#Sannotori but Teruya has yet to reciprocate

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 2 - The Fake Trial

TWs: Discussions of a Murder Case

Body Discovery & Investigation | Post-Fake Trial

Prologue Part 1 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

“Since you are merely solving how the murder took place in the past, there will be no voting involved in this class trial.”

“Uhh…voting?” Kanade spoke up, her voice a bit more firmer than before. “Why would there be voting?”

“Using evidence you gathered during the investigation, you will argue what you believe happened to the victim. If you all manage to come to an agreement on the explanation, then you’ve succeeded in solving this murder. But if none of you are able to solve this murder…well, I’ll leave that as a surprise. That’s all there is to it. Good luck.”

“...Sounds like our kidnapper isn’t interested in answering any of our questions, Kanna.” Setsuka said, crossing her arms in displeasure. Kanade frowns in response but says nothing else. Kokoro taps away on her tablet before speaking up.

“Well, we should at least start somewhere. I have a good topic we can discuss if no one else has any ideas.” The psychologist props her tablet up on her podium, presumably for easier access.

“If leaving this damn courtyard was an option, I’d be turning on my heel and walking on out of here in a heartbeat!” Nikei yelled out, being only a few spots away from Kokoro. His shouting probably would’ve been an issue for anyone that was standing between them, but the podium was empty. Afterall, a sixteenth student was pretty much nonexistent in this class. “But no, as if getting kidnapped wasn’t bad enough, we’re all stuck on an island with a cruise ship we’re completely locked out of!”

“It’s not like any of us would know how to steer the ship anyways.” Mikado buds in. Nikei brings his glare towards the wizard, who was completely unperturbed by it. “But that’s besides the point. Back to what you were saying, Ms. Mitsume?”

“Thank you, Mikado.” Kokoro said, grateful that the topic was being shifted back on course. Her head faces straight ahead but her gaze shifts towards Nikei as she speaks. “Since the culprit of the case is…irrelevant to this trial, we should be figuring out how the victim was murdered.”

“Didn’t the tablet explain that already? Why should we spend time on something we already know?” Hibiki was quick to reply, her rash and irritable voice adding to the tense atmosphere. Mikado blinks his eyes. Or rather, his mask blinked.

“What tablet?” He asked and it was only then that the amnesiac remembered that Mikado never got the final clue. Feeling a little bit embarrassed for forgetting, he speaks.

“Oh, uh…there was a box of tablets called the…’Monocrow File’ that explained the…state of the victim. But it vanished along with the fountain. So, um, here. You can borrow mine.” He takes his backpack off and pulls out the tablet. Mikado thanks him and takes it from his hand, turning it on to read.

“While the tablet listed her wounds, it didn’t explain how she got them. It may be best if we start there before we can discuss anything else.” Kokoro moves the conversation along, even though Mikado probably still needs a few minutes to read the Monocrow File.

“If you ask me, it seems kinda obvious.” Emma said with a hand on her hip, her eyes to the floor as if she had figured something out. Kokoro actually raises an eyebrow at her before nodding her head. A silent ‘go on’ if he ever saw one.

“Oh y-yeah? Was there something we missed?” Shinji asked, stuttering through his words while facing the actress but genuinely curious as he had been guarding the crime scene the entire time.

“Well, there’s a knife, isn’t there?” Emma crosses her arms as she faces everyone’s gaze.

“There was an actual knife at the scene?!” Yoruko flinches at the information, genuinely scared of the thought of a weapon. Of course it would make sense that a weapon was found at the crime scene. But he can feel confusion settle into his brain with those words as something didn’t make sense in his head.

“I-If there was a knife, it’d make sense that it’d be the weapon, right?” Iroha stutters out, lifting her sketchbook up as she tilts her head. His eyebrows scrunches up tightly as he frowns.

“Uhh…I don’t think that’s right.” He said, hoping to catch their attention. He does, but Emma was frowning in his direction now.

“And why is that?” Emma calls out, putting her hands on her hips. “You can’t just say that without explaining.”

“That’s, uh, I mean…” He stumbles over his words, trying to find a way to explain himself. However, the fog in his brain refuses to lift like he was unable to connect the dots together. He knows something isn’t right but he struggles to find the reason why.

He scrambles his brain to say something, anything.

But everyone’s gazes were on him now, pressurizing like a tank that was being overwhelmed with too much air.

His throat tightens as sounds that are barely strung together like words escape his mouth. He knew he couldn’t leave everyone hanging like this so he forced himself to say anything that came to mind. No matter if it was an excuse or not.

And then someone steps in before he could.

“Because the knife was clean of blood.”

It was Mikado who spoke up, his voice clear and strong with confidence.

The amnesiac turns his gaze towards the wizard beside him. He had lifted his gaze from the tablet, facing his classmates’ stares head on. Emma blinks her eyes.

“What…?” She said, as it was apparently her turn to be confused now. Mikado goes on.

“If it was the murder weapon, it would’ve had the victim’s blood all over it.” He raises his hand as he shrugs. “Can you explain why that would be, Ms. Ma - I’m sorry, Ms. Emma.”

“That’s, uh…” Emma’s eyes shrink a little as she holds her hand against the collar of her school uniform. “Perhaps the culprit just cleaned it off?”

“Except there was dirt and debris on it. If the culprit cleaned it off, it would’ve been spotless. But it’s not.” Mikado lifts his finger up to his mouth, his mask shifting into one that was both smug and self-assured.

He couldn’t help but admire him for his intelligence.

And yet, he also felt a bit of shame for being unable to reason out his answer on his own. Especially with how obvious it was now that Mikado spelled it out.

“To add to that, if the culprit had the time and energy to clean the knife, why didn’t they just take it with them? They’d have to be a dumbass to leave it at the crime scene.” Nikei buds in with a tsk. Emma cringes but doesn’t refute him.

“I-I see…” Emma closes her eyes, dropping her hand. “When you put it like that, it’d make sense that it wasn’t the knife.”

“...It’s not?” Iroha says, almost a bit dumbly admittedly. But he didn’t have the heart to criticize her for it. He couldn’t even figure out how to explain himself when he tried to oppose Emma’s words.

“No, Iroha. It isn’t.” Kokoro said with a flat stare in her direction. Iroha yelps before hiding behind her sketchbook. The psychologist relaxes her eyebrows and curls her hand over her chest. “Why did you assume it was the knife, Emma?”

“Well, uh…When we found the body and you told me to go find the others, I think I kicked the knife while I was running. But even when I took a glimpse at it, I guess I was in too much of a shock to realize the details on the knife. Or lack thereof.” She laughs a little, albeit awkwardly as she rubs her cheek. “This is a bit embarrassing, not gonna lie.”

“I-It’s okay, Emma!” Yuki starts to speak, his voice almost steady enough to calm the tension in the air. “This is a debate, after all. It’s only natural that some of us would get things wrong as we talk through the trial.”

“But, if the knife wasn’t the murder weapon…Why was it there?” Hajime asked, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow. “And where’s the actual murder weapon?”

“That…is a good question. I didn’t see the crime scene but the…victim wouldn’t have turned out the way she did without something sharp, um, cutting her, right?” Yuki raised his fist to his chin, looking like he was thinking hard about the case. He seems to be a little calmer now. The amnesiac glances at Mikado and the object on the podium. The wizard notices and nods. He took that permission to speak up.

“Actually, Mikado found something by the cliffside. It might be relevant.” He said, gesturing to the object wrapped in his cape. Everyone turns their gaze towards him and Mikado’s mask grins.

“It’s certainly more than relevant. Let me show you.” He then takes his cape and carefully unwraps it from the object. His jaw drops upon seeing it.

It was a weapon, shaped like a sword and its length gave it a long reach. It was still obviously sharp despite its cracks and would explain why Mikado wrapped it up in his cape to protect himself while handling it. And, more importantly, there was still some blood on it, even though some of it seemed to have been washed away.

“...Is that a sword? Where did you get that?” It was Yuri that spoke up, his voice tinged with annoyance. Mikado only nods his head in confirmation, barely acknowledging the astronaut’s presence.

“I found it by the cliffside near the ocean. It was stuck between some rocks but I managed to get it out with my magic.” Mikado carefully traces his fingers along the blade. “I believe a blade like this could easily cut someone-”

“Wait a fucking minute.” Nikei stops him, tilting his hat down as he stares at the floor. Mikado glares at the journalist but he meets it head on. “How is this blade relevant to this case? If it was by the cliff, that would make it so far away from the crime scene.”

“Maybe it’s because the culprit tried to hide it?” Kanade said, lifting her hands up with confidence.

“There were footprints leading towards the cliff.” Kokoro said, backing it up with her own observations. He tried to keep up but the conversation kept moving along without pause. “As long as these pieces of evidence are accurate to the crime scene in the past-”

“And what if it isn’t?” Nikei spat out. Kokoro blinks but doesn't turn him down, allowing him to keep talking. “What if the evidence is fake? What if the announcer is just leaving this shit around to confuse us? Why should we trust that the scene was accurate down to the smallest pieces of dirt?”

“In any other circumstance, I do think you’d have the right to be suspicious, Nik.” Setsuka said, curling her eyebrows as she crossed her arms. “But with how things are right now, all we can do is have faith that the announcer wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Except we don’t have evidence to back that up!” Nikei scowled. “If we get this wrong, something is going to happen to us and I’d rather not find out!”

“Well, according to this Monocrow File, the wounds seem to be pretty accurate.” Mikado rebutted, calm if a bit wary of the journalist’s temper.

“Keywords seem to be. Anyone can see that the girl died due to being cut in half, in Utsuroshima Park. But did anyone even check that she had bruises underneath her clothes? Is there even a way to verify that she died at 11:45PM-”

“Wait, wait, wait!” The moment those words left Nikei’s mouth, he immediately knew he had to speak up. “I-I think I have the answer to that and I, uh, have evidence to prove it!”

“Oh yeah? What is it?” Nikei asked, raising his hand with a flat stare. He clearly didn’t think he’d have anything good to say. He didn’t blame him since he needed Mikado to step in and explain his thoughts for him earlier. But this time, he was certain he could explain himself on his own.

“The victim’s watch. It read 11:45 but-” He starts but Nikei turns his nose up at it.

“Ah, yes. A watch that can keep ticking on and on as long as it has power. Come on, how can a watch prove that the announcer ain’t bullshitting us with that file?” Nikei said, barely even looking his way. The amnesiac flattens his stare.

“Because it’s broken.” He said, flat and straight to the point.

“...What?” Nikei drops his hand with wide eyes, completely taken off guard.

“Once a watch is broken, it won’t be able to move its hand.” He explains pretty matter of factly. He was pretty confident in his words too and it showed with how strong his voice was. “And while it was an old fashioned watch that doesn’t tell you if it’s AM or PM, if we, uh…what’s the word…cross-reference, that’s it. If we cross-reference that with the Monocrow File, I think it’d line up pretty well, don’t you think?”

“That, uh…makes sense. But the wounds-” Nikei tries to fight back, only for someone else to step in.

“Sorry, Nik. But I can at least tell you in this case, the file is telling the truth.” Setsuka said, awkwardly smiling as she shrugs her shoulders. “I saw a pretty deep cut on the girl’s left leg and had our big buddy here verify that with Shin. Right?”

“...Wait, are you talking to me?” He points to himself. Setsuka snorts.

“Who else could I be talking to?” She seems to be winking at him but with her right eye constantly closed, it looks like she’s blinking instead. Yoruko frowns as she leans over the podium with her hands on her hips.

“Wait, wouldn’t your podium have given you your name? The screen had mine typed in it so it must’ve had yours, right?” The hostess asked and he immediately winced at her question. She notices his response and pulls back with her mouth agape. “Unless it didn’t have it?!”

His silence was enough of an answer.

“Are you…saying that the kidnapper doesn’t even know your name??” Hibiki was shocked at the news, raising her hands but unsure of what to do with that. Almost everyone was staring at him with sympathy and he couldn't help but feel like he was being put on the spot.

“That’s…a sad revelation.” Yuki said, gripping his tie. The amnesiac could only hang his head in disappointment, Mikado reaching over to pat his shoulder to comfort him.

“Maybe we should put the topic of our friend’s name to the side for now.” Shinji was the one to speak up, shooting a concerned glance his way. He seems to have noticed his discomfort and he appreciated the change in subject. “Back to what S-Setsuka said, I did find the cut on her leg. In fact, it’s so deep that she might not have been able to walk. And even if she forced herself to, I…don’t think she was able to escape.” The amnesiac nods his head as he was there to witness his examination. Nikei stares at them, processing their reasoning and probably trying to come up with a comeback.

Evidently, he couldn’t, as he backs down as soon as he lowers his hat over his eyes.

“...Oh.” Nikei’s voice was smaller than usual, like all the yelling he did earlier has become nothing more than an embarrassment for him. He can even see the blush on his cheeks from where he was standing. “I…guess that means the file is reliable then.”

“It’s okay, Nikei. Some of us are bound to get things wrong.” Emma said with a light tease, tossing Yuki’s words back his way. The student gaped at her but it was already too late to stop Nikei’s sputtering.

“Y-You don’t have to rub it in, okay?!” He let’s go of his hat, putting his fists against his chest. “I just…I had to make sure our source was accurate, so cut me some slack.”

“Fufufufu, and yet, for an Ultimate Journalist, you tend to jump the gun, don’t you?” Mikado took the opportunity to take a jab at him. Nikei immediately sends a glare the wizard’s way.

“Don’t make me leave my podium just to hit you.” He warns. Mikado just shrugs but the mask’s expression only gets cheerier.

“Back to the blade, I believe it’s safe to assume that this is the murder weapon. Are we all in agreement on that?” Mikado looked around the trial and he did the same. No one had any rebuttals and the blood on the blade was pretty convincing in its own right. “Then I believe it’s time to move on.”

“Alright, how about this one: why are there two weapons at the scene? It wouldn’t make sense for the culprit to carry two, right?” Yoruko asked, shifting onto the next topic. Almost immediately, his brain goes blank. Why would there be two weapons? If the culprit already had the blade, that would definitely be the superior weapon compared to the knife thanks to its reach.

“...Oh.” Hajime suddenly speaks up. He seems to be sweating a little bit. “I think I have an idea of why there’s two weapons. But it’s mostly just a shot in the dark.”

“W-Well…speak up. Whether or not it’s a good deduction depends on our debate, after all.” Kanade encouraged, gently smiling Hajime’s way.

“Yeah! Tell us, Hajime!” Iroha jumps in, urging him to continue. He can’t tell if she was excited or desperate. Honestly, it’d make more sense if it was the latter. The boxer sighs.

“Well…I’ll admit, it’ll paint the victim in a bad light.” Hajime said, rubbing his head. “But, uh, maybe the victim had some bad blood with the culprit…and tried to kill them?”

“K-Kill them?” He said it without thinking, gaping at his fellow classmate. “Why would they do that?”

“Don’t ask questions we wouldn’t be able to answer without evidence.” Yuri, who had been mostly quiet, finally starts to participate more. Although he clearly wasn’t happy to be responding to him. “We don't know why the victim would bring it and we wouldn’t be able to figure that out with what we have right now. All we know is the facts: the knife was at the crime scene, which means someone had to carry it there. Right now, it makes sense that the victim was the one with the knife, not the culprit.”

“...I’m surprised you actually agreed with me.” Hajime said, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t misunderstand, you despicable male! I agree with your reasoning but not the motive, for it paints the poor lady in a horrid light!” Yuri scowls at him with a dark glare. “For all we know, Lady Kasumi was fighting in self-defense!”

“With a kitchen knife that she couldn’t hide on her person?” Yoruko questioned with a frown, playing with her scarf. “It’d be one thing if it was a pocket knife, but a knife that big would be difficult to hide. If anything, I think the girl made it pretty clear of her ill intentions.”

“And you’d be right, Lady Yoruko!” At the drop of a dime, Yuri changed his tune once a girl started speaking to him. The hostess narrowed her eyes at him while Hajime looked like he was going to pop a vein.

“Oh, you little-”

“Enough.”

Kokoro, for as soft as her voice was, was still strong in her tone. With just one word, the class goes quiet. Yuri was pleased to have Kokoro’s attention while Hajime stepped down with a huff and crossed his arms. Once everyone’s attention was on her, she continued.

“Let’s not get distracted by arguing. We must focus on the trial and if everything calms down, we can sort out our issues afterwards.” Kokoro said, managing to put the trial back on track with just a few words. Already he can feel himself admiring her for her calmness and ability to unite the group with just a few words. “Besides, we do have evidence that a fight broke out. A tree has two cuts from a sharp object, there are footprints that made skid marks all over each other, and there were threads in a bush. If we put this all together, we get this: someone was already crouching down in the bushes, preparing for an attack. While we don’t know the details of how the fight went down, we can assume that they tried to ambush their target but it didn’t go well, which resulted in two cuts in the tree. Most likely from both the knife and the blade. The footprints represent them trying to get the upper hand on each other. But eventually, the victim, Kasumi Hayashi, decides that she wouldn’t be able to win and must have tried to run away.”

“And, um, that was probably when she got cut on her leg.” Shinji speaks up, almost nervous in the way he tried to take part without rudely interrupting Kokoro. The psychologist nods her head at him and he continues. “S-Since the cut was deep enough to permanently damage her ability to walk, she wouldn’t have been able to escape the culprit.”

“And that’s when she got killed.” Nikei finished, holding onto his hat again. They all grow quiet, processing the information that’s been laid out for them. He looks around the trial, taking in everyone’s despondent expressions…

Only to stop and do a double take.

“Is he…?” He couldn’t help but point. Yuri furrows his brows and actually turns his head to see where he was pointing at.

And from what he can tell, the astronaut proceeded to swear in Russian.

“ARE YOU ASLEEP?!” Yuri yelled out, raising his hands as a dark expression fell over his face. The guy, Syobai, was taking a goddamn nap in the middle of the trial. His head was heavily leaning downward with drool dripping down to his chin and even has a snot bubble forming from his nose. The astronaut slams his fists on his podium but the noise didn’t wake him. It wasn’t until he tried to hit Syobai that he reacted and fast, his eyes opening in a flash as the bubble pops and he dodges the attack.

“Don’t hit me.” He said, glaring down at Yuri. Syobai then yawns and wipes the drool from his mouth. “It’s not like I’m interrupting anything special.”

“Excuse me, but this is a trial to find out how this poor maiden died!” Yuri scoffs, crossing his arms. “But who am I kidding, it’s not like a despicable male like you would try and solve this case. I bet you don’t even have any clues, do you?”

“...Clues like the broken lamp that caused a fire?” Syobai deadpanned.

The amnesiac does a double take. And so does Yuri, who stares at him with shock.

Shock that quickly morphs into anger.

“Did you just steal my thunder?! How dare you!” Yuri hisses but the guy merely cleans out his ear with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh please. If you were waiting to reveal those clues just to impress the women here, you’re only going to be met with disappointment.” Syobai said, pulling his finger out and flicking off any earwax he had picked from his ear. Naturally, all the girls were displeased by this news. And the guys, but he doubts Yuri would care about their opinions at all. Syobai then shrugs. “Back to the lamp, if the victim and the culprit were fighting each other, then it’s likely that the lamp broke during the struggle. Even if it didn’t, the culprit might’ve thought that a fire would get rid of any evidence left behind and chose to break it on purpose.”

“Wow, you put that together pretty fast.” Iroha said, impressed by Syobai’s intelligence. A sentiment he shared pretty well. The guy, however, merely scoffed at the praise.

“Please. As if a case like this can be considered complex at all. In fact, it’s child’s play.” He snorts and the amnesiac feels himself bristle at his words. But he couldn’t think of a rebuttal to say as he pressed his finger against his head, almost like it was a gun. “Now, are we done here? There’s nothing else to discuss and everything should be explained now.”

“Wait, really?” Iroha blinks her wide eyes. She scrunches up her eyebrows like she was in deep thought before her eyes start to swirl. “Uhhhhh, I mean, it all makes sense but I, um, don't know.” Syobai groans, facepalming the minute those words left the painter’s mouth.

“Hey, don’t act like that!” He instinctively called out on him, even as Syobai’s eyes glazed over in disinterest. He feels himself falter a little but he still stands his ground to defend Iroha. “She’s just confused! And besides, we should all make sure we’re in agreement on how the events played out before finishing the trial.”

“I agree.” It was Yuki who spoke, still holding onto his tie. Syobai simply shrugs in response before stepping back, like he was physically saying that he won’t be taking part in the trial any more. Despite everyone’s annoyed glares his way, no one bothers to call him out on this. Yuki continues. “There’s still some unanswered questions but…if we put everything in order when it all happened, I think we can answer them as we go along.” He pauses before lifting his fist up to his mouth. “I think it’d make sense to start at the beginning, before the fight broke out. The victim, Kasumi Hayashi, the Ultimate Personal Trainer, was in the forest, probably searching for the culprit…with a knife. We don’t know which one of them was holding the lantern…but I don’t think it was whoever was setting up the ambush. They wouldn’t risk having a light source with them in case they were spotted by their target.”

“I agree.” Kanade jumps in before he could process the information. “Whoever was planning for the ambush would want to minimize any chance of getting seen. They even crouched low in the bushes to hide. H-However, it seems their ambush didn’t go well, since their target still saw them and attacked first. Probably because the glow of their lantern revealed where they were hiding.”

“As a result, a fight broke out. The cuts on the trees and the footprints skidding across each other all points to a struggle.” Kokoro pulls her gaze away from her tablet. “Until, eventually, Kasumi Hayashi decided it was best to run away.”

“And if she were the one to bring the knife, it would make sense why she would.” Hajime crossed his arms. He was catching on to how things had played out, much sooner than he could keep up. “The blade has a far longer reach than the knife, putting her at a disadvantage. So she turned to run.”

“But unfortunately, Lady Kasumi’s luck didn’t pan out so well.” Yuri interjected with a sigh. Hajime just lets him speak. “Due to the length of the blade, the despicable culprit managed to make a cut on her leg, forcing her to fall over as it was so deep to permanently affect her ability to even walk.”

“Can confirm. It’s-” Shinji starts, only for Yuri to glare at him.

“Did I ask you to interrupt me, you putrid scum?” He said with a harsh tone. Shinji, who was usually friendly if a bit loud, started narrowing his eyes like he was losing his patience with him. But thankfully, someone stepped in before it could escalate.

“Don’t fight. We’re nearly to the end here.” Setsuka called out, and the both of them backed off instantly. Shinji blushing in embarrassment while Yuri…just smiles her way. “Back on topic, while she did get cut, she still tried to keep running. However, that was when the killer delivered the final blow.”

“Cutting her in half and then breaking the lamp to start a fire. All to get rid of the evidence.” Emma closes her eyes and hunches over. “At least, that’s what we’re assuming here.”

“Don’t forget the watch. It broke during her fall, which is what allowed us to verify the Monocrow file’s information.” Nikei said, beating him to the punch even though he was the one that brought it up in the first place. Against the journalist himself, no less. “She died at 11:45PM, which is why one of them brought the lantern with them in the first place. It would be way too dark to see without it.”

“And yet, they chose to destroy it instead of taking it with them. Just for a fire that didn’t even do its job, apparently.” Hibiki points out, crossing her arms with a huff.

“I suppose they decided that the potential of a fire getting rid of all the evidence in one go was more appealing than simply escaping the crime scene. And that’s not all.” Mikado picks up from where the vocalist left off. “The fire would’ve created a decent amount of light, so the culprit would’ve at least had something to go back to. Especially with the final thing they must do.”

“Final thing…?” Iroha spoke up, paying close attention to everyone’s explanation. He was similarly confused as he stared at Mikado. But it wasn’t him that clarified.

“Was it…to get rid of it? It is the murder weapon…” Yoruko asked, her eyebrows scrunching together. Mikado snaps his fingers in the hostess’s direction.

“Correct!” He cheerfully says. Yoruko grimaces at the inappropriate glee. His mask quickly goes back to normal. “There would be no other reason why the blade can be found so close to the ocean, after all.”

“So the culprit tried to get rid of the murder weapon. Makes sense, since even a blade wouldn’t have been destroyed in a fire. Damaged, definitely, but otherwise intact.” Kokoro said, and everyone went quiet. There was nothing else to add, after all. “...Currently, we don’t have enough information to reveal the killer’s identity or the motives for why the culprit and the victim went out of their ways to attack each other. But I believe this is as close to the truth as we can get.”

“...Unless anyone else has any last minute evidence to add?” Yuki asked, which caused the shy and sweet Kanade to actually scoff.

“If they did, then we’d have to start this all over again.” She then sniffles, wiping a tear away from her eye. “Please don’t make us go through all that again.”

“Yeah!! As much as I hate agreeing with my sister, it’d be downright stupid if anyone was hiding anything at this point!” Hibiki jumps in with a hiss, leaning forward with tightly grasped fists. Frankly, he would be more willing to agree with her if she hadn’t tack on the bit about her sister.

“Yes…It seems we’re all in agreement with the explanation then.” Mikado carefully takes the blade off of his cape and sets it aside so he can clasp it back around his shoulders. No one denies his statement.

“Great! Now can we leave these damn podiums?! The trial is over, announcer!” Nikei yelled out, pointing to the sky. There wasn’t even a second to spare when the speakers came on.

“So I see! And your explanation is quite sound, with a few unknowns. But I suppose it’s only natural with the lack of equipment you can use…Not that any of you would know how to use it anyways. But nevermind that. You’re allowed to leave your podiums now. You won’t be using this trial set anymore now that it’s over.”

And just like that, the trial was over.

They don’t have to do this anymore. They’re still in this scary situation, but it is over. They can put this exhausting day behind them.

So why?

Why was he still anxious?

Why was he holding his breath?

Why did he…feel so damn useless?

“Ah, but before you go…There is another announcement I must make.”

The announcer’s voice pulls him from his despair and he absently stares up into the sky. Nikei swore under breath but he went completely ignored.

“This entire time, I’ve been talking to you all through these speakers hidden throughout the island. And such, I’ve hidden my face from you all…Please forgive me for that, my comrades. But I can assure you, I’ve been here this whole time. Watching you become acquainted with everyone, frolicking about on the beach, investigating the crime…Everything. And I think it’s about time…that we properly meet.”

Meet…?

They were going to meet the announcer?

Right now?

Dread seeped into his bones and it was heavy like lead. He barely recognized the podiums shaking and going down if it weren’t for Mikado and Kokoro grabbing him. Shaken out of his daze, he steps away as the podiums sink underground again, being sealed up but the fountain doesn’t come back up. Instead, he hears something flap in the wind.

“Wh-What was that?” Yoruko said, sticking close to Kanade. The guitarist frowns as her sister clings to her tightly.

“I don’t see anything – huh?!” Nikei starts but quickly gets interrupted by something passing by.

No, not passing by. Flying by.

Just the sight alone made everything and anything in his heart and brain grind to a halt. He processes the black and white feathers falling from the sky, that person – no, that thing circling around the group once before disappearing behind the clock tower. And then, it flies above the top and curls its wings as it lands on the roof.

It…was a bird.

A weird, black and white bird with a strange red symbol for an eye on its darker half was standing on top of the tower.

In any other circumstances, the sight could’ve been funny.

It could’ve destroyed the tension that has risen in the group.

It could’ve made him laugh, whether it’s out of disbelief or because it was hysterical.

And yet, seeing that bird, that design, made every alarm in his brain go off and his body freezing.

All he knew was that if there were any doubts left of a normal scenario, they were completely crushed with this thing’s appearance.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Beach Episode

Wrapping up part 1 of the Prologue, wooo.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) | The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Boardwalk (Part 6)

Prologue Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination, his shoes hitting the warm sands of a beach. He was shaking badly from the impromptu flight but he managed to hold his ground.

“Hmm…it seems we explored everywhere we could.” Mikado then huffed, crossing his arms. “Augh, to think the Kagarin heir would be so slimy. If punching him didn’t result in being blacklisted in future companies, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.”

“K-Kagarin heir…?” He asked, trying to catch his breath. Mikado looked at him.

“The Kagarins are a conglomerate that specializes in technological advancements, specifically for astronomy. I did some freelance work for them in the past before coming here. I didn’t think the heir would be here though…” The mask frowns. “But that’s besides the point. Why don’t we go over everything we know to organize our thoughts?”

“Yeah, sure…Just, haaa…let me calm down.” He said, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. The moment he calmed down, he stood up straighter and spoke. “There are…a lot of different people around. And there’s at least fifteen of us, right?”

“Right. But unfortunately, we couldn’t find any clues that could narrow down our hypotheses. All we have are guesses to what’s going on…” Mikado said, lifting his hand up to his mouth in thought.

“Yeah…and almost everyone is calm about this…” He hesitates before turning to his friend. “Do you…Do you think we’re taking this too seriously?”

“A decent dose of skepticism has kept me safe for years, my dear. There’s nothing wrong with being too serious.” Mikado crosses his arms with a sigh. “And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong and we can simply move on.” He remains quiet for a while before slowly nodding his head.

He still had a bad feeling nagging at his gut, but he tried to push it down as he checked his watch.

“…Wow, it’s been two hours already. Maybe now is the time to gather everyone?” Mikado tilts his head before nodding his head.

“Yes, I believe so. It’ll be good to discuss everything as a group.” Mikado said as he started to float away. “I’ll go east, you go west. We’ll be able to cover more ground that way.” He gave the wizard a thumbs up before turning on his heel and jogging onto the pathway. He barely heard Mikado fly off, the flap of his cape disappearing in the blink of an eye.

It didn’t take long to gather everyone. While some of them needed convincing (mostly Yuri and the guy that refused to give them his name, if the displeased look on Mikado’s face was any indication), they were all there. Not a single person is missing from the group.

It was somehow relieving to know that.

“So, we’re all here now…” Yuki was the first to speak up. He looks around the group of teenagers, all very different in personality and talents. Except for the one amnesiac that didn’t have any memory of who he is, let alone his own talent and name.

He can’t help but feel like he stands out in the group. It makes him feel a little anxious...

“Hey, hey, why’d we all have to gather? I wanna explore the island some moooore….” Hibiki complained barely a second later. He tried to ignore her.

“Well, there are a couple of reasons why we called you all here.” Mikado starts, raising his hand. He can already see one of the students, the unnamed guy, dozing off underneath a palm tree. The wizard starts counting on his fingers. “The first is so we could all gather together and get to know each other better. And the second reason is-”

“Regarding our current situation, I presume.” Kokoro interrupted. Mikado’s mask flattens its expression.

“Yes, that.” Mikado huffs as he scratches the back of his head. “We need to discuss the possibilities of what’s going on and how that could affect us as a group.”

