Someone like you...
Soldier: Ah, Mr Hinata. You’re here.
Yeah, we’re here. Peko will be here as a witness.
I take it that you haven’t thus far successfully convinced the UUV members to talk?
Soldier: Well...not exactly sir.
Huh?
Soldier: We find it a little odd ourselves but...well...
Go on, spit it out.
Soldier: Aruma Todoroki and Kego Sakuma both seem insistent on keeping their silence...Marin Mizuta on the other hand stepped up and offered to tell you everything...
She OFFERED...!? That’s...that’s strange...
Hajime...I’m not entirely sure that I trust this...
...
Me neither...but I’m not too worried. I’m sure I can take any one of these guys.
Show me to Mizuta.
♩ Poka Poka~ Poka Poka~ Poka Poka~ Yay Yay~ ♩ └(^o^ )X( ^o^)┘
She seems terribly happy to be in an interrogation room...
*sigh* Well, she seems to be a bit of an odd duck.
Can I trust you to wait here?
Of course.
I’m in there for backup too! Don’t forget about me!
*Hajime heads inside the interrogation room and shuts the door, while Peko waits outside.
Zzzzz...
She’s asleep!?
Don’t worry, she’ll probably wake up as soon as you announce yourself. Basing this off experience.
Ahem...
Hello, Ms Mizuta.
Ah! Hajime-kun! (✿◠‿◠)
Hajime-kun!?
Is that wrong? You’re Hajime Hinata-kun, right? Ayumu-kun told me.(・⊝・)
No, yeah, that’s my name. It’s just...what’s with the honorific?
I give everyone an honorific! Because I wanna be everyone’s big sister. ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭
She reminds me of Monomi...in a way...
Alright, fine, you can address me as Hajime-kun so long as you answer my questions.
I will do! Poka Poka~ ( ͡?️ ͜ʖ ͡?️)✊
*Hajime sits down opposite her.
I’m gonna start with this...How did you meet Ayumu Fujimori? Tell me the whole story.
Hm...Ayumu-kun and me...Well, we’ve known each other for ages. We first met back when his parents sold him off, Poka Poka~ ( ˘▽˘)っ♨
How would you have met him?
Well, I’m a few years older than Ayumu-kun. When he was pawned off at the Black Market, my family were the one’s who took him in.(=^ェ^=)
Ever since he moved in though, our situation didn’t go very smoothly. We started experiencing physical and financial problems left and right. (゜-゜)
As a result of Fujimori’s luck, right? Is it really that bad?
Yes. Unfortunately. Before he gained his Ultimate Talents, it was a real pain.(¬_¬)
But my family didn’t mind. Even though Ayumu-kun kept taking responsibility for our problems, we never blamed him. It was just a bit of bad luck. ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭
Sounds like your family cared about him.
We did...Well...for as long as that lasted...(・_・ヾ
How do you mean?
Well, I don’t know if I told you this, but the Mizuta’s actually ran an investment company.ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
I even worked as a weather-woman at one of the news stations that we funded. ~(˘▾˘~)
That’s...impressive. How come I never heard about it?
The company went down very fast when the Tragedy first started up.( 。・_・。)
Oh...I’m sorry...
No! That’s a good thing! I was pretty happy!ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ノ
Happy? Happy that your company went to ruin?
You’re not understanding because I haven’t explained it.( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)
A year or so before the Tragedy, we were driving in the car. It was Ayumu-kun, me, and my parents. There was a crash...and my mommy and daddy didn’t make it out...(⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯)゚
Oh...I’m sorry...
But...my mommy and daddy had left their will to my uncle, just in case something like this happened. (ಠ_ಠ)
When he took control of the company, he took away all of my inheritance, and then exiled Ayumu-kun and me from the family.ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
I couldn’t trust any blood relatives after that...The only person I had was Ayumu-kun. So I tried what I could do to be a good big sister.(´_`)
Ayumu-kun kept insisting that I abandon him. He kept telling me that as long as we were together, my life would just get worse and worse... ◣_◢
But...I didn’t mind. I wasn’t as focused on my life getting worse as I was his getting better.(︶︹︺)
And it did get better when the Tragedy started to die down. Government officials were scouting capable people to help rebuild.(✿◠‿◠)
And they sought you and Ayumu out?
