adsum | npc contact.1

( oh... oooohhhh. oh??? she pulls his hand away from her mouth and hums, thoughtfully. )

... so Koma-kyun forgot, but Senpai didn't. Hmm... one-sided crush?

[ There's a falter before he repeats ] No! [ but he denies that too, replacing his hand back over her mouth but trying to be gentle about it. Not like he's trying to suffocate her to death so she can't blab. ]

It's in the past, anyways, it doesn't matter anymore. Okay? It's not like that anymore.

( there's a pause, during which she just... looks at him, pensive. this should probably make her feel strange, but... she's more bothered by the 'partners' part. partners in... what sense, exactly? what did they do? did koma-kyun... do some bad stuff, and now doesn't even remember it?

anyway, the lady doth protest too much. )

Only cause he forgot, right? ( ... BITES HIS HAND?? STOP SILENCING HER )

[ Komaeda's done tons of terrible things he doesn't remember, dementia is a convenient excuse. Anyways, he's forced to withdraw his hand when she bites at it, bringing his hand up to his mouth to suck on that spot even if it wasn't hard enough to draw blood. ]

...Because I finally opened my eyes, and realized that I'm better off alone.

( oh. that kinda hurts??? stop doing indirect kisses while also being a little jerk!! )

... AAAAAH! ( her yell comes off frustrated, as she shoves at rokkun's shoulders to push him more towards the center of the room. ) Senpai's so dumb!

( fight her )

[ He's taken by surprise, but he doesn't stumble, taking one step back before he's found his footing again, in the practiced way that a ...soccer player... knows how to keep his balance. ]

Huh? Why?!

( she shoves him again!! )

'cause he keeps saying stuff like, I wanna be alone! I'm better off alone! Even though he's clearly got people who care about him! It's selfish and it pisses me off! ( SHOVES HIM AGAIN!! )

[ He's going to be shoved down the stairs at this point?? But he doesn't allow more than two shoves, sidestepping the entrance to the stairs and grabbing for Rika's wrists to make her stop. ]

I don't— Do you think I want to be alone?!

[ He takes a step forward, holding her in place, stepping into her space. ]

Do you think I don't want to be cared about? That I don't want friends, or a—

[ He lets go suddenly, as if burned, pulling his hands back and casting his gaze to the side and hissing out a breath of frustration. ]

...If I were more selfish, I'd have asked you out already. But I'm not allowed that.

( she wanted a reaction, and she got it — even if it took almost shoving him down the stairs to finally push him far enough to retaliate. )

Why? Why aren't you allowed?! At least explain it to me, so I can... so I... !! ( so she stops getting her hopes up. ) Is it about the danger of getting involved with you? 'cause I don't care about that!

( he steps out of her space, but she steps right back into his, eyes narrowed. )

[ He vaguely recalls explaining it before, but if she let him slide back then, he might not get another pass now, spreading his feet to stand his ground. ]

I care! This place... it'll take what hurts the most, and I can't let it be you! Or anybody else I come to care about!

( it wasn't good enough back then and it certainly isn't now? )

Being alone isn't gonna make any of this better! It certainly won't make surviving this nightmare any easier! ( she can stand her ground, too, palms clenching into fists. ) It'll only make you miserable in the end, and... it's not like not being around you will mean we're any safer!

( they're all constantly at risk, so why is he so stubborn about this? )

[ It would spare him the heartbreak?? ]

It will, when I'm the one who's going to make this place a real nightmare!

[ When Komaeda tries to feed him maggots again and that's the last straw and he goes batshit insane and murders half the school, then Rika will understand. ]

You — ... ( she pauses at that, blinking, lips parted in surprise. ) ... what?

( huh? huh? huh? huh? huh? )

[ He lets out a breath, and looks away from her, staring out through the windows where he can see the courtyard and the forest beyond. ]

...I'm going to graduate, no matter what. And if I can't... I'm taking this school down with me.

... Senpai, what does that mean? "Graduating"?

( it's rare for him to look away from her. she follows his gaze, but ends up staring at his face instead, a little taken aback. )

What do you need to do to graduate here?

Survive all three years.

[ As if it's that simple. ]

... then you're almost there, right? No need... to do anything...

( WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN!! )

...not if I don't have to.

[ But, like. realistically. ]

Um... I dunno what any of this entails, but the people here aren't normal, Senpai. If... you try anything, I doubt you'll live through it.

( she just says that flat out, because, yeah. how is he gonna kill all these powered people, even in theory?? )

Huh? No, I'll live.

[ He says this like it's an indisputable fact, like he won't contemplate the alternative there's no point of it. He's not going to die here. ]

And the people here are just how they are. Name one person who's normal. Bet you can't.

( THANKS FOR THAT DEATH FLAG )

No, I mean... Senpai's too weak to do anything all alone.

( and she says this matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders. )

I meant normal as in, you know, human. Powerless. ( and she reaches into her pocket, to take out her box cutter and let it morph into a sword. ) If I wanted to kill Senpai right now, what could he do to stop it?

[ I only have so much icon space, eventually somebody's got to go.

He looks surprised, first at the box cutter and then when it transforms, but not to the point of freaking out or saying anything about it, just giving the weapon a critical look before boing back to looking at Rika. ]

Would you be able to? Normal, powerless human beings are no different from monsters when they need to survive.

( STOP THAT )

... ( she looks at him, then at her sword, thinking. would she be able to? probably not. earlier, when fighting hyde... she should've killed him, but still didn't have the strength to make that choice. 'you're still young,' hajun told her. 'if you were able to instinctively decide that you can kill a person, you'd lose yourself.'

she holds that close to her heart, even if this place keeps throwing curveballs at her feet. )

No. ( she says, easily, letting the box cutter return to its original form and shoving it into her pocket. ) I'm not a killer, so I wouldn't. But... there's a difference between lashing out like a wounded animal and becoming a monster. In the end, there's only so much you can do.

( she shrugs, reaching for him again. gently, this time, grabbing his face to force him to look at her. )

I don't think Senpai's a monster. Not yet. He still cares, and that's why he won't ask me out, right?

[ He stares down her sword, heart drumming in his chest and hands by his side, saved only because Rika is Rika but if it were anybody else...

He could kill a person. He knows he can. Even if he has nothing on his person, empty hands and wandering eyes, he could. That hesitation of her would be his weapon. ]

"Not yet," [ he repeats as she takes his face, as if feeling the words in his mouth, forcing himself to relax without a blade pointed at his face, knowing if their positions were switched, he could easily...

reach up and place his hands over hers, pressing the warmth to his cheeks. ]

You don't think I'm a monster. But you're not sure.

( if it were anyone else, anyone with less of a bleeding heart and more of a sense of justice, or even self-preservation, well... she sees no reason why they'd let someone who promised them a living nightmare off the hook. but she's her, and she has slain monsters before, huge and bizarre and terrifying, and he's nothing like them, nothing like the beasts she knows.

maybe if he lunged at her, with hands ready to wrap around her throat, she'd let him. she doesn't think she's strong enough to hurt people she cares for — not desperate enough to weigh her life against theirs and decide she's the one worthy of continuing it. )

I'm sure. ( she promises, resolute. ) I want Senpai to graduate from this hell of a school — but I don't want him to lose all of himself in the process.

( so if it means dragging him back from the brink of becoming a monster, then so be it. she's sure komaeda would do it for him, too. )

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