adsum | npc contact.1

[ does it have to

He's hiding... from Komaeda... that's where he's hiding. Rokkun is his friend, but the guy doesn't keep the best of company. Instead of hanging out at homeroom or going home after school, Akira's found in the home ec room, rooting through the spice cabinet and pulling out bottles of dry sage, bay leaves, and basil. ]

( help did i say insane, i meant normal, because leashes and chains are normal???

once komaeda eyes land on his prey, he's like a shark with the taste of blood on his tongue, and he's making his way in. yeah, someone lost their dog, and now he's going everywhere that he shouldn't, and well... home ec room, god will pray for whatever goes on here. )

There you are... ( bet akira wishes this man wasn't looking for him with a collar on. ) Are you making a bento box for everyone, do you think you can teach me? ( that's probably not what he's doing, but beggars can't be choosers. )

[ He startles when Komaeda speaks up, making to stand and knocking over a jar in the process and also his head on the edge of the counter when he tries and fails to catch the jar. It thunks on the ground but does not break. ]

...Lord, you scared me!

[ Doesn't stop him from looking around, like he's hoping there to be literally anybody else in this room Komaeda might've been speaking with. ]

But I'm not... no. This isn't for anything like that.

Why are you so skittish? It's just me...

( he watches the jar instead of focusing on the other. )

I get it, this must be your partime as a servant, bringing in the food for all of us to eat, how kind.

( as much as anyone doesn't want to be left with komaeda, he makes his way over to pick up the glass jar that fell on the floor. now if it breaks in komaeda's hand, understandable, sometimes another person's good luck is your bad luck. )

[ "just me" uh huh

Akira doesn't look too sure, maybe because Komaeda hadn't heard what he just said about not being here to cook, but then the glass breaks in Komaeda's hands and his shoulders jolt again in surprise, too late to stop the glass from clattering onto the ground and the blood from dripping down Komaeda's wrist onto the bed of bay leaves that have conveniently covered the ground to catch the blood and prevent them from going to void school. ]

Uh—-! Hold still!

[ He rises and grabs some napkins off the stack on the counter, returning to press them against Komaeda's hands and force his fingers into a fist to hold them there before backing off. ... Finds an empty jar and starts collecting bloody bay leaves in it. ]

I've made a mess of so much, I really do nothing more than ruin the things around me.

( he takes the napkins, holding them as instructed to help stop the bleeding — komaeda's been bleeding too much lately. considering his other hand is spared from any pain, he squats down, and begins to help pick up the bay leaves into the jar as well. the thought occurs to him why isn't akira just cleaning it up normally with a broom to throw them away, but maybe he intends to keep them. )

Will they work?

( the bay leaves. he picks one up, the smear of red that layers on top from how komaeda's prosthetic rubbed against the surface as he shows it to him. )

If not, I'm sure offering them to Rokkun wouldn't be so bad... he'd have them clean before you know it.

( there it is, there it is!! the call out. )

Th-thanks...

[ The mental image of Rokkun licking the bay leaves clean is sending me and that's exactly what flashes through Akira's mind too. He's still grateful for the help, though, and after everything's cleaned up— not a spot of blood on the ground!— he'll place all the jars on the counter away from the edge so they don't accidentally fall. ]

I'm sure they'll still work, though. I'm not going to bother him with this. You're his... [ ?? ??? ] ...friend... right? Are you sure you weren't looking for him?

( i hope rokkun is sneezing somewhere.

with their clean up done, komaeda tries to clap his hands with the napkins, but it's a muffled attempt. good job, akira! he smiles, pointing at the floor of how spotless it is of leaves before looking over to the jars he has. )

You make it sound unbelievable... ( the f word is sort of sensitive, but honestly it does cause some worry. ) We just have the same goal in mind! To see everyone here shine in their own way... ( you know the breathy inhale he takes. ) Even you.

( ... )

What would you need bay leaves and... ( let him read that one other jar. ) basil for? ( what [trek voice] demon spaghetti [/trek voice] is happening here. )

[ Rokkun is outside playing "soccer" and frowning at his allergies flaring up ]

He's not the type of person to have friends. -—don't tell him I said that. Actually, never mind me, either! I'm not the shining one!

[ Don't look at him, don't look at his demon spaghetti herbs, don't... mind anything that he's doing here, please, Komaeda's dementia please do your thing and forget about it. ]

( let him pick up one of those demon spaghetti herbs, shaking it around to think of what reasons he'd need these. they're all very specific, you know? that's until he speaks... sighs. )

...You're saying he uses everyone around him, aren't you?

( he asks, walking up to akira ominously, staring right into his cute eyes... ori, i can't bully or be a complete freak at him, i'm crying... he's doing his best.

and then komaeda stops, pointing at the jar he has in hand. ) Your hope is pretty frail, but that might be the backbone you lack! ( now, ) Anyway, do you need help with this?

Not with those exact words...

[ But it's what he means. A boy who keeps to himself, who struggles to connect and doesn't know how to give, only take.

Then there's Akira, who doesn't know what to do with the things he's offered and takes on impulse— he thinks he was just insulted? Did Komaeda just say "anyways"...

He stares down at the jar for a moment, silent, and then begins to carefully stack them inside his school bag in between folds of his uniform jacket to keep them from clinking against one another. ]

I'm alright, though, thanks. I think this is all I'm supposed to get... it should last us a bit, too.