They were quite insistent on our help. Ayumu-kun wasn’t treated harshly at my home, but he was still sold to us as a servant. Because of that, he knew how to do manual labor. 。^‿^。
And I know a lot about management and investment thanks to my family. So they were quite desperate.(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
And then in the end, when they deemed that we’d done our duties, we were laid off. We became displaced refugees, and the recently destroyed borders between the country’s were reestablished. (⌣_⌣”)
Working for them was great for Ayumu-kun. I’ve never seen him so happy to have genuine friends...(。•́︿•̀。)
And it’s so he can see those friends smile...and so that people don’t struggle anymore that he and his group want to tear down the walls again...( ≧Д≦)
I see...and you’re ok with his methods? No one can really deem them safe or prosperous, can they?
I don’t like violence...but those walls need to come down...by force if they have to.(╯•﹏•╰)
...I see...
I suppose I understand that...
You do? Poka Poka~?(☍﹏⁰)
Well yeah. You heard what I said to Fujimori in the lab.
Fujimori...No...Ayumu’s heart is definitely in the right place. He’s selfless, and courageous, and wants what’s best. But he wants it at the expense of other people. Even if his fight is justified, I don’t think his methods are.
...Me too...(っ- ‸ – ς)
Huh?
I just told you...I don’t like all this violence...But I put up with it, purely because I want it to stop...( ⁍᷄⌢̻⁍᷅ )
Ayumu doesn’t like it either...but he’s tried every other possible way of getting to the people as he can. His words sing to those who were misplaced like us, but...not to the people that he’s sending the words too...(O∆O)
Power, conflict and war are the only things politicians actually focus on. That’s why he goes this far.( (≪●≫) )Д( (≪●≫) )
...I see...
So...everyone in the UUV is a misplaced refugee?
Mikoto-chan, Aruma-chan, Kego-kun and Mitsunari-kun are the one’s who work with us, but they aren’t the only members. And yes, we’re all misplaced in one way or another. ((((*。_。)_
All of those people in that place where you met Ayumu-kun are like us...Not all of them are members, but they support us.ლ(。-﹏-。 ლ)
...Right...
...
Mizu-...Marin. I have one more question.
Yes? Poka Poka~。(*^▽^*)ゞ
What does Ayumu have planned? Now that he’s lost his Hope Serum, what’s his next move?
Hm...(´−`) ンー
I’m sorry...honestly, he didn’t give me the details...Just in case something like this happened, he kept the details of our plans a secret, even from us.↷( ó╻ò)
Damn...he’s clever...I’ll give him that.
I will tell you what he did tell me though...(」゜ロ゜)」
Go on?
In a few days, the Government will be holding a cross-country conference party. I don’t know if you knew about that, but that’s when Ayumu-kun plans to strike!(*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
Strike how?
I’m not sure!(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
...Alright...I can tell you’re not lying to me.
Is that everything then? Poka Poka~(ര̀ᴗര́)و ̑̑
...
One more question...and I promise this is the last one.
Marin...why are you telling me all of this?
Because this is an interrogation and you asked?ฅ(๑’Δ’๑)
Yes, that’s true, but that’s not what I meant!
From the way you’ve described your group, Ayumu clearly trusts you the most. And yet you seemed very willing to sell him out to me. Why?
Why would you betray Ayumu’s trust to tell me this?
Oh, that’s easy!(/^▽^)/
It’s because you remind me of Ayumu-kun!O(≧▽≦)O
Huh...!?
He reminds you...how?
