#sdra2 chapter 3 spoilers

[dovey-arts]

hibiki

[itsflappletimeyippee]

this is my son he has attachment issues and wet cat syndrome please ignore him

[friday1221]

I haven’t drawn in a while but ig crazy anime gurl was powerful enough to get me to pick up the pen. Really enjoying watching weeby newz’s playthrough of sdra, it’s getting me through my exams

[sdra2-incorrect-quotes]

Hibiki: [panicked shrieking]

Kanade: This is one of the best days of my life.

[leviadraws]

Since everyones asking for your thoughts, and I do like to hear them- what do you think of the idea/au where SDRA2 Yuki brings back everyone who died in the simulation w/ his newfound luck? i think its cool to think about cause theres just so much to conseptualize but what're your thoughts?

Ahh I'm glad people aren't getting annoyed by my silly thoughts <3

Under cut as usual, SDRA2 spoilers

So obviously, I'm all for an ending where everyone lives (if DR2 can have it so can we, Yuuki's divine luck is a decent explanation for this too! Linuj just wants us all to be miserable).

So! We're assuming that Yuki still lost his body, and that the initial events of chapter 6 still happens so Yuuki uses the divine luck to escape. So why don’t we say that the divine luck brings everyone back, their pods start opening and he uses the distraction to escape.

So, Sora remains with him in his head, and we could potentially extend that to include Utsuro too. It would make further interactions real interesting, especially with Shinji, Yoruko, and potentially Tsurugi too

Most of the cast would be immediately arrested by Tsurugi lmao. All the voids, Kanade and Hibiki (Tsurugi would see Hibiki as an accomplice), Yoruko, Syobai, Kokoro, and if the events of the sim are seen then it’s possibly Teruya would hand himself in too. I’m not sure if kinjo would outright arrest him tho.

Speaking of Teruya, I think the events of the game will have had a lasting effect on him. At the very least he would have problems with food for a while, but having everyone see his lowest moments would probably make him pretty uncomfortable.

Rei and the rest of the kisaragi foundation would be ecstatic that Teruya and Setsuka are alive. Setsuka would likely jump straight to it and defend Hibiki and potentially some of the voids? I think Shinji would try to appeal to Hajime too, try to make him a better person.

The voids have effectively succeeded in their plan, divine luck has been restored and by extension so has their luck. So it doesn't take long to break out of prison and get into hiding. They take Syobai with them but they split with him pretty early as he needs to cut some old ties as his betrayal gets out.

I think Kanade would be very quiet, she’s a clever girl, she knows when to watch and wait. Judging by the void theatre, and the “real” Shinji appearing in Yuuki’s utopia I think even people who died before chapter 3 would know what happened, and so everyone is cautious of her. I’m gonna go as far as to say even Yuri, for all his thoughts on women, would not defend kanade, but especially since hibiki is a victim of her.

Speaking of Hibiki, I’m unsure of what state she would be in. I’d like to say divine luck gives her some independence/freedom so she can think for herself a bit but there’s a good chance she’s not quite all there. She can now start healing, but she has a long road ahead of her. Thankfully Setsuka and Yoruko step in to get her all the support she can get.

Shinji would spend a lot of his time trying to keep in contact with Yuuki, it's weird for a bit while he has the body of Akane/Sora. But he's determined to adopt that poor kid.

Mikado is fated to stare at a windows “something went wrong :(“ screen for all eternity

[ninjagirlstar5]

If I remember correctly, LINUJ had a second blog exclusive to do Q&A with the Fandom (That recently closed by the time he uploaded the first SDRA2 Side Story), so maybe the age thing was in there.

But also, like, DRA was made before the Danganronpa/HPA Saga's timeline was smoothed out (Or attempted to) by the infamous Danganronpa 3 anime, so contradictions between what LINUJ originally wanted to tell in DRA and the canon timeline would be logical.

If that's true, it's a shame that he closed it as I assume it's no longer accessible to the public. It would at least allow us to go through the blog and see if someone asked that question and if he gave an answer.

Yeah, I can see contradictions being cropped up as long as there are content coming out for the franchise. That's kinda just what happens when you make a fangan that takes place in the same timeline of the canon games. Some things either get changed or quickly become outdated as more details come out from more content. And like you said, DRA was made before the Danganronpa 3 anime ever came out as the first chapter was completed in 2013 and the whole game wasn't even complete until 2015...I think. Long before the anime ever aired officially in 2016. Or, even announced as far as I know. (And the game wasn't translated in English until years later.) Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. But yeah, LINUJ is just as much left to the whims of the creators & writers of Danganronpa as we are as a fandom.