“Yeah, we need to talk about that.” Yoruko spoke up with a smile, playing with her scarf. “Glad to see we have at least some regular people here.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me the fucking wizard is one of the normal ones?” Nikei said with a hand on his hips. He seems to have taken some mild offense to that.

“What situation? What are you guys talking about?” Shinji sweats as his eyebrows rise. He put a hand on his hip as he raised his other. “Isn’t this just the entrance ceremony?”

“I, uh, wouldn’t call waking up on an island with no memory of where we are or how we got here an entrance ceremony…” He said, if only because he really didn’t think now was the time to be all relaxed about this. For all they knew, they were kidnapped and brought to this island for nefarious reasons.

“Thank you.” Yoruko waves her hand, closing her eyes in annoyance. “At least someone is proving my point here.”

“After speaking with all of you…” Mikado quickly moves the topic back on course. “…it feels like there’s something suspicious about this.”

“I agree.” He chimes in, pressing his hand against his chest. “I’ve been getting a really bad feeling since I woke up on this island, and I’m just…waiting for the other shoe to drop.” No one responded to his words, almost as if half of them were finally realizing how wrong this all feels.

“…I’m honestly more amazed that there are people like you who are perfectly calm about waking up on a random island.” Yoruko turns her attention to Setsuka, who immediately raises her hands with a shrug.

“Now, now…No need to be so serious, Pinkie Pie.” The billiards player said with a tease. Yoruko sighs as she looks away.

“It’s Yoruko Kabuya. Please get it right, Setsuka.”

“Okie dokie, I guess you didn’t like that one, Yuko.” Setsuka puts her hand on her hip and points upwards while Yoruko gaps at the sudden change in nickname. “But what’s the point in getting all worked up? It’s probably just a school event.”

“Uh…maybe?” It was Hajime this time, having his own hand on his hip. “I have heard that Hope’s Peak has done some crazy shit from time to time, since it’s so huge.” Somehow, he found himself agreeing. It did feel like a famous place like Hope’s Peak would pull off a crazy stunt just for their Ultimate students.

It still didn’t make it right. They should’ve at least told them about this island field trip in advance before whisking them away without warning.

“Well, they do say that this school randomly has stuff like puppies growing ten stories tall, or buildings suddenly exploding…” Iroha said with an awkward laugh. He blinked at her with wide eyes, not really expecting that kind of response.

“What is the deal with this school…?” Shinji asked, dropping his arms while sweating. Honestly, he took the words right out of his mouth.

“But if those stories are true, then it’s possible that this is also some kind of event.” Emma chimed in, before closing her eyes and basking in the breeze with open arms. “A beautiful, tropical island…a once-in-a-lifetime opening ceremony caressed by a warm breeze…An image forever engraved in your memories!” He presses his lips together into a tight line, hesitating.

The more they talked about it, the more this situation started to feel less abnormal and more…typical? As if his gut was telling him that what they’re saying wasn’t wrong and that the school was probably just as eccentric as they think it is.

Maybe his suspicion is wrong then…?

“Let’s not be too relaxed.” Mikado cuts in, almost as if he was on edge. “Even if that’s true, that still leaves the issue that there isn’t anyone else but us on the island. And the school has yet to contact us in any way.”

“Honestly, I’m like eighty percent sure that this is a kidnapping.” Yuri said, subtly agreeing even if he wouldn’t say it out loud with Mikado being a guy.

“Ehhh?! A kidnapping?!” Iroha yelled out, immediately becoming scared at the thought of the situation being a lot more serious than she thought. She wasn’t full blown panicking just yet but it looked like she was on the edge of it.

“My kidnapping sense is tingling.” Yuri raises his hands with a big smile, talking like this was a normal thing. He was probably happier to turn his attention to a girl, being the misandrist he is. “As a veteran of being kidnapped, I’ve got a feeling that this must be a kidnapping on a grand scale!”

“The hell do you mean, ‘kidnapping sense?!’” Shinji put his hands on his hips. It looks like he’s also growing nervous as well. Emma crosses her arms and looks to the side, still relatively calm but considering now.

“Hmmm…If this is a kidnapping, the culprit must be quite daring if they chose to target all of Hope’s Peak’s freshmen.”

“Wait a sec!” Hibiki cuts in with a point of her finger. “If we have been kidnapped, shouldn’t we be tied up or have somebody guarding us or something? I’ve never heard of a kidnapping where the kidnapper just let their victims run around an island willy-nilly!”

“I…don’t know about that. Just because we aren’t locked up doesn’t mean that the situation is any better.” He speaks up, trying to calm himself down as he recalled Mikado’s words from before. “If our kidnappers are allowing us to roam freely, they might be confident enough to think we won’t be able to escape that easily.”

“Except there’s a boat sitting on the shore.” Setsuka steps in with a raise of her hand. He opens his mouth to retort but the billiards player stops him. “Sure, the door is locked, but it does mean we have a way to leave.”

“Well, I guess that is very different from your average kidnapping.” Yuri said, almost stepping down from his idea instantly.

“I don’t think it’s that serious.” Hajime said, who is a lot more composed than everyone else in the group. He almost felt a little jealous for his calmness. “The world ain’t all that bad, and it’s not easy kidnapping all of the new students of a government-run high school.”

“Oooh, this is gold. ‘Nefarious Crime or Scholastic Event?’ Yeah, that would definitely be today’s headline.” He can hear Nikei from here and turns to see him writing something down in his notepad. He licks his lips, feeling as though everyone was starting to lose the seriousness of the situation.

“But, um, even if this was just a school event, it’s not…There’s a lot of issues with it. They never told us about this field trip and none of us remember how we got here. It’s just…so suspicious!” He felt his voice raise a little bit, nearly cracking at his own tone. Everyone turns to stare at him, which only makes him feel even more tense. “It’s been several hours since I’ve woken up on this island. Shouldn’t something have happened by now?!”

“...It is a bit disorganized, I admit.” Setsuka rubs the back of her head awkwardly. “Like they have no idea what they’re doing…”

“But, like, what should we be doing…? It’s not like we can stay on the boat right now…” Hibiki said, looking a bit more worried now. Mikado’s mask slowly blinks before rubbing his chin.

“We don’t know enough about what’s going on right now, so why don’t we stick together instead of splitting up?” Mikado suggested and everyone started to nod in agreement.

“I think that’s a good idea. We’ll be able to look out for each other if we stay close!” Yuki said. Shinji smiles as well with his hand on his hip.

“Yeah, I agree. Sitting around bickering isn’t going to solve anything.” He chimes in.

“Roger. So we stay here until something else happens.” Nikei raises his hand with a grin. Iroha holds her sketchbook against her chest, seemingly cheering up now that the situation is starting to lighten up.

“Oooh, how about we talk to each other some more! I’d love to get to know you all.” Iroha happily walked up to the nearest person, who happened to be Setsuka. Before anyone could say anything else, though, the unnamed man seemed to have woken up at some point and started chuckling. Even from here, he can see the arrogant smirk on his face.

“Huh? What’s up with that look?” Shinji asked, narrowing his eyebrows but still having a genial smile.

“So you dragged me here just to talk about this shit. Ugh. Precious seconds of my life, down the drain.” The guy said, cleaning out his ear with his finger. He felt himself become defensive but Hajime was the first to reply.

“Hey, no need to be a jerk. It’s true that we haven’t solved anything yet, but we’re at least trying to figure out the situation.” The boxer said with a raised eyebrow. The messy guy only shrugged his shoulders, uncaring but still having that smarmy grin.

“Whatever. Only reason I showed up is ‘cause I was morbidly curious about you brats.” He then drops his smile and puts his hands in his pockets, turning away. “Can’t see what I’d gain out of getting chummy with you people, so I’m just gonna pass.” He feels his heart sink a little at the casual admittance.

“Wh-What?! Hold it! You can’t just talk trash out of the blue and leave!” Yoruko yells out as she clenches her fists. Her voice falls on deaf ears, though, as the guy walks away without another word.

“....Aaaand he’s gone. That guy has some kinda grudge against the world or something?” Nikei asked, although he suspects it was more a rhetorical question than anything else.

“When I tried to introduce myself to him, he’s the only one who didn’t tell me anything…” Iroha said. It barely made him feel better, knowing that he and Mikado weren’t the only ones that got rudely dismissed.

“Ewww, I have to go to school with a guy like that?! No way! He looks like an old fart!” Despite Hibiki’s loud complaints, he couldn’t help but snort at the way she worded herself.

“Well, like Iroha said, it can’t hurt to get to know each other, at least.” Emma said, calm and maybe a bit hopeful.

“Ooh, since we’re all sticking together, I have a great idea.” Setsuka speaks up with a smile, pointing as she puts her hand on her hip. “We’ve got sun, sand, and surf. Why not go for a swim?”

“What?” He said without a second thought. Setsuka just gives him a nonchalant grin as she shrugs.

“That store over there has some swimsuits. I didn’t see anyone working there, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if we borrowed a few for a bit.” Setsuka said, looking like she wanted to go and do it, regardless of what anyone said. Yuki, however, seemed to be against the idea.

“But that’s not what we’re here for!!! We’re supposed to be figuring things out, not messing around!” Yuki raises his hands, curling his eyebrows as he gapes at Setsuka.

“I agree. Even if this is a school event, what are we gonna do if the teachers show up?!” Yoruko said, once again being the voice of reason amongst the group. However, the moment Setsuka dropped the idea into everyone’s heads, it seemed like most of them had taken to it like a fish to water.

“Let’s hurry up and swim!” Yuri said, jumping onto the bandwagon with a huge grin on his face.

“Wooooo! Swimming is awesome! Can’t remember the last time I had a beach day!” Shinji yelled out, his energy suddenly skyrocketing once again as he raises his fists. Mikado cringed at the yelling, nearly taking a step closer to him again.

“Wait-” Yuki was still resisting the idea but Iroha steamrolls him with her words without a thought.

“Oooh! That’s totally what they’d do at a school event!” Her eyes shined like gemstones, excitement radiating off of her. “Come on, let’s all go pick out swimsuits!”

“No way I’m gonna miss out on swimming! Let’s go, Kanade!” Hibiki cheerily joined in, but her sister seemed to be a bit more apprehensive.

“U-Uh…?! S-Sis, I don’t really want to swim…” Kanade tries to resist but her sister is already dragging her by the hand.

“Oh, whatever. What’s the worst that could happen? Count me in.” Hajime chimed in with a shrug and a hand behind his head.

“Let’s go!” Nikei said, almost taking the lead as the group leaves. Only Emma, Kokoro, Yoruko, Yuki, Mikado and himself were left in the dust. They all just stand there, either accepting the outcome or simply being dumbfounded.

“They all just…left.” He said, unsure of what else he could say. Mikado merely nodded. Yuki just stood there for one more second before finally snapping.

“Ugh, I give up! These Ultimates are used to doing things their own way!” Yuki tosses his hands up in the air before lowering himself close to the ground. He wasn’t sitting down, exactly, but he might as well be hugging his legs. Emma simply laughs but makes no move to join the others. It seems Kokoro was too busy with her tablet to care at all. Yoruko just sighs, also giving up. On the other hand, he…was a bit more hesitant. Should they really move on from their discussion of the situation? The lack of information was really driving him up the wall.

But when he glances at Mikado, he seems to have caught his eye and shook his head.

“There’s not much else we can do, my dear.” Mikado said, seemingly calmer than he was before. He wavers before finally caving in and nodding. He couldn’t think of any better ideas and it’s not like they can break into the ship anyway.

“I’m…I’m gonna go join them!” He exclaimed, deciding to commit to this decision. He didn’t want to keep worrying about the situation. If he can have fun and make new friends, then why not? It’s not like they had any other information to work with and it’ll help pass some time before they have to seek shelter for the night. The pier with the lodge houses would take care of that easily if the cruise ship doesn’t open up by the time they're done. But that does leave the question of food…No, no, he didn’t want to worry about it so he shouldn’t!

“What?!” Yuki shot to his feet with his jaw nearly dropping. “Not you too! We could be in a dangerous situation!”

“A-And you’re right! We could be!” He raises his hands, trying to placate his fellow student. “But maybe we are worrying over nothing. Maybe the staff and teachers are just…hiding out on the ship, which is why it’s locked. Maybe they’re just letting us…do our own thing, to see if we can develop our talents…?” He was just spitballing random ideas to wave away the suspicion. But it was clear that everyone nearby wasn’t buying it, not even Emma who was the most easy-going out of their current group. He slumps over. “...I know that’s just an excuse. But I just…don’t want to be anxious about this whole thing. Especially if it turns out to be nothing after all.”

“...Well, constantly worrying isn’t good for your health.” Emma said with her arms crossed. Her tone was amicable and she was giving him a gentle smile. “If you think joining everyone with swimming will help calm yourself down, I say go for it!”

“I still think everyone is too relaxed about this whole situation.” Yoruko closed her eyes in exasperation, but she had dropped her arms like she didn’t want to try and stop him.

“...Go on ahead. It’ll help you alleviate some stress.” Was Kokoro’s response, tapping away on her tablet. Yuki pouted at him, seemingly pleading with him through his eyes. When he glances at Mikado though, his mask has gone back to its big normal smile.

“I’m afraid our only option right now is to wait and see. If you wish to have some fun in the meantime, I will not stop you.” Mikado said, almost shrugging his shoulders. Yuki stared at him as if he’d been betrayed but his words were enough to give him a boost of confidence in his choice.

“Yeah, okay…I’ll be right back with the others!” He said, and before anyone could convince him otherwise, he ran off towards the store.

It didn’t take long for him to enter the store and just in time, too. It looked like everyone was finished picking out their swimsuits. They all turned to look at him, and it was Hajime who had spoken up first.

“Hey, joining us at the last minute?” Hajime called out. He takes a few breaths to regain his stamina before straightening himself out.

“Y-Yeah…Where are the swimsuits?” He asked. Setsuka immediately waves him over.

“Over here! There should be one in your size, big guy!” She said, lowering her voice in a sort of playful way. He just rolled his eyes before walking over to the shelf where almost everyone was at. It seems like some of them were starting to leave, though. Probably to find a place to change in private. There were a few rows of some decent swimsuits for both guys and girls. Bikinis, one-piece suits, tankinis to name some for the women but he brings his gaze over to the men’s wear. Swim trunks, board shorts, leggings…none of these caught his eye until his eyes landed on one that was hidden away between two other pieces of swimwear. The only reason he managed to notice it was thanks to the bright colors it had and he pulled it out to see it.

It was a rainbow speedo and he couldn't help but immediately gravitate towards it.

“Whoa, looks like someone is confident in his body.” Hajime said, raising an eyebrow at the choice of swimwear. He sputters a little, feeling his face blush.

“I-I mean…I really like the rainbow…and I don’t mind showing a lot of skin.” He said, holding the piece close to himself.

“Hoho, I look forward to seeing you in that piece.” Setsuka freely admits, which only made him even more embarrassed.

Which was exactly the moment Iroha noticed the swimsuit in his hand and decided to make her thoughts known.

“Wh-Why did you choose a speedo!? Are you a pervert??” Iroha said, her face turning red as she gapes at him. If his face wasn’t red before, it certainly was now. Hajime cringed at the painter’s words while Setsuka laughed, albeit slightly awkwardly.

“I-I am not!” At least, he hopes he wasn’t before coming here. “I just…thought it looked nice!”

“Yeah, come on, Iroha. Just because he’d be wearing a speedo doesn’t mean he’s a pervert or anything.” Hajime said, dropping his arms with a small frown. “...although I didn’t expect you to choose a speedo. I was thinking you’d choose swim trunks or something…”

“Er…sorry.” Iroha pulls her sketchbook up to her mouth, clearly embarrassed now. “I just…I’m having a hard time imagining you wearing that, is all…!”

“...Are you?” Hajime raised an eyebrow. Setsuka whistled, her smile growing a bit wider as if she put together something a lot more interesting. Iroha sputters, looking like she was going to try and defend herself when-

“H-Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a speedo! He probably just…liked the design.” It was Shinji, who looked a bit embarrassed but was approaching them cautiously. Huh, it’s weird that he seems to be getting all shy now. He looked at his arms…

…and realized he also had a speedo.

“Same swimwear?” He said without thinking. Shinji gave him a bigger grin.

“Same swimwear.” The firefighter showed off the black and yellow speedo in his hand. Which only made Iroha’s face turn a brighter shade of red. Even with his sunglasses on, he could tell that Hajime was giving her a stern stare with the way he crossed his arms while looking at her. The painter just turned her back on them.

“...I’m going to die.” He barely caught her mutter before she ran out of the store with the rest of the group. He watched her go with wide eyes.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s being dramatic.” Hajime said, rubbing his head.

“Oooh, I feel bad for her. It seems Ro-Ro can’t handle herself around some hot guys and girls.” The billiards player giggles and it was only then that Iroha’s reaction started to make sense. And it seemed like Shinji also connected the dots as his face immediately turned as red as his hair again.

“S-Stop…Can we focus on getting r-ready for our beach trip?” Shinji grips his shoulder and waist, embarrassment flooding his face. “Th-There’s changing rooms behind the store. We can use those.”

“O-Oh, great! Let’s go, then!” He immediately backs up Shinji, wanting to move on from the idea of Iroha’s indecent thoughts.

“Fine by me! I should check on how the girls are doing anyway.” Setsuka said, taking her own black bikini with her as she left. That left the only three guys left in the store, and none of them had anything else to say on the matter of their choice of swimwear.

“...Well, let’s not stay here any longer. We got what we need, right?” Hajime asked, pulling up a red pair of board shorts with a white star on it. He gave a thumbs up while Shinji immediately led the way to the changing rooms, which were split between the women’s and the men’s. It wasn’t very hard to find as it was right around the back of the building. Which made sense since the pathway to the beach wasn’t very far either. Surprisingly, Yuri was already finished changing and was sitting on a bench outside. He was wearing a space pattern button up with short sleeves and a few buttons undone to his sternum and camo board shorts. He was wearing teal sandals and had a bag on his lap, crossing his arms as if he was waiting for something. Hajime let out a sigh before leaning over to whisper to him. “Oh boy, do you think we can walk on by without him noticing?”

“I heard that.” Yuri snapped with a pout, his gray eyes locking onto them like a sniper’s lens. He can’t help but flinch at the stare. “The ladies sure are taking their time. You best not have any vulgar ideas, as detestable males.”

“We were not-!” Hajime started defensively, only for another voice to call out from the women’s side of the changing rooms.

“Yeah, right! Like you weren’t thinking of it by standing right outside!” It was Hibiki who spoke, which immediately made Yuri flustered.

“I was not! I was just asking if you ladies need anything.” Yuri protested, which only made him suspicious in his eyes. Even Shinji was raising an eyebrow at him.

“Y-Yeah…no thanks.” It was Kanade this time around, and her words alone were enough to make the astronaut slump over. He decided it was time to move on from this slightly flustering conversation.

“We’re just going to get changed now.” He said, walking past Yuri. He didn’t even bother to respond to him, probably because he decided to give him the cold shoulder. Which was fine by the rest of them, as he, Shinji, and Hajime enter the changing room. Just in time to meet face to face with Nikei, who was carrying his own bag filled with clothes.

“Oh, hey! You three definitely took your time getting here.” Nikei grinned at them, wearing a blue and black swim jammer with, somehow, a pencil logo on it. “I’m gonna go on ahead. I’ll meet you there?”

“Yeah, sure. Oh, and try to take Yuri with you? Before he earns the ire of the girls…” Hajime asked with a cross of his arms. Nikei just gave him a flat stare but Yuri spoke before he could give his own opinion.

“No way. Like I’d let a man move me from my spot!” Yuri snapped, clinging to his bag. Nikei twitched at the comment.

“...I’ll try my best but I make no promises.” He grunts before stepping out of the changing room.

“...Let’s hope they don’t try to kill each other while we’re changing.” Shinji said it as if it was a joke but he couldn’t help but feel a little bit uncomfortable at the thought of murder.

It was probably just his paranoia.

“Then maybe we should be quick?” He offered and the two of them agreed without another word. They all took changing rooms for themselves and locked the doors.

“Hey, is Mikado not joining us?” Hajime called out to him. He sets his backpack down, slipping off his flats as he puts down his swimsuit.

“Apparently not. I don’t think he was interested in swimming.” Mikado didn’t give him a reason, but perhaps he was simply content to stand on the sidelines and watch. Or maybe he was still worrying over the situation but choosing not to burden him with his thoughts. Either way, the wizard didn’t have to give him a reason if he didn’t want to say.

“That’s a shame! Everyone should have a good swim every now and then.” Shinji said, the sounds of clothes hitting the floor reaching his ears. He snorts before taking off his accessories and putting them into his backpack. He might as well use it to store the clothes he has.

“I’ll say. You can’t always have a nice swim like this unless there’s a pool around.” Hajime replied, the sound of a door unlocking nearby. It seems the boxer had already finished, which made sense since he was wearing the least amount of clothes in comparison to himself and Shinji. “You guys ready?”

“Hold on, I’m still changing!” He called out, folding his jacket into the backpack. He pulled off the rest of his clothing (which included rainbow briefs apparently) and folded them up, that way there was still plenty of room in the backpack. Once he was done with that, he took his speedo and put it on, just in time to hear another door unlock to signal that Shinji was already done. There wasn’t a mirror in the changing room, so he couldn’t check to see if it looked good or not. He’ll have to ask Shinji and Hajime their own opinions.

Still…Shinji had complimented him on his athletic skills earlier that day, but he didn’t realize how toned he really was. Despite how thin he was, he had pretty large muscles and even a six pack to go long with it. He must’ve been one hell of an athlete if his body was any indication. However…

What’s with this strange star-shaped scar on his side? It was just above the pelvis, almost looking like it was somewhere around his kidney but with no signs of a surgery. At least, not one that was very deep anyway. He almost didn’t notice it if it weren’t for the fact that he was changing into a swimsuit.

And now that he was examining his body a bit closely…it looked like he had other scars too. Most of them were thin and hard to notice but they were definitely there if you knew where to look. Most of them seem to be cuts, a few on his side and stomach but otherwise old and faded. Others might be from surgery as well with how thick some of them were. There was even one on his leg too.

…Just what kind of situations did he land himself in?

“Hey, are you coming or what?” He jolts upon hearing Hajime’s voice.

“Uh, yeah, I am!” He took off his goggles and tossed them into the backpack, closing it up. He can worry about what kind of past he had later. Right now, he was here to relax and have some fun. Carrying the backpack by the handle, he unlocked the door to the changing room and stepped out. Both Hajime and Shinji were wearing their swimsuits, with the former having put away his coat and bandages but still wearing his sunglasses. Their swimsuits definitely suit the both of them and he can’t help but blush a little at the amount of skin they were showing, especially Shinji. “Um, how’d I look…?”

“Pretty great, not gonna lie.” Hajime said with a whistle. He gave him a grin. “You definitely look like you’ve been in some scuffles. Did you get into trouble a lot?”

“Who knows? Certainly not me, haha…” He laughs a little as he rubs the back of his neck. At this point, he might as well joke about his amnesia. It’s not like he can do much about it anyways. All he can do is wait until his memories come back to him or he gets back to the mainland to investigate where he came from. He starts to turn towards the exit. “Let’s catch up with the others-”

“Whoa!! What happened to your back!?”

“Huh??” He tries to turn his head at the sound of Hajime’s voice. But it was near impossible to see what he was talking about. “What’s wrong with my back??”

“There’s…There’s a really big scar on your back. It…It looks bad.” Hajime explained, gripping the side of his head as he pointed at him. He gulps, feeling his anxiety spike up a little as he silently turns his back towards Shinji to get his opinion on it. His eyes immediately go wide at the sight.

“Oh…that’s…Yeah, that looks pretty nasty.” Shinji lifts up his hand to touch him but he steps away. He didn’t feel comfortable with touch at the moment. Thankfully, he gets the message and drops his hand. “Looks pretty fresh, too.”

“Really…?” He tries to crane his neck behind him one more time but to no avail. “I can’t really see it for myself.”

“Hold on. There’s phones in the store. Let me go grab one so I can take a picture to show you.” Hajime then left the changing room before either of them could say anything. It was awkwardly quiet between the both of them, Shinji seemingly at a loss of words while he…didn’t know what to do. Nor did he know why he had so many scars.

“...Fuck. I guess I really was in some kind of accident.” He said, if only to say something to break the silence. Shinji stared at him before glancing down at the floor. He laughed, empty and distraught as he rubbed his head. “I mean…of course I was. You don’t…you don’t just wake up with amnesia for no reason, right? But I…I can’t remember anything before coming here. Not a hospital or…or anything. Just nothing, you know? What am I…what am I supposed to do?”

“...I don’t know.” Shinji replied, a lot quieter than he usually was for the short amount of time he knew him. But then he put his hands on his hips with a smile. “But what I can tell you is this: keep moving forward. Your memories may be gone now, but you’re not alone. Your Big Bro won’t allow it!” The firefighter’s voice rose but it wasn’t distressing. If anything, it only made him snort.

“Thanks, Shinji. I…I guess I’m more worried about what I’ve been up to before losing my memories.” He rubs the back of his neck, averting his gaze. “I don’t even know where I got these scars. Let alone the one on my back. It makes me a little worried.”

“...If it makes you feel any better, you’re not alone in having scars.” Shinji said, and before he could respond, he suddenly turned around. His eyes go wide upon seeing Shinji’s own scar on his back. It was clearly an old scar, but it was chaotic and red, stretching over his back and shoulder blades and stopping right above his tailbone. He can’t help but hiss upon thinking of how painful it must’ve been to get a scar like that. “Remember when I mentioned an injury?”

“Y-Yeah, I remember. Does it still bother you?” He couldn’t help but ask. Shinji turns around, his grin only growing wider.

“Not anymore. I mean, I still have to be careful with it in case it gets worse from overworking. But I went back to work no problem.” Shinji said, crossing his arms. “Being a firefighter is one of the most dangerous jobs out there. Sometimes you get injured for trying to save as many people as possible. But I love this job! I’m proud to work as a firefighter, and I will do everything in my power to save people!!” He takes a moment to pause in his yelling before leaning over. “And maybe, the scars you have aren't as bad as you think it is. It’s possible you just had a job that put you in a lot of danger in exchange for protecting the innocent. And if that’s true, I’d say that’s something to be proud of.”

“...Wow, um…” He gulps, moved by his classmate’s words. He can’t help but smile. “Thanks, Shinji. You’re right, maybe I was doing something good before getting injured. I mean, I still lost my memories…but I’m here now, right?” Shinji’s smile becomes smaller but he can tell that he was still happy. His energy just lessened a bit. A thought suddenly hits him and he hesitates. His smile falters as he decides to take a plunge anyway. “If…you don’t mind me asking…What happened to get you that scar, Shinji? Obviously a fire, but…”

“Oh, uh…” Shinji sweats, the bravado he had mere seconds ago suddenly disappearing. He looks down at the floor. He suddenly feels bad for asking. “Well-”

“I’m back!” It was Hajime, who thankfully had the perfect timing to interrupt the depressing topic before it could get started. They both sigh in relief as the boxer enters the changing rooms. He waved the phone in his hand. “I found one that is working. I mean, considering Kokoro got herself a tablet from here, it really shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“That’s great! Uh, I guess. Take a picture and show me.” He immediately turns around to show his back, glad to drop the subject of Shinji’s scar. Shinji took a step back to let Hajime get a clear view before the three of them heard the snap of the camera going off. “How does it look?”

“I don’t usually take pictures but I’d say this is probably one of the better ones I’ve taken.” Hajime said, and the amnesiac turned back around. “Take a look for yourself.” He inhales before setting his backpack down and taking the phone from him.

Like the two of them said, the scar looked bad. It was clearly fresh as Shinji said, with how bright in color it was. It was also just as chaotic in shape as Shinji’s scar, but this one stretched as far as to his neck, down below his tailbone and almost reaching his shoulders, with thick lines of surgery keeping the skin together. When he reached behind himself to feel it out, it felt a little flat but still hard to the touch and he shivered at how sensitive it was. It wasn’t too painful, thankfully, which explains why he never noticed something was wrong despite wearing clothes. If Hajime hadn’t pointed it out, he likely wouldn’t have noticed he had such a scar.

“Holy shit…” Was all he could say upon staring at the photo.

“Yeah.” Hajime rubs the side of his head, unsure of what to say. “Like I said, it’s bad.”

“Does it still hurt? It looks like it hasn’t ‘matured’ yet.” Shinji asked, which he shakes his head on. It felt like his nerves were tickling but it wasn’t that bad. He can pretty much ignore it. “Well, alright. Let me know if it gets worse, though. Actually, I should share some tips on how to manage your scar.”

“Thanks, Shinji.” He turns the phone off. “...What do you guys think happened?”

“Professionally speaking, it was probably a fire. Only burn scars can look as chaotic as that.” The firefighter pauses before raising his hand and putting his hand on his hip. “Although…There seems to be other bits that look a bit too sharp to be from a fire. Maybe from shrapnel? There’s even lines of surgery so there must have been some broken bones…”

“Hard to say. I’ve never heard of anyone getting amnesia from a fire but I’m just a boxer. I wouldn’t know much about the medical stuff.” Hajime said, grimacing. “But enough talk about all of this. Why don’t we head down to the beach? Everyone already went on ahead.”

“Y-Yeah, sure…” He hesitates before opening his bag and putting the phone inside. “Before we do, are there any shirts I can use? I don’t think I’m comfortable showing off this scar…”

“If you like Hawaiian shirts, they’re right around the corner of the swimsuits.” Shinji said, looking like he completely empathized with his feelings. He smiled and thanked him before leaving the changing rooms with his bag in tow. Yuri and Nikei were nowhere to be found, which made sense if they had already left to play at the beach. It didn’t take him long to find where the Hawaiian shirts were and there were even fake flower necklaces next to them, a name that was unfortunately escaping his mind. He didn’t let that bother him though as he took a pale yellow shirt with orange and magenta floral pattern and a pink, red, and yellow flower necklace and tossed both on. Once he was ready, he put his backpack on and left the store to catch up with both Shinji and Hajime.

And so, he joined his classmates at the beach.

Almost everyone was hanging near the sand of the beach, none of them going too deep to swim out just yet. But that didn’t stop them from having fun: they were all splashing each other with water, or chasing each other around the beach. Setsuka was in the middle of splashing Iroha, who laughed as she tried to cover her face. Shinji was chasing Nikei with the plan of tossing him into the deep end, much to the journalist’s fear. But he was laughing with a big smile on his face, so he knew that Nikei was taking this all in jest. Hibiki and Kanade are the only ones who stayed on the edge of the shore, with the older twin looking down on her younger twin as she sat and played with a crab that was scuttling by. Hajime was trying to get Yuri to talk about his workout routine, but it was obviously going nowhere thanks to his misandry and lack of interest in general. Hell, he heard that the astronaut said that he usually uses an escalator as “training,” which clearly disappointed the boxer.