He always told me that he’d spent his whole life being protected, and had other people save him at every turn.⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽
He wanted to be the one protecting and saving others, and he wanted to do so with honor and pride.( ´ ▽ ` )ノ
Do you know what Ayumu-kun’s biggest fear is? It’s neglection and sorrow...It’s not a matter of people looking down on him. It’s just that he worries about dragging others down and how he doesn’t compare to his more capable friends.(‘-’*)
Don’t you see? The reason Ayumu-kun went through the Cultivation Program is for the same reason as you. Because you wanted to mean something to people. Because you didn’t want your friends being looked down upon because of you!(⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯)゚
...!
Even before he got his talents though, he was persistent. And even though he sees his luck as a curse, he still lives with it. He always told me the same thing.(っ- ‸ – ς)
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we shouldn’t focus on the Despair in the past and the present. We should instead focus of the shining bright of the Future’s Hope.”
“These talents and this strength are nothing more than a weapon. No...Actually, they’re more of a shield. I just won’t be able to save people if I can’t save myself.”
...!
Hajime-kun? ⊙︿⊙
...No...It’s nothing...
Thank you very much Marin. That was very insightful.
I’m glad I can be of help, Poka Poka~ σ(≧ε≦o)
*Hajime gets up and leaves the interrogation room.
...
Hajime? Are you ok?
...
*He lightly pounds the wall.
God...fucking...dammit...!
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Sleep Aid
characters: hacker marin mizuta, astronomer seishi yodogawa, tsuki the cat robot
alternate universe: drrb talent gamble
tw: nightmares, death mention, angst
word count: 1210
ao3 link: currently not avaliable!
while in that voice chat with @bpd-seishi last night, i said something about writing a nightmare/comfort fic involving the drrb death order that i managed to come up with!
but obviously, that did not happen.
instead, this fic was born because of my brain’s weird way of thinking and its impulses.
A sleepless night.
These weren’t uncommon for Marin after the killing game ended. She just happened spent most of her time late at night in the basement, fingers often dancing across her laptop’s keyboard, as she worked on updates for Tsuki’s AI, programmed small mobile games to show off to the others, or hacked into the bank accounts of complete strangers to happen to be wealthy.
Of course, the others didn’t know about the last thing.
They couldn’t know about it.
Marin let out a soft yawn as she stretched back in her swivel chair, proceeding to crack her knuckles in the process. She had just finished updating some code to improve the performance of Tsuki, and now she was about to go get something to eat before either actually attempting to get some sleep or working on something else. Rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes, the hacker then proceeded to leave her cozy seat and exit the basement.
As she carefully made her way up the basement’s stairs, the TV from the living room came into view. The female quickly saw the DVD menu of what seemed to be an anime movie being displayed across the screen while the volume was significantly turned to low. Since practically everyone was asleep (including Akira, surprisingly) at that hour, Marin was quick to find out who was watching the movie so late: her fellow night owl friend.
Seishi, curled up in a ball on the couch, was wrapped up in a blue blanket and cuddling a “sleeping” Tsuki close to his chest. He looked a lot like a cat, if Marin was being honest. His chest silently rose and fell with each breath he took, the steady rhythm of someone who was in the arms of deep sleep. A small giggle escaped from the hacker as she observed Seishi for a little longer.
She then took a few steps away from the couch to leave the astronomer to sleep and to get a snack, but she was quickly stopped when a small, weak sound hit her ears. The noise punctured the air, ringing out like a gunshot. Marin froze in place, her attention quickly being drawn back to where her friend was sleeping.
Seishi had managed to curl himself even further around Tsuki, and his mouth had tightened into a distressed frown. A second noise, louder than the last one, escaped the male. It was quickly followed by a hitching breath and a soft sniffle. As the hacker still observed him, she immediately noticed that Seishi’s frown deepened before he quietly cried out a wordless sound of fear and despair.
