of them keep hammering it in that she's so unremarkable that Izumi doesn't know her name, then Komaeda has to ridicule her about prom, and then make light of her senpai's death?? She shoves roughly her easel to the side, the canvas and her paints and charcoals clattering to the ground as her fists ball up at her sides, angry tears in her eyes. ]

Shut up! SHUT UP! Don't talk about Sena or senpai like that!! What did you even come here for!?

[ She throws one (1) punch Komaeda's way, but whether or not her fist connects with the side of his face, the other art members finally jump in and try to stop her, one of the older students grabbing her around the middle and bodily lifting her off the ground because she is that tiny, yelling "Chiaki, stop that!" while the other members are split between A) apologizing to Komaeda and Izumi on Chiaki's behalf, and B) telling Komaeda to go fuck himself. ]

( with how komaeda's luck work? that punch will be connecting right to his jaw and there's nothing he can do about it. nice job, chiaki! you're the first to get a swing in on him, that's actually pretty impressive. as she's pulled back by her classmates, komaeda raises a hand to his face to idly touch where he's been punched. the area is sensitive with every touch that his eye twitches on that side, but emotionally speaking he doesn't react so much. for the girl to be jealous of her classmate to the point of speaking about her in a love quarrel, she sure did get aggressive when komaeda did the same thing back.

alright, what to do about these untalented people swarming them. especially when they're so focused on them, komaeda is placing a hand on izumi's shoulder to shove him slightly towards chiaki's direction... maybe he can console her like in the romcoms for information.

as for everyone else? )

Ah, now, now! I just wanted to help.

( he raises his hands up like he's been caught, laughing sheepishly with a shake of his head. )

I thought that would make Chiaki-san happy... though, I guess not. ( alright npc #827386 in the go fuck yourself crowd, komaeda's looking in your direction. ) I want to formally apologize... Do you know her whole name ( wasn't it lucky to make a small mess and get her name in return? ) and homeroom... Maybe if I sent a few flowers...

[ JESUS CHRIST HOW IT ALL ESCALATED INTO AN ALL-OUT BRAWL IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS

izumi just... gives komaeda a rather incredulous look, like how he couldn't believe he'd go all out and beyond just to extract a name from that girl. hate how he's suddenly reminded of leo back in their more cavalier knights days just now, rapidly shaking his head to get it out of his thoughts as he comes to chiaki's aid. ]

Chiaki-- [ ugh it's kinda weird since he had a classmate named chiaki back then (ori im watching u) ] Don't pay attention to that freak. I never should've let him come here.

[ he turns to glare at komaeda, though it's a bit more muted than usual. that idiot... making izumi feel guilty about all this... ]

Let's get back to business then. But know this - letting your feelings get in the way is going to hinder you in the long run. I'm not talking about how you feel about me, but... in general. [ because komaeda's the type to strike you where it hurts most. conceal, don't feel. ] And that goes for all of you. I just wish to know what Okane-san was doing in the art club before the incident. That's all.

[ and then I fell asleep but it's fine, that was a very satisfying punch and Chiaki looks like she's about to throw a second if she weren't already getting pulled back and elbowing her poor club member in the gut, but at least that snaps her out of it and apologizes to him where it's due.

NPC #827386 makes a face at Komaeda asking for her full name and class because she's right there! the pain and humiliation of not being remembered must still be raw, and Chiaki furiously scrubs the tears off her face because fu Komaeda!! Even Izumi ignoring all of this and pressing to move on stings, as if her feelings aren't important enough to not immediately move on from, as much as she struggles in finding the capacity to be grateful he's not making a big deal of this mess.

Controlling your feelings... impossible. She wouldn't know the first step in doing so. One day you're going to find Komaeda with a palette knife in his throat and you'll immediately know who did it: ]

Chiaki Kudo, class 1-A. You can apologize by staying until I've finished drawing— but you [ pointing at Komaeda with a swiftness that makes the club member next to her reflexively reach out as if afraid she were about to smack Komaeda on the face again ] are not allowed to speak anymore.