As for him, well…

“GAH?!” Hajime jumped just when the amnesiac poured cold water onto his back. The boxer turns around to try and splash him but he just manages to get out of reach. “Oh, you’re on! Come here, you!” Yuri immediately gets out of the way, seemingly happy to be out of a man’s reach.

“Nope! Can’t catch me, haha!” He runs off, managing to avoid Iroha as she tries to take down Setsuka into the water with her. The billiards player laughs before suddenly pulling the small painter into her arms and starts giving her a noogie.

“Aaaack! Nooo!” Iroha struggles but is unable to get out of the young girl’s reach. She immediately caves in and reaches out for the nearest person, which was… “Hajime!! Hajime, help me!”

“Oh, for the love of - I’m coming, Iroha!” The boxer immediately switches tactics, deciding to help out the painter instead of getting revenge. He stuck his tongue out at him, which only seems to motivate him as he tugs Iroha out of Setsuka’s reach. She raises her hand placatingly before running off to join Hibiki and Kanade. Before Iroha could thank him, Hajime suddenly picks her up and puts her on his shoulders and she squeals. “Come on, Iroha! Help me push this guy into the water.”

“Oh, hehe! Okay!” Iroha agrees without a second thought, raising her hands in what she thought was a threatening gesture. Really, she was just wiggling her fingers around as if she was going to tickle him instead. “Come here, come here!”

“Uhh, nope! Pretty sure two against one isn’t fair.” He said, backing up but the smile didn’t fall off of his face. Before he could try to run off, he accidentally bumps into someone and he yelps. He was about to apologize when two big pairs of hands grab a hold of his sides and suddenly lift him up with ease. “Ahh?! Wha - Shinji?!”

“Don’t worry! Your Big Bro won’t let you get taken down that easily!” Shinji’s yell was practically heard by the entire class and he was lifted onto his shoulders, his long legs dangling over them. When he looks behind him, he sees Nikei floating in the water on his back, resigned and yet content. Looks like Shinji managed to toss him into the water after all. “Come at us, Hajime, I-Iroha!! SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!”

“Is that a challenge?! Cause you’re definitely getting taken down!” Hajime immediately took the challenge like a fish to water. Iroha, on the other hand, looked a little bit apprehensive.

“O-Oh boy…Uh, I mean, yeah! You can’t take us d-down!!” Iroha said, trying to fire herself up even though the poor girl was sweating bullets. He can feel Shinji falter underneath him, which he quickly gives a pat on his hand. As determined as both of them were to take the other challenger down, they knew they should be careful with Iroha as she was the smallest and probably frailest compared to the rest of them. Let alone the entire class.

“Geez, look at them go.” He can hear Hibiki comment on their two-against-two swim wrestling. Or whatever the heck this is called. “I guess boys will be boys no matter where we go.”

“W-Well, they definitely look like they’re having fun, Sis…” He barely caught Kanade’s words as he tried to push Iroha off Hajime’s back. But his grip was tight and the painter was surprisingly fast with the way she tries to (weakly) jab him.

“Bwahaha! I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly enjoying the view!” Setsuka called out very loudly, which was enough to make Shinji trip over his own two feet and almost make the both of them fall. Thankfully, he manages to right himself before Iroha could try and take advantage of it and push him off of the firefighter’s shoulders.

“Ha…” Yuki’s sigh was carried across the wind and reached his ears. He tries to perk up at the conversation to try and listen in, even as most of his focus was on the game before him.

“There’s no talking to them when they’re like this…How can they be so relaxed?” He glances at Yoruko for a moment, which was enough for Iroha to try and push him hard. It nearly catches him off guard and he was only able to stay on Shinji’s shoulders thanks to his tight grip. It wasn’t enough to pull him out of his eavesdropping and decided to make it known.

“Hey!! Are you sure you guys want to sit out on this?” He calls out to them and waves his hand. Both Yuki and Yoruko pull their gazes over to him. “If you want to swim now, you better grab a swimsuit!” He can see Yuki hesitate before turning to Yoruko. They seemed to lower their voices for the time being before Yoruko replied.

“Nah, I’m fine. I’m not a fan of noisy stuff anyway. Honestly, I’m feeling a bit dizzy, so I’m gonna sit down for a bit.” Yoruko said with a sigh, finding a rock and sitting down on it. That was when Iroha tried to push him one more time. This time, he was prepared and retaliated with a shove of his own. Iroha tips back so far that Hajime had no choice but to drop her lest he falls over as well. The painter sputters and flounders before getting to her feet before Hajime could help her up.

“Augh, bleh!! I think I got salt water in my mouth!!” Iroha spat out, trying to get rid of the taste. Hajime pats her back comfortingly and that was enough of a signal for the rest of them to stop. Shinji sets him down and decides to run off somewhere to do some swimming. His face was red again and he can’t help but raise an eyebrow at how much the firefighter has blushed throughout the day.

“Ah, forget it!” Yuki’s voice calls out among the group. He turns to see his fellow classmate clench his fists as he steps forward. “Guys! Count me in!” He immediately grins while Setsuka turns around with her own smile.

“Great, the more the merrier I say!” She said and he walked over onto the beach. He still felt uncomfortable around Yuki but he was also happy to have him join them. He wanted to get to know him better and this is probably one of the best ways to do it.

“I’ll go with you, Yuki. We can swim some laps together once we get you a swimsuit!” He said, which somehow embarrasses the shorter boy.

“I-I can pick out a swimsuit on my own!” Yuki exclaimed, which only made him laugh.

He can’t remember anything. And yet, there was still a feeling of nostalgia in his chest. Classmates running around on the beach, laughing and playing like the carefree teenagers they were. Spending time together and having fun as they get to know each other. It made a warm fuzzy feeling form in his chest, almost washing away the anxiety he’s been dealing with all day. It almost felt like he had longed for days like these.

For a moment, he felt as though there was nothing to worry about at all.

And in just that moment, the normalcy shattered like glass.

Ding dong bing bong!

They all freeze, the sounds of laughter and casual conversations coming to a grinding halt. The strange bell-like noise made him froze up, the smile falling off his face instantly as alarm bells rang in his head. It felt as though someone had dunked him into cold water and screamed at him, ‘This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.’

“Is…that an announcement?” Nikei was the first to speak as static can be heard throughout the island. He tried to breathe but he felt as though he had choked on air.

“I-I did see a speaker pole, but I couldn’t find where it came from…” Kanade spoke up, her stuttering voice being much too loud in his ears even though she was only a few feet away. He gulps, managing to take in a deep breath this time, and was about to give out his own thoughts. Perhaps it was a teacher from the Monocruise. Perhaps it was a staff member of the island. Perhaps it was just nothing at all.

Except it wasn’t nothing.

It was something far, far worse.

“A body has been discovered!”

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Beach Intro

Finally deciding to post snippets of the prologue of the Protag Teruya AU! I’m getting closer to finishing the prologue in it’s entirely so once that is done, I’m gonna post it on AO3 and then share it from there. The Tumblr parts will be cut up and shorter than the updates on the AO3 for those who prefer shorter and more digestible updates. The AO3 version is for those who like to sit down for longer reads.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)

Prologue Part 2 Beginning

Next Acts: [Act I] The Price of a Forged Bond

[Edit]DISCLAIMER: So, I’ve been discussing things with some mutuals and I decided to update the tags and formally put up this disclaimer. If you read the tags, you’ll notice I put the Sannotori tag (although Teruya won’t be reciprocating just yet). I just wanna put this up as I want to be honest with ya’ll. I know Sannotori isn’t really well-liked due to canon events of SDRA2 between Teruya and Mikado (which makes sense since Mikado is literally the mastermind and Teruya wouldn’t like him at all and considering Chapter 5...yeah, I can tell this ship is usually problematic). At least, from what I can tell. But while I love the enemies to lovers trope, especially when it comes to these two, their relationship in this is nothing like the canon dynamic as Mikado isn’t as bad as he was in canon and that the ship will be in this AU. So I will be using the Sannotori tag going forward, especially whenever their dynamic is in the Tumblr update.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

It all felt like a dream.

It had to be, because he couldn’t believe what had happened.

What happened…?

He — wasn’t sure. He couldn’t — think.

It was just — hard.

Hard to breathe.

Hard to think.

It was cold.

And yet, he felt hot.

With no one there to comfort him.

All alone in this suffocating place.

This couldn’t be happening.

He can’t let this be happening.

He made a promise to them.

A promise to himself, for all the pain he’s been put through…

It hurts.

It…

      hurts…

                   H e l p.

-♥-

“Sir…?”

He twitched.

That was the first thing he sensed in his mind.

The second thing was the sounds of something crashing and rolling against the ground.

‘Waves…?’ His mind supplied, with an instinct reminding him that something was wrong.

“Sir.”

He cringed, his face scrunching up at the loud sounds.

Something coarse and dry was underneath him, uncomfortable and yet warm. Almost comfy with the heat beaming down on him.

“Sir!”

He grit his teeth at the sound of the voice. He wanted to keep lying down on the ground. Which was sand. Definitely sand, yeah. When he finally gave in and opened his eyes, light burned bright in his vision and he had to close them again. Something soft brushed along his forehead and it encouraged him to open his eyes one more time, squinting as he let his vision adjust. A bright blue sky greets him with the sun beaming down on him. But that wasn’t the only thing that met his gaze.

A man was kneeling over him with a strange white mask with its amused, almost mischievous expression painted over in red. If he wasn’t already laying down on the ground, he would’ve leaned away from the frightful image before him. The cape and hat did nothing to lessen the effect of the man’s appearance, with a sun emblem attached to the hat and a clasp keeping his cape around his shoulders. And then the mask blinked and he felt his heart drop in his stomach.

“I believe it is rude to stare, sir.” The man’s voice was deep and masculine, kindly in tone but still creepy with the way his mask shifts as if it were speaking. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was awkward sounds that couldn’t form words. The mask blinks again before shifting into an entirely different expression of its own free will: awkward concern. “Ah, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Y…Y-Yes…” His own voice was a lot more awkward than he expected, but it was his and he accepted it. He thought it was rude to admit it, but he’d rather put as much distance as he can from the man before him. And that mask was not helping, with the way it moves like an actual face. With that one word, the man puts distance between them, lifting his face away from his own.

“I apologize. I sometimes get a little too close to others despite being quite picky with touch.” The man then scratches at the back of his head, the cape lifting with the movement to reveal his outfit underneath. Which was a lot more simple compared to the eccentric creepiness of the mask and strange cape and hat combo: a white button-up with unbuttoned cuffs and white gloves, a double-sided orange tie, black trousers and brown slip-on shoes. The mask suddenly changes to look more cheerful with an open mouth and pointy eyelids, and he lifts both of his arms up. “Ah, perhaps I should give you a demonstration of my magic!”

“Your…magic?” He could feel a bit more strength coming back to his voice and his muscles, to the point that he decided to test out his body. It wasn’t all that difficult to prop up his elbows and lift himself up slightly. The mask looked pleased.

“Yes! And it’s nothing like those parlor tricks those fake magicians do to entertain. Mine is very much real, mister…?” He trails off, tilting his head as he puts down one of his hands onto his lap. It took him a moment to realize that the man was asking him for his name and he hesitated. He didn’t want to give away his name to this stranger, let alone one that claimed to specialize in magic. What if he steals it with his magic? His name is important, it’s his identity, he…

…he’s drawing a blank.

He sat there, trying to search his brain for something, anything that resembled a name. Something to call himself so people would know who he is. Anything that would fit just right for him.

And yet, nothing.

“I…I can’t remember.” His eyes widened and he raised his tanned hand to his face. At least his body felt familiar but anything else about himself didn’t feel right. No, he felt nothing at all. Just one big blank in his memories and a past that had slipped away from him without another word. It was then that the panic started to settle in. “I-I can’t remember! I can’t, I can’t…!”

“Sir, calm down, please.” The man beside him moves to settle his hands on his shoulders, his mask morphing into its own wide-eyed expression. He flinched at the touch and tried to lean away but the man didn’t let go. He instead squeezed him in a surprisingly gentle way, his thumb rubbing circles into his shoulders. He hesitates, his brain telling him to distrust the stranger before him. But his gut wanted the comfort the man was offering and he quickly caves in to his feelings. He took deep breaths to calm himself and once he did, he raised one of his hands to hold the man’s. The mask blinks at the touch before he quickly pulls away, once again putting space between them. He blinked his own eyes in surprise at the reaction. “…Now that you’ve calmed down, we can continue our discussion. You said you can’t remember. Do you mean your name or…?”

"I…" He swallowed. "I can't remember anything."

Not his name.

Not his family.

Not his friends.

Not even his own home.

He knew the concepts of all of those words, but it's like his brain discarded any memories or meaning by forgetting everything that could relate to them.

It was frustrating.

And it was upsetting.

A sound of flames appearing and disappearing greeted his ears and he looked up to see the man holding out a handkerchief. He sniffled and realized his eyes had watered to the point of shedding tears. Fully embarrassed, he mutters his thanks before taking the handkerchief and rubbing his eyes.

"You may keep that if you'd like." The man said gently, his mask somehow softening up its expression. He wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. "It seems you have amnesia and for that, I’m sorry for your loss of identity. I'd suggest a name, but perhaps I should leave that to you?"

"Please." He said it without thinking. But now that he did, he realized he didn't want a random stranger to name him whatever they wanted. He wanted the choice to choose for himself, even if it was only a temporary name. The mask blinked at him and he realized he should probably clarify. "Please let me choose. At my own pace."

"Very well!" The man then claps his hands together. "Ah, I should introduce myself! I am the great Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard that bends the very forces of nature to his will!" He spreads his hands out in a dramatic fashion. And, against all odds, it made him snort at the sight. The mask turns back into its cheerful smile. "Ah, there's a smile! I do hope we get along, sir."

"Uh…me too." He said a bit awkwardly. He still found the man, Mikado Sannoji, strange but he was friendly enough and seemed to care about his lack of memories. He sat up, looking around with his gaze as he took in the warm sand, the ocean waves crashing against the beach and palm trees swaying in the wind. It was very warm here, not necessarily sweltering but it was enough to get him to fan his face with his hands. "Are we…on an island?"

"Oh, an astute observation! At least you seem to be functioning well." Mikado said, and he couldn't help but side-eye him with slight annoyance. The wizard just scratched the back of his head with his mask shifting into a more goofy expression. It even stuck its tongue out somehow! "Do not take offense, that was merely a compliment. Do you wish to meet the others?"

"Others?" His eyes widen and he brings his legs closer to himself. "There are other people here??"

"Yes. I passed by them but I didn't feel like talking to them. Too many people can feel…suffocating." Mikado's mask shifts into a more downtrodden and flat expression, the eyelids nearly closing together. "But I suspect that the group must have dispersed at this point. All that will be left is us and our own introductions."

“I…see.” He sat there for a moment to take in the information. There were people nearby, which might mean they could know him. Perhaps even give him a hint of who he is and what his name was. But if they didn’t know who he was, then all he can do is integrate himself into the group as best as he can until he can see a doctor for his amnesia. Hopefully, he could recover his memory in full once he does. “Then, I’ll join you.” He slowly gets onto his feet, his legs aching as if they haven’t been moved in forever. But despite the soreness he was able to stand without much trouble. Mikado followed him up and it was then that he realized that the wizard looked to be almost a half a foot shorter than him. His mask then shifts into a grin.

“Would you like a mirror? It’d be a shame to let your handsomeness go unaware.” Mikado leaned forward, his tone of voice registering in his head which only made him baffled. Flattered, but baffled. He didn’t think now was the time to be flirting with each other. He just realized he has amnesia and lost so much in just the span of a few minutes.

…Still, it’s not like he remembers what he looks like. The best he could see was the clothes he wore and the color of his skin, but nothing of his face.

“...Sure. I’d like one.” He said, slowly nodding. Mikado eagerly rubbed his hands together.

“As you wish, my dear.” The wizard raised his hands and did the unthinkable.

His hands glowed red and the sand between them rose and burned from the flames that formed before him. His eyes grow wide at the sight of magic, literal magic, being performed right there in front of him. And before he knew it, the sand Mikado was bending with the fire dancing from his fingers formed into a thin, clean sheet of glass that reflected an image of a person. It took him a little longer to realize that the man standing before him was himself.

The man had grown out silver hair, his bangs framing his round angular face below his chin and covering his forehead. He had a pretty tall ahoge, probably a few centimeters at least, and his hair was tied into a low ponytail that hung off the side of his head. He blinked his green eyes, round and almond-shaped and his tanned skin was dotted with freckles all over his cheeks and arms. He wore a red shirt that had its sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a collar that reached his sternum, showing off his collar bones and a decent amount of skin. Gray trousers that were rolled up above his ankles, dark brown flats with a light brown ribbon tied around them and a black short-sleeved jacket that had a collar and two buttons that had a happy face and a sad face with a rainbow sewn onto its bottom. Just seeing that rainbow brought a smile to his face. He also had pilot goggles strapped to his head and a blue scarf wrapped around his neck, which somehow brought pangs of sadness in his chest. He couldn’t help but wonder why. He also had a small light brown backpack, and bits of jewelry on him like the green beaded necklace, different kinds of bracelets that were red, blue, black and gold on one wrist and a golden wristwatch on the other.

All things considered, despite the inappropriate timing with Mikado’s flirting, he did look pretty handsome. And clearly he had pretty good taste in fashion, so at least he wasn’t walking around like he was some sort of disaster. Or worse, butt naked.

That would’ve been so much more awkward.

Unfortunately, his clean appearance did nothing to give him any hints of what he’s been through before he lost his memory. He didn’t even look like he had washed up on shore after surviving a shipwreck. Unless his bag…

He hastily took off his bag, ripping it open to reveal–

–absolutely nothing.

“What? That’s it??” He even turned the bag over for good measure, just to see if anything would fall out. But alas, nothing came out. It was as empty as his eyes perceived it.

“…I see. Not even a wallet was left behind. Which could be its own dilemma, but one thing at a time.” Mikado said, once again rubbing the back of his head with a downer expression on his mask. He just slumped his shoulders and accepted that an easy answer wasn’t just going to fall onto his lap. He puts the bag back on and Mikado’s mask smiles again and drops his arms. It’s almost creepy with how wide the smile was. “Now, let us make our way to the cruise ship.”

“The what??” He gaped. He had a feeling he knew what a cruise ship was but his brain was coming up with a blank on what one looked like.

“Fufufu, never been on a cruise ship before?” The wizard’s mask stuck his tongue out. “Actually, neither have I! Nor do I remember getting on one either.”

“You…don’t?” The information that was just casually dropped onto his lap suddenly made his stomach turn. Mikado’s mask shifted from goofy to serious in a matter of seconds.

“Yes. And while I haven’t spoken to anyone personally, I did overhear the group discuss how they got here as I left. It seems that no one else knows why we’re here or how. Which seems to spell trouble for us all…” Mikado trails off, staring at his paling face. “But like I said before, one thing at a time. Let us introduce ourselves and then gather the group together to one spot to exchange information. How does that sound?”

“That…” He gulps, trying to push down the anxiety in his throat. “That sounds like a good idea. Where should we gather the group?”

“Hm…The cruise ship has a dining area. We can use that.” Mikado then gestured with his hand to follow him. He did since he didn’t have a better plan than this. He glanced at the water as it ascended and descended across the sand and he can’t help but wonder where in the world he could be. The lack of memories only made him even more nervous. There was a sign nearby that gave him the name of the island though: Utsuroshima, The Isle of Nowhere.

He feels a sense of deja vu settle onto his shoulders, but it was accompanied with a feeling of dread. Why, he didn’t know. But he kept his guard up as he followed Mikado to the ship.

Which was absolutely huge.

The ship was docked along the shore, painted in a bizarre way that somehow reminded him of a bird, albeit one that was half white and half black. Words were painted on the side of the ship and it read out “Monocruise.” He still felt very uneasy at what’s going on, but it didn’t change how magnificent it all looked.

“Whoa…” He said, gaping at the sight. Mikado chuckled at his reaction and walked up to the bridge. Up ahead was someone with ginger hair in a brown and gray school uniform, seemingly staring at the door with their hand against it. He tilts his head at the sight, wondering why that person was simply standing on the bridge and not going inside. He quickly matched his pace with Mikado and called out. “Hey, aren’t you going to head inside?” The person jolted at the sound of his voice and turned around-

Messy hair and bored eyes stared down at him as he spoke words that filled him with a crushing sense of despair. He could only stand there and stare back, unable to come up with a rebuttal as he smiled almost in satisfaction.

Cruel, despairing satisfaction.

And he felt like his entire world was uprooted with that single betrayal.

“-are you okay? Hey!” A voice, light but masculine reached his ears and it sounded more like concern than cruelty. He blinked his eyes, ignoring the way the sweat rolled down his forehead and the pit in his stomach growing ever more. The young man before, who couldn’t be older than a freshman in high school, had hair that was far neater with the way it curled and wore a simple brown blazer, red tie, white button-up with a tan vest, gray pants and brown slip-on shoes. And yet, everything about him just felt off, like a bunch of red flags had been thrown in the air yelling ‘don’t trust him, don’t trust him, don’t trust him.’

“Sir? Please answer the question. You look pale.” Mikado stepped into his view but didn’t get any closer to him, as if he was giving him space. It was only then that he realized his mouth was hanging wide open and he snapped it shut. He gulps.

“S-Sorry, I, uh…” He struggled to form words. He wanted to be honest and tell them how he really feels, but everything in his mind was telling him to keep his distrust a secret. That this is someone he couldn’t trust with himself. But…still. He had to ask. “Have we…have we met before?”

“Er…no. I’m sorry, I don’t think we have.” The young man looked him up and down for good measure before awkwardly smiling. “I mean, I feel like I’d recognize you by how you dress alone.”

“Yes, you certainly stand out with that hair and garish rainbow on your jacket.” Mikado said as blunt as a brick and he gasped. But he didn’t feel offended. If anything, he felt like he was taking it in stride, like this is a pretty normal response.

“Hey, I think I look pretty great!” He puts his hands on his hips with a pout. The young man smiled a little.

“I mean, it’s not a bad look, but you certainly stand out. Ah!” The young man scratches his cheek. “Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Yuki Maeda, this year’s Ultimate Lucky Student.” He instinctively cringed at the name, clearly ringing a bell but once again, any sort of memory he tries to reach out for slips through his fingers like sand. Yuki blinked his eyes but seemed to have dropped it for the moment.

…Hold on a minute.

“‘This year’s ‘Ultimate Lucky Student?’ What does that mean…?” He asked, his confusion clearly written on his face. Yuki’s eyes go wide in surprise while Mikado’s expression flattens as if he had just come to a realization.

“Y-You don’t know? Hope’s Peak Academy is famous around the country!” Yuki exclaimed, raising his hands. He felt a jab of shame at not knowing even common knowledge like this. Although it did sound familiar…and yet he felt a mixture of fondness and detest. He felt like a confused, floundering mess.

“Perhaps I should have mentioned this sooner. Our fellow student currently has amnesia. He doesn’t even know his own name.” Mikado spoke up, his mask shifting to one of sympathy, his eyes downturned and his mouth shifting into a squiggly frown. He lifted his hand up to press his fingers against his mask. Yuki, on the other hand, looked a lot more embarrassed.

“O-Oh! I’m sorry, I, uh, didn’t know.” He just sighed and slumped his shoulders with a nod. As much as he didn’t want to admit it upfront, he knew it was inevitable if he can’t even introduce himself. Yuki just tried to smile awkwardly. “Would you like it if I told you more?”

“Uh, yeah, that would be helpful. Thanks, Yuki.” He tried to give him his best smile but it didn’t shake off the anxiety that clung to him.

“Well, Hope’s Peak Academy is a world-famous school that has produced many famous and talented people in its long history. A school that only the best, most talented students get to attend. It isn’t an exaggeration to call it the ‘School of Hope.’” Yuki starts his explanation, and the more he talks, the more familiar this school sounds. Mikado formed a few tiny shards of ice, spinning them around to keep himself occupied. “There are two conditions to enter the school: one, you must be in high school. Two, you must be the best at your given talent. Only students who have been scouted to come to the school can attend…” He pauses before frowning. “And today was the first day of school.”

“That’s today?” He asked, blinking his eyes in surprise. He didn’t know the date, but if what Yuki’s said was true, then they should all be in school, right?

So…why were they here instead?

“Yeah, heh…” Yuki scratched his cheek, sweating a little. “Well, except for me. I just won a lottery.”

“Oh, lucky you.” The tease came to him without a second. Mikado snorts while Yuki blinks before grinning a little bit wider. It was then that the wizard let the ice fall into his hand before crushing it into dust.

“Now that you’re caught up to speed on Hope’s Peak Academy and what Ultimates are…Mr. Maeda, I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard!!” Mikado exclaimed with dramatic flair and an excited expression, suddenly tossing up dust of ice into the air and–

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He and Yuki jumped at the sounds but the brief flashes of light and fire quickly soothed and delighted both of them. It almost looked like…fireworks?

Yeah, fireworks.

It was only a brief moment but it was a wonderful sight and drove home what Mikado’s Ultimate Talent was in just a few seconds.

“Wow, an actual Ultimate Wizard…? I didn’t even notice the ice you made.” Yuki said with wonder. Mikado just gave him a flat stare before shrugging and giving him a bow anyway. He then looked at him and he suddenly felt subconscious. “So, uh…what should I call you, mister…?”

“Uh, first of all, don’t call me mister. It makes me feel old.” He scratches the back of his neck. He knows he’s pretty tall but he didn’t look much older than Yuki. Or even Mikado, if he could see his face. “And secondly, um…I’d…like to come up with a name on my own. Okay?”

“Oh, okay! If you say so.” Yuki dropped his hand and started to mutter to himself. “Although I’ll have to figure out what to call you until then…”

“Moving on…What were you doing out in front of the Monocruise? You looked confused.” Mikado moved the subject onto something new. Yuki blinked his eyes before realizing what he meant.

“Oh, well…I tried to enter the Monocruise but…it seems to be locked?” The eyes of Mikado’s mask go wide.

“Locked?” As if to test the door himself, Mikado walked up and tried it. Only to get resistance as the sounds of the door jamming greets their ears. “Ah…a shame. So much for using the dining room to gather everyone in one spot.”

“Can’t you use your magic to get in?” He asked. He wouldn’t be surprised if Mikado could do that. Magic can do anything, right?

“Well, I can.” Mikado admits without a second thought, turning around with a shrug. His expression flattens. “But the mode of transportation I can use is only made for one person. If I tried to bring one of you with me, well…” His mask morphs into a sinister grin with sharp teeth. “You might lose a limb or two.”

“Uhhh, okay then. Good to know.” He said agape, sweat rolling down his forehead. Yuki looked similarly disturbed.

And then Mikado laughed, raising his hands up with his mask forming into his energetic smile.

“Just joking! Mostly. To be frank with you, I’ve never brought anyone with me when I teleport, so I have no idea if it’ll be safe for you.” Mikado’s mask softened into his regular, wide smile. The brief horror he felt quickly morphed into exasperation. Yuki tugged on his tie, looking like he couldn’t come up with anything to say to that. “...Wow, tough crowd. No matter. Do you have an idea of where we could gather everyone, Mr. Maeda?”

“Ah…Hmm…” Yuki raised a fist to his chin in thought. “How about the beach? There’s enough space here for…sixteen people and it’s not that far from the Monocruise.”

“Ah, the beach…the one I found our classmate here…That will do, thank you. Shall we leave you to your investigation and gather everyone in, say, two hours or so?” Mikado asked. Yuki was already nodding his head.

“I, uh, think that sounds good. I don’t have a watch though…” Yuki glanced at his wrist. He blinked, wondering why he would stare at it before looking down and remembering that, oh yeah, he was wearing a watch.

“Uh, sorry.” He smiles a bit awkwardly. “This is mine.”

“...I guess I’ll just guess the time with the sun’s location??” Yuki looked up at the sky, squinting his eyes. Mikado chuckled before turning on his heel and walking down the bridge.

“Come along, sir. I can see another classmate of ours from here.” Mikado said and he quickly followed after him once he said a quick goodbye to Yuki. Hopefully this classmate won’t give him a heart attack just by existing.

Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case as the man on the beach didn’t give him any sense of familiarity at all. But he definitely didn’t look like a student at just a glance. He had messy, wavy hair that was graying, tired gray eyes that looked a bit annoyed and a suit that looked very lazily put together. In fact, the white jacket wasn’t buttoned up at all, his black button-up had a few buttons unbuttoned down to his sternum, and a red tie that was so loose that he had to stuff it into his pocket. His white pants were rolled up, revealing hairy legs and was wearing black and white sandals instead of regular shoes. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath, thinking to himself underneath the palm tree. Mikado didn’t hesitate to walk up to him while he was a bit more nervous.

“Greeting and salutations! I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard! And this is our fellow classmate.” Mikado said, gesturing to him as he spoke. He gives the man a friendly smile.

“Hi, uh…I’m kinda dealing with amnesia right now, so I can’t give you a name until I remember or come up with something.” He explains his current condition with as much nonchalance he could muster. The student, who is probably older than him, didn’t seem to have paid much attention to them. But he did stop muttering, so he must have heard them even as he continued to stare off to the side. They both waited, their stares drilling holes into him before his gaze finally snapped to them.

“What.” He said, clearly annoyed and having shoved his hands into his pockets. He felt a bit embarrassed, feeling like he was bothering his fellow classmate before him. Mikado, however, was nonplussed.

“You’re a fellow Hope’s Peak student, correct? We’re just-” The wizard gets cut off.

“I don’t know any of that crap.” He rolls his eyes, staring off into the sky as if it was way more interesting than the actual wizard and his fellow amnesiac classmate.

“...Really, now. Cause if you’re not from Hope’s Peak…” Mikado’s mask darkens. “Then that means that you may know why we’re here?”

“Huh??” He felt his anxiety spike up again and instinctively took a step back. The older person, however, snapped his gaze back to Mikado and glared at him.

“The hell are you talking about? I have nothing to do with this.” He points to the side of his head. “Here I was, thinking I could live a relaxing island life by myself…but it looks like I’m not alone. And I’m being accused of kidnapping a bunch of students that I really don’t give a damn about.”

“Oh, pardon me, then! You were clearly doing nothing of importance that I thought you were a classmate. Or even the foolish sap that thought it was a good idea to kidnap someone like me.” Mikado huffed with a haughtiness of someone who enjoyed being in control. Looks like he wasn’t very happy when the man put up resistance for a simple conversation. “If you’re just as stuck as the rest of us, a little bit of cooperation would be much more convenient for all, wouldn’t it?”