And, honestly, I'm not surprised that the Danganronpa 3 anime made a mess of the timeline in an attempt to smooth it out. I can't say much about the timeline on that front, though, as I unintentionally dropped off after a few episodes of the Despair story side, and I meant to get back into it but never did. My interest kinda disappeared and I heard how disappointing it was, so that kinda killed any interest I might've wanted to reignite for it. I won't tell anyone off for those who did genuinely like it, but even then, that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve to be critiqued for it's flaws and just bad writing decisions. And while I never finished it, I did find out about the spoilers and had some...Thoughts...that I rambled about on a Discord server with another person. They're very off-the-cuff but they're Thoughts, nonetheless.

[numberoneanika]

DRDT Secret Theories (Part 2)

Continuation of this post. Spoilers for up to chapter two, episode four

Charles Cuevas

Charles my beloved

Charles gave Teruko the secret he had received. He saw it was not his, and decided to give it to Teruko. However, he gave her instructions not to open it unless a murder happened. From this, I assume that he did not get Teruko’s secret because there would be no point in not letting Teruko know her own secret. 

Personally, I don’t think the secret he gives Teruko will be especially important. I think what’ll happen is that it won’t be important right now, but later in the story, it’ll turn out to be pretty important. 

All of this taken into account, I think it’d make sense for him to have Veronika’s secret. I think Veronika could be the traitor revealed later in the story, so I think it’ll be important during some other murder. Or something.

Summary: Charles had Veronika’s secret. By extension, Teruko now has Veronika’s secret.

(Alright, now this becomes 90 percent stretching.)

Hu Jing

Where did she go?? Where did she go??

Alright, so for Hu, I don’t see her being especially important in this chapter. All her screen time was literally just. The Dressing Room.

So, considering that she’s probably not going to be important, I don’t think she has a very shocking secret. I think Whit is literally just A Guy, so probably she has his secret. She doesn’t seem quite concerned about the secret she received, (granted we did not see her initial reaction, but it seems like she isn’t too concerned).

Summary: Hu has Whit’s secret.

Levi Fontana

Bro disappeared 💀

Alright, disappearing person #2, meaning probably not important to this chapter. Meaning inconsequential secret. Our secrets left are Arei, Hu Jing, and Teruko.

He seems a little concerned in episode 1, but not terribly concerned, simply asking MonoTV if it gave him the right secret. From Hu’s secret quote, it seems she’s done something terrible in the past (or it could be a quote if she was a culprit, but I can’t really see her being a culprit), so I don’t think it’s her. I think someone else has Rose’s secret, so that leaves Arei. Personally, I think that while Arei is pretty rude, she probably hasn’t done anything… really bad. Or anything.

Summary: Levi has Arei’s secret. Pair #2

Veronika Grebenshchikova (WHAT IS THAT LAST NAME)

Since I think our last person has Teruko’s secret, that leaves Veronika as having Hu JIng’s secret. While Veronika’s reaction might seem unfit for a big secret like Hu’s, I think Veronika is used to reading and seeing shocking things. All she says is “Oh gosh,” which I like to interpret as “Oh that is screwed up”. Also I really… don’t know where else to put Hu.

Summary: Veronika has Hu’s secret.

Rose Lacroix 

ROSE MY BELOVED!!

Okay, so, if you’ve been keeping track, you know I think Rose has Teruko’s secret. My reasoning for this is that Rose feels like a semi-important character, someone who’s smart but not necessarily the support or antagonist. My best example is Mikako from DRA or Syobai from SDRA2. I think the secret could definitely be important in the long run, maybe for figuring out the mastermind or something, and that Rose could survive until at least chapter 3 or 5.

I don’t really know whether she’ll confront Teruko about the secret she has or not, but based on the Chapter 2 preview, which is now deleted, I think she might not. It seems like nothing has really changed between Teruko and Rose, and something would probably change if they talked about the secret. Of course, they could’ve simply talked after the preview ended, but for now, I’ll say no.