Marin slowly made her way back to her friend’s side, immediately knowing what was going on. Seishi was obviously in the depths of a nightmare. Another noise escaped from the astronomer, and then a voice, which sounded so pained, so sorrowful, and so scared. Despite having to strain to hear it, Marin managed to hear exactly what Seishi had cried out in his nightmare plagued sleep.
“...St-stop it! Get a-away from-”
After he cried out those words, tears started to slowly stream down Seishi’s pale cheeks. At that point, Marin already knew what she had to do. She dropped to her knees beside the couch and carefully reached out, her hand resting on the male’s shoulder. She gave it a gentle shake, but it hardly did anything. Seishi remained asleep, and he only managed to let out a whimper.
“Sei Sei,” Marin’s voice slipped into a gentle tone as she gave the astronomer’s shoulder another small shake. “It’s okay. You’re just dreaming, Sei Sei. Wake up.”
A choked whine left Seishi as his eyes flew open, his gaze wild and unfocused as he lurched upwards. Heavy and panicked breaths escaped him while he frantically looked around the room. His eyes suddenly fell upon the hacker and the now awake and fully alert Tsuki. He stared at the two of them for a few moments, his gaze wary and full of fear.
“There’s no need to fear,” The hacker offered him a reassuring smile to prove that she wasn’t a threat. “It’s just Big Sis and Tsuki-chan, see?”
As soon as he managed to hear her voice, Seishi’s gaze softened as his eyes began to water again. He slid himself off of the couch swiftly, also having Tsuki do the same, before he launched himself towards Marin and clumsily wrapped his arms around her. The astronomer buried his face into Marin’s shoulder. He sobbed quietly into the fabric of her hoodie, and that immediately caused the hacker to hold him protectively close.
The small cat robot behind the astronomer gently nudged him gently in an attempt to provide him comfort before she decided to pipe in, “Do you wanna talk about what you saw, Sei Sei? My various sources say that if you’re troubled, you should talk to someone!”
Desperately swallowing back a sob, Seishi gave a small, hesitant nod.
“T-Todoroki, s-she-” Before he could utter another word, his trembling voice was quickly cut off by an onslaught of more tears.
Marin tensed when she heard the name of the former Super High School Level Otome Game Developer. Before she was executed for killing Saiji and Maiko, Aruma had openly confessed that she would’ve killed Seishi instead if he had been close enough. Of course, her reasoning for that is anything but pleasant. It was no wonder why his nightmare managed to scare him so badly, especially since it involved her. The hacker held the trembling astronomer in her arms even tighter while Tsuki proceeded to nuzzle against him gently.
“It’s okay, Sei Sei,” Marin slowly began to rub Seishi’s back as he continued to cry into her hoodie. “She’s not here anymore, so she can’t hurt you. Big Sis is also here to protect you, so you don’t need to be afraid, okay?”
“And I’m here to protect you too, Sei Sei~!” Tsuki suddenly piped in again with an ever so chipper tone.
Upon hearing the comforting words of both Marin and Tsuki, Seishi began to visibly relax more as he let out the last of his sobs. They slowly but surely were reduced into nothing but mere sniffles, and his hold on Marin became less stiff. He took in a shaky breath, attempting to even out his breathing, before a wave of exhaustion crashed over him out of the blue. Emotional breakdowns like that always managed to tire the absolute hell out of him.
“Th-thank you, Mari and Tsuki-chan,” The astronomer slowly began to rub his eyes sleepily as a yawn escaped him. “Is it okay to, u-uhm, ask you to stay?”
“Sei Sei, you should know that you don’t need to ask! Big Sis is always happy to stay with you, poka poka!” Marin then held him a little bit tighter, seemingly attempting to confirm the fact that she wasn’t going to go anywhere.
Seishi gave her another small nod before he nestled in her arms a little bit to get himself comfortable. He gently rested his head on Marin’s shoulder again, allowing his heavy eyelids to fall, while his breathing finally evened out.
And, of course, it wasn’t long until the red-haired astronomer was out like a light.
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