“And what do I get out of it if I tell you?” The man stuck his finger in his ear, and Mikado cringed at the sight. But his own reaction was different with his jaw hanging wide open.

This guy can’t be serious, can he?

“Wh-What does that mean? Shouldn’t we investigate together?” He spoke up, trying to get at least a little bit of helpfulness from him. But the man just shrugged his shoulders with a smarmy grin.

“Ehh, I don’t have a clue anyway.” The comment only accentuated his own bafflement. He didn’t think someone could be so rude in just a few seconds!

“Well, I never…! No matter your reason, you could at least give a name. Unlike my classmate here, you’re clearly not dealing with amnesia, are you?” Mikado spat it out like he was tasting something awful as he rubbed the side of his head. And he couldn't help but feel a little weird about the blatant mention of his predicament. Especially when it was used in a comparison like this. He was about to tell Mikado that much when the man turned away but kept his gaze onto him.

“Amnesia?” He asked and he looked like he was staring straight through his core. He tried not to shudder.

“Uh, yeah…I haven’t even come up with a name for myself yet…” He confirms. He can’t help but wonder if the guy had even paid any attention at all when they introduced themselves. “Uh, so, we’ve introduced ourselves to the best we could. It’d be polite if you give us your name.”

“...Hm, nah. That shit’s pointless info.” The guy rolls his eyes again before suddenly facing them with a grin. “Cough up a million and I’ll talk. Deal?”

“A million?!” Mikado exclaimed. In fact, his voice was so loud that he barely caught a glimpse of Yuki looking over at them from the beach out of the corner of his eye. Mikado raises his hands into fists and his mask shifts to one of flustered embarrassment. “Even wizards can’t create money out of thin air, you know!! And even if I could, why would I spend that much for just a name?!”

“Just a name? Damn, talk about harsh.” He cracks his neck just by tilting it before looking straight at him. He points to the side of his head again. “A person’s name is worth more than you think. Your name represents everything that you are. No point in wasting time on someone who doesn’t value that.” He then turned on his heel. “If you’re not up for that, scram.” And just like that, he walked away, leaving him with a dilemma that was growing every second.

“Hmph…Who does he think he is? I quite like my name, thank you very much.” Mikado said with a huff, crossing his arms before turning towards him. “Come on. He’ll have to give away his name at some point…”

“Did something go wrong?” He jolts and turns around to see Yuki, who had managed to sneak up to him. He gives him another smile. “Sorry, I noticed that the conversation wasn’t going well.”

“Ahem, yes, well…” Mikado trailed off, scratching the back of his head as he became even more embarrassed. “We didn’t get his name and he made a big deal about it. He even asked for money!”

“Wait…is that why you exclaimed ‘a million?!’ That’s way too much for a name!” Yuki gaped with wide eyes. He felt his mouth dry and he tugged on the scarf around his neck.

“...But he said that a name represents everything that you are.” He looked down at his feet. “And yet, I don’t even know that much.”

“Oh, dear…” Mikado’s voice softens but he doesn’t say anything else. Yuki, on the other hand, speaks up with his own thoughts.

“Um…I’m sure you’ll find out who you are eventually. Or maybe your memory will come back to you with time. Either way, a name…is something you should feel more comfortable with. Even if it isn’t your birth name, it’s something you should choose to keep.” Yuki said, awkward but comforting. The warmth in his chest felt familiar, but there was an undercurrent of unease. He was once again reminded not to trust this student beside him. But the words he said weren’t wrong. If anything, they were gentle and kind.

And he can’t help but take those words to heart.

“...Y-Yeah. Okay.” He gives Yuki a more genuine smile. “Thanks, Yuki. That makes me feel a little better.” He just needed to give himself some time. Even with their unknown situation looming over them all, it hasn’t even been a day and he’s been stressing himself out over his amnesia. Which is understandable, considering his own identity has pretty much gone ‘poof.’ Not even a wallet or an ID to give him an idea of who he is was left behind. He can’t imagine the kind of work he’ll have to go through just to get a legal confirmation of who he is and how much he’s lost in the time before and after he woke up on this island.

But, if there wasn’t anything he could do about it now, then why should he stress so much about it? At this point, he might as well be making a mountain out of an ant hill.

It didn’t mean that he didn’t want to find out who he was - who he is. But there was only so much he could do on an island in the middle of nowhere for the time being.

“Alright, where to next?” He turned to Mikado, a grin plastered on his face. The mask blinked at him before giving him his large smile.

“Well, I saw a large mart nearby during my walk. Why don’t we stop there? You probably haven’t eaten anything, have you?” Mikado said, turning on his heel to walk back the way they came. He was about to deny it but his body had the perfect timing of emanating a growl from his stomach. Yuki chuckled a little, which only made him even more embarrassed.

“I guess my next destination is the mart. I’ll see you around?” He waves and Yuki smiles and gives his own goodbye, going off to search for clues on his own.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - [Act 1] The Price of a Forged Bond - Prologue

Wow, college has been kicking my ass a lot more than I thought it would. At least it's almost over...for now.

TWs: Injuries, Mentions of Blood and Death

AO3 Version

Act I Cover

Chapters Prologue [The Lost of You in a Strange Place]

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

Slam!

The door to the infirmary of the Monocruise hits the wall as Teruya kicks it open. There, his eyes were greeted with the sight of shelves filled with medical supplies, a trashcan in the corner, chairs, and curtains probably separating the beds from view. He keeps the door open as he beckons everyone in with his hand.

“Come on! The infirmary seems to have everything we need in here.” Teruya said, and everyone starts to file in with Shinji being the first to rush past as he was carrying the still unconscious Mikado in his arms. Everyone else seemed to have entered without a struggle, although Nikei had to lean against Setsuka for support. Just when Teruya was about to close the door behind Yuki though–

“Of course the infirmary would have everything you would need! I would be a neglectful teacher otherwise.” Monocrow suddenly flies through the door, causing Teruya to flinch and falter from closing it on his face. Or rather, beak. He quickly narrows his eyes though as the bird perches himself onto a nearby shelf. “And look what you’ve done to the door! You’re lucky it didn’t break, but was kicking it really necessary?”

“What are you doing here?!” Yoruko, who had to suffer from nearly being blown up like everyone else and looking completely disheveled with her ponytail nearly undone, immediately snaps at Monocrow. She nearly marched right up to the shelf he was perched on with a glare that promised death. “Just go away already! We’ll feel a whole lot better without you around!”

Monocrow goes quiet with his complaints. He didn’t have any pupils but Teruya can tell that he was scanning the class from his vantage point. Eventually, he flaps his wings with a huff.

“Very well. You’re all still alive, which is what matters the most.” Monocrow said, brushing his wing against his beak. “You best rest now as I still have some preparations to put together.” And with those final words, he flies behind the shelf and disappears altogether.

“How…does he even do that?” Yuki asked, gesturing to the spot where Monocrow disappeared. Teruya just shrugs his shoulders.

“I don’t know. And frankly, I don’t care.” He said as he opened up a nearby shelf. As Teruya goes through the shelf, he was able to identify what’s in it: aspirin, band-aids and gauze, antibiotic ointment, a hot/cold pack, creams for itchy rashes, a thermometer, tweezers, cotton swabs and cotton balls, an assortment of over the counter medicine, and uh, condoms as well. For all his grief with the mastermind’s puppet, Monocrow did stock up the shelves with everything they would need for an infirmary. Although there is some odd stuff, like syringes and other medicines he’s not even remotely familiar with. “I may be grateful that there’s an infirmary on the Monocruise, but Monocrow isn’t to be trusted.”

“I agree.” Hajime speaks up. “Although it was weird when he started making a fuss over Hashimoto’s attempt at murder.”

“Who cares? They’re both messed up!” Hibiki buds in. “He was all ‘this kind of violence is not allowed, Mr. Hashimoto!’ But he’s part of the reason why we’re all stuck here!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s not fuss over Monocrow or , uh, Hashimoto. What’s important right now is that we should all patch ourselves up.” Teruya verbally steps in as he pulls out as many of the band-aids, gauze, and painkillers from the shelf as he could, carrying them in his arms. He closes the shelf’s door with his hip. “I have band-aids and painkillers if anyone needs one.”

“And here’s some ice packs I found in the fridge!” It was Shinji, who stepped out behind a curtain with the ice packs in question. “If anyone feels as though something is broken, tell me right away and I’ll see what I can do.”

With their words, everyone gathers around to grab what they need. Some took painkillers, others took a few bandages for their cuts, and Kanade took one of the ice packs. Mikado had been laid out on one of the beds, still out cold from his fight with Kokoro and his cape having been folded up on a nearby chair with his hat set on top. Nikei had also laid down on a bed as well and it was obvious that he was still suffering from his concussion right now, his own hat hanging off of another chair. Thankfully, Shinji had said that it’s probably not severe but he should rest up as much as he can for the rest of the day.

“I can’t believe I’m the only one that has to stay overnight.” Nikei grumbled as he pressed his ice pack against his head.

“Actually, you’re not completely alone. Mikado also has to stay after what just happened.” Emma points out. She puts a band-aid on her cheek, which only makes Nikei frown her way.

“Yeah, sure. It’s not like the unconscious person will have any say in the matter anyways.” Nikei said, sarcasm dripping from his tone of voice. A dry chuckle manages to slip out of Setsuka’s mouth.

“Well, the most important thing is that everyone is alright, right? Nothing's broken or anything?” Setsuka asked, much more serious than before.

“I’ll be fine. It’s mostly thanks to Teruya that the worst I got was a few scratches and bruises.” Yoruko sighs, her arms hanging by her sides. Teruya looks away, trying not to let the praise get to his head. “I’m more concerned about how much my clothes have torn.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Yoruko! You look as fine as ever!” Was Yuri’s inappropriate comment.

“Keep your eyes up here! ” Yoruko snaps, both in tone and with her fingers as she gestured to her eyes. Yuri was completely nonplussed about her anger, smiling from the attention he got from her.

“Hey, uh…Wh-Where is Hashimoto, anyways?” Yuki speaks up, looking around the group. Teruya straightens his posture and does the same. He quickly realizes that Yuki is right: Syobai Hashimoto was nowhere to be seen right now. “I mean, he did get caught up in the explosions with everyone…”

“Wh-Why are you concerned about him?? Didn’t he just try to stab you?” Iroha points out just as Hajime finishes wrapping up her wrist in gauze. Yuki sputters as he raises his hands.

“I-I know! But to be honest…I’m more concerned that we don’t know where he is right now.” Yuki shuffled on his feet, allowing his nervousness to show on his face.

“Well, if he does try to cause trouble again, I’ll kick the shit out of him. No way I’m gonna sit back and let that happen again.” Hajime hissed out. He seems to have become aggravated at the thought of Yuki getting hurt. It was sweet, if a bit concerning with how he looked like he was going to–

“Don’t make such a face! It scares me!” Hibiki said, trying to hide behind her sister at Hajime’s twisted, angry face. The boxer immediately falters at those words and the expression disappears.

“S-Sorry! I just…” He clenches his teeth before grabbing a hold of a nearby chair. Just by holding it so tightly makes the metal creak and warp under his strength. Teruya can’t help but gape. Obviously, Hajime has to be pretty strong as he’s the Ultimate Boxer, but he didn’t think he could do that . “...Just what the fuck was he thinking?”

“I-I don’t know…Maybe he just snapped?” Kanade meekly speaks up as she holds onto her sister tightly. “With wh-what’s happening right now, it’d make sense…”

“K-Kanade, don’t say such a thing…” Setsuka said, but her words felt weak. Like she was still processing what had happened. What they were told. What they’re being forced to do…

“Don’t remind me! To think we’d be forced into a killing game…” Hibiki starts to shake. “How can we trust anyone like this?”

“Hey, don’t say such things. I’m…sure no one would do that…” Emma tries to reason but Nikei narrows his eyes at her.

“Tell that to Hashimoto. I’m sure he’s more than willing to prove you wrong.” He said with a scoff.

“Don’t be rude to Lady Emma, you cur! She is trying to share some trust, and you dare turn her down?” Yuri immediately bites back at Nikei, most likely because he was a guy opposing a girl’s opinion.

“Ex-fucking-scuse me??” Nikei, despite dealing with the concussion he has right now, starts rising from the bed. “I’m sorry, I don’t think you’ve noticed, but someone already tried to kill another and it’s barely been a day! And clearly, he was already messed up considering he slept through most of that damn trial. But who’s to say no one else here will snap under the pressure?”

“What, like you?” Yuri points at him.

“Wha – What the fuck?!” Nikei’s face darkens as he grabs the railing of his bed. Teruya’s heart stutters at the scene.

“Uh, guys?” He starts to speak up.

“Okay, seriously, what’s your problem? You’ve been flip-flopping between worshiping the girls and deriding the guys the whole time we’ve been here.” Hajime said, his naturally strong voice drowning out Teruya’s. He crosses his arms. “Can you at least take this a little bit seriously?”

“Oh, I am aware of what’s going on. But how can I trust any of you men here? We’re all strangers, after all.” Yuri crosses his own arms together, his frown looking more like a pout than a genuinely annoyed one.

“I swear, if you mock me just because I’m a guy one more time –”

“C-Calm down, Hajime! You too, Yuri!” Yuki tries to step in, even physically getting between Yuri and Hajime in the process. “I-I know that things are stressful right now, but surely even strangers wouldn’t be willing to kill someone!”

“B-But…Hashimoto did try to kill you. And we didn’t even know his name until Monocrow mentioned it.” The conversation has once again looped back to Syobai and his actions earlier today thanks to Yoruko’s words. Teruya frowns.

“Guys–”

“O-Oh no…! Everyone’s fighting!” Iroha said, using her sketchbook as a shield to cover her terrified face.

“D-Don’t worry, Iroha. I’m sure no one else will try to kill like Yuki said.” Setsuka steps closer to the painter to gently pat her back.

“Can you really say that for sure?” Kanade turns her attention to the billiards player, her usual soft voice devoid of a stutter.

“I, well…” Setsuka hesitates, her calm demeanor quickly melting from the sudden prod. Kanade flattens her gaze.

“Setsuka…Y-You shouldn’t go around saying things you don’t believe.”

“I – I do mean what I said. It’s just…”

“Setsuka, don’t kid yourself. You don’t trust anyone here just like everyone else.”

“Well, what makes you trustworthy??”

“What – I’m a journalist, Hibiki! It’s my job to find the truth!”

“Ha! Truth means nothing in journalism! All that matters is the gossip you spin in the most interesting way, regardless of the evidence.”

“OH, you son of a–”

“Yuri, if you don’t keep your mouth shut, I’m going to fucking punch you–”

“Try it, you despicable male. I have ways of making you cry for help.”

“W-Wait, that’s too much!”

“Oh no…”

“St-Stop…guuuys, the positivity is sinking…!”

“How can we be positive in a situation like this??”

“I-I…I don’t know! I just want everyone to get along, Yoruko!”

Teruya grits his teeth.

“...You know what? I can’t deal with this, I’m leaving–”

“GUYS!”

“THAT’S ENOOOOOUGH!”

Teruya jumps along with everyone else. The loud, boisterous voice boomed throughout the infirmary and it was no shock to anyone that it belonged to Shinji Kasai. He was pointing at them all and bringing attention to his red, exasperated face. Even Emma, who was about to step out of the group, froze in place. Once everyone was paying attention to him, Shinji lowers his pointer finger and waves towards Teruya.

“Teruya is trying to speak! ” Shinji said, suddenly bringing the spotlight onto the amnesiac. Teruya gaped but it was too late to stop him. They all turned to stare at him now, wondering what in the world he had to say in a situation like this.

And…what could he say, now that he had the stage to himself?

Sure, he was trying to get everyone’s attention. But now that he has it with the help of Shinji, Teruya has absolutely no idea what to say.

But…does it matter that he has no idea what to do?

It’s not like doing nothing is an option.

So, he had to do something.

He had to take a deep breath. Because there are people who were looking at him for some kind of help, even if he couldn't provide everything they needed. People that he needed to guide in some kind of direction.

And so, he breathes in.

And breathes out.

“...Thank you, Shinji.” Teruya said, somehow managing to keep his voice stable without stuttering. The firefighter gives him a grin, one that felt almost encouraging from how bright it seemed. He takes another breath to calm his racing heart. “Guys…I know everything has gone to shit. I’m not gonna pretend that it didn’t. But, that doesn’t mean we should be going at each other’s throats like this.”

“B-But…” Hibiki starts but Teruya stops her with a raise of his hand.

“Be honest with me, you guys. Do you really think arguing and insulting each other will get any of us anywhere?” Teruya lets those words hang over them for a while. It seems like such an obvious thing to realize, but with how high everyone’s emotions were running, none of them seemed to realize the impact of their words until they had this moment to pause and think. They all started exchanging glances with each other, and while Yuri still seemed a little miffed, shame became more visible on everyone’s faces. Teruya sighs. “This…killing game. It’s dangerous. I know that. But instead of hurting each other with words and forming grudges that could get each other killed, we should be working together to escape the killing game. And we can’t do that if we’re constantly accusing each other. Yes, we’re strangers, but that doesn’t mean we’re enemies either. So…the better scenario would be to get along, right?”

The group goes quiet, unpacking the words he spoke. Emma is the first to speak.

“I…don’t know about this.” She admits with a hand on her hip, unable to look anyone in the eye. Teruya starts to deflate.

Of course.

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to–

“No.” Teruya snaps his head towards Setsuka, her voice strong in her resolve. “No, he’s right. We may be strangers, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies either. If we fight with each other, that’s only playing into Kokoro’s hands and thus, this killing game’s end goal. Whatever that is, but surely you guys get what I’m saying, right?”

“I-I do.” Shinji agrees, albeit with a stutter. He puts his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest. “We don’t know what that goal is, but this killing game was made to get us to kill each other, right? That means we can’t let ourselves fall victim to it by fighting. We need to stay strong!” He punches his hand, showing off his shark-like teeth as he smiles.

“Yeah, exactly, big guy!” Setsuka then laughs, her carefree attitude somehow managing to help defuse the tension that has gathered in the atmosphere. “Geez, this is so unlike me! Your Big Sis needing comfort and inspiration from her juniors…Usually, it’s the other way around!”

“Uh, Setsuka? We’re all the same age.” Yuki points out a little flatly.

“Actually, I think Shinji is the oldest out of everyone here.” Hajime said with a raised eyebrow as he turned to look at the firefighter. “Weren’t you held back for a few years due to an injury?”

“Details, details!” Setsuka was quick to brush it off before Shinji could answer. Not that he seemed willing to as her voice was enough to make his face turn a brighter shade of red. Weird. Why does he keep doing that? “What matters is what we do next and that we do it together. Right, Teru?”

“Uh…” Teruya felt himself stiffened at the nickname. It made his heart sink but he tried to keep his focus on the task at hand. “Yeah. Yeah, we should…” Teruya’s eyes wander over everyone in the room and he realizes something: they all had this tired look in their eyes. Not only that, their injuries were probably aching now that the situation had calmed down somewhat. “...Actually, we should all rest. We’re all hurt and beaten emotionally…and I think we’re all still processing what the hell just happened, right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Kanade murmured quietly.

“Everything was happening all at once, huh?” Yoruko’s arms hang by her side as she closes her eyes.

“A killing game, Kokoro’s betrayal, those people, um, gone, Mikado’s fight, and then Hashimoto’s attempted murder…” Iroha pauses before her eyes start to swirl. “Auuugh, just thinking about it makes my head dizzy.”

“Yeaaaaah, that’s definitely a sign we should take the rest of the night off.” Hajime agrees without much fuss. He rubs his shoulder and then cringes. “ Yep , definitely pulled a muscle. Doesn’t seem too bad, though.”

“Then the first thing we should do is find a place to sleep then. We can talk more about this in the morning.” Everyone should calm down by then. Hopefully.

“Yeah…uh, guys?” Nikei starts to speak up. Everyone turns their attention to the journalist, who quietly sinks back into his bed with a blush. “...sorry. For yelling earlier.”

“Ehh…don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly handling this very well either.” Hajime said, accepting his apology without another thought.

“Hmph…I still don’t like any of the men here.” Yuri said, which causes everyone to groan. When he notices that the girls were glaring at him, he simply smiles as he points to the ceiling. “But, I will let this slide and follow along.”

“Good. Freak…” Hibiki mutters that last part, but Teruya still managed to pick it up with how quiet the group has gotten. Which probably means everyone else heard it, too. Not that she seems to care right now. And if Yuri heard her too, he did not express any kind of disappointment.

“A lot of us certainly aren’t at our best right now, huh?” Emma said, rubbing her hand against her cheek with a chuckle. It wasn’t out of humor, but rather out of exhaustion.

“A-All the more reason we should rest! R-Right, Sis?” Kanade looks to her sister for guidance. She huffs but slowly nods her head.

“Right…But where should we go?” Hibiki curls her eyebrows, and frankly, that was a good question. Before Teruya can think on a suggestion though–

“I can help with that!”

“AH!!” Hibiki screams, immediately jumping behind her sister as if to use her as a shield. Kanade yelps as everyone’s attention is brought to Monocrow, who had reappeared out of nowhere again and had perched himself on top of the curtain. Once she realized who had spoken, the older twin gritted her teeth and pointed at the bird. “ You again?!”

“Yes, it is me again.” Monocrow said, his tone almost bored, like their reactions had started to lose their luster. “Before you all start shooing me away again, I do have some good news for you.”

“I…somehow doubt it’s as good as you claim it to be.” Yuki frowns at the bird, but Monocrow squawks indignantly.

“Oh, give me a little bit of credit! You may be in a killing game, but this is still a school field trip! Which means, as your teacher, I must accommodate you all with everything you need.” Monocrow flaps his wings before brushing one across his beak. “You all have rooms on the Monocruise: all the boys’ rooms are on the third floor, while all the girls’ rooms are on the fourth floor. I’ve already placed the name plates and pictures of yourselves onto your respective rooms. However, I have yet to arrange the necessary ‘keys’ for all of your rooms due to the rules I have yet to enforce, so they’ll be unlocked for now. Do stick to your own rooms to sleep in, though, as sleepovers will not be allowed once I give you your keys. Understood?”

“...Understood.” Setsuka crossed her arms, not too pleased that she was agreeing with him. But it doesn’t seem like they had a choice in the matter right now.

“Good. Now, if you’re all going to your rooms, I can guide you–”

“If they’re just upstairs, we can find them ourselves.” Yoruko snaps.

“Ah…hm.” Monocrow hangs his head. “It seems I’ve been stuck with the most uncooperative group of students. Oh well…” Despite his complaint, he disappears behind the curtain once more with a hop. Yuki quickly checks behind it before coming back just as fast, clearly disappointed and confused.

“I seriously have no idea how he does it.” Yuki said with a groan.

“At this point, I’d just accept it as fact, Yu.” Setsuka shrugs as she gives him a wry smile.

“I…think I’m gonna go on ahead. I’m really tired now.” Iroha starts to shuffle out of the area. Almost like she was waiting for someone to come with her.

“Why don’t we all walk there together? We’ll all be going to the same place anyways.” Hajime suggests and no one disagrees. Emma is quick to take Iroha’s side and she seemed happy that she wasn’t going alone right now. Hibiki and Kanade both looked like they were ready to leave as well, with the older sister going on ahead to wait by the door. Yuri was quick to follow after the girls, already having said his piece. Hajime leads Iroha and Emma out of the infirmary, but Setsuka lingers behind.

“Are you coming with us, Teru? It’s been a long day.” Setsuka asked, scratching the back of her head. Teruya hesitates but he looks back at Mikado and Nikei. The journalist was currently trying to find a comfortable position for himself and not make his concussion any worse. The wizard, though, remains unresponsive from the noise. Teruya frowns.

“I think I’m gonna stay here. Mikado hasn’t woken up at all despite our arguments and Nikei isn’t doing so hot. It’s probably best that someone watches over them to make sure they don’t take a turn for the worse.” Teruya said, his eyes lingering on Mikado’s form. Why hasn’t he woken up yet?

“Hm, that makes sense. Poor Kado over there had been out cold since we got here.” Setsuka agrees quietly.

“I-In that case, I’ll stay and help.” Shinji speaks up, stepping into the conversation. “I’m not a doctor or anything, but I’m probably the only one that knows first aid the best out of everyone here. If there’s any signs that they’re getting worse, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks, Shinji. I appreciate it.” Teruya smiled at him. He’s kinda glad that he won’t be alone taking care of these two. He’s not even sure if he knows enough about first aid to take care of them efficiently anyways.

“And I’d appreciate it if you guys would stop talking about my injury. It’s making me nervous.” Nikei speaks up from his bed, and Teruya notices the flat stare he’s shooting their way.

“Uh…sorry.” Teruya lowers his voice. “Anyways, we’ll be staying here for tonight.”

“Alright. I’ll see you guys tomorrow then.” Setsuka nods her head and then finally leaves the infirmary. The only ones left behind were…

“Um…Teruya?” Yuki speaks up, his voice a little quieter than before. Yoruko was hovering behind him as if she was waiting for a moment to speak as well. Teruya turns towards them, raising an eyebrow as Shinji goes to check up on Nikei. They weren’t completely alone, but there was some space between them that gave the implication that it felt more like a private conversation. “Before we go, um…I just wanna say thank you, for protecting me.”

“Huh?” Teruya blinks his eyes. Yoruko giggles at his expression.

“You don’t have to look so surprised. Every time there seemed to be danger, you kept jumping in to protect someone.” Yoruko smiles at him, her eyebrows curling downward as she holds her fist over her chest. “Like when those bombs went off, you held me close and took the brunt of the explosions. You guided me away when…when that mech appeared. And when the fight broke out between Kokoro and Mikado, you shielded me again.”

“Yeah, and you also stopped Hashimoto from stabbing me. Seriously, if you hadn’t, I…might not be here right now.” Yuki closes his eyes, adjusting his tie as he visibly starts to shake. “Seriously. Thank you.”

“O-Oh, um…” Teruya can’t help but blush. Not gonna lie, he feels a little bit embarrassed from the praise he’s getting. “I-It’s no problem! Honestly, I was just following my instincts.”

“Then that just means you’re more than willing to risk your life if it means keeping others safe.” Yuki then smiles at him. “That alone is admirable.”

“Right? Not everyone is able to act on their instincts alone. You have a strong sense of responsibility, you know?” Yoruko’s expression softens as her smile grows a little bigger. Teruya feels his blush growing hotter.

“N-Now you guys are just stroking my ego!” Teruya starts shooing them away with his hands. “Go on! Go to your rooms! Before you let my ego go to my head.”

“Haha, alright, alright. We’ll go. See you in the morning, Teruya. Shinji.” Yuki said, thankfully deciding to stop right then and there.

“Oh, yeah. See you tomorrow, Yuki!” Shinji pulls his attention away from Nikei, who seems to have fallen asleep now. He then notices Yoruko still standing there and starts to blush again. “A-And you, too…Y-Yoruko.”

“See you tomorrow. Be safe, both of you.” Yoruko nods her head towards them and the two of them leave the infirmary. Now that they are alone together, Teruya brings his attention to Mikado’s unconscious body.

“I’m going to check on Mikado’s injuries. Do you mind helping me, Shinji?” Teruya asked as he approached Mikado. He still doesn’t stir, even as he stands beside the bed.

“Sure. We should check his bones first. It didn’t seem like anything was broken or fractured, but it’s best that we double check.” Shinji takes the other side, carefully holding up Mikado’s arm and gently adding pressure to it. Teruya hesitates, his hand hovering over him.

“...Sorry, Mikado. But this is to make sure you’re okay.” Teruya said, copying Shinji’s actions on his side of the bed. They were careful to examine his body and it doesn’t seem like anything was broken from what he could tell. There were some bruises, but it's somewhat expected from the fall Mikado had taken at the end of his fight. Otherwise, there didn't seem to be any bumps or depressions. His breathing seemed fairly normal, and his skin looks okay, too. Although the wizard was covered from head to toe in clothes, so Teruya couldn't say for certain. He definitely wasn't going to strip him just to check, though. He just did not have the confidence to do that. Shinji didn’t seem concerned on his end, but he didn’t seem relieved either. If anything, he was frowning and a sweat drop was forming on his cheek. “...Anything weird on your end?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Not that I can tell, at least…” Shinji, who was checking Mikado’s leg, shakes his head as he sets it back down. He didn’t seem pleased with his own response and he was a lot quieter than usual. “If I was a doctor, I’d probably have a more concrete answer than this…But I’m just a firefighter. I only know first aid. Anything beyond that is…yeah.” He hangs his head helplessly. Something that Teruya related to a lot in just those few words.

“Yeah, I, uh, don’t know what I’m doing either. I’m certain that I know first aid but I don’t think I know anything else either.” Teruya admits quietly.

“Hey, I think it’s great that you know first aid! Not everyone knows the basics, and it’s a pretty overlooked skill since many people live normal lives. But you never know what could happen that makes that knowledge useful! You could end up saving a life or your own if more people took that seriously.” Shinji said, complimenting him on his knowledge, despite how small it was. Teruya, once again, felt himself turn bashful.

“Uh, hehe…Geez, what’s with everyone complimenting me lately?” Teruya turns away, glancing at Mikado’s face. He stares at his mask before leaning over. “I’m gonna check his head. He might’ve hit it pretty hard from his fall to still be unconscious like this.”

“You’re probably right. I just hope it’s nothing too serious.” Shinji agrees as Teruya carefully holds Mikado’s head. Again, nothing seems to be broken, but there definitely seems to be a bruise forming on his scalp. He grimaces.

“Is there another ice pack we can use? I think there's a bruise.” Teruya asked, raising his head.

“I think so. Let me go get one.” Shinji heads over to the fridge to grab what they need. As he does so, Teruya quietly brushes a stray strand of hair out of Mikado’s face as he examines it. It was then that he noticed that there were some shards of the mask dusting his face. He frowns before carefully brushing the remains off, and then he grabs a hold of the mask so he could chip the sharp pieces off. It’s best if he checked to see if there were any bruises underneath anyways.

When he removed the mask, though, he nearly dropped it altogether.

On Mikado’s face was a scar, one that was old and had faded with time but stood out with its dark complexion and taut skin. It was a large one that stretched from his jaw and cheeks to right underneath his eye and was chaotic in shape. And when Teruya moves Mikado’s head to look at it better, he notices that it even reached his neck and down to his chest.

It was a scar that surprised Teruya as he had never noticed them until now. Not until Mikado’s cape and hat needed to be removed to help him be more comfortable in bed. Just how did he get this scar? Were there more of them? Do they still hurt?

Was Mikado…ever distressed looking at them, at the scars he’ll always have to see, even when he didn’t wear that mask all the time?