Summary: Rose has Teruko’s secret. Pair #3

Final Thoughts + Other Theories: (bold + italic is confirmed, bold = very sure, italic is decently sure, nothing is just me stretching)

J has Charles’s secret

Arturo has J’s secret

Teruko has Rose’s (given) and Veronika’s (given to her by Charles)

Charles has no secret, used to have Veronika’s

Ace has Arturo’s secret

Nico has Eden’s secret

Eden has Nico’s secret

Arei has Levi’s secret

Levi has Arei’s secret

Whit has Ace’s secret

David has his own secret

Rose has Teruko’s secret

Hu Jing has Whit’s secret

Veronika has Hu’s secret.

Other Thoughts

The only secrets I think will be revealed in this chapter or later chapters are Ace’s and Teruko’s for sure, and maybe Arturo’s, Hu’s, Levi’s, and Veronika’s.

Secrets that are probably not terribly impactful - Nico, Eden. Arei, Whit

Secrets that are either huge or not impactful at all - Veronika, Hu Jing, Arturo, Ace

Secrets that are definitely at least decently big - Teruko, David, Levi

Okay that’s it. Let me know what you think!

[i-cant-stop-fandoming-help]

Guilt

Sources for the quotes and scenes and shit; 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBHa7neJWfk&t=7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wRMoYdcxAQ&t=22059s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCcfNHF3JQ&t=516s

Most of the things from Rei’s perspective regarding Mikako’s death are just me writing in how I feel her emotions are.

This isn’t written as a Rei x Mikako fic- Rei x Mikako is a ship I don’t exactly care for, and it makes me somewhat uncomfy due to personal experiences. This is Rei’s perspective in chapter 6 of SDRA2, remembering what happened in chapters 5 and 6 of DRA.

based on a conversation with steamoctowrites, surrounding Rei’s character development and her emotions. (Thanks for getting my brain running! God I am half asleep but this was 3 pages long on google docs)

Spoilers for Chapters 5 and 6 of DRA, and chapter 6 of SDRA2. 

sorry if it ended abrubtly, I had no idea how to end it and didn’t want to put in the full trials.

Realization hit Rei, memories racing through her head.

Kokoro Kurokawa… Was she the mother of Mikako? Was Mikako the base of Mikado Sannoji’s alter ego?

Murmuring under her breath, barely paying attention to the AI as she remembered the feeling of warm blood soaking her clothes. “Kokoro Kurokawa…… could it be…… Mikako…… No way……”

“Fufu… Finally, a response. This must be a familiar name for Tsurugi and Rei here. As you might have expected… Yes, your classmate Kokoro is the mother of Mikako Kurokawa.” The glitched ego had a shit-eating grin on his face, red eyes staring directly at her and Tsurugi.

Bloodied beads rolled across the floor as a black mop of hair rested on her shoulder. 

“W-What!? Tsurugi, did you know anything about this!?” the ginger spat softly in shock- the surprised expression on the foundation leader’s face gave Rei her answer. “...... Is that a no?”

Tsurugi glared at a gray and greasy haired participant, eyes narrowed in restrained fury. “...... Oi, Syobai Hashimoto.”

The criminal lazily glanced back at him, annoyance in his gray eyes. “...What?”

Whispering in her ears- weak and sad. “..........Meka…….ru………”

“Why was I not informed? Giving me all the information was part of our contract. Did you hide this? Or just not know?” Venom laced Tsurugi’s voice, the python in human’s skin trying to bite Syobai.

Syobai reached and began to clean his ear with his pinky, ignoring everyone else’s wrinkled noses. “Director… I don’t even know everything about Mikado in the first place. I didn’t bother to find out anything that wasn’t related to our deal. I got no clue about that Kokoro girl’s past.”

Shaking. Rei Mekaru was shaking. “.......I have to…….. Tell you……. About it…….. The….. mastermind….. Has…… been….. With…. Us…… in……. All……our…. Events………. That’s…… they key….” Mikako’s final words echoed in Rei’s head. All this time, she thought Mikako was doing nothing. That Mikako was the mastermind. But Mikako knew more than any of them, and was dead because of it. 

Rei pushed herself to speak- she had let Mikako’s mother die, hadn’t she?. “Mikako’s mother…… was involved with Mikado Sannoji? It’s got to be a coincidence, right?”

Rei couldn’t move. Mikako’s corpse wasn’t heavy, but the guilt on Rei’s consciousness was.

“.....Mikako-chan….?” Akane spoke up, fear shadowed on her face.

Rei’s mouth moved on it’s own, the ginger almost unaware of her own words. “This girl……… has died.”