( as much as komaeda wants to see the other's view on rokkun, he might as well let the conversation pass for awhile. he did say something he didn't want rokkun to know, and that's in komaeda's hands now... pray for him. in the end, komaeda's not the best at relationships either so being called rokkun's friend... he doesn't know how to respond. )

It should last, but I really don't mind being of assistance.

( he can try to carry, and maybe drop a few, but he does keep holding the blood napkin tightly in his hand. )

Are you going to do something amazing with it all? ( he sounds excited if this is something akira's interested in. can't let the fact that this might be his hope slide. )

Oh... thanks.

[ NO, REALLY, STOP why is he helping when he can't even grip jars with one metal hand and one tissue hand, please, Akira tries to take them off his hands and by that I mean he doesn't feel like it's polite to get in Komaeda's way when he's so earnestly trying to help, and instead waits for Komaeda to drop the jars before he picks them up off the ground. ]

It's not really anything amazing... More like... it's getting rid of amazing things. Burning sage act as a natural repellant, did you know? For things like insects, and bacteria.

( i'm sniffling, the jars just drop out the bag as komaeda carries them, and akira can stand behind and grab them as he goes. see, this is (you voice) teamwork! and stop, that was his luck at work! leave him alone! when bad things happen, good stuff procs... this is the circle of life! )

What are you trying to get rid of? ( don't tell me the prankster pikmin are living their last breath today... what the fuck... i'm crying. )

Rokkun? I never thought of using sage, I thought just lighting someone afire would do the trick, you know?

( i promise you... just one insane thought... just... one. )

[ cries at teamwork, my weakness

anyways the pikmins' fates depends on whether Komaeda bleeds all over their banishing sage, or whether the sage even ever leaves the room because Akira drops everything in his hands at that insanity ]

Setting him on fire doesn't work!

[ ... ]

I mean- That's not what I'm trying to do. Sage won't do anything to him.

( we learned from the best!!! also, i don't like komaeda's whether the pikmin live or die, no... did you see the rock pikmin? why would we kill the chubby impmin off... i'm so sad.

excuse me? )

...

( ... )

If you tried before, my condolences, he's a pretty powerful character then...

( what does that mean? anyway, he's going to turn around to pick up one of the jars. sighs, how clumsy are you akira? )

Then who is it for, if not him?

[ He is very powerful and Akira bites at his bottom lip to keep from saying anything else about that guy, watching Komaeda pick up the jar for a moment before seeming to snap out of it and crouching down to help too. None of the jars have broken when Akira dropped them, but he sort of handhovers nervously when Komaeda reaches for one or another, as if expecting the glass to shatter the moment he places a finger on them. ]

It's not... [ no, he can't say that ] I'm collecting this for some of my kohai who believe Ouma-san is possessed.

( there's a brief moment where komaeda's eyes widen, and then they drop back to regular size as he stares at akira in shock. ouma-san!? this is the first time he's heard this, and while the idea of it sounds actually hilarious, komaeda starts thinking about all the things he's seen the other do so far. how he managed to bring back the deceased, how he's been starving himself (but mooching off others for his survival), that's pretty possessed-people things that he's doing. )

Ah... I get it! You're enabling the cultists?

( or are you part of the cultists? whatever the answer is, komaeda raises a hand to wave as if dismissing the idea. which means his hand is away from the glass, and akira can pick it up instead without it shattering. )

Ouma-kun's a pretty big deal, he can't be defeated if you don't have the necessary tools...

[ He blinks in surprise. Do cultists call themselves cultists? ...he doesn't answer, instead biting at his lower lip in contemplation of what it would take to exorcise Kokichi. ]

... We'll figure something out. They're working with an expert, after all, and failed attempts are good for learning.

[ like how Rokkun isn't flammable ]

Do you think your meddling will help his hope grow brighter.

( alright, fertilizer, komaeda has a job for you. )

His is pretty strong, and I doubt anything you can do will really get rid of him.

( even if that expert knows some things about the demon realm, and is literally letting these students summon evil. but who is komaeda to deny the chance to see one's hope grow. ) It's bad to mess with an Ultimate, rather, you should ask for him to be on your side, but I doubt... ( an ultimate would join ants like them... smh. )

No, I don't really want to get involved with him...

[ Like he really doesn't want to get involved with Komaeda, cleaning up his jars and tightening his bag and holding it close to his chest. ]

Are you two friends?

As trash beneath his feet... literal scum... ( he sighs deeply, discouraged as it leaves from his mouth as if he's really hurt — he's not, he's just doing this for attention. )

I'm just a stepping stone compared to an insect like you.

( that frown he had is replaced with a smile, and he waves it off with one hand. ) That's why I want to help your endeavors!

[ To be fair, he can't tell which is better to be a rock or a bug. Rokkun likes rocks? He eats bugs. ]

Is he... being mean to you...?

[ Are you being BULLIED Komaeda?? ]

( this is why they're all friends... it's starting to make sense.

is he asking if ouma is bullying??? komaeda??? oh i'm sick. )

...? He's treating me the way he believes I should be treated...

( which komaeda also believes he should be treated this way. )

A worthless human like me can't expect kindness from him...

[ All this sounds like something a bullying victim would say??? please ]

That says more about him than about you, you know... People aren't... there's no measure of worth for a person. They just are, and...

[ Words are hardly his strong suit. This isn't a conversation he can navigate. He swallows and looks like he'd rather be anywhere else talking to anybody else, but, ]

Komaeda-san, are you okay?

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