“Here you go, Teruya!” Teruya flinches, pulled out of his thoughts as an ice pack wrapped in a rag comes into view. He looks up, making eye contact with Shinji before slowly taking the ice pack from him. “How is he?”

“I think…he’ll be fine.” Teruya carefully sets the ice pack where the bruise was on Mikado’s head. As he and Shinji adjust his position into something that should be more comfortable for him, the amnesiac swallows quietly. “Um…Shinji? These scars…”

“Yeah, they seem to be burn scars.” Shinji said, which only confirmed his suspicions. He had seen what they look like thanks to the firefighter showing him his scar when they were getting ready for the beach, and seeing a photo of one of his own on his back. Now that moment feels so far away. “They seem to be old, though, so I don’t think we have to worry about them right now.”

“Okay…” Teruya adjusts the ice pack to make sure it doesn’t fall off of Mikado’s head. This time, it gets him a reaction, albeit a minor one as Mikado’s eyes twitch but does nothing else. He sighs, hoping his friend will wake up soon. “...Now what?”

“Well, we wait and keep watch.” Shinji picks up a nearby chair and moves it over to Nikei’s side so he could keep an eye on him while Teruya keeps an eye on Mikado. The amnesiac slowly nods his head in agreement and slides a chair over to himself as well. The two of them sit down in their chairs and…wait.

They wait and wait. Even as Teruya slowly chips away at the mask with his fingernails to smooth out the edges, he waits. Even when he is done and sets it onto a table, he waits. He waits, watching over their two friends to make sure they’re alright. That their injuries don’t turn for the worst.

Teruya takes a deep breath.

It was strange how things have just…calmed down now.

After everything that had happened, he was sure there would still be chaos. That there would still be fighting and yelling and everyone turning against each other.

And yet, even that didn’t last very long. The minute there was even a moment of peace, everyone was more willing to talk, to be reasoned with and chose to turn in for the night instead of continuing to fight simply because it was exhausting . It had been a very, very long day and Teruya would want nothing more than to sleep right then and there.

But Teruya couldn’t sleep.

He had to watch Mikado and Nikei. He had to make sure they were alright.

He had to make sure they didn't die .

Die like Rei Mekaru, her body now a bloody, twisted mess of bullets.

His mouth goes dry.

Teruya slowly pulls his backpack off, not only because it was uncomfortable to sit with it on like this, but also to dig through it. There wasn’t much inside so pulling out the bloody ID was very easy but also mind numbing. He stares at it and starts rubbing at the dried blood with his thumb in a vain attempt to clean it up. To try and restore what is forever lost.

Because even as he tried to remember her face, all he could think about was the fear in her eyes before the blood and gore tainted his vision of her. That was all he could think about. That was all he could see .

Because he doesn’t remember Rei Mekaru.

But she remembered him .

She had memories of him, probably hung out with him. Talked with him, learned with him, perhaps even laughed with him even though the idea alone made him want to chuckle.

Rei Mekaru knew Teruya Otori. She knew him, looked at him almost softly like he was the only other person that mattered right now, and seemed hurt when all he could do was reject her for his lack of memories. She claimed to have come to rescue him along with everyone else. And after what had happened with Kokoro, he fully believed her words to be true now.

But now, she is dead.

Dead, just like her companion that seemed equally familiar with him.

Someone that knew him, that could’ve given him the answers of who he is, is dead.

Rei…who was probably his friend …was dead.

It was then that the grief hit him full force.

Teruya lets out a shaky breath.

It didn’t stop his entire body from shuddering.

His hands gripped the ID tightly, the plastic digging into his skin.

He tries to swallow, but ends up gasping instead. His vision blurred and he tried to blink it away. All that did was release the tears from his eyes and they started to stream down his face. He pants and heaves, trying to remain in control of his body as the world starts to fade away.

A chair scrapes against the floor.

Footsteps walk past the beds.

And then a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Shinji Kasai, who was loud and inspiring with his words, was silent as he hugged him.

And he didn’t need to say anything. All he needed to do was to hold him close.

Teruya held onto Shinji’s arms tightly to the point that his nails dug deep into his skin. He still held the ID in his hand for that was all he had left of Rei Mekaru.

And he cries.

He cries into the night, a loud, sobbing mess. And it was the only sounds that could be heard in the infirmary before that, too, fades away.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 2 - Body Discovery & Investigation

I finally finished Part 2 of the Prologue. Time to post it!

TWs: Mild Gore, Death, Corpse, and Discussions of Murder

The Fake Trial | Post-Fake Trial

Prologue Part 1 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

No one moved.

No one said a word.

No one could say a word.

How could anyone speak after hearing an announcement like that?

He felt as if somebody ripped the rug right underneath him, his eyes going wide and his hand falling to his side.

Somehow, in some way…

He knew the announcer was talking about a dead body.

And everyone seemed to have assumed as such since the entire class immediately devolved into panic.

“A-A body?! There’s a body??”

“Fuck! What the fuck?! If this is some sort of prank, I’m going to-“

“Where?! Where’s the body?”

“Th-They’re not actually t-talking about a real dead body, right??!”

“I knew it! I-I knew something was going to go wrong, I-I…”

The voices of his classmates blurred together, his mind barely registering the group gathering onto the beach. Everyone was scared. Everyone was wary and confused. Everyone didn’t know what to do. Everyone was…

Wait.

“Hold on.” His voice sounded heavy but clearer than he expected. It was enough for everyone to bring their attention to him. He felt sweat slide down his face. “Where’s Emma, Kokoro and Mikado?”

Everyone turned around, taking their own headcounts before realizing the same thing he had: three people were missing from their group. He immediately felt panic clutching his heart and he marched up to Yoruko and Yuki, who were the only ones on the beach itself with Mikado, Emma and Kokoro. The hostess immediately became frightened while Yuki put up his hands in what was probably a placating manner.

But there was no reason to ask, cause as soon as he got close enough, the bushes rustled before Emma ran into view. The sight of her did little to relieve the tension in the air as the usually calm and relaxed actress was clearly out of breath. And the moment they all saw her clutch at her face, which was red with tears, they immediately feared for the worst.

“A-A body…There – There’s a body…! Oh God, there’s…!” Emma stuttered over her words, trying to speak but unable to due to the shock she must be experiencing. He immediately rushes to her side and tries to sit her down.

“Emma, breathe. Where…Where is it? Where are Kokoro and Mikado??” He gently sets her down on a rock and the actress forces herself to take slow, deep breaths. Yoruko and Shinji immediately follow suit, keeping the rest of the class from crowding around Emma. She lowers her head, pressing her hand against her chest as she speaks a bit more clearly.

“The…The body is…It’s in the forest, near the park. K-Kokoro wanted to go for a walk and M-Mikado and I agreed to go with her.” Emma starts to explain, her voice still shaken. He glances at Yoruko, who immediately nods her head. She didn’t need to say anything else to verify Emma’s words. “I was telling them puns, Kokoro was aloof but I-I can tell she was listening and Mikado was just letting me talk. And then we…found it. K-Kokoro told me to find you guys wh-when that announcement went off…”

“Are they still there…?” It was Hajime who spoke up. Emma just nods, rubbing at her eyes.

“Wh-What do we do? We can’t just…walk up to a…a…a body…” Yuki trails off, and he turns to see him shake.

“But we cannot call for help. We have no internet access here, let alone an outside connection with the world.” It was Yuri who spoke, becoming a bit more concerned now that the situation has suddenly escalated.

“Then what are we supposed to do?!” Hibiki screamed, immediately backing up from the group. Kanade moves to hold her sister, who reluctantly accepted her comfort. “We…We can’t just walk up to a body!! We should let the police handle this!”

“If I may interrupt…”

Everyone jumps at the voice, which was clearly the announcer’s with how staticky it was. None of them can see any nearby speakers but it was safe to assume at this point that they were being watched. Which only made the tension grow even heavier.

“As you long since realized, you cannot contact the outside world. Which means that you can only rely on yourselves to solve this murder.”

“Murder?!” Iroha screamed, looking like she was on the verge of tears. Emma bit her lip but slowly nodded her head. He felt his heart drop into his stomach.

“It…It definitely didn’t look like an accident. E-Even I can tell just by looking…” Emma said, sniffling as she rubs her eyes.

“Precisely. You must all gather at the crime scene to investigate and figure out the culprit-“

“Oh, fuck off!” Nikei practically exploded, his sudden yells making the entire class jump out of their skin. Even Emma had gotten off of the rock in her shock. Nikei points at the sky, probably in the hopes of where the speakers were. “Why the fuck should we follow your orders?!”

“Because you have no other choice.”

That quickly silenced the journalist. In fact, no one else could respond to that.

It didn’t take him long to realize why: the announcer was right.

They were on an island with no one else around, let alone any staff that could guide them through this horrendous situation. They couldn’t contact anyone for help. And the only other person they’ve interacted outside of the class was the announcer that seemed all too blasé about the fact that a murder occurred somehow. 

There was nothing else they could do. Not at this very moment.

“If you’ve all come to an understanding, do make haste to the murder scene. I will give you all some time to change back into some…comfortable clothing.”

The speakers screech and then go silent.

“…So much for a school event.” Setsuka said, looking like she was eating her own words. No one had the guts to demean her for her assumption, especially when most of them had been frolicking on the beach like nothing was wrong. He squeezed his hands, trying to keep himself from shaking.

“…We should all get changed. Emma, Yuki, Yoruko, come with us. It’s better if we move as a group.” It was Hajime who spoke, and none of them dared to disagree. It was a good idea to stick together anyway.

They all left the beach, grabbing their bags on the way and heading straight to the store. It didn’t take long for them to change into their regular clothes and once Shinji was finished doing a headcount to make sure everyone was still together, they all headed towards the park. Emma mostly led the way, seemingly becoming steadier now that some time had passed. But no one said anything on the way and it wasn’t until they passed by the entrance that Emma finally stopped to look at them.

“If…If anyone doesn’t want to see the body, say so now and stay right here. You shouldn’t be able to see it if you wait here.” Emma said, and she waited for a response. No one said anything until the sound of a sniffle could be heard.

“I…I can’t. I don’t want to see it.” Hibiki said, rubbing her eyes as she started to cry. He couldn’t help but empathize with Hibiki’s feelings. He didn’t really want to see it either. Kanade frowns but she immediately wraps her arms around her sister.

“There, there, sis. We’ll figure something out, I’m sure.” Kanade reassured, letting her sister use her shoulder to cry on.

“I…! I can’t do it either!” Yuki exclaimed, backing out of the group. “I don’t…want to.”

“If that’s what you want.” Nikei muttered, still aggravated but a lot calmer than he was about ten minutes ago. He picks up his notepad and pen. “But I’m getting to the bottom of this and then getting off of this damn island. Which way is the body?” Emma points to the right side of the park and Nikei immediately takes over. And one by one, the rest of them slowly followed.

Maybe they were determined to figure out their situation, even if it meant following the announcer’s orders.

Maybe they were morbidly curious now that they were aware there was a body nearby.

But he supposed the reason didn’t matter. He was following along just like everyone else that chose to see.

And eventually, they did.

It was just as horrible as he thought it would be.

No, it was more than horrible.

It was downright sadistic.

The body, which seems to belong to a girl, had short black hair and wore what seemed to be a red and white tracksuit. But that was all he could make out of her as his mind immediately focused on the state of her body. The girl was completely cut in half, with her torso a few inches away from her legs. Almost as if she was in the middle of running when she had been killed.

And Mikado was just standing there as if he hadn’t moved at all while Kokoro, for some damn reason, was kneeling beside the body and examining her wrist.

A scream cuts through the group and he finally feels the world come into focus again.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God-!!” Iroha screamed out, her words blurring into a mishmash of sobs and yells. It seemed like a switch had been turned on in Setsuka’s head as she immediately pulled her attention away from the body to comfort the painter. Shinji, on the other hand, had his eyes blown wide, horrified even though he had probably seen a few bodies in his career as a firefighter. But perhaps they weren’t as bad as this.

“Holy fuck…” Nikei froze on the spot, the pen nearly falling out of his hand. It seems that as much as he wanted to check out the crime itself, he wasn’t prepared for how severe it was. Hajime grit his teeth with a wince, hovering over near Iroha to make sure she was okay. Yuri’s eyes were wide but he didn’t seem too shocked unlike Yoruko, who looked like she regretted not staying behind.

“Wh-Why did this happen…? Why has no one seen her?! Why did none of us come across her??” Yoruko yelled, looking like she was on the verge of tears. But when she saw Kokoro turn the girl’s head, she seemed to have snapped and started marching over to her. “And what the hell are you doing?! You don’t have to disturb her body-“

“It’s fake.”

Everyone froze.

“I…what?” Yoruko said, completely caught off guard. Kokoro slowly rose to her feet, her eyes downcast.

“The body…it’s fake.” Kokoro explained with only a few words. The group goes dead silent as they process the words. Shinji was the first to move, walking over to kneel down and examine the body himself. Considering he’s the only one who’s more likely to have seen and dealt with bodies before, no one stopped him and he can tell that everyone trusted his judgment as a firefighter.

“Sh-She’s…She’s right. This body is fake.” Shinji said, his mouth dropping at the realization.

“H-How can you tell?” Emma asked, closing her eyes with gritted teeth. “Even if it’s fake and made out of special effects, this is way too realistic.”

“Well, for starters, a corpse would smell.” Kokoro said before Shinji could speak, blunt and deadpan. “This one doesn’t.”

“If that’s true, then what the hell is this for?!” Nikei yelled out again, and this time, the explanation came not from Kokoro, but the announcer once more.

“Ah, you all finally arrived at the body. Aside from a few of you, but I’ll let it go this time. What’s important is that you all understand what’s in front of you: a crime that has taken place years ago.”

“So we’re investigating a crime from the past then?” Yuri asked, putting his hand against his chest. He was far from happy but he definitely seemed a little bit relieved. Probably because the body wasn’t real or that the actual crime had taken place years ago.

“Yes. Your purpose is to investigate the crime and how the murderer did the deed. You don’t need to find the culprit as they’ve already been taken care of. Once you’ve gathered enough evidence, we will be holding a class trial near the fountain.”

“A class trial? For a crime that’s already solved? This is starting to make no damn sense.” Nikei muttered, tilting his hat over his face.

“Doesn’t make this any less fucked. Someone still killed this girl just like this in the past…what kind of sick person does this?” Hajime crossed his arms, looking like he was starting to get angry on the victim’s behalf. Which would’ve been endearing if it weren’t for the disgustingly gorey sight of a supposedly fake body.

“That’s not important. At least, not this time. Once you’re done investigating the scene, your final clue will be in a box next to the fountain. Once everyone has it, we will begin the class trial.”

The speaker goes silent, leaving the group alone with their thoughts. The only person willing to move was Kokoro, who was following the trail of blood down the path. He tried to take a step forward, but overestimated his strength as he suddenly tips forward and hits Mikado’s shoulder. The amnesiac winces, managing to right himself before he could topple the both of them over and held onto the wizard’s arm.

Strangely, he doesn’t move.

“…Mikado?” He shakes him a little bit. The wizard remained unresponsive. “Mikado?? Hey, what’s wrong…?” He grips his shoulder a bit more tightly and shakes him harder. But when he still didn't respond, he grit his teeth and forcefully turned him around, ready to yell at him–

–when he came face to face with a blank mask.

He flinches at the sight of the completely white mask. He had grown so used to the strange movement of the red facial expressions that seeing it be completely gone unnerved him more than anything else. The amnesiac loosened his hold on Mikado and tried to understand why he was like this.

Was he…in shock?

“Mikado?” He kept his voice soft, gently moving him away from the scene. He follows him without a word. “Hey, Mikado…Are you okay? Are you scared?” Mikado barely moved, his head slowly tilting forward but giving him no signal of what he’s feeling. He gulps before giving him a shaky smile. “It’s…it’s okay. I don’t know how, but I’m sure it’ll turn out fine. The body…The body is fake. It’s not real, see? It’s not real.” The wizard stood there.

And then he finally speaks.

“It’s…fake?” Mikado asked and he felt relief sink into his body.

“Yeah…! Yeah, it’s fake. It’s not real. I mean, the body is based off of a real crime but it’s still fake. No one…No one we know got hurt.” He gently squeezes Mikado’s shoulder. He stared at him, limp and unmoving. For a moment, he wondered if anything he was saying was registering at all. Or if it’s just making him feel worse.

But then, finally, his mask goes back to normal in the blink of an eye.

“Ah.” Mikado said, the mask blinking its wide eyes. It then shrinks with dismay as the wizard scratches the back of his head. “My apologies…I think the sight of the body put me in shock as my head is pounding.”

“It’s…It’s fine. I’m not feeling too great myself, haha…” He said, letting go of Mikado and lowering his head.

“…what…what are we doing?” Mikado looks over towards the scene of the crime. He follows his gaze and realizes that most of their classmates have scattered, with only Shinji, Setsuka and Yuri in sight.

“…Apparently, whoever brought us here wants us to solve this crime scene and take part in a ‘class trial’…whatever that is.” He shudders, pressing his hand against his chest. “I don’t know why they want us to do this but it doesn’t seem like we have a choice.”

“Where?”

“Huh?” He raises his head with wide eyes.

“Where are they?” The mask darkens, his eyes nearly glowing with anger. “The mastermind.”

“I…I-I don’t know. He…they? They were talking over the speakers, and it seems like they know where we are and what we’re doing. Even though I haven’t seen a single camera while we were exploring.” He rubs his forehead. Now that he brought it up, it was strange that this announcer knew what they were doing and yet, there were no signs of how they could do that.

“…Strange.” Mikado muttered, seemingly calming down for the moment. He raises his fingers to where his lips would be, almost as if he was thinking as he sighs. “…I can’t stop the mastermind if I don’t know where they are or who they are. Now, if we can lure them out, I can take a shot at them and end this horrid situation.”

“Hey…yeah, that’s right! You’re a wizard, you could probably take them down no problem.” He said, recalling the magic Mikado had casually displayed during their investigation. It was almost relieving to know that someone as powerful as Mikado can take down their kidnapper.

It didn’t change the fact that they were still in an unknown situation, but still. It meant that they had some sort of plan to retaliate.

“Now, now. Let’s not stroke my ego too much. I did get kidnapped with the rest of you.” Mikado said with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head and sticking his tongue out. He seems to be getting a bit of cheer back into his spirit. He quickly drops his arm to his side, though, along with his goofy expression. “As much as I hate to say it, we’re more likely to lure out the mastermind by investigating the crime and going through this class trial.”

“I…I think I can see what you’re saying.” He agreed as he didn’t have any better ideas. But when his gaze goes back to the body, he feels bile rise up in his throat and he immediately puts his hand over his mouth.

“Are you alright?” Mikado steps forward and cautiously pats his back. “…If you can’t handle it, you can step away-“

“No. No…” He pulls his hand away, wiping away any saliva that slipped out of his mouth. “I…I can handle it. I just…need to prepare myself.” He took a few more calming breaths before straightening his posture. Mikado waits, patient as ever, as the amnesiac wiped his hands against his pants. He then starts to walk back to the crime scene. “Okay, I think I’m – ow!”

“What’s wrong?” Mikado was by his side in an instant. He winces, lifting up his foot to check the damage. Nothing was cut, but he definitely felt like he hit something sharp so he looked down.

It was a knife.

“Oh fuck, that’s a knife.” He jolts away from it, nearly cowering behind Mikado. The wizard stared at it before making it levitate over to them with a wave of his hand. He gaped. “Be careful with that!”

“I will, don’t worry.” Mikado examines the knife, turning it over slowly and carefully in the air. “Hm, it doesn’t seem to have any blood on it. And even if it was used by the killer, there’s no way a simple knife can slice someone’s torso in half.”

“...So why is it here?” The amnesiac glances at the crime scene. It still looked as horrible as ever.

“Unsure. For now, let’s store this away as evidence.” Mikado carefully sets the knife back down onto the ground, but in a more safer and obvious place. Probably to keep people from stepping on it like he did. The wizard then tilts his head towards the body. “...I suppose the only other way we’ll get to know what happened is to examine the body.”

“Augh, yeah…” He hesitates before looking around. Setsuka was still nearby, with Hajime seemingly taking over to comfort Iroha. She was currently talking to Yoruko, who looked like she was ready to break into tears at any moment. Shinji and, surprisingly, Yuri were standing by the body and both had widely different expressions: unease and hyperaware for Shinji, calm if a bit miffed for Yuri. When his eyes so much as slide down towards the body, he felt a bile rise in his throat and decided that he couldn’t look at it after all. “Actually, you know what? I’m gonna talk to everyone else and see if they have any clues. You can go check the body if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I’m feeling much better than before, I promise. Just a headache.” Mikado reassures him, looking a bit embarrassed as he scratches his head. “Talking with our classmates may give us some ideas so go right ahead.” The two split off from each other, and the amnesiac walks up to Setsuka and Yoruko just as the latter starts to speak.

“I just don’t get it! Why do we have to do this?? Solving a past murder that was already solved….” Yoruko sniffles before her face goes red and she leans forward with clenched fists. “It doesn’t make any sense! Not to mention it’s so insensitive to the people that were affected by this!”

“I know, Yuko. Makes it less and less likely that this is the academy’s doing that’s for sure.” Setsuka said, crossing her arms with a more downturned expression. He can’t help but tilt his head as he enters the girls’ field of vision.

“You still think it might be Hope’s Peak?” He asked. He felt as though the option was completely off the table ever since the first announcement of the body. Setsuka, though, just gave him a simple frown.

“Well, I can see certain Ultimates benefitting from solving a crime scene and discussing it among themselves. Like an Ultimate Police Officer or Detective. As twisted as it is for an entire class to deal with a realistically fake body, it would at least make some sense if it was the school behind this.” Setsuka flattens her gaze with a sigh. “But none of us are specialized in any investigation field and the closest person that had to deal with dead bodies is probably Shinji. And maybe the one guy, but I’m only saying that because he’s a little shady. But even then, Shin is a firefighter, not an investigator. It’s not his job to investigate crime scenes unless an officer asks him for advice for, I don’t know, arson, I guess.” She shrugs. “Which means that we’re probably dealing with someone far more malicious.”

“Well, even if it was the school behind this, it’s still definitely malicious to drop a dead body on us without warning.” Yoruko said with gritted teeth, straightening her back and crossing her arms. “Seriously, this kind of stuff can scar people for life! Or even trigger them! I’m surprised none of us even vomited yet.”

“No kidding. I wouldn’t blame anyone if they did.” Setsuka said softly, her eyebrows curling with concern. “Speaking of which, how are you holding up, big guy?”

“Huh? Uh, I’m, um…I’m holding up alright. Mikado seems to recover as well.” He glances at the wizard in question, who was examining the body thoroughly. Shinji was just standing there, watching him, and Yuri seems to be talking their ears off about something he can’t hear from here.

“You sure? You looked ready to collapse when we saw the body.” Setsuka scratches the back of her head. “It’s okay to step away if you feel like you can’t handle it.”

“I’m fine. Really. I want to help.” The amnesiac can feel it in his gut, the tension and anxiety twisting it to the point that he wanted to hurl. But he also felt that if he didn’t try something, he'd only end up as a liability. And he didn’t want that. “Actually, I came over to ask if you guys found any clues.”

“Clues…?” Yoruko said, closing her eyes as she dropped her arms. “I got nothing, sorry. I can’t even bring myself to look around the area.”

“…I think I got something.” Setsuka immediately grabs his attention as she holds her hand close to her right eye. “Her leg got a pretty bad cut on her left side. I don’t know how bad it is, I ain’t a doctor, but some injuries can injure someone in the moment and make them fall over.”

“Oh! Really?” He never noticed, but then again, he was too focused on the gore than anything else. It was the most eye-catching part of the body after all.

“Yeah. You can ask Shin to verify-“

“This is ridiculous!”

A yell interrupts them and they all turn around to see Mikado raising his fists with a frustrated expression on his mask. He was currently facing Yuri, who was pouting with his arms crossed.

“We are doing an investigation and all you’ve done is be a hindrance as I work! At least do something useful and find some clues or at least share your thoughts when it’s of actual importance!” It was probably the second time he has seen Mikado yell, and he can tell that he was very distressed.

“A hindrance, you say? Well, I think I already figured out this case on my own, no thanks to either of you.” Yuri said, turning his head with a scoff. Mikado’s eyes go flat.

“Really, now. What do you think happened? Tell me.” Mikado huffed as sarcasm dripped from his voice. It seemed to have gone over Yuri’s head though.

“Ha! Like I’d tell any of you disgusting men!” Yuri said, a dark look coming over his face. He cringes at his words and Mikado looked like he was ready to blow a gasket. But it was at this point that Shinji stepped in between them.

“Enough! Both of you!!” Shinji yells, his voice booming across the park as he points at them. Mikado immediately stops, if only to cover his ears with a yelp, while Yuri stares at him like he personally offended him somehow. Upon seeing the wizard’s reaction, Shinji drops his hand and barely lowers his voice. “Yuri, Mikado is just trying to work with everyone to solve this case. Mikado, try not to antagonize him if you can. It’ll only encourage his behavior.”

“Easier said than done, Mr. Kasai. I seem to offend him simply by existing.” Mikado crosses his arms, his mask darkening as he stares down Yuri. The astronaut didn’t even back down from the creepy mask.

“I still have my doubts that your investigation skills are up to the task, you degenerate. You haven’t even noticed what I have long since discovered!” Yuri sneered, which made Mikado clench his fists.

“Oh boy. Looks like Big Sis better intervene before this gets any worse.” He heard Setsuka mutter beside him before ushering Yoruko away. She didn’t budge at first, raising an eyebrow at the billiards player but she simply nodded her head as if she was silently agreeing to something. The hostess quickly caved in after that, running off towards the fountain. Setsuka then walked up to the group with a big smile on her face and the amnesiac followed after her. Even if it meant getting close to the body. “Hey, hey. Let’s all calm down, boys. There’s no need to fight.”

“Lady Setsuka! Surely you understand my plight!” Yuri immediately turns his attention to the billiards player, aghast and yet his mood far more lighter than before. “These foolish men are horrid workers, unlike you and Lady Yoruko.” Funny, considering the two of them were only standing around doing nothing. Well, Yoruko was as she wasn’t comfortable approaching the body. Setsuka at least had a clue to provide. “These men have yet to notice the obvious!”

“Well, perhaps you should tell us rather than spend time insulting them, right? We can’t be enlightened if you’re unwilling to share.” Setsuka said, calm and encouraging. And like a switch, Yuri smiles at her.

“But of course! Anything for you, Lady Setsuka!” Yuri said with cheer in his voice. Mikado gripped the side of his head and Shinji shook his head. The astronaut completely ignores his own flat stare as he gestures towards the trees. “See those trees? They seem a little burnt, don’t you think?”

“Burnt?” He raised his gaze towards where Yuri was pointing. Because the sun was starting to set, the dark sky had started to blend the environment with orange and yellow hues. But eventually, he sees it when his eyes finally notice what was different. The bark on the trees were dark and black, like something unnaturally hot had touched it and tried to tear it down. But weirdly enough, it looked like it hadn't spread very far despite being in a forest. “Oh, I see it now.”

“And now that you brought it up, it looks like some of the victim’s clothes had been touched by the fire as well.” Shinji spoke up, which only prompted Yuri to scoff.

“You’re a firefighter and yet you didn’t even notice that. You should be ashamed of yourself.” The amnesiac narrowed his eyes at Yuri, silently telling him to back off. And yet, Shinji just blinked at him before looking down at the ground.

“I don’t even have a comeback for that one. You’re right in that I should’ve noticed that from the start.” Shinji said, earnest and yet a little bit ashamed of himself. Yuri blinks at his response, his arms falling to his side before he turns away with a huff. Mikado steps over the body, kneeling down beside the burnt shrubbery before pulling something by the handle. He tried to get a good look at it, but the body kept coming into view and he had to force himself to look away.

“It seems to have come from this broken lantern. I didn’t even realize oil lanterns are still used to this day. And I’m not certain if this happened due to a struggle or if the culprit purposely did this to try and get rid of the evidence.” Mikado said to try and start a conversation. He can see Setsuka shrug her shoulders from the corner of his eyes.

“If the culprit did it, wouldn’t it attract other people? Especially if the fire spreads pretty far.” Setsuka gestures towards the sky as if she was imagining smoke piling up towards it. Which would make sense as fire and smoke go hand in hand. Shinji frowns.

“You're right, although the fire didn't spread very far. It should've grown pretty quickly as a forest fire, however, this one was put out before it could spread from its source.” Shinji gestures to the trees in question. “Either it was raining and it put out the fire, or there were people nearby who jumped to action before it could get worse. And as long as the fire was small, rain could definitely put out an oil fire.”

“Assuming everything here is accurate to the crime scene back then, I think we can assume rain wasn't involved as the body doesn't show any signs of being soaked. At the very least, a fire was involved in some way but was put out before it could spread. And if it was the culprit who did it to get rid of the evidence…” Mikado stands up and raises the broken lantern up for everyone to see. He hums before glancing at him. “Can you come closer to the body? There is something I want to show you.”

“I, uh…” The amnesiac tries to look down at the body. But his heart clenched at the sight and he can feel bile rise up in his throat again. He covers his mouth and adverts his gaze. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"Then I'll just bring it to you." Mikado kneels besides the body, but he's quickly interrupted by Yuri.

"Don't you dare touch her, you despicable man! Her body has already gone through enough!" Yuri yells, a dark look on his face. Mikado was practically glaring through his mask when Setsuka steps in and grabs Yuri's shoulder.

"Yuri, please. Mikado isn't doing anything bad, I promise." She tried to reassure him but he’s still glaring daggers at Mikado. He couldn't help but grimace at his attitude. Setsuka just pats his shoulder. "Why don't we investigate somewhere else? I'll need a nice strong man to escort me after all." She was clearly laying it on a bit thick but it worked like a charm. Yuri turns his back on Mikado with a huff and crosses his arms.

"Very well, Lady Setsuka. Lead the way and I will point out anything that could be relevant." Yuri said and Setsuka loosened her hold on him. But he still turns his head towards them. "If I find one thing misplaced, I'll kill you myself." He says something in Russian and while he didn't know what he said, he can tell by his tone that he was insulting them. Yuri then finally walks away from them. Setsuka turns her head towards them and gives them a quick thumbs up before following after the astronaut.

"...Finally, he's out of the picture. Hopefully it will stay that way." Mikado then grabs something off of the body before standing up.

"Uh…isn't he going to be a part of this class trial?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. Mikado pauses before slumping his shoulders.

"...I suppose he can't be avoided forever." Mikado sighs and walks over to the amnesiac. He then shows the object he found of interest: a watch. He looks at it, then at Mikado, then back at the watch. The wizard’s mask just blinks at him. “...Take a look at the glass, my dear.” He did what he was told and carefully grabbed a hold of it. But he didn’t go as far as to take it out of his hand.