With the movement, Mikako’s empty corpse slipped off of Rei and onto the ground, lifeless black eyes staring up and accusingly at Rei. I died because of you.

Ah, that’s right. Rei was in… another trial. She had ignored what everyone else had said in her grief. 

Now, Akane Taira was speaking. “Wait, Mikado… experimental data on her daughter? Tell me more about that. It’s the first time I’ve heard anything about it.”

Was Mikako experimented on, too? Surely she wasn’t. Surely it was a cruel joke- This must be a nightmare. Teruya was still alive, he must be. He must be holding her and-

She couldn’t push it away. Teruya was dead. Mikako was experimented on. 

Yoruko was speaking now, resting her cheek against a fist. “All Monocrow said was that she had a daughter and that she was missing. And about an experiment… What happened?”

Mikado was beginning to speak again, but Rei zoned out again.

“Eh? Of course, the culprit is Monokuma.” The way that Akane said that so matter-of-factly made Rei’s blood boil. Mikako had died for no reason? 

Monokuma killed Yamato Kisaragi, and then put on a class trial for no reason. Just so Mikako and Yamato would die. Akane Taira, Monokuma… Those bastards.

“...They were experiments on primitive emotions.” Mikado finished. Rei glanced up, looking for a hint of humor in the AI’s unfeeling eyes. None. 

Did Kokoro deserve her death? Would Mikako be happy with it? Ah- Rei’s thoughts were distracting her. Yuki Maeda had finished speaking, and now the Alter Ego was piping up again.

“She was pregnant with a girl, and immediately after it’s birth, locked her away and studied her emotions from her lab.” Mikado wore a serious look on his hideous face, and nearly everyone else clenched their jaws and widened their eyes in shock.

Mikako had gone through such a thing?

“.....W-Why would she…..?” Yoruko began, only to get interrupted by the artist.

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? Pregnancy!? Babies!? Experiments on children!? Is that legal!?” Iroha Nijue shouted, holding her sketchbook close to her chest.

Mikado’s face was blank, as if unphased by the sound. “During this, she connected an electrical device to the girl’s brain to obtain emotional details from it… However, her partner escaped and took their daughter called Mikako… And from that moment, until Mikako’s death, everything she experienced was stored on Kokoro’s computer.”

Mikako was taken in by the Kisaragi’s, wasn’t she? What happened to the parent who had freed her? 

Although she felt horrible at the thought, Rei would have to get hold of this data to fill in the gaps of her own memory, as well as update the sheet on Mikako. 

And make sure that she could properly apologize to her for letting her mother die.

[see]

what´s your favorite murder case in dr?

i deleted my entire reply on accident so we're trying again. i'm going to pick one for each game because it's so hard to pick favorites, i'm not gonna bother with censoring spoilers, and i have not played udg or s and as of right now i do plan to keep it that way (but for good measure, while we're talking "spinoffs", my favorite another case is sdra2's chapter 3 followed closely by chapter 2. bangers)

my favorite dr1 trial is 5, i already mentioned in that earlier post that i hated dr1's chapters 1-3 and while i don't think some of their cases were specifically AWFUL, they do not at all match up to 4 and 5's cases in my eye. 5 wins because of the chaos of it all. i will always applaud a danganronpa trial that breaks its rules (hence sdra2's ch3 having a high place in my heart) and i think chapter five starts to be the bridge into dr1's great ending in terms of its embracing of the chaos of the franchise and how strong the final cast is as friends. the whole lead up to finding the body is fucking insane, the trial is insane, makoto's execution? chef's kiss. the later dr games pale in that they would never have the balls to pull something like this off

sdr2 is my favorite game so i have plenty of favorites, but i think the 2nd chapter's case really pulls through for me. i have a number of smaller grievances about this chapter but many relate to the repercussions of this chapter and not the chapter itself. twilight syndrome murder case is SO iconic, i think my favorite thing about this case is moreso the interwoven relationships between the characters, even followed through when they don't have their memories, and less so the method (which was, admittedly, lacking). mahiru's botched apology and the relationship between fuyuhiko and peko made this chapter sad but painfully realistic in a game swimming with hammy and insane bullshit (said lovingly). the sparkling justice thing was fucking stupid though

in ndrv3 i think my favorite case is chapter 4, i think this one struck a happy medium in a lot of areas whereas the previous entries stick out shiningly in one specific area but meets a lot of general criteria that makes it holistically good. i'm going to specifically point out the method here, as i've neglected it in previous choices, because this trial made sense from start to finish even given the kind of silly circumstances of the neo world program. the tension this chapter captured with the characters was amazing, the verdict was one of the only ones that made me legitimately sad, all around it was so solid.