[ She drops her hand with a little huff, and pushes the other club member away so she can crouch down and pick up her scattered art supplies. ]

Aiko was working on her painting, obviously. You'd know if you even cared enough to come visit sometimes... [ So he only cared about Aiko after she was dead, out of morbid curiosity and not any interest. Somehow, she can't feel any happiness, realizing that. ] Whenever she didn't have a student council meeting, she was here, I told you already. She was painting pieces for the auction next month, so she was working hard with what time she had.

( that punch did a number and ori i respect... orispect it as i should say... he put izumi in charge of getting information out of her, but he does manage to wave his hand in her direction and offer a sweet smile to let her know that he's aware of her acknowledgement of him. she thinks she can tell him to be quiet? an ordinary, untalented individual like herself believes that she can control him? well, she's right for now because he's not even paying attention to her anymore. instead, he's walking away from both of them and out of range of the female's fists to sit down with one of the random, nameless npcs, and there's a hand pressed against his cheek where he was punched.

he sighs, glancing towards the ground as he doesn't matter his prey... but they've been chosen. sickly, pale green eyes looks towards ... whatener npc this is, probably #66666 with how everything is working out in this classroom. he waits for when izumi talks to chiaki — so that his voice is blocked out because all she pays attention to is him — so that komaeda can speak with the other person. his voice is low, but not sex operator low, got to save that.... )

I should've thought properly before speaking... I didn't know she enjoyed Sena-kun's company that much.

( a sigh, a believable one at that. )

Can someone's heart really be that dedicated since middle school?

( leave him alone, he's being good now. he's in his down phase. )

( RIP Shuichi, but he shouldn't show weakness around wolves. It's not an unexpected reaction from the small bits of time he's been around Maya though, so Natsume continues on just as he ever does. )

We'll decide if we're reporting it or leaving it up to someone else tomorROW, once we have as much information as we can manage to gaTHER.

( Probably. But yeah, they sure did just steal a whole body huh- )

Her body is perfectly SAFE, just to put it on reCORD. We haven't done anything nefarious with or to her - some of us simply wanted more hours and daylight to check her over to ascertain what hapPENED. We're concerned about what's going on here as much as anyone else might be, you KNOW. We attend this school TOO.

Actually... Before we move forward, there's something I'd like to ask.

[ The look... doesn't kill him as much as it could have to be honest. By this point, he's had just enough time to settle and think, and there's actually something more important on his mind at the moment than shrinking away. Welcome to Shuichi in deduction mode. ]

Arisu-san... How did you know if the information we have is too incomplete to be reported? Sakasaki-kun might have mentioned we didn't think we've seen the whole picture... but that alone shouldn't be enough to decide it.

[ They didn't divulge any details. And when he said they had reasons they're holding off... he never specified what they were. It's not that he's suspecting Maya though, and he makes careful to keep his tone calm and earnest enough to convey that. He's only wondering... ]

In other words... there's something that makes you more certain than just what we said.

[ What does she know -- her own piece of the puzzle, perhaps -- that had made that so indisputable? ]

"Attend" in a manner of speaking, anyways, but you're the ones forming a "transfer student" clique and separating yourselves from the student body, not me.

[ As nonchalant as she appeared in being elected the new student council president, it is, in the end, a position that she agreed to and holds to the best of her ability, and that means having the responsibility and a vision for the school as a whole. ]

The school is a community whether we like it or not. You may not trust those in power, and you may not get along with everybody, but you have those you are close to and will fight to protect. That is natural in any environment.

[ She'd started to look away as she talks, gaze drifting down and to her left, but it snaps back up to Shuichi's face in an instant. ]

You don't know who did it yet. If you did, you would spread the word— if not to the staff, then to the other students, because somebody with the capacity to kill and not step forward about it is a danger to everybody around them.

[ All the staff wants is somebody to persecute. They don't have a name, and therefore, by her logic, nothing worth reporting. ]

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blair voice: go reply i want to see the reaction to this

closes my eyes i am innocent

me half asleep at 2am heheheing over my name choices

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