It was then that he finally noticed something: the surface of broken glass. Something finally clicks into place in his brain and he speaks.

“It’s…broken?” The amnesiac asks and Mikado nods his head. He frowns as he feels some general knowledge flowing in his head. “I mean, the watch doesn’t look very old since it doesn’t have any wear and tear. But it’s actually pretty easy to break a watch without thinking.”

“Ah, it seems you know quite a bit about watches. Perhaps your Ultimate talent deals with that?” Mikado said with a chuckle. He just raised an eyebrow at him, silently questioning where he was going with this. The wizard notices and complies. “Take a look at the hands. They’re stuck at a specific time: 11:45. Whether that’s AM or PM is currently left in the air, though.”

“Oh! If the watch broke around then that means…” He racks his brain for an answer, rubbing his forehead to help stimulate his thoughts. “It means, uh, that the time of death was around there, right?”

“Supposedly, yes.” Mikado then puts the watch back where he found it. Probably so he can avoid Yuri’s wrath. “...I believe that is everything we can get from the body. How about we follow the blood trail? See how far it goes.”

“Oh wait!” The amnesiac turns to Shinji, who seems surprised by the sudden attention. “Shinji, can you take a look at her left leg? Setsuka said there seems to have been a cut there. And, uh I can’t really bring myself to look.”

“Sure thing. Let me just…” Shinji carefully steps around the body, hesitating before kneeling down. “I-I’m sorry…I’ll make this quick.” He checks her leg, frowning as he examines the cut and then pulls away. “It’s a really deep cut. I can’t say how long it is but I think this kind of injury would affect how the leg would work.”

“How so?” He asked in a brief moment of curiosity. Shinji sighs before standing up, still staring down at the body.

“...Even if this girl had survived, I don’t think she’d be able to walk very well, let alone run. She might’ve needed a cane or even a prosthetic in the future. But, uh, that’s just my speculation. I’m not a doctor so I can’t really say.” Shinji hugs himself with one arm across his chest and the other holding his shoulder. For once, he goes quiet. Something tugs in his mind but it goes away just as fast as it came.

“So, in other words, this attack left her vulnerable.” Mikado glances at the body before looking away. “...Let us move on. We mustn’t waste any time in case our investigation gets cut short.”

“Uh, alright.” He follows Mikado and nods at Shinji. He simply gives him a thumbs up before guarding the body like he was before. The two of them were quiet as they followed the trail, coming up to Kokoro who was examining the area with her tablet. He speaks upon seeing her. “Find anything, Kokoro?”

“Not much, aside from some signs of a fight.” Kokoro said, casually dropping the information like it was fact. She notices his wide eyed stare before gesturing around the trail of blood. “There’s a tree that has uneven cuts like it was hit by something sharp, footsteps that go back and forth before turning down the path, and signs that someone was hiding in the bushes if the pieces of thread were of any indication. Take a look for yourself.”

“Uhh…” He flounders at the amount of details dropped in his lap but Mikado is quick to catch on. He kneels down to examine the footprints before going over to check the trees and the bushes. The amnesiac goes along with it and checks the footsteps himself. It wasn’t very clear but there was enough of an imprint to make it obvious that one or both people had been going back and forth, even messing up the other footprints. He watches the wizard, finally noticing the two strange cuts on the tree that didn’t seem to make much sense. Mikado pulls out a few threads from the bushes. “Huh. That is weird. But how can you tell that someone was hiding in the bushes by looking at the threads?”

“Probably because these threads were snagged near the bottom of the bush.” Mikado steps in to explain. “It’d be one thing if it had been snagged near the top, as that can happen even if you were just walking by – augh!” The wizard takes a step forward but his cape ends up getting caught on a branch from the bush. “Like! So…!” He grabs a hold of his cape and manages to pull it off without ripping it. With a grunt, he turns to him with a flat stare. “Threads would only end up near the bottom unless someone was purposely crouching down, so I think Ms. Mitsume’s reasoning holds.”

“That’s all I have to say aside from a pair of footsteps running towards a cliff.” Kokoro points in the direction she talks about. He follows her finger and sees the footprints, including the cliff in question. “I wouldn’t recommend going near, though. It’s pretty dangerous.”

“But if there’s a clue, it’s at least worth checking out.” Mikado said, and he immediately walked off before either of them could say anything else. Kokoro just watches him go before turning her gaze towards him. Feeling her intense stare, he awkwardly clears his throat.

“Uh, th-thanks, Kokoro. I’m sure this trial will be quick and we can all go home.” Especially with Mikado around. He seems to be putting things together a lot quicker than he ever could.

“You shouldn’t use him as a crutch.”

“Huh?” He gaps at her. Kokoro just averts her gaze.

“Nothing…” She pauses before glancing down at her tablet, brushing her thumb against the screen. “...Mikado is smart. However, I…suspect this situation may only escalate from here. We don’t know why we have to do this, after all. And if he ends up turning on everyone-”

“Whoa, whoa. What are you saying?” His jaw might as well have fallen to the floor. “Mikado is helping everyone, isn’t he? You don’t have to go as far as to accuse him when we’re in a dangerous situation.”

“...You’re right. Sorry.” Kokoro said, finally pulling her gaze away. Her tone was a little flat but she did seem ashamed of her assumption. So he lets it slide. “I’m just saying that this may not be over even after the trial.”

“I…” He tries to come up with a rebuttal. But the problem is that he didn’t have one and his gut told him to keep his guard up. As much as he wished for this situation to be over, he was inclined to agree with Kokoro and his own gut. So he sighs. “You’re probably right. I just hope no one gets hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll get out of this in one piece.” Kokoro reassured, even going as far as to send a smile his way. “I’m going to head back to the fountain. Will you join me?”

“Uh, no. I’m gonna make sure Mikado is okay before heading back.” The amnesiac said and the psychologist simply nodded. The two of them part ways and he walks over to the cliffside.

The cliff seemed like a pretty normal one. One that was created over time via nature and the constant waves that hit the edge. He can hear the ocean from here as it crashes against the land, small drops of water ascending into the air before falling back down with barely a sound. Mikado was standing by the edge, almost precariously so, and that made him nervous. Especially since there were no railings to keep anyone from falling over. The amnesiac carefully makes his way over.

“Hey! Find anything?” He called out, prompting Mikado to turn his gaze towards him. The wizard’s mask was frowning as he shook his head. He sighs, taking another step closer. “Maybe we should head back then. It’s dangerous--”

And that was when the piece of land he stepped on crumbles and falls into the depths of the ocean, completely throwing off his balance.

He gasps, trying to right himself but completely falls over the edge.

He feels the wind in his hair and clothes as he descends, the sight of the ocean and the sharp rocky edges down below spelling a horrible end to his life.

A life he still barely knew.

A life he wasn’t going to figure out now…!

“Augh!”

His body lurches, but not from the impact.

Rather, it was from a pair of arms holding onto him, the force of their grip making him swing forward but ultimately stopping his fall. He stared down at the sharp, dark depths with wide eyes. His heart was pounding in his chest and the moment he registered the act of breathing, he was suddenly gulping it all down like it would be the last time.

Looking down at the pair of hands hugging him, he recognizes the gloves and the loose cuffs of a button-up as Mikado’s and slowly relaxes. He was still hanging in midair, but with the knowledge of Mikado’s Ultimate talent as a wizard, he knew he was in good hands.

It was still terrifying to know that he could’ve easily died right then and there. And if Mikado wasn’t a wizard that can literally fly, he probably would’ve tumbled over the edge with him. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.

“Th-Thanks, Mikado…That could’ve ended…horribly.” He said, if only to fill in the silent air. Mikado didn’t respond. He just tightened his hold on him. The amnesiac didn’t blame him and just pats his hand. “I’m okay. Thanks for grabbing me.”

“...Good.” Mikado murmured, his nose rubbing against his shoulder blade. He tries to crane his head to try and see the wizard’s expression better when he sees something glint by the depths. He tried to lean forward but Mikado’s grip was tight. He even goes as far as to start floating back to the cliff and the amnesiac tries not to struggle. It’d be bad for him to start falling again but the glint of metal had him curious now.

“Wait, wait, wait! I think I see something down there.” He said, pointing down below. Mikado stops and eventually adjusts his grip so he can move his head onto his shoulder. He was silent as he peered down below but the wizard seemed to notice what he saw and tilted his head.

“...That’s strange. If something fell from this height, it either should’ve broken or be washed away by the depths of the ocean.” Mikado said, his mask’s eyes squinting to try and see the item better. But due to how far away they were, it was nearly impossible to see what it was from here.

“...Do you, uh, think it could be related to the case?” He asked as he stared down at the ocean. The amnesiac can see Mikado shift to look at him. The mask was frowning at him but didn’t turn down the thought. Instead, the wizard starts to fly them back over to the cliff. Before he could start to protest, Mikado was already setting him down on solid land carefully.

“Go to the fountain and obtain the final clue. Since I’m the only one that can safely examine this object, I will go get it. But we may not have the time to wait any longer, so it’s better if you go and examine this final clue before it’s too late.” Mikado’s voice was calm, one that was confident in this plan of his. And his reasoning made sense to him so he didn’t argue against it. He just nods his head and the two of them split up again.

He retraces his steps, jogging past the crime scene and stopping at the fountain. A quick glance of the area showed what everyone else was doing: Kanade and Hibiki were sitting on a bench, close together like usual, although it seems like the younger twin was looking through a tablet. Iroha looks like she’s drawing something in her sketchbook, still terrified of the situation they’ve been put in but at least she seems to be putting that energy into an activity that hopefully calms her down. Hajime was nearby, giving the painter space but ultimately guarding her in case something comes their way. It looked like Emma was biting down on her nails, pacing back and forth in the path towards the fountain. Kokoro was watching her with another tablet in her hand in complete silence. Nikei was sitting by the fountain, writing something down in his notepad and examining something by his side. Setsuka was talking to Yoruko again, who was also sitting down on a bench, but this time Yuri was right next to them and seemed to be saying something unhelpful with the way the hostess was glaring right at him. Shinji, who had moved away from the body now that no one else was examining it, was comforting Yuki as he doesn’t seem to be handling any of this very well. And he didn’t blame him. The only one who was completely unperturbed was the guy that had completely ignored the class, smoking underneath a tree as he read a tablet in his hand.

He scrunches up his eyebrows.

Where did everyone get these tablets…?

The amnesiac hesitates before walking over to Nikei as he was the closest one to the fountain. The journalist was too absorbed in whatever he was writing about to notice him right away, and the moment he got closer, he noticed he also had a tablet right next to him on the ground. He frowns.

“Hey, uh, Nikei…?” He calls out. The journalist finally pulls his attention away from his notepad to look at him. “Where is everyone getting these tablets?” Nikei gives him a flat stare, his mouth slightly agape as he raises his hand with his pen between his thumb and palm.

“From the box right next to us?”

He blinks, looks to his right, and sees the box in question.

A glance inside reveals that there were two tablets left.

“...OH!” He laughs, but feels his embarrassment burn through his cheeks. He can’t believe he completely missed that. The amnesiac reaches into the box and takes a tablet for himself. “Uh, th-thanks, Nikei.”

“Uh huh…” Nikei immediately goes back to the tablet to examine its contents. Taking the cue to leave him alone, he focuses his attention on the new object in his hand. The “final clue” the announcer had called it. Turning it on with the press of a button reveals its title on the loading screen: the Monocrow File.

Upon loading completely, he was hit with information he never could’ve figured out on his own. And yet, he almost wished he hadn’t.

The victim is Kasumi Hayashi. The estimated time of death is 11:45PM.

The victim’s corpse was found in the forest near the Utsuroshima Park.

The victim’s body is covered in bruises and has a cut on her left leg. The victim was also sliced across from the back that went through the entire body.

The estimated cause of death was blood loss and trauma from the wounds on the body.

He feels chills all over his body as he stares at the file in his hand. Not only was there a name to the victim, there was also a picture of her smiling face along with her height, weight, and birthday. But the picture had “DEAD” typed over it in big, bold letters, preventing him from seeing her eyes.

A reminder that she was no longer of this world.

A reminder that Kasumi Hayashi was a real person that was killed long ago.

And then his eyes noticed another piece of information that was right underneath her name.

Kasumi Hayashi, Ultimate Personal Trainer.

‘So, she was an Ultimate too…?’ He thought, feeling dread seep into his bones. They were a Hope’s Peak class, so naturally everyone was an Ultimate here.

So…what does that mean for them?

Why would someone go out of their way to kidnap Ultimates?

And why does this feel so…wrong?

The speakers crackle to life once more and he tenses.

“It seems all of you have finally taken the final clue. Well, except one. But I believe it’s time to move this trial along now.”

He opens his mouth to protest as Mikado has yet to come back.

But before he could, the ground started shaking beneath his feet.

Iroha screams, getting up and running to Hajime’s side. He takes her and stumbles away from the middle of the park. Emma struggles to stay upright but she manages to grab Kokoro’s outreached hand and the two of them flee towards the entrance. Shinji covers Yuki as if he was expecting some sort of attack. Kanade and Hibiki clung to their bench to keep steady. Yoruko did the same but Setsuka completely loses her balance with Yuri trying to catch her only to get dragged down with her, the billiards player landing on top of him roughly. Nikei tries to grab for the fountain, but that turns out to be a bad idea as it was the fountain itself that was moving. As the fountain sinks below the ground, the journalist nearly falls into the newly formed hole but the amnesiac was quick to respond. He grabs Nikei and manages to keep his balance, dragging him away as far as he can. He only struggles against him to get onto his feet and the two of them run to put a good distance away from the fountain.

The hole closes up with a near identical pattern of concrete before multiple holes open up in a circle, surrounding where the fountain would be. What rises out of those holes were podiums made out of brown polished wood, bolted down to the ground they were attached on. Once the podiums were settled into position, the shaking stopped and everyone was able to reorient themselves. As everyone slowly got up or approached the circle of podiums, the speaker turned on again.

“As you can see, this is where your class trial will be taking place, at least for the time being. Now go search for your podiums, as there will be a screen with your name on it.”

“...Fuck, we’re really doing this.” Nikei muttered. He starts to pat down his coat, his eyes going wide before he digs into his pockets. A realization hits him and he grits his teeth. “Shit, my pen. Where did it go?” The journalist runs towards the podiums, being the first to get there if only to look for the pen he seemed to have dropped in the chaos.

Yuki, surprisingly, was the second to approach the podiums the moment Shinji deemed it safe. The firefighter stuck close to him before reluctantly searching for his spot…which just so happened to be on Yuki’s right. How convenient. Kanade and Hibiki walk over, with the former seemingly more confident compared to the latter. Of course, the singer would have hid her unease pretty well, if it weren’t for her shaking hands giving it away. But at least the twins got to stand next to each other. Yuri, who seemed strangely pleased for whatever reason, walked up to his podium with a skip to his step and his spot was apparently right next to Hibiki’s left. Much to her clear displeasure. Nikei cheers upon finding his pen, which thankfully didn’t fall into the hole with the fountain and proceeds to find his podium next to Shinji. Hajime and Iroha find their spots as well, but the two of them end up splitting up due to their assigned podiums. The painter was clearly unhappy about it but she reluctantly stays where she is. Kokoro and Emma pass by him, the psychologist standing next to Iroha while the actor takes her place next to Hajime. Yoruko stands next to Kanade and Setsuka finds her spot a few podiums away from Iroha and Yuri.

And he was just…standing there.

Staring at the podiums.

He knew he should be looking for his spot. He didn’t have much of a choice in the matter when the announcer made it clear that they must do this.

But he didn’t want to.

He didn’t want to go near those podiums.

Not with the way his hands shook and his chest heaves in desperation.

This was happening.

This was really happening.

Why was this happening?

He gulps, clenching his fists to try and stop himself from shaking.

He can’t dawdle here. He had to find his spot. He can’t keep everyone waiting.

And if he approaches those podiums…

Would he…find his name?

He breathes, a glimmer of hope rising in his chest. He puts the tablet away in his backpack and hurries over to the nearest podiums, praying that he can find his name there. Yuri shoots him a disgusted glare when he comes near but he ignores him completely. Setsuka raises an eyebrow at him before her eye glances at the screen and her pupils shrink, seemingly putting together his thought process. The amnesiac gulps as his hands reach for the screen as he reads out the name.

“Syobai Hashimoto”

Syobai…?

Was his name Syobai?

It didn’t sound or feel right but if this is the only other empty podium with a name then…

Then it must be-

“Oi.”

He jumps at the sound of a harsh voice, whirling around with wide eyes. It was the guy from before, messy appearance and all, but with a scent of fresh cigarette smoke lingering on him now. His nose curls up at the smell on instinct. And yet his expression did nothing but harden the guy’s glare.

“...You’re in my spot, dumbass.” He said, stepping into the space of the podium and nearly shoving him out of it. He then turns his back on him with a huff. Upon putting his hand on top of the screen, it lights up with a beep as if confirming something before going completely black.

…Oh.

Now this is just embarrassing.

Feeling his face burn with a harsh blush, he turns away and mutters an apology. Setsuka seemed disappointed by this turn of events like he was. Her shoulders were even drooping in sympathy.

But…as he looked around the rest of the podiums, there were only three left. One of them would obviously be Mikado’s, but there were only fifteen of them in total. So one out of two of them had to be his, waiting to reveal his name to the desperate amnesiac.

…At least he finally found out that guy’s name.

Syobai Hashimoto.

He didn’t know his talent but that was something he could reveal in his own time later.

Right now, they had a class trial to get through.

“It didn’t start without me, did it?”

He jumps, feeling like he was going to go right out of skin as he turns around again. It was Mikado, but this time he had taken off his cape and wrapped it around something that was long and thick in his arms. It seems to be sharp in shape but he couldn’t tell what it was without unwrapping it. The lack of a cape also revealed that Mikado’s button-up shirt had some of the buttons near the collar unbuttoned, revealing quite a bit of his collarbone and sternum. He politely brought his stare back to Mikado’s face.

“Not yet. We just need to find our spots.” He said before pointing at the object in his arms. “What’s that? A clue?”

“Assuming what the announcer said was true, then yes. After all, there is no way an object like this would be in good condition given how close it was to the ocean for who knows how long.” Mikado shifts his hold on it with a grunt. “I will reveal it when necessary. For now, let us go to our spots.”

“In that case, c’mere, Kado. I think this podium is yours.” Setsuka said, patting the empty podium next to her. As Mikado passes by, he grabs his sleeve and tugs him along. The amnesiac hesitates but decides to follow as there was another empty podium right next to Iroha. It was worth checking it out since his name could possibly be there. The wizard settles into his podium, activating the clearance before putting down the object across the surface. The amnesiac checks out the podium next to him.

Only to realize that the screen was completely blank.

He scrunched up his eyebrows, his confusion plainly written on his face.

Why is it blank?

Is it because they’re missing a sixteenth student?

There’s only fifteen of them after all. So it’d make sense that one would be blank.

He turns to Mikado, setting his hand on top of the screen as he opens his mouth to speak.

Only for the screen to light up and then go dark.

He looks down at the screen with surprised eyes. Mikado similarly tilts his head at the sudden clearance but before either of them could say anything-

“Ah, good. You’ve all found your spots. Now it’s time to get this class trial started.”

He looks up at the sky, his mouth slightly agape as he searches for the voice. Of course, he can’t find any signs of the speakers but it didn’t matter.

The podium’s screen was blank when he touched it.

And yet, it turned on and accepted him without another thought.

Why?

Does…the kidnapper not even know his name?

Does no one know his name?

The disappointment and despair he felt in his chest was immeasurable.

“Firstly, allow me to briefly explain the rules of this class trial.”

He snaps out of his thoughts, his hand on the podium instinctively tensing into a fist upon those words. Regardless of how he feels about his current circumstances, he couldn’t spend all this time self-pitying himself. He had to focus on this trial and help out when he could.

He scans the trial, watching everyone’s agitated figures as they all process what was happening right now. They were all scared. Worried. Perhaps even angry for this confusing mess they’re being put through. They all had to take part in this class trial like it was some sort of game. And for what? He didn’t know.

Regardless, they all had no choice but to participate. They all had to work together to solve this case and hope they can escape.

Hope that this is all they have to do.

Hope that someone has noticed their kidnapping and is searching for them.

Hope that no one will get hurt once this is over.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Boardwalk Intro

Our queen has arrived!

Oh, and Yuri is here too, I guess. (joking)

No TWs apply to this current post.

...Although Yuri is being his usual misandrist self.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Beach Episode (Final)

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

Walking down the path led them to a pier with smaller houses on it. It looked like a place where people mainly sleep. And it didn’t take them long to find someone else in the area. Although when he saw her, he couldn’t help but do a double take. Because if she was a student, she certainly doesn’t dress like one. The hair was the least concerning part of her outfit as it was just a ponytail with long pink hair that ended in a fuschia ombre and held together with a blue bow. The rest…was a different story. Her blue dress showed a lot more skin than he was comfortable seeing, from her chest to her hips. She wore a long boa scarf, skin tight see-through stockings that had a crisscross pattern, blue heels and gold bracelets and a necklace. She hadn’t noticed their approach but he tried his best to keep his gaze at her head. It wasn’t all that hard, to be honest.

“Geez, this is annoying. What are the teachers doing…?” The girl stared off to the side, her fist on top of her chest as if she was trying to keep herself from tensing too much.

“Excuse me.” Mikado was the first to speak, grabbing her attention.

“Huh? Who are you?” She asked, her eyes wide.

“I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard. Are you another student here, miss…?” The wizard introduces himself as the implied question hangs in the air. She sighs before giving them a smile.

“So you’re a freshman too. I’m Yoruko Kabuya. I hope we can get along.” Yoruko smiled at them and he gave her his best smile as well, even if it was awkward.

“Hi. Uh, I don’t have a name due to my amnesia but, uh, yeah.” He cleared his throat as Yoruko stared at him with wide eyes. He didn’t want to point it out, but this was going to bother him if he didn't ask. “I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but…why are you dressed like that…?”

“H-Hey, I had no choice, y’know? I didn’t want to wear this…We were told to - no, wait you have amnesia. Never mind.” She leaned forward as she clenched her fists, although she quickly became embarrassed upon remembering that he wouldn’t know what she was talking about due to his lack of memories. When he stares at her with confusion, she realizes something else and seems to force herself to relax, straightening her back. “Ah…Right, I haven’t told you my talent yet.” She grimaces before wrapping an arm around her waist and curling her hand near her neck. “You’ll probably take this the wrong way, but…I got in as the Ultimate Hostess.”

“...Oh, that’s not so bad. I thought your talent was something more controversial.” Mikado said, blunt as a rock like always. He still gaped at him for his blatant honesty and Yoruko looked at him like he had grown another head. The wizard tilts his head at them though. “What…? It’s none of my business as to why Ms. Kabuya entered such an age restricted job.”

“Er, yeah…I was having some problems, so I faked my age in order to work. I was sure nobody would be able to find out…” Yoruko trails off before sighing again, looking away. “Buuut I got busted. I dunno how they figured it out, but next thing I knew there was an acceptance letter at work with my name on it…” She closed her eyes, dropping her arms with resignation. “So, they gave me a choice: jail, or Hope’s Peak. So, here I am.”

“What?!” He gawked at her. This was not what he was expecting from Hope’s Peak. He didn’t think the school would go so far as to blackmail a potential student into joining their school. It made him extremely uncomfortable.

“...Well then! I always thought there was something off about that school, and now I’m wishing I didn’t accept the invitation…” Mikado raised his clenched fists, looking like he was trying to restrain himself from showing even more of his frustration. Not that it mattered as his mask had changed into a more angry expression. The sudden change surprised Yoruko enough to take a step back.

“I…I-It’s nice that you two are getting angry on my behalf. Really.” Yoruko crosses her arms. “But it’s not as if I hate the school or anything. I’ll be old enough to work legally in a few years anyway. Since going to Hope’s Peak guarantees success to their students, I figured I can gain some fame here and use that to get a better gig in the future.”

“Still, they just…blackmailed you into attending. That’s a shitty thing to do.” He clenched his fist, pressing it against his chest. Now he really didn’t want to be here.

“Not much I can do about that…I am breaking the law.” She then clenched her teeth, her blue eyes narrowing. “But seeing myself in a place like this instead is just pissing me off. At least you two aren’t trying to take a peep at me…Unless that mask of yours is hiding what you’re really looking at.” She glares at Mikado. The wizard simply stared back, dropping one of his hands as his mask shifts into his normal smile.

“...Would you believe me if I said I was looking at you respectfully, Ms. Kabuya?” Mikado said, and the hostess huffs at him.

“You better be! Honestly, dealing with perverts is nothing new for me…Just don’t take this the wrong way. My job isn’t what you think it is.” Yoruko said, mostly looking at him when she clarified that last part. When he waited for her to elaborate, she didn’t, and he felt too embarrassed to pry any further.

“Anyway…Do you have any idea on how we ended up here on this island?” He felt it was safer to change the subject than to continue talking about her talent.

“Hard not to think about it when we’re supposed to be at Hope’s Peak and yet we’re not.” The hostess puts her hand on her hips and raises her other hand, clearly annoyed. “I went to the place they told me to go to, but then I passed out. When I woke up, I was here on this island. What, were we, like, kidnapped to work as slaves or something?”

“Please no. I don’t want to be forced to work for someone else.” He shuddered at the thought. Even Mikado looked disturbed. Yoruko sighs in agreement.

“Not only that, I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this…” She looks away, concerned. “What are the teachers doing, anyway?” Yoruko drops her arms as she starts to sweat. “Even if it was some kind of event, no one gave us any contract or extra notice.”

“I’ve never been in a school environment, but that sounds about right.” Mikado said, casually dropping another piece of information about himself that left him shocked. But he kept talking before he could point it out. “Any authority figure worth their salt would at least keep us informed on what they wish to do for their pupils. I can’t help but feel like everyone is a little too relaxed about this whole thing…”

“And I can’t believe I had to stop working because of this…” Yoruko said, almost as if she was in silent agreement with the wizard next to her.

“Wow, uh…sounds like you’re hardworking, Yoruko.” He complimented, as that was the only thing he could think to do at the moment. He didn’t have any memories of school even though he still had his general knowledge without those educational experiences. So he couldn’t really give his own opinion on that in general.

“Oh, uh…thank you…” Yoruko starts but quickly trails off, as if realizing that he didn’t give her a name, so the sentence ended on an awkward note.

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but it seems you don’t know any details either, right?” Mikado sighs, almost sounding like he was exhausted. Yoruko crosses her arms again.

“Nah, I’ve been trying to look around though. I just hope nothing bad happens…”

“Same here. We’ll see you around?” He nods his head at her and she smiles a little bit.

“Yeah, it was nice to meet you…even without a name. Good luck with your amnesia.” The hostess walks away to explore elsewhere. The two of them then turned towards each other.

“Well that was enlightening…in more ways than one.” Mikado said, and he can see him crossing his arms underneath his cape. He nods slightly in agreement.

“Hope’s Peak seems to be, um…really determined to research talent.” He frowns, pressing his hand against his chest. “And the more I think about it, the more this situation just doesn’t make any sense.”

“Agreed. I fear we may be in more danger than we realize. And to think that Hope’s Peak is willing to go as far as to commit blackmail…” Mikado said, scratching the back of his head. “Hm…There’s another possibility to this, and I fear it may be one of the worst options out there.”

“Oh, what’s that?” He tilts his head at him, not really grasping Mikado’s train of thought. The wizard pauses, staring down at the ground before looking back at him.

“I’m afraid I’ll be keeping this thought to myself.” When he gaped at him, Mikado’s mask shifts into its giant smile and shrugs. “No offense, my dear. But I’d rather not cause a panic based on a guess that has no evidence to back it up.”

“…Can you at least tell me something?” He asked. He didn’t think Mikado would share his thoughts on what’s happening at the moment. He’s been open so far but it might be just because he liked talking to him or maybe he didn’t think twice about what he’s saying. But…still. “What…kind of life did you live?” The wizard stared at him, the expression of his mask not moving at all. “You seem…out of touch with what’s popular, which, you know, isn’t odd by itself. Maybe you really are the kind of person who doesn’t care about that stuff. But then you mentioned wizards getting persecuted for their magic, that you need to give up your soul to use magic, and then you said you’ve ‘never been in a school environment.’” He hesitates before staring at the mask, trying to make eye contact with his friend. “Are you…okay?”

“…I think you’re looking too deeply into this, my dear.” Mikado said, his tone almost carefully flat. He gulps, wondering if he had pried too deeply. “I was mostly joking.”

“Joking?” He stared at the wizard in disbelief. “None of that stuff sounds like a joke. And you’ve been honest with me since I’ve woken up. I…” He lifts his hand up, even though he didn’t know what to do with it. “I just wanna make sure you’re okay. Because you’re my friend.” Mikado blinks at him, which was at least some sort of reaction.

“…You seem to be able to connect the dots better than I expected. I’m almost impressed.” The wizard said, blinking at him again. “I’m fine. Really. I was mostly pulling on Ms. Nijiue’s leg about trading your soul for the use of magic, and while I’ve never been to a school before, I’ve learned everything I could on my own. As for the persecution…” Mikado tilts his head, his large smile still plastered onto his mask. “They no longer bother me.” He stared, feeling a shiver go down his spine as he tried to comprehend the implications. Mikado pauses before straightening his back and turning his gaze towards something off to the side. “Don’t look now, but it seems we have an audience.”

“Huh?” Despite what Mikado just said, he turns around dumbfounded. Apparently, someone was watching their whole conversation and drilling holes into their heads. That someone has a small but masculine frame, wearing a school uniform that had a teal blazer, gray pants, brown loafers and a black and yellow striped tie. His messy curly blonde hair that was tinged with green at the ends swayed in the wind, and he was glaring down at them with dark gray eyes, gripping onto the railing tightly. Unnerved at the hostile attention, he leaned over towards Mikado, who had moved to stand next to him. “Uh, did we do something wrong?”

“Not that I know of.” Mikado said with a shrug. “I recognize him from the Monocruise. He was trying to talk to one of the girls when I decided to leave the ship.”

“So…he’s a classmate?” He asked, and Mikado shrugged again. He frowns before bringing his attention back to their classmate, who seemed to realize that they’ve noticed him staring. Or rather, glaring. He hesitates, wondering if he should go over and introduce himself or leave so he can catch his fellow student in a better mood next time. But Mikado didn’t seem to be willing to talk about his past beyond little comments and vague details, so he decided to drop the topic and focus on his classmate. Steeling his nerves, he walks across the bridge and up the stairs. The boy’s eyes never left his, and now that he was closer, he could see that his eyes had stars in them and he was wearing a spaceship backpack. He tried to give his classmate a friendly smile. “Uh, hi! I’m your classmate, but uh, I don’t have a name at the moment. Amnesia and stuff. But hey, you can tell me yours, if you want?”