[bumzlebeaz]

I finished it

Spoilers for sdra2 chapter 3 and flash warning

[moonsidesong]

i like sdra2 but chapter 3 scarred me so bad that i remembered nothing aside from it abt my first playthrough

god yeah that one is. a lot. i mean its interesting i actually enjoyed it for what it was but its. a lot.

(gonna ramble about more thoughts on this trial under the cut, for anyone unfamiliar uhh spoilers obviously, also cw for talk of incest)

kanade's whole thing about being . yknow. eueuauuguh about her sister is super super uncomfortable and offputting but i hesitate to be super Mad at it bc i mean. i think being intensely uncomfortable is the point? yknow?

obviously when it first happened my kneejerk reaction was Gross Yuck Why Would You Put That In (and i still feel that to a degree) but at the same time its like. i feel like it is supposed to be a horror aspect. and not. like. a fetishization of twincest sort of thing. like youre very much not supposed to think anything kanade does or believes is... like... OKAY in any capacity shes never really depicted as anything other than a horrible monster (when the game touches on the gravity of the deaths of the others it even sometimes goes out of its way to say its a Good thing that kanade is. not. living anymore.) and the moments Hibiki has of lucidity shes obviously pretty horrified by the idea that kanade is anything other than her Regular and Normal sister.

i mean. im not gonna praise this inclusion. bc could it have been handled better? yeah. obviously it couldve. its still gross and makes me feel icky and very much couldve been removed entirely. but the thing about danganronpa as a whole is that you kinda have to go in expecting a little bit of garbage, yknow? i dunno. nuance or something. Being Critical Of Interests Or Something. speaking exclusively narratively i thought it was at least written better than whatever was going on with korekiyo (but again the bar is kinda on the floor for most things when it comes to comparing something to v3.)

the unfortunate part for me is my friend and i were voice acting the game on call together and towards the end i kinda just had to repeatedly go 'i am not saying that.'

though i will say, a twist on the third trial being a double Murderer case instead of a double victim case was interesting! its a neat twist even if the reason it works is a little contrived (but, i mean, again, its danganronpa, sometimes you just have to meet it on its level)

but also setsuka was my big favorite and i was VERY SAD WHEN SHE WAS GONE

[kisasiblings]

Well I hope you're exam goes well! :D

Nice to be back, I think? Anyways

MIKAKO AND YAMATO IN SDRA2 LET'S GOOOO.

This would be so funny. Goodness they're gonna lose a bit of their memory again aren't they? At least they remember they're sibs!

The interactions though! That would be so much fun! Though how are they introduced? Like are they already there when the game begins? Happens during prologue? Etc etc?

- 4th anon :D

i think theyre already there, mikako for sure to parallel the "sora is woken up at the beach by the previous protagonist(?)" thing

YESS THE INTERACTIONS i already think about hibiki-setsuka-yamato trio they would be so fun and also. chapter 3 here is going to be so so so so heartbreaking (spoilers for that under the cut)

kanade tries to put her plan in action this time planning to kill both setsuka and yamato but thanks to the latters reflexes they dont get knocked out but after a bit of struggle and fighting back yamato accidentally causes kanade to sustain major injuries but in the end its setsuka who kills kanade to prevent him from becoming the blackened by becoming one herself

[detectivenyx]

Do you have any thoughts or opinions on the fangame "Danganronpa Another Despair Academy"? The less talked about ORIGINAL fangame to Super Danganronpa Another 2.

ive not played it, but i also likely won't - SDRA2 has the reputation for being even more spoiled by its fanbase than the actual DR canon. people can't go 3 seconds without spoiling what happens (especially in chapter 3) and that has just put me off both fangames as a whole.

this does lead me to discuss the difference in spoiler culture for major studio productions vs spoiler culture for fan projects; i believe spoiler warnings for massive studio productions are ridiculous and really only serve the purpose of getting asses into seats on opening weekend for marvel films (which are all pretty bland), and it's not really a major issue if the spoilers get out. in fact in infinity war's case the spoilers getting out solidified its status as meme deity.

but for much smaller scale projects like DRA and SDRA2, made to show off a small creator's ideas and love for the danganronpa series, spoilers can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. like i said, because it was so heavily spoiled for me, i don't even really have a reason to play through it, especially since it's so glitchy. this wasn't really an answer to the original question, but eh

[leviadraws]

helloo i must ask you. your thoughts on yuki (the dra one)

Oh boy, he's a tough one for me, so I'll try to splruge some thoughts. (Sorry I've been slow with asks lately, I promise I'm working on them, also I really need to rewatch DRA at some point but I am tired atm so there may be some inaccuracies).