“…To think you have the audacity to approach me as a male. What a disgusting sight.” The boy said with a surprisingly deep voice, squeezing his eyes shut, clutching his chest and rubbing at his head. His own jaw dropped at the response. It’s not like he wasn’t expecting some sort of hostility from him with how he glared at both him and Mikado, but he definitely wasn’t expecting this. “What were you doing with the wonderful Lady Yoruko? Certainly nothing good with scumbags like you.”

“Huh?” If his jaw could fall to the floor, it would by now. He tried to wrap his brain around this boy’s words, his mind clinging to a certain word that stands out. “M-Male…why, uh, I don’t even…what?”

“Oh dear. It seems we have a misandrist in our midst.” Mikado said, near instantaneously appearing behind him. He jolts at his voice but immediately relaxes when he realizes it was just the wizard. The boy, on the other hand, looked like he had swallowed a lemon. “Which is ironic, considering you seem to be male yourself…unless I’m mistaken?”

“…Unfortunately, yes, I am.” The boy crosses his arms, looking off to the side. “But I am so sorry if I upset the both of you. You see, I’m a being that exists solely for women, so I consider males to be insignificant as pebbles in the street.”

“Wow….uh, okay.” He said, mostly because he had nothing else to say. This conversation hasn’t even lasted five minutes and he was already starting to get exhausted. “I’m guessing you’re not willing to talk to us about the situation we’re in, are you?”

“Hmph…” The boy still refuses to look at him directly. But to his surprise, he kept speaking. “We were told to go to a certain location and then suddenly found ourselves on a deserted island.”

“Oh, so you’re not completely clueless.” Mikado said, crossing his arms with flat eyes.

“Of course not! I’m not useless like the rest of you males.” The boy said with a scoff and any sort of appreciation he had immediately disappeared upon hearing him speak. Did he really have to tack on that last sentence? “I can’t say for sure, but I think this might be a kidnapping case or something.” His jaw dropped again, both for the possibility and how casual the boy brought it up as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“K-Kidnapping?!” His voice rose without really meaning to and he could sense Mikado cringe behind him. He glances at him to see how the wizard was taking in the information, but he didn’t seem surprised. In fact, his mask had shifted back to its giant smile, instead of the wide eyed expression he expected. The boy smiled, still calm as he pointed to the sky.

“There’s no way the school would do something this crazy…Maybe somebody figured they could make some easy cash by ransoming off some of the most talented people in our country, so they kidnapped us.” His reasoning made a lot of sense, even if he didn’t remember his own talent. The boy huffs, pouting as he crosses his arms. “I’ve been kidnapped a lot, so I should know.”

“Hold on, shouldn’t you be more concerned if you’ve been kidnapped so many times? How are you calm?!” He asked, frantic as panic grips his heart again. But then Mikado put his hand on top of his shoulder and he jolted at the touch. The wizard didn’t let go, though, and instead squeezed his shoulder almost gently.

“Calm down. The situation we’re in is unknown but the worst that has happened is that we don’t know how we got here.” Mikado said, and the boy rolled his eyes.

“At least one of you is able to keep your head on straight, for he is right.” The boy’s pout turns into a normal frown. “Realistically-speaking, nothing bad has happened since we’ve arrived, nor are we caged or restrained in any way.��� And then, for the first time since they talked to him, he smiles and pats his chest. “I’m just trying to make the best of it.”

“I, uh…I guess?” It didn’t make the situation any less worrisome now that he was aware of the possibility of a mass kidnapping.

“Just because we aren’t locked up in cages doesn’t mean the situation is any better. For all we know, if we did get kidnapped and our kidnappers are allowing us to roam freely, then they must be confident enough to think that we won’t be able to escape from their nefarious plans any time soon.” Mikado reasoned, which he pretty much agreed with. The boy, on the other hand, groaned and face palmed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Ugghh! Being forced to talk to males gives me a headache…Neither of you even bothered to introduce yourselves!”

“…Uh, I did. I just don’t know my name and talent due to my amnesia.” He recalled, which made the boy open his eyes and pause. He stared at him for a moment before averting his gaze with a simple ‘oh.’ Mikado sighed, slumping his shoulders.

“If you give us your name and talent, I will give you mine. Then we can be done with this poor excuse of a conversation.” The wizard scratches the back of his head in exasperation and apparently that was enough encouragement for the boy to engage.

“Fine. But only because you are actually making some sense. I’m the Ultimate Spaceman, Yuri Kagarin. Do yourselves a favor and remember that.” Yuri, after what felt like hours, finally gave them his name and he never felt more relieved in his short existence of lost memories. They can now finally leave this conversation!

“Mikado Sannoji, Ultimate Wizard. Now-” Mikado grabbed a hold of him and he yelped when his feet suddenly left the ground. “Goodbye, Mr. Kagarin.” And with that, the wizard flew off at a speed that made him scream in fear, leaving Yuri in wide eyed bafflement.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Cottage Intro

The cozy little cottage where nothing will go wrong. Nothing at all!

...Probably.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)  

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

The inside of the cottage was much, much bigger than the outside made it out to be and a whole lot fancier too. There was a kitchen with various household goods, bookshelves with books of varying genres that he had to force himself away to focus on their investigation, a TV that was unfortunately stuck on static (dammit) and some cool chandeliers that Mikado claims to clash with the rest of the home’s interior. Personally, he didn’t think it was horrible, it just made it obvious that whoever owned this cottage - or even this entire island - had way too much money to know what to do with it. They were about to go upstairs when someone else came down it. It was another high school girl, with long wavy blonde hair with side bangs that reached her shoulders. She wore a white and blue school uniform, black knee-length boots, and a long gray fur coat that went well with her teal earrings, which also matched her eyes. She had a little bit of makeup on but it wasn’t overdone or anything, just some noticeable purple eyeshadow and maybe a bit of blush and lip gloss.

“Hmm? Oh, hello. You’re the wizard from the Monocruise, right? I never got your name.” The girl put her hand up against her cheek but she quickly realized he wasn’t alone. “And you found someone else?”

“Yeah. Ah, I, uh, don’t have a name right now…I have amnesia.” He explained and the girl’s eyes went wide.

“Huh? Amnesia?” She asked, and he reluctantly nodded his head.

“Yes.” Mikado spoke up. “Our classmate here can’t seem to remember anything from before he woke up on the island. Not even his name or talent. Ah, also, my name is Mikado Sannoji and as guessed, I’m the Ultimate Wizard.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Mikado.” She smiled at him before putting her hand down. “Like the both of you, I’m also a Hope’s Peak student. I’ve decided to take some time off from acting to focus on my studies. And, well, when I got that acceptance letter, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go not as ‘famous actress Emma Magorobi’, but as your classmate, ‘Ultimate Actress, Emma Magorobi.’”

“Oh, you’re famous?” He blurts it out without thinking. Both blondes stared at him with wide eyes at his bluntness and he felt his cheeks turn red at embarrassment. “I-I mean, uh, well, I’m s-sure you are, it’s just, um…” And then, a nice sound cut him off.

The sound of laughter. Nothing mocking or derisive, but rather light and carefree.

“Ahaha, yes, I am. I’ve actually starred in quite a few movies as a child.” Emma said, smiling like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulder. “It truly is a pleasure to meet you both. And please don’t worry about it. I’d prefer it if you keep speaking to me casually. I’m here to focus on school, not flaunt my status as a celebrity.” She pauses before glancing at Mikado. “Although I did expect you to know who I was.”

“I’m afraid I’ve never watched any movies, Ms. Magorobi.” Mikado explained, which only made him tilt his head at him. He wondered why he didn’t recognize Emma. Or Melody Rhythm for that matter. He didn’t recognize them since he didn’t remember anything at all. But wouldn’t Mikado have identified them since they were good enough to be scouted out as Ultimates?

“You haven’t? Oh, then I have some recommendations!” Emma was eager to talk, although her smile was quick to turn awkward. “Not to, uh, come off as bragging or anything, but I’ve starred in the ‘Harry Peter’ series as Holly Queen. It’s about a fantastical world full of magic and a coming of age story for Harry, the title character himself. Perhaps you’ll like it, being a wizard yourself, Mikado!”

“Perhaps, but fiction does not always coincide with reality. And I’m saying that as the Ultimate Wizard.” Mikado pauses for a moment before his mask shifts into a more genuine smile. “Still, once we’re certain the situation is safe, perhaps it’d be nice to unwind. I’ll keep your recommendation in mind.”

“Speaking of that…Do you know why we’re here, Emma? Apparently today was our entrance ceremony.” He asked but Emma simply crossed her arms and looked to the side.

“Well…I’m not certain. I woke up here as well. I’m thinking it must be some sort of surprise party arranged by the school.” He slumps his shoulders.

“God, I hope so…This whole day has been an emotional rollercoaster.” He gritted his teeth, rubbing his forehead to try and relieve his stress. Mikado reaches over to pat his shoulder. But Emma smiled at him, calm as she reached her hands out before her.

“Mikado and our dear friend…You shouldn’t worry so much. Look at how beautiful and blue the sky is. Something good will happen, I just know it.” She closes her eyes, as if she was reminiscing on a good memory. He tried to force away the pang of jealousy weighing heavily on his heart. “Things that were lost, things that have happened, let us put it all behind us. We should simply be thankful for the world we live in now.”

“Now that’s just cheesy.” Mikado said, crossing his arms. While he wasn’t frowning or staring at her with exasperation, the tension in his shoulders were still palpable.

“H-Hey, uh…I think she has a point anyways. This could be worse, haha…” He really didn’t want to think about how this could get worse.

“Ahahaha, sorry.” Emma said, pressing her hand against her cheek again and smiled at them awkwardly. “That must have sounded strange. It must be the actor in me. Still, Mikado…” She crosses her arms, her smile turning polite but stern. “What did I tell you? I’d rather you speak casually to me.”

“Ah…Well, it’s not just you. I speak formally with everyone, Ms.…E-Emma…” The wizard quickly goes quiet. He can’t help but tilt his head, trying to examine his mask. He wondered if it could blush.

“Ah, well, close enough. I’m going to head out now. It doesn’t seem like there’s much more that can be accomplished by staying here.” Emma puts her arms down, giving them a brief wave. “Permanent amnesia or not, I do hope you come to a name you like and reintroduce yourself to everyone. Let’s talk later over some movies and tea!”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Bye, Emma!” He waves at her and Mikado does the same. Emma smiled at the both of them as she left. “Huh…a celebrity.”

“Don’t look at me. I’ve never paid any attention to that kind of stuff.” Mikado said, rubbing the back of his head. He just shrugged in response before taking another step on the stairs.

“Well, it’d be cool to get to know her since we’re classmates-“

“Ah- look out!!”

“Huh- oof!” He turned around in time to feel someone fall into his chest. Mikado was by his side in a second, hovering over him to make sure he didn’t fall, which thankfully didn’t happen. And despite the sudden weight, the person was very light and he managed not to lose his balance as he held onto them. “Are you okay??”

“Augh, y-yeah…I can’t believe I tripped on the stairs.” The person, a girl who was very small in comparison to both him and Mikado, answered him with dizzy eyes. He put her down carefully and she quickly got her bearings. She was wearing a plaid beret with a matching smock, a white shirt with puffy long sleeves, a gray vest, a brown skirt and Mary Janes. Her brown hair was long with bangs and her side bangs were tied together with a ribbon and she stared up at him with pale green eyes. She blushed and then smiled, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. “O-Oh…newcomers! Hi!”

“Hello. You’re here from Hope’s Peak too, right?” He asked. The girl puts her sketchbook down, although she puts her hand back up to play with her hair.

“Yes! I’m the Ultimate Painter, Iroha Nijiue! I hope we can get along!” Iroha was all too happy to introduce herself and he smiled at her positive energy.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Nijiue.” Mikado said, his mask changing into his usual smile. Iroha squeaks at the sight, a terrified look on her face. The wizard chuckles at her reaction, raising his hands. “Don’t be alarmed. My mask is simply for expressions, nothing more. For I am the Ultimate Wizard, Mikado Sannoji!” To prove his point, he makes a quick ice cube appear in his hand.

“Wh-Whoa…really? An Ultimate Wizard…” Iroha’s eyes widen, still fearful but otherwise astonished at the fact that magic is real. Suddenly, her eyes shine bright like lights. “Ooo, do you think you can make me a wizard too??”

“Hm…I don’t know. It’ll take a lot of power…” He breaks the ice cube in his hand as his face suddenly darkens. “And a price of your soul.”

“My soul?!” The painter’s jaw dropped and her face paled. The amnesiac’s face must be similar to hers because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Iroha then turns her back on him and he can feel the gloom radiating off of her. “On second thought, I think I’ll stick to painting…”

“Fuhuhuhu, I’m afraid power like mine doesn’t come free.” He laughed as if he didn’t just admit something so horrifying at the drop of a hat. Seriously, why would he trade such power for his soul? “Even if you only want to ‘try’ it, you’ll have to give something up in exchange. There is no turning back once you start.” Iroha shudders, any interest she had in magic dissipating with the thought of giving something up. She eventually recovers enough to turn around.

“Nope, not gonna think about it. Instead, let’s think positive!” The painter turns her attention to him with a smile. “What about you? What’s your name?”

“Uh, sorry. I don’t know. I have amnesia.” He explained. Hopefully he doesn’t have to keep doing this soon. He should at least come up with a name to go by until he finds his real name or something he liked better.

“Huh?” Iroha stared at him with wide eyes. It looked like it didn’t completely register what that meant until a moment later. “Eeeeh? You lost your memory? That’s awful! And it’s our first semester and everything!” She sweats for a bit…only to bounce back a smile. “But don’t worry! Think positively! Your memories will definitely come back! Even if they don’t, you can just replace them with the happy memories you can make with us!”

“That’s…” He hesitates. And yet, if his amnesia is permanent, the only way he can recover is by making new memories, right? Even if he still had a past he didn’t know about that was attached to himself, he won’t be getting those experiences back if his memory loss is permanent. And there’s nothing wrong with making happy memories with new friends, right…? He smiles. “You’re really cheerful, you know that right?” Iroha gave him a wider grin.

“Ms. Nijiue, do you know anything about our situation?” Mikado moves the conversation along. Iroha holds up her sketchbook.

“Oh, you mean the island and all? Well, naturally I was upset to find out we’re in the middle of nowhere…” Iroha said, before tilting her head and giving them another smile. “But it’s times like these where staying positive is more important than ever. Like, it’s the first day on a beautiful island with brand-new friends! Of course I’m cheerful!”

“...So, in other words, you don’t know why we’re on this island either.” Mikado almost sounded disappointed. He noticed it but Iroha didn’t.

“Yeah, but don’t worry too much. Maybe if we wait long enough, the teachers or somebody else will contact us.” The painter then started walking down the stairs. “I’m gonna go see some other friends! See ya later!” She runs off.

“...Well, she’s quick to claim everyone as friends.” Mikado said, his mask flattening. “It’s honestly concerning how positive she is. It’s a bit…much.”

“Well…I think it’s nice that she’s trying her best to see the silver lining to all this.” He could feel Mikado rolling his eyes, even when his mask didn’t convey it at all. “Well, wanna check what’s upstairs?”

“We might as well.” Mikado walked up the stairs and he followed suit. The upstairs didn’t have anything interesting, unfortunately. Even when he recognized when a room looked like a party room or an office, it was mostly empty with nothing to make note of. There was also a balcony but there was no one there so after a brief moment of respite for the both of them gazing out over the sea, they eventually left the cottage altogether.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Tower Intro

Time for our favorite journalist to appear.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)  

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

Nearby was a tower that reached towards the sky, surrounded by what looked to be holy statues. Looking at them didn’t give him any feelings of devotion, though, and it seems to be more aimed at a Catholic theme rather than anything related to Shinto or Buddhism. Strangely enough, even when he thinks about those two other religions, he doesn't have any care for them aside from knowing that they exist and he should be a little bit respectful for other people’s sakes.

“Hmm…Hey, Mikado?” The wizard turned to look at him upon hearing his voice. He was still casually floating off of the ground and was watching him rummage through the shelves filled with religious items. It seemed like holy items had no effect on him or his magic. Cool. “Do you practice religion by any chance?”

“No. I can tell this place is sacred with the statue of the Virgin Mary watching us from here.” He gestures towards said statue. “But I never cared for religion. I don’t believe in it or the afterlife for that matter. Not until I see a ghost anyway.”

“Uh, p-please don’t joke about ghosts.” He shudders at the thought of one alone. “Still, kinda ironic you say that when you’re the Ultimate Wizard.”

“Ha! Fair enough. I suppose us wizards just don’t get along with God and such. We’ve been persecuted for our magic for years, after all. The westerners weren’t the only ones who had witch trials.” Mikado presses his finger against his mouth, seemingly thinking. And he didn’t really have a response to that as he hadn’t expected the conversation to turn to something a bit…darker. He opened his mouth to speak-

“HOLY SHIT, YOU!!” They both startled again, turning their ire to the person who happened to scare them the third time this day. It was someone who was dressed as a journalist, tan hat and coat, white button-up with the collar popped with an orange dotted neckerchief stuffed into it, black pants and brown loafers. If he looks closely, he can also see a red scarf hidden underneath all of his layers. His slightly curled black hair reached just above his shoulders and covered his left eye, his eye color being a nice shade of lavender. He was holding up a notepad that was tied to a thin lanyard around his neck and was pointing his pen at Mikado, a grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, you! Stop right there! You’re gonna tell me exactly how you’re doing that in your interview…starting now!”

“What.” Mikado’s mask flattened its eyes, but the sudden change in expression didn’t deter the journalist standing before them at all.

“I’m obviously talking about the fact that you are floating. Floating! In midair! Come on, you must be a Hope’s Peak student, right? Tell me your name and talent, pronto!” His eyes shined with excitement, looking like he had discovered a hidden treasure. The wizard stared at him, looking like he was considering whether or not to answer or ignore him. Eventually, he sighs. 

“I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard. I don’t think I have to explain any further than that.” He said, gesturing down to his floating figure. The journalist huffs though, even as he writes that down.

“Interesting but not enough details. You have to at least tell me how it works.” His pen scratches against the paper before lifting his gaze from his notepad. It didn’t look like he was going to leave any time soon. He can feel Mikado’s stare turn from annoyance to apprehension, looking like he had somehow been cornered. He hesitates for a moment before lowering himself onto the ground.

And then turned his back on the journalist with a cross of his arms.

“...Uh…what are you doing?” He puts his pen behind his ear and drops his notepad, letting it fall against his chest. The wizard hums before shrugging.

“Simply exercising my right to remain silent.” Mikado said and the journalist did a spit take.

“What?! Come on! Give me something to work with here!! There’s a great scoop right here if you just tell me!” The journalist didn’t seem above begging for the information he wanted but Mikado didn’t budge. In fact, he pulled his cape closer to himself, wrapping himself up in a makeshift cocoon. Realizing he was getting nowhere, he reluctantly turned to him. “What about you? Know anything about his magic? Oh, and mind giving me a name and a talent.”

Wow, nice to know he was an afterthought.

“No, sorry. I just met him today. And uh…” He hesitates as he points to himself, curling his eyebrows downward. “I don’t know. I have amnesia.”

“Amnesia?!” He stared at him with wide eyes before picking up his notepad again and flipping to a new page, jotting it down with renewed vigor. “Now that’s a scoop. Not as good as the literal wizard beside you but pretty damn good.”

“Uhh…” He wasn’t sure how to feel about being used as a subject for information without his consent. But then again, he did engage with him so technically he did. But would that really matter? He turned to Mikado for help but he couldn’t tell if he was paying any attention or not. The collar of his cape completely blocked his head from view.

“Hm? Oh, whoops. I forgot my own intro.” The journalist spoke up with his light, dorky voice and he turned around to face him again. He grinned, his eyes lighting up once more. “Wherever there’s a scoop, my pen is never far behind! Ultimate Journalist, Nikei Yomiuri, at your service!”

“...What are you doing anyways?” He asked. Better to change the subject before Nikei tries to grill them on more information they weren’t willing to talk about. It’s not like he could tell him much about his amnesia anyways.

“Gathering info, of course!” Nikei said, shrugging as he put his hands into his pockets. “It’s important to know stuff about your classmates, right?”

“Before that, Mr. Yomiuri…” Mikado decided now was the time to rejoin the conversation, it seems. “Do you have any idea of where we are? I don’t need to remind you that we all just…woke up here.”

“So I’m not the only one who woke up on a beach?” He turned his head at Mikado, but the wizard finally turned towards them fully and shook his head. He still had his arms crossed, but he relaxed his posture slightly so his cape wasn’t as tight around him as before.

“No. You were the only one unconscious on the beach. Everyone else, including myself, woke up on the Monocruise and met there…” The wizard explained, his eyes turning downward in concern. “It’s strange that you’re the outlier among our group.”

“Except you literally left our group just when we were introducing ourselves.” Nikei instantly took a jab at Mikado, giving him his own flat and deadpan stare. Mikado huffed, turning his head away. Apparently, he didn’t see the need to explain his reasons. The journalist frowns before focusing on him instead. “Well, that does sound weird. And you don’t look like you’ve washed up on shore from an accident or anything…Unless you just changed?” He shook his head. “Damn. Unfortunately, I have no clues on what’s going on either, let alone why you woke up on beach while everyone else was on the Monocruise.”

He…wasn’t sure what that meant for him, but he definitely didn’t like the implications. Whatever that is.

“You can really cut the tension with a knife around here.” Nikei kept going, his serious demeanor disappearing in a flash as he smiled, picking up his pen. “This whole situation is one big scoop, so I need to be on my guard!”

“...I feel like you’re not taking this as seriously as you should be, Mr. Yomiuri.” Mikado said, looking at him with flat eyes again. Nikei shrugs him off though.

“Not much I can do about that, Mikado. There’s this thing called ‘multitasking’ and I'll be doing just that: investigating and doing my job!” The journalist presses his hands against his sides. “I’m gonna go see who else I can find, for now. We’ll continue this next time, especially when you-” Nikei nods his head at him. “-got yourself a name and a talent. See ya on the flip side!” He runs off to find his next muse.

“Well then…he’s a busy body.” Mikado sighs before tilting his head at him. He frowns as he plays with his scarf.

“Is…getting amnesia really ‘scoop-worthy?’ I don’t like the idea of me being on the news because of my condition.” He asked. The thought of him appearing on an article for his amnesia when he didn’t even know who he is made him more anxious than he thought it would. What would he even say? What would Nikei keep or exaggerate? How was he going to talk about what it’s like to have amnesia when he barely experienced a day with it?

“I wouldn’t worry about him. As the Ultimate Journalist, he’d know better than to spout nonsense on the internet.” The wizard pauses before leaning close to him. “I’d mentally prepare yourself if I were you. I have a feeling he’s going to be persistent in his interviews during our time here…”

“Haaa…you too. He’s definitely interested in your magic and I kinda…don’t blame him. Still, good luck with him.” He said and he watched Mikado slump his shoulders, staring down at his shoes. The two of them started walking out of the tower, and he hesitated before speaking up again. “Hey, Mikado…why did I wake up on the beach instead of the Monocruise?”

“Hmm…” Mikado’s mask frowned before he looked straight at him. “I’ll be honest with you. It is suspicious that you were the only one who woke up on a beach. However, I feel it would be unfair to accuse you as the mastermind behind our situation.”

“Th-The mastermind?! I…I don’t…” He trails off. Could he really say that when he can’t even remember the last place he’d been at? His own name? His talent? What kind of person was he before he lost his memory? For all he knew, he could’ve been a horrible person.

And if he was terrible, then…what should he do? Should he try to make up for what he’s done? Would he go back to his old self if he were to recover his memory somehow…?

Kokoro said it was unlikely he’d get his memories back, but he was still scared of the possibilities of what kind of past he has.

“I am not saying you are. In fact, I think it’s because of your amnesia that I have my doubts that you’re behind any of this. It’s easy to say you have it but give yourself away with tiny details. A little bit of recognition or just an off hand comment of familiarity…But you’re not like that.” Mikado blinked at him and he suddenly felt troubled at how much the wizard was paying attention to him without him even noticing. “You panicked upon realizing your lack of identity. You were troubled around Mr. Maeda without understanding why. You desire to know who you are and yet you don’t rush to form your identity. You were devastated to find out that your amnesia is most likely permanent. You had general knowledge but didn’t know anything about Melody Rhythm specifically. And you feel distressed whenever your amnesia is brought up as you feel like it outcasts you…” He was quiet for a moment before looking away, taking the lead. “If none of that was genuine, then you’re a better actor than even you realize.” The wizard kept walking but the amnesiac started to slow down. He eventually stopped, which Mikado noticed and did the same, turning around.

“...Thanks, Mikado.” He smiled at him, small and feeble. The mask’s eyes go wide. “I know this probably doesn’t look good for me. But it’s nice to know that someone is in my corner.” Mikado stared at him for what felt like forever before his mask changed to its giant, genial smile and looked away.

“...I see.” Mikado held the brim of his hat to adjust it. He walked up to him as he spoke. “You seem to trust others very easily, don’t you?”

“Huh? Uh…I guess.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I…don’t really have a choice in the matter. At least I’m surrounded by people that seem trustworthy.” He pauses before curling his eyebrows. “Should I…not be?”

“No.” Mikado’s answer was instant and it surprised him. He thought the wizard was more standoffish, despite his willingness to converse with others. Mikado tilts his head away. “Or rather, it’s good to have your guard up a little bit around strangers. It’s not good to trust so blindly, especially due to your current circumstances…and the strange situation we’ve found ourselves in.”

“Yeah…you have a point.” He said before giving Mikado a bigger grin. “But I’m glad I met you. You’ve been a great friend since I woke up.” He pats him on the shoulder, which made the wizard flinch but he was already going on ahead before he could respond. “Come on! There’s a big cottage over here!” Mikado stared at him before following him as quickly as he could without running.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Park Intro

Next stop, the park!

TWs: Pre-Character Development Hibiki (verbally abusive to Kanade)

The Beach (The Beginning) | The Mart (Part 2) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

The two of them leave the mart in silence, finding their way to a fountain in the middle of what looks to be a park. Not the ones with playgrounds or anything, but ones that have plenty of open space for picnics, a few trees for shade and a couple of benches on the pathways for people to sit down and rest at. There were cool horse statues present around the fountain, which reminded him of the Trojan Horse. Neat. A clock tower loomed over the fountain and he tried to read the time, but it seemed to be broken. The hands weren’t moving at all. Checking his own watch revealed that it was working but he wasn’t sure if the time itself was correct. Maybe he should check Kokoro’s tablet to compare its clock with his own once they’re done investigating. The sign nearby said that the place was called ‘Utsuroshima Park.’

…Seriously, what is this strange, distressing sense of deja vu? He wished he could understand why he was feeling this way. But every time he tried to force himself to focus, it only ended up hurting his brain and whatever information it was just kept getting pushed further and further away from him.

“You!!!” A yell broke his train of thought and he flinched at the sound, pressing his hand against his chest as his heart pounded against his ribcage. Mikado had a similar reaction, even going as far as to cover one of his ears with a cringe. They both turned to where the voice was, seeing what looked to be a giant of a man approaching the both of them. He had a muscular build, tanned skin and light-yellow eyes that held a fierceness that he had never seen in anyone before in his life. At least, from what he knew so far. His red hair had a fringe that was long and wavy, reaching near his mouth and he wore a vine-like necklace with a daisy attached to the center. He had a black t-shirt and what seemed to be a common firefighter uniform that was undone from the top and hung loosely behind his legs. His black boots with a beige vertical stripe on it completed his look and it wasn’t much of a guess of what his Ultimate talent is. But that's besides the point, he was coming straight for them!! “You both look like weaklings!!!”

“I…beg your pardon??” Mikado asked, his mask shifting into its usual wide-eyed stare. He was starting to get used to that.

“Your FACE is weak! Your VOICE is weak!! Now, give me a FIERY shout with aaaaallllll you’ve got!!!” He yelled loud and hard, pointing at them. He would’ve been right in their faces if it weren’t for the fact that he seemed to be aware of what personal space was, standing a few feet away from them. He can only stare at him with his jaw hanging wide open and his own eyes blown wide.

“I, well, you’re-” Mikado tried to get a word in but he’s quickly cut off.

“Not enough fiiiiiiirrrrrrrreeeeeeeee!!!!!” It looked like he was trying to sound encouraging, but his booming voice only made the wizard recoil even further. To the point that he ended up stepping behind him as if to take shelter from the man. It seems like it’s up to him to salvage this conversation and he forced himself to speak as loudly as he can to appease the firefighter before him.

“A-ARE YOU A HOPE’S PEAK ACADEMY STUDENT?!” He yelled, his voice cracking from the sudden volume. In fact, he was so loud that he could see another person with blue hair peer at them from behind a statue that blocked her from view. He couldn’t see her face from here, but the fact that there were other people watching them at all made him feel mortified.

“THAT’S RIGHT!! I’M A HOPE’S PEAK ACADEMY STUDENT!!!” The firefighter continued to scream out and-

“Enough!!” Mikado’s voice stopped him from saying anything else, surprising the both of them at its forcefulness. He can feel the wizard press his face against his shoulder as he grips his arms. “You’re too loud! Much too loud!!”

“Ah…” The man before them sweats a little bit before looking down at the ground. He seemed to be self-conscious after realizing that he was agitating Mikado rather than motivating him. “I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to lift up your spirits when I noticed how down you two looked.”

“We…looked upset?” He asked, surprised that he had noticed. He didn’t think he looked sad or anything. Yes, he was frustrated that he couldn’t understand his feelings of deja vu due to his lack of memories, but he was trying to accept that his amnesia is now a part of him.

“Yeah…You didn’t look happy with yourself.” The firefighter said, his voice still deep and loud but at least he seemed to be a bit more aware of his volume. He gulps though, as he didn’t realize it was that obvious he was upset about something. The man sighs before putting his hands on his hips and gives them a smaller smile. “Uh…Anyway, nice to meet ya. You must be my classmates, right? I’m the Ultimate Firefighter, Shinji Kasai.”

“Ah…Likewise.” He said, before nodding his head at Mikado. He didn’t move from his spot, seemingly curling up in his cape as best as he can now. Realizing he wasn’t going to talk, he decides to do it for him. “This is the Ultimate Wizard, Mikado Sannoji. He’s, uh, a lot more talkative than he looks, I promise.”