(under the cut, DRA and some SDRA2 spoilers throughout).

So DRA Maeda is honestly my favourite protagonist in canon and another. Due to the whole reveal at the end and the divine luck factor there's quite a lot of layers to him that you don't think about at a surface level but then you scratch it a little and it's all like "hey this is kinda clever" whether it was intentional or not. But a lot of that would be talking about Utsuro, not Maeda so I'm not really gonna cover it much.

I will say I do love the system headcanons that have been covered by yourself, Nikei, and Dragon (I was going to link posts but jesus finding posts on tumblr is so goddmn hard). I haven't researched the topic well enough to comfortably talk about it myself, and I think you guys have done a pretty thorough job already.

I would like to talk about something that has always bothered me a little, and that's how Maeda/Utsuro are portrayed in the flashback. During the flashback and when Kinjo references their time at Hope's peak, he's referred to as being more Utsuro. But then that doesn't line up with the picture found of the class, where he's clearly appearing as Maeda. I'd like to think that they existed together before the real Yuuki's memories were implanted onto him.

(This is 99% me wanting to have both Maeda and Utsuro in pre-canon haha, but it is interesting). As I said before I've not done adequate research and I don't want to accidentally offend, happy to remove this section entirely if necessary.

So I like him a lot since he's kinda just a kid, yanno? He gets annoyed with the other classmates, he's downright mean sometimes (he's kinda brutal to Satsuki in her FTEs, iirc), and he's kinda bitter in places (him refusing to help Kinjo in chapter 3). It just makes him feel more, real? If that makes sense.

And like in trials, since none of the trials are that hard that we don't get totally baffled, him leading doesn't seem that off. The "smarter" kids of the class are either unhinged (Kinjo) holding information for no reason (Rei), underused by Linuj (Kakeru, Kanata, Kinji), or have a chapter 5 plot device in their head (Mikako). I'd probably want someone like Maeda to lead trials too.

I guess there's that kinda lingering thing that due to divine luck, any leap of logic would always be correct, but it didn't feel jarring since he'd always come across as kinda pragmatic. That and the leaps in logic aren't the level of crazy that SDRA2 chapter 2 and 3 had.

He's also flawed, he doesn't always say the right thing. He doesn't give out hope speeches (that I recall at least, I could be wrong on that one), he succumbs to the motive in chapter 4 just as much as the others do. He holds grudges over the course of the game, he's devastated over Kinjo's actions in chapter 5. Actually his relationship with all three survivors + Taira are really good.

I'm not hugely fond of some of the FTEs with him tho, I sometimes get the impression that they were written earlier? He feels more like the generic protagonist is some of them. Rei's feels like one of the worst offenders of this, like earlier in the game Maeda doesn't really put up with Kinjo's or Rei's bullshit in their attitude to others, but in her FTE he puts up with her shit to hear her story? Idk it felt weird to me.

I do however love his interactions with most of the rest of the cast in the story itself, mainly Kinjo because kshkjefnad they are disasters and I love them so much.

One little thing, I really would've liked to see him snap a little more in canon. There's obviously the part with Mikako, but like so many fucked up things happen and there were like at least three other opportunities off the top of my head?. Can you imagine the slight change in his expression, but his whole vibe just becomes so much darker and the reactions of the people around him?. Kinjo and Akane's reactions (both pre and post chapter 5) would've been so interesting.

Imma probs get on that rewatch now and realise that I missed a load of stuff and feel very silly. But hey, here's a tired mess of thoughts that yous are all free to rip apart and tell me I'm wrong haha.

Also give him a hoodie he a tired boi let him be comfy.

[reikane-enthusiast]

sdra2 spoilers ( I see u mutual /nm )

I feel like a lot of people ( yes. This includes me ) forget / forgot about iroha’s optimistic facade in the beginning of the game, like, I genuinely forgot she was such an optimist up until like .. maybe chapter 3? I don’t even remember.

[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.