“Er, yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to freak you out.” Shinji apologized again, his face turning red from the embarrassment of earlier. He quickly bounces back though, crossing his arms with a wider grin. “But what’s your name? I bet your Ultimate talent has to deal with those goggles you wear, right?”

“Uh…I wouldn’t know.” He murmured, ignoring the pang in his heart. “I…don’t remember anything. Not even my name.”

“...Wait, do you…have amnesia?” Shinji’s eyes went wide with the realization and he reluctantly nodded.

“Ha, yeah…The, um, amnesia was the reason why I’m…kinda in the dumps now. It’s probably a permanent condition according to the Ultimate Psychologist.” He slumps his shoulders, allowing himself to show his distress. Shinji looks down at the ground for a brief moment before crossing his arms and smiling again.

“You know what? Call me your Big Bro from now on! I’m gonna train ya.” The firefighter said it so easily and carefree that he looked at him with surprise. It was only now that he realized that for as big as his muscles were and how loud his voice is, he was only a few inches shorter than him.

“R-Really…? Why?”

“Don’t sweat it, kid! I had to drop out of high school for a few years because of an injury, so I’m older than ya.”

“That’s…not the problem. I just…” He interrupts him.

“Nope! None of that!!” Shinji points at him again, his voice growing louder once more. He could feel Mikado cringe behind him. “Get over here so Big Bro can PERSONALLY train you! Let’s start with some laps!!”

“But, we have some questions- wait, wait, wait!!” He started but the firefighter didn’t listen, grabbing a hold of his arm and dragging him away from Mikado. The wizard just watched him go, his silent judgment emanating from his stare.

The laps around the park were, surprisingly, pretty easy. He was able to keep up with Shinji fairly well and he even praised him for his proper stance and steady pace. It only encouraged him to train him for ten more laps, but even when they were finally done, he only felt a good burn in his muscles and wasn’t all that exhausted as he expected to be. He still felt hella thirsty though, so he reluctantly took the energy drink from his bag and forced himself to take a swig of it.

“Well done, buddy! Not many people can keep up like this on their first try. I underestimated your strength!” Shinji said, puffing his chest out as he put his hands on his hips. He smiles at the praise before wiping his mouth with his wrist. “You even came prepared with your own energy drink. Mind if I have some?”

“Uh, sure…but I actually got it from someone else.” He said, handing the energy drink over to him without a second thought. “Be warned though. The drink is-” Shinji took a swig before he could finish.

And then gagged on the sugarless drink.

“-yeah. The boxer guy really cares about health.” His grin turned a bit more awkward. The firefighter gulped before taking a slower sip of the energy drink and then handed it back to him.

“Augh, I can tell with just the taste. Still, Hajime is pretty cool and we talked about training routines when we met.” Shinji crossed his arms and the two of them walked down the path. He can see Mikado from here, sitting on a bench and talking to a girl with blue hair. He recognized her as the same one who saw them yelling by the entrance. The firefighter starts to slow down when he sees them but before either of them could say anything, the girl spots them and lifts her head.

She’s a tall girl with a curvy figure and pale light skin. Her pale blue hair was tied into small curled buns which was held together by a black hair clip with a small yellow billiard ball labeled ‘9’ attached to it, and purple eyes. Well, he says eyes but weirdly enough, she has her right eye closed completely. Aside from that, she wore a gray striped long-sleeved shirt with a black tie clipped with a clip in the middle, a red vest with a gold trim and three buttons, with diamond patterns leading into her matching frilly jeans. A black belt was buckled around her waist and she wore sheer tights and red heels. The girl grins as she crosses her arms.

“Ooh, more cute kids spotted!” The girl walked up to them with a skip in her step. Shinji stared at her while he just blinked at her in surprise. “You must be a Hope’s Peak Academy freshman too, right? Like Kado over here.” She puts her hand on her hip and points to the sky as she speaks.

“Uh, yeah…? I think so. Are you a student too?” He asked and the girl lowered her hand, keeping up her welcoming smile.

“Good to meet ya! Your Big Sis here is named Setsuka Chiebukuro. Hope we get along!” Setsuka crosses her arms again. “I’ve come to this school as the Ultimate Billiards Player.”

“Billiards…?” He asked, pointing his finger at himself as his brain came up with a blank. Setsuka’s smile softens a bit in understanding.

“That’s right. Billiards is a cue sport where you strike billiard balls and cause them to move around a table specially designed for the sport. I haven’t gone to a lot of tournaments, but I’ve gotten sorta famous for winning perfect games for ones I have attended.” Setsuka explained, seemingly happy to talk about her sport like it’s her favorite thing in the world.

“Wow…I didn’t know billiards were a sport.” He admits as his brain finally forms an image in his head. He remembers a table covered in cloth and was bound in elastic bumper cushions. There was a cue stick in his hand and he could feel himself pouting over the billiard balls that didn’t fall into the holes. He hears a laugh but the memory quickly dissipates before he could remember anything else. He could feel a bit of frustration bubbling up but he stamps it down before it could get worse and instead smiles at Setsuka. “You must be really amazing at it.”

“Huh?” She blinks her only eye(?) before laughing and scratching the back of her head. “Nah, it’s not like that. My dad’s a billiards player, but I actually don’t even know how to play it…”

“Uh…then how did you get your title?” He asked. He thought Hope’s Peak Academy only chose the best of the best. But if Setsuka doesn’t know how to play…

“Now, now.” Setsuka grinned but it was more of an awkward, guarded grin as she raised her hands. “That’s a secret, my boy. It’s dangerous to pry into a woman’s intimate secrets.” Her smile suddenly turns more mischievous. “Especially when you two can’t even keep your voices down.”

Oh yeah, she saw that.

He felt his face blush furiously while Shinji turned as red as his hair, crossing his arms behind his back.

“Augh, how embarrassing…I wanna die…” Shinji murmured underneath his breath, while Setsuka’s grin became even bigger.

“Awww, it’s okay Shinji. You’re cute when you’re energetic!” She teased, which only made the firefighter’s face even redder somehow.

“I’m, uh, g-gonna go on a few more laps, actually. See you around, buddy!!” Shinji immediately runs off, escaping the conversation and leaving him to his confusion. Mikado, who has been completely silent up to this point, turned in his seat with his usual smile.

“Well, he certainly left as fast as he possibly could.” Mikado said. He just rubbed his head awkwardly as he didn’t know what to say to that.

“Mwahahaha…Shin makes it too easy.” Setsuka giggles to herself before relaxing her smile. “So…Kado told me that you have amnesia and it was so bad that you can’t remember your name, right?” He sighs.

“Yeah. I haven’t come up with a name for myself yet.” He pressed his hand against his chest, feeling his heart thumb against it. “I was told it was probably permanent too…”

“Poor thing. I thought amnesia was something you only see in movies…” Setsuka scratches the back of her head with a more concerned expression. She then smiles at him. “I don’t know much about the mind and body, but I could try and search for information on you once we get back!”

“Really? That’s…thank you.” He smiled. It’ll help to know where he came from and if he had a place to live or a job he worked at.

“Speaking of which, you sure are calm at a time like this, Ms. Chiebukuro.” Mikado said, seemingly becoming much more relaxed now that Shinji was out of the picture. The billiards player snorts.

“Hey now, Kado. Are you calling me simple-minded?” Setsuka’s smile shifted into the guarded one she had before. Mikado’s mask flattens its expression.

“Well, considering the situation we’re in, you sure took your time to tease our classmates.” The wizard points out. She crosses her arms, a more serious expression coming onto her face.

“Ah, you mean being on a mysterious island where God-knows-what could happen?” Setsuka pauses, almost dramatically before pointing again. “Not like I know anything, unfortunately!”

“Huh…? Then how come you’re so…” He searches for the right word that won’t come off as offensive. “….peaceful?”

“You guys are being too serious. The world is a pretty peaceful place.” Setsuka shrugs her shoulders and raises her hands, her smile relaxing. He can feel a little bit of doubt in his gut but he tries to to brush it off. “Maybe this is a surprise event set up by the school or something? This island is beautiful, you know? Seize the day, that’s my life motto.” Setsuka then lowered her voice. “And if something happens, don’t worry. With my devil’s eye…”

“Devil’s eye?” He turns to Mikado with wide eyes. His mask blinked at him but didn’t change at all.

“This eye has some very special powers. Mwahahaha…” Setsuka pressed her hand against her right eye, smirking as she laughed with confidence. The two of them stare at her before her laughter shifts into something more carefree and she waves them off. “Ahahahaha! Wasn’t that funny?”

“…I’m afraid I’m missing the punchline.” Mikado said, his mask finally shifting into its wide eye expression. He was similarly confused. Setsuka shrugged, not at all bothered by her joke flying right over their heads.

“You’re both too stiff, y’know? Just relax.” The billiards player then turned on her heel. “Well, I’m off to chat with the other kids~.” She then walks off.

“Well, uh…she seems loud, like Shinji.” He said, if only to fill the brief moment of silence between him and Mikado. The wizard hummed.

“In her own way, yes…And despite her claims, she’s as simple-minded as I thought she was.” Mikado was probably rolling his eyes underneath that mask and he winced at his bluntness.

“Wow, Mikado…you’re pretty harsh, huh?” The wizard huffed and he could see him cross his arms underneath his cape as he got off of the bench. Still, despite how easy-going Setsuka was, he wondered if they were taking this too seriously. So far, things seem pretty normal and the worst that has happened was the lack of people aside from their classmates. Maybe it was a surprise event Hope’s Peak Academy set up for them as the new class for this year, to interact with each other in a relaxing environment and work on their talents.

If only he could shake off this sense of deja vu. Maybe then he’d be able to fully relax like Setsuka.

“Yay~!” Someone yelled into his ear and he screamed, nearly jumping into Mikado. The wizard gasped at the sudden contact and his hands fumbled to grab him. A girl with curly purple-to-red ombre hair tied into pigtails with music note hair bands smiled at the both of them, like she was happy with her prank. She had a regular school uniform that was white and pink, with a giant yellow bow tie, white stockings, pink loafers and a dark purple sweater. “Hehehe, you two were totally surprised, am I right?” The two of them stared at her, too stunned to say anything. The girl then frowned. “Hey, Kanade! Why didn’t you do it like I told you to?! You were supposed to help me surprise them!” They both turned around to see another person standing right behind them. It didn’t take a genius to realize that these two were twins, as they looked almost exactly alike, uniform, hairstyle and all. The only difference he can tell was that this girl had a different kind of music notes for her hair bands, rounder eyes, straighter hair and, uh, for lack of a better word, a bustier chest. A little too busty if you ask him. Doesn’t her back hurt at all?

“S-Sorry, Hibiki…” Her sister, Kanade, looked down as she played with the collar of her uniform. Her sister suddenly points at her.

“Call me ‘Sis’! Why do you suddenly think you can call your sister by her name, huh?” She yelled out, which only surprised the both of them further. “Am I your friend or something?!”

“Eeek! S-Sorry, Sis, p-please don’t be angry!” Kanade cried out, cowering from her twin sister as she raised her hands to cover her face. He’s pretty sure he can see tears.

“Um…excuse me…” He starts to bud in. But the twin seemingly named Hibiki bulldozes over him without a second thought.

“Ah, my intro…By the looks of your clothes, you must be Hope’s Peak freshmen, right?” She glances at both Mikado and himself. He wasn’t necessarily wearing a uniform, but perhaps he was homeschooled? Ha, maybe he was rich enough to have tutors. Wouldn’t that be funny? “I’m Hibiki Otonokoji! And she’s Kanade! My twin sister.” She raises her hands up cheerfully, as if she wasn’t berating her sister just moments ago. He felt a little bit of annoyance at that.

“H-Hello.” Kanade puts her hands behind her back, smiling up at both of them shyly.

“I see…Nice to meet you. I’m Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard. And this is our classmate…He currently hasn’t come up with a name yet due to his amnesia.” Mikado said, courteous but his smile was large and seemingly ungenuine. He couldn’t blame him, considering Hibiki didn’t seem to be the nicest person around. Hibiki huffs, putting her hands on her hips.

“Hmpf, you two sure have a lackluster response. This guy I understand because of his amnesia.” She points at him and he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable being singled out. The singer shifts her pointing to Mikado. “But you? Come on, haven’t you heard of the popular band, Melody Rhythm? We were top of the charts just last week!” She winks at them before putting her hands down. “Of course, that means we got scouted out as the Ultimate Vocalist and the Ultimate Guitarist!”

“Hmm…Well, clearly you two are talented if Hope’s Peak scouted you out…” Mikado spoke slowly as if he was building up to something. Only to suddenly shrug with an enthusiastic face. “Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of you. Sorry!” Clearly, he was not sorry at all.

“W-Wait, what?! You’ve seriously never heard of us?” Hibiki said, sweating a little as she raised her hands but being unsure of what to do with them. She then leaned forward with gritted teeth and clenched fists. “Ugh, you’re the worst! It’s impossible! How can you not know us?! Right, Kanade? Right?” He cringes. The more she speaks, the more whiny she sounds. Kanade remained silent, staring at her sister in concern. But the girl quickly bounces back before pointing at the both of them. “I guess there’s no choice! Get ready for a live performance! We’re gonna show these people who we are right here!”

“W-Wow, right here? Right now?” He said, gaping at her claim. Mikado, however, was cringing and took a step back. He looked like he was ready to run at any moment now.

“Th-That’d be impossible, Sister. We don’t have any instruments…or speakers…” Kanade spoke up, looking down at the ground. She seemed to have been dreading this moment.

“Impossible…?” Hibiki hissed out, turning onto her sister with a dark look and raising her hand. He tensed at the sight. “You’re disobeying your dear sister’s orders, huh? Is that it?”

“...Huh? Eh? N-No…Sis, it’s nothing like that…!” Kanade looked up with tears brimming in her eyes and sweating just a tiny bit, curling her hands into fists and pressing them close to herself as if to make herself look as meek as possible. And then Hibiki turned back to them with a wink, hands on her hips once more.

“It’s just a joke~!” She said, turning back around just when the two of them gave her disbelieving looks. That did not look like a joke just now. “You’re such a scaredy-cat, Kanade! Obviously we aren’t gonna perform live right here. Not even I could manage that.”

“Right…um, of course…” He pressed his hand against his chest, trying to figure out where to go from here. He decided to try and step in to see if he could get Hibiki to calm down a little. “Uh, please don’t fight with your sister. She’s your family and I’d like to get along with the both of you.”

“Huh? We’re not fighting.” Hibiki raised her hands happily, brushing off his concern. “We’re always like this. I’m just joking around, y’know~?” Kanade looked back down at the ground with a sigh.

“...I don’t have a sibling, as far as I’m aware, but I really don’t think siblings should act like this.” Mikado said, his mask going back to its flat expression.

“Oh yeah? Don’t talk about what you don’t know! Especially with a talent like magic. Seriously, what’s up with that?” Hibiki instantly shot back while pointing at him. Mikado’s eyes flared for a brief moment but it was exactly the kind of reaction the singer was looking for. She grinned, putting her hands on her hips. “What are you gonna do? Pull a rabbit out of your hat?” Mikado just stared at her, calming down in a few seconds before his mask gave her his mischievous smile. He suddenly grows a few inches tall, almost eye level with himself which surprised him a lot. Hibiki had a similar reaction with her eyes going wide and taking a step back. Kanade stared at him with interest, glancing at his feet which in turn made him look down-

-and realize that Mikado didn’t grow taller, but rather he was levitating.

“I don’t know, Ms. Hibiki.” Mikado said, his eyes becoming pointy with his vocal jabbing. He suddenly leans back, crossing his arms behind his head and putting one leg over his knee. “You tell me~.”

“Wh-Wha…you…you…!” Hibiki struggled to come up with a comeback, which only made Mikado’s mask shift into a mischievous grin. She huffs as she stomps her foot, turning her attention onto him instead. Great. “Ugh, forget him. What about you? Do you remember your talent?”

“Um…no.” He said, deciding that it’s probably for the best that he ripped off the band aid and get this conversation over with.

“Seriously?! As if forgetting your own identity is bad enough, you don’t even know why you were selected for Hope’s Peak! That must be tough…” Hibiki, to her credit, did seem genuine in her concern.

“Moving on.” Mikado said, not willing to let Hibiki straight up ignore him. He floats behind him, still having his arms crossed behind his head but otherwise serious in his tone and expression. “Do either of you know what’s going on here?”

“What’s…going on?” Kanade kept her head tilted away, but her eyes never left Mikado’s. Hibiki glared at him, but shifted her gaze away and pointed to herself.

“Ehhhhh, isn’t this a surprise ceremony? That’s what that blue-haired girl over there told us.” Hibiki didn’t seem all that worried.

“But she’s also a simple-minded girl that’s clearly too relaxed in a situation like this.” Mikado countered, his gaze flattening once more. The singer glared at him again, seemingly hoping to vaporize him on the spot. He just wished he wasn’t in the middle of both of them like this.

“Still…a surprise event…” He sighs. “I’d like that over something horrible.” He can feel Mikado breaking eye contact with Hibiki to look at him, his mask ironically hiding whatever emotion he’s feeling despite constantly changing for him.

“Ah, we gotta go now! We saw something really fun over there.” Hibiki turned her gaze to something far off in the distance, grabbing a hold of her sister without another thought. She then points at him, an inflated ego coming off of her in waves. “Better brace yourself! After hearing us live, you’ll be addicted to our music! Let’s go, Kanade!”

“S-Sis, wait for me…” Kanade let herself get dragged off, tears forming in her eyes again but for a brief moment, he thought he saw a smile trying to break out on her face. Weird.

“...Do you think I’ll end up addicted to their music?” He asked, turning his head towards the wizard. Mikado tilts his head before shrugging.

“I don’t know. I don’t really listen to music all that much. Never had the opportunity to.” Mikado put his arms down and stood up straighter, although he was still levitating off of the ground. “That aside, everyone is much too calm right now…Especially those two. You can feel their immaturity radiating off of them.”

“Especially Hibiki.” He closed his eyes as he rubbed his head, his fingers brushing against the goggles. He feels a sense of comfort just by touching them. “I don’t think I like Hibiki…”

“Me neither. Celebrities are overrated anyways.” Mikado shrugged before turning around. “Why don’t we search someplace else? There seems to be nothing else of interest here.”

“...So, were you ever going to tell me that you can fly? Cause that would be super useful right now…” He didn’t feel like walking. But the wizard was flying further and further away from him.

“I’m afraid there are no other seats for this ride, my dear. Unless you wish for me to carry you?” His tone of voice was light and teasing and he could feel a blush rising in his cheeks. He turns his head away, walking back to the entrance of the park.

“Tempting, but no.” He was a little tired but he hasn’t completely given up his pride just yet. Mikado chuckled before floating after him.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Mart Intro

Time to spend some time at the Mart!

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

He quickly caught up to Mikado, passing by the beach he woke up on and down the road towards a mart. It looked like a convenience store you’d see anywhere and he felt that was right, even without the memories to back it up. They stepped inside without another word and his eyes were immediately drawn to the display case with all the food products. He felt his mouth drool.

“See anything you like?” Mikado asked and his eyes landed on the curry and rice. It looked delicious, but it probably needed to be heated up. So he looked to the chip aisle and grabbed a bag instead. When he looked around the mart briefly, there were aisles of household items, tools and other useful instruments. To be honest, the amount of variety of items would probably be more suited to a warehouse than a mart. And then, without another thought, he ripped open the bag. Mikado’s eyes go wide - well, the mask anyway. “Uh, sir, you haven’t paid for that yet.”

“Paid…? Ah, shit.” It was only then that the concept of money, prices and payment finally registered in his head. Funny, the guy before literally told him to his face to pay him a million yen just to get his name and yet, it hadn’t sunk in his head. “...I don’t even have any money on me.”

“Oh dear. Well, there haven't been any workers nearby, from what I can tell. So if anyone complains, they only have themselves to blame for leaving the mart unattended.” Mikado shrugged and he snorted. He felt a little bit of shame, but he quickly pushed it to the side when another pang of pain in his stomach reminded him of his hunger and he dug into the chips without a second thought. Mikado chuckles at the sight as they leave the aisle. He can see liquor and cigarettes behind the cash register from here but he held no interest in any of them. They weren’t very useful for minors like them anyways.

And then his eyes landed on a shorter girl with messy hair and twin bangs that look more like antennae rabbit ears or something. She wore round glasses, a magenta pink sweater over what looks to be a shirt with no sleeves, a black and orange tie, black shorts and blue slippers. She was looking over the tablet in her hand, her face completely blank. He clears his throat, deciding to take the plunge first.

“Uh, hi! Are you a student at Hope’s Peak? I think we’re classmates.” He said, trying to grab her attention. She looks up from her tablet, staring right at him before glancing at Mikado. But it seemed like he didn’t grab her attention like he did as she immediately went back to staring at him.

“Yes.” She said, simple and quick. Mikado steps forward to bring attention to himself.

“It is wonderful to meet you! I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard!” Mikado snaps his fingers, showing off a brief spark of fire that somehow formed. The girl glanced at him once again before bringing her attention back to him. Weird. But maybe she was expecting him to give her his name, which, uh…makes this awkward. Oh boy.

“Uh, I’m sorry. I can’t give you a name right now since I currently have amnesia.” He admits, scratching the back of his neck. She blinks, somehow staring at him more intensely even though her expression didn’t change at all.

“I see. That would explain some things…And you’re freshman students?” Her voice is soft and low, not necessarily gentle but not exactly distant either. Almost as if she’s not used to raising her voice at all.

“Indeed. And you are…?” If Mikado wasn’t wearing a mask, he bet he’d be raising an eyebrow right now.

“Kokoro Mitsume, Ultimate Psychologist…I believe.” She tilts her head away from them slightly. Mikado seems to perk up at that.

“A psychologist? I’m sorry for springing this up on you when we just met but…” The wizard looks at him. “Can you-”

“Do anything about his amnesia?” Kokoro finishes his sentence, curling her hand near her collarbone. They both blinked at her, equally surprised but her gaze shifted away as if this was a normal response. “I’m a psychologist, not a neurologist. But I can give you some information on the disorder.”

“Really?” He lights up a little bit. He didn’t think he’d be seeing professional help so soon but here was someone that could lend him a hand, even if all they can do is help him understand his condition better. Maybe he can do something about this after all. “Is there anything I can do? Can I get my memories back? Can I…go back to normal?” She looks down at her feet for a moment before staring back at him. Even though all she did was shift her eyebrows closer to her eyes, Kokoro looked much more stern than before.

“Let me clear something up first: amnesia is nothing like it’s shown in movies or TV shows.” Kokoro almost sounded miffed at the thought alone. “Amnesia means losing your memories, however it’s usually only with facts, information and experiences. And memories you do lose are usually ones that were formed more recently. It doesn’t affect your intelligence, general knowledge, awareness or your attention span. And you shouldn’t lose your entire identity, personality, or judgment.”

“But…I don’t even…” He starts but Kokoro raises her hand up. A silent ‘I’m not finished.’ He shuts his mouth.

“Yes, I am aware of what I said. But you…” She trails off, looking down at the ground for a brief moment before staring at him with such intensity that he felt shivers down his spine. “What are you? Your words, your emotions…Your loss of identity is genuine, even though it should be impossible. Perhaps a new type of amnesia or…”

“Um, Ms. Mitsume. Perhaps we should stay on topic?” Mikado asked awkwardly, looking somewhat uncomfortable himself. He looked like he was going to step between them if she took another step closer. Kokoro’s eyes widened briefly before putting some distance between them.

“...Sorry. I got carried away.” Kokoro clears her throat. “I’ve only dealt with amnesia patients twice but while they had to adapt to their issues, this is…something I’ve never encountered before. I don’t think there’s a neurologist who has. As for what you can do…” She frowns. “You can try enhancing your memory and getting support from a medical facility will help you cope. But I’m afraid amnesia can be…permanent. It’s possible you may not be able to recover your memories. At all.”

And just like that, any hope he may have kept to himself shattered like glass.

“…N-No…No way…” He stood there, feeling useless and helpless with nothing to do. It took all of his effort just to remain standing there, crushing the bag of chips he had taken for himself.

He didn’t feel hungry anymore.

“Are…you certain? There’s nothing that can be done?” Mikado asked, his mask softening his expression. Somehow, his concern still looked resigned.

“Like I said, it could be permanent. But your memories could come back to you on their own. However, I wouldn’t recommend getting your hopes up. The last time I talked to my amnesiac patients, they never recovered their lost memories and depending on what had happened to your brain, you may be in a similar position to them. Though your condition is much more…extreme.” Kokoro said, tapping away on her tablet. “I will try and help you cope with your loss of an identity, but it may be difficult due to the lack of internet connection on this island.”

“…mm.” That was all he could say in response. What could he say? He didn’t know his name, his family or his friends, his home, or even his Ultimate talent. And the likelihood of him recovering his memories were apparently next to none. Even Yuki’s comfort from earlier felt worthless now.

“Is, uh, something the matter over here?” A voice called out to them and he reluctantly looked over. Looking across at them from another aisle was a muscular guy that wasn't wearing a shirt and had a black jacket worn over his shoulders. He wore his blonde hair in a low ponytail in a similar way he was wearing, although it was far neater and smaller than his own. Sunglasses blocked the view of his eyes, and he wore boxer shorts with what looked like a boxing belt, bandages wrapped around his hands and wrists, and boots.

“Something like that.” Mikado answered for him. “Our classmate has amnesia and, well, we just found that there is no cure for it.”

“Oh, damn. Not even a name?” The guy asked and he walked over to them. He couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye to confirm it. The guy scratches his head. “Wow, uh…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s…” Mikado trails off. Despite not moving his head, he could feel his gaze on him from the mask. “Well, it’s not necessarily fine but…I suppose we’re just at a loss of what to do.”

“I’m afraid what we need to do now is continue investigating this island.” Kokoro buds in, frowning at her tablet. “We don’t have any hints of who’s behind this or what they want from us.”

“Yeah, I know. All of our belongings were taken away too.” The guy crossed his arms and he felt like he wanted to crawl in a cave and never come out. As if this situation couldn’t get any worse, it’s possible that the reason why his bag is empty is because whoever was behind this took away all of his stuff. They even left him on the beach like they didn’t care what kind of circumstance he’s currently going through. The guy stared at him before giving him a comforting smile. “Well, since we’re classmates, I might as well introduce myself. I’m Hajime Makunouchi, Ultimate Boxer. Nice to meet ya.”

“Mikado Sannoji, Ultimate Wizard.” Mikado bows at him. He didn’t give a response until the wizard nudged him with his elbow.

“Uh, yeah…hi.” He said a bit dumbly. Hajime’s eyebrows curl a little and it was then that he started to feel bad. He looks away in shame. “Sorry, this is…a lot to take in.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it.” Hajime’s strong voice was a lot kinder than he was expecting. He even handed him an energy drink. “I don’t know what I can do to help, but you should at least take care of yourself. Your health is still important. They say that a good memory is tied with how good you take care of yourself.” He stared at the energy drink, feeling numb and tired. But he took it from Hajime anyway and muttered a thanks.

“So, any thoughts on our situation, Mr. Makunouchi?” Mikado asked, which only prompted Hajime to rub the back of his head with a relaxed smile.

“Well, can’t say I do, no. But relax, I doubt anything bad is gonna happen. Speaking of relaxing, have you done any exercising today, Mikado?” Hajime looked Mikado up and down. The wizard blinked at him before wrapping his cape up close to himself.

“Well, no. But-” He gets cut off.

“What? A scrawny dude like you should care more about your health, y’know?” The boxer huffs. “You gotta focus on your health while you’re young! You look like you haven’t worked out a day in your life!” Kokoro, who had been standing through this conversation for a while, seems to be tapping out of it and slowly fading away into the background to avoid grabbing any attention. Mikado, on the other hand, seemed a bit embarrassed with the way he clutched his cape.

“Who’s gone and made you my mom…?” Mikado muttered under his breath, but it seemed like Hajime heard him and managed to tilt his head enough to reveal his red eyes behind his sunglasses. The wizard somehow manages to pout as he slumps over and he couldn’t help but grin at the sight. Feeling his mood lift just a little bit, he unscrews the cap of the energy drink and takes a sip-

-only to choke at the bland flavor.

“Augh, this tastes awful!” He spat out, staring at the energy drink with dismay. Hajime, having adjusted his sunglasses back over his eyes, turned his head towards him with a shocked expression.

“Hey! Nothin’ is more important than caring about your health. Like hell I’m gonna drink the sugary stuff, it’s way too much!” Hajime said, pointing at him with the kind of energy of someone who’s passionate about their hobby or job. It did nothing but make him cringe at the drink in his hand.

“Yeah, uh…I think I’m gonna pass on this. Maybe someone else will like it, sorry.” He starts taking his bag off and puts the drink in one of its pockets. Hajime huffs as he crosses his arms and Mikado chuckles.

“Well, you certainly seem energized now! Haha.” The wizard teased, the mask almost looking like it was laughing as he tried to cover up his mouth with his hand. It was at this point that Hajime decided he had enough and turned around with a sigh.

“Whatever. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me at any time.” He then walked away, disappearing behind another aisle. Kokoro also seemed to have disappeared at that point as well, leaving the duo on their own once more.

“Feeling a little better?” Mikado turns towards him and he returns his stare. He pauses, taking his time to think before slumping his shoulders.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I just…” He stared at the spot where Kokoro used to be. “I lost so much in just under an hour and I don’t even know how it happened. And finding out I might never remember myself? That’s…that scares me.” He gripped his jacket, near where his heart was. The anxiety was back again, and this time there were no comforting words that could help him calm down.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks at Mikado. He seemed concerned, but he was also smiling at him like he was trying to comfort him.

“It’ll be okay. Regardless of what happens, these classmates of ours clearly care about your lack of memories. Not many people would put in the effort to care about a stranger, trust me.” Mikado said. He pats his shoulder one more time before dropping his hand. “If anything else, your classmates and I will give you a space to feel comfortable here for as long as you need it.”

“...Thank you, Mikado.” He replied, and he found himself pretty earnest with the way he spoke too. He still felt anxious, but he felt more motivated to keep going. Especially since, well, Mikado was right. He has been his guide since he first woke up on the beach. Yuki, while he didn’t feel safe around him, was polite to him, if a bit awkward. The other guy…was just rude in general, but Kokoro was helpful in understanding his condition even when the reality of amnesia was a cruel one. And Hajime showed concern to the point that he stepped in and asked what was wrong, even offering to help in any way he could. Most of the people he’s met have been understanding of his condition and seemed to want to help in any way they can. His memories are still lost but maybe there was still some hope in living a normal life. Hell, even if his memories are gone, he could probably still find the life he used to live and try to integrate himself into it once more.

There was still a pit of emptiness that felt heavy in his chest. But maybe this new life with his classmates wouldn’t be so bad.