estoria | [closed] unlike Hope's Peak, attendance is mandatory

[A class reunion? Chihiro finds the idea a little bit exciting and the prospect of strengthening friendships with people from home... well, he would be lying if he said it wasn't something he'd wished for.

It was easy enough to find the apartment, and Chihiro hoped he hadn't shown up too early, but it was always better to be on time. He hated the thought of anyone waiting on him.

He took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door.]

[Actually, Chihiro's the first to show, which is kind of funny considering that Togami and Kirigiri live a few doors down from Leon on the same floor. But that's how it goes, sometimes—the closer you are, the less you worry about it, and then you end up later.

Not that anyone's late yet; it's still like five minutes early. Leon's relieved for it, because those last five minutes were going to be agonizing to wait on; when he hears the knock, he crosses quickly to open the door, taking bets on who's on the other side. He assumes Chihiro based on the knock, and he's right.]

—Yo! Hey, c'mon in!

[He actually does smile, and despite everything, his heart lightens a little now that someone's here. It was being alone and overthinking crap that was getting to him.

Leon steps aside to let Chihiro into his apartment. The other two have been here before, in varying amounts and contexts, but this is Chihiro's first time, so Leon watches him for a reaction.]

I was totally goin' crazy waiting for people to show up even though it ain't time yet . . . next time I oughta make someone else host, huh?

Oh- thank you!

[Chihiro lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when the door opens at it's Leon. He smiles and follows his classmate into the room and slides his shoes off near the entrance. They look almost like a child's compared to anyone else's, but he tries not to dwell on that.

He holds out a small box from one of the nearby bakeries; a swiss roll style cake that he'd thought might be a nice offering with tea, if they were having it.]

I hope this is okay.

[He takes a moment to glance over the apartment. It's roomy enough, and the furniture and décor... well, he's not surprised, but it feels a little rough around the edges. He's just relieved he didn't have to host it at his own place. He'd managed a few extra monitors and a tangle of wires, but not much else. Luckily, it had come with a bed and some small pieces of furniture already.]

I- oh, no it's alright! I'm sure you're an excellent host Kuwata-san! It'll be nice to see everyone together. I really... really appreciate that you thought to invite me.

[He takes the box with some surprise, blinking down at it, and just . . . letting this moment wash over him. It's horrific in a way he wouldn't know how to explain if asked to put it into words: Chihiro's glad to see everyone and bringing him host gifts and they're going to, what, crush his spirit into Despair? Well, only as much as he consents to, probably, but it already feels—heavy.

After a moment staring at the cake, Leon reaches out to ruffle Chihiro's hair, balancing the box in his other hair and grinning down at him.]

You didn't have to bring me anything! That's way beyond polite for somethin' like this! Not that I'm not gonna eat it, ha ha! Thanks . . . I should go slice it up, huh? You're actually excited to hang out with us . . .

[An uncomfortable moment passes as Leon stares at the cake. He's sure it's because he brought the wrong sort of cake or make Leon only likes biscuits and he thoughtlessly brought something else. But his unease melts into a small, but relieved smile when Kuwata ruffles his hair.]

It's no trouble, I... of course! I'm glad to see everyone again. Sometimes I think... if it weren't for school and part-time work, I might never leave my apartment.

[Was that weird to say? Oh... probably. He tried a nervous sort of laugh so Kuwata would know he'd meant it jokingly... mostly.]

All three of you are totally that type, huh . . . I'm just gonna have to drag you guys out once in a while!

[How did this group become the introvert brigade, anyway? But he's glad to see Fujisaki looking a little lighter, at least for now, and it's easy to set aside his own lingering awkwardness and just smile back as he heads into the kitchen.]

You want anything else? Ah, Kirigiri and Togami said it probably ain't a good idea to get you drunk yet. But I've got other stuff!

I would like that.

[He smiles a little brighter at that. It wasn't that he didn't like being around others, but so often he felt unwelcome. To hear that Kuwata actually wanted to see him made him feel a lot better.]

Oh-

[Drunk?? But they were still in high school! Still, he didn't want to back down. Leon was definitely strong and he'd hate to look even weaker in front of him over something as silly as what they were drinking. He chewed his lip thoughtfully.]

Maybe u-um. Maybe later. I would be alright with anything really. You don't have to trouble yourself!

Hey, I'm offering! Gotta be a good host, right? You oughta take advantage of my hospitality, Fujisaki! Say you want a fancy iced coffee, ha ha! . . . Not that you'd get one if you did! I'm not a Starbucks or anything.

[He puts the cake on the counter to slice it into portions for everyone, peering out at Chihiro through the open doorway.]

You can make yourself comfortable! Or come in, whichever! My place is your place for tonight, right?

[Oh dear, he'd probably be offended if he didn't ask for anything. Chihiro looked a bit nervous to ask, but eventually managed.]

Um- if you have tea? M-maybe...

[Was that too much like a Starbucks order? He hoped it was a normal enough request that it wouldn't trouble Kuwata too much!]

Mm. Th... thank you. Your place is very... I feel like I know you better having seen it. It's nice.

Ah, you think so?!

[That excites him. That's exactly the kind of thing he likes to hear, and he grins over at Chihiro as he heads over to the counter to grab a box of tea—which he does in fact keep in the apartment. Visitors tend to like it when they come over in the evening . . . ]

Ha ha, cool! That's good! That's totally what I was goin' for! Like, it suits me, right? It's a hundred percent my own!

Mmhmm. I feel... bad that we didn't get to know each-other very well at the academy, but I'm glad for this opportunity. I didn't know how much you liked music.

[Even if it's just small-talk, he feels a lot more at ease when Leon smiles. It's a shame, he thinks, that they weren't able to get to know one another very well before now. With this easy-going attitude, he's sure they would've gotten along.]

Do you play?

Ha, me? No way, I'm the singer! You can see it, right? I'd totally be the lead! Fronting the band on the mic, that's me! I've got no idea how to play.

[Despite having owned a guitar back home. It looked cool, all right?

He goes about making the tea cheerfully, his mood much improved now that he's focusing on this conversation rather than the one to come.]

Ah, you don't play or anythin', right? I figured you weren't that type . . .

[ When Togami enters, he seems more bored than "heavy", but that's Togami for you. He's going to claim a seat and cross his arms and legs and let the other people deal with being sociable. He can talk once they actually get to the point!!

He probably won't totally ignore you if he's spoken to, though. ]

[Asshole. Leon wanders up to him eventually. He should be a good host and offer him something, but that feels a little too servant-y when Togami's playing the aloof one over here, so he doesn't yet. He just drapes annoyingly over the back of his chair.]

We boring you?

Were you even trying to be entertaining? We haven't actually started the meeting yet. [ He's definitely not being a good guest, so he doesn't deserve anyone being a good host to him either tbh. ]

You gotta wait 'til the meeting starts to say hi?

[He lowers his voice just a little. Not to a whisper. For once, he's pulling off casual.]

Hey, try not to look too scary, this's gonna suck enough. This was way easier when Naegi was here . . .

I'm not "trying" to look anything. Fujisaki is initimidated by everything.

[ He leans back in the chair, though, a bit less stiff. ]

I was kinda kidding . . . kinda. I mean, yeah he is, and yeah you always look that way. You ever heard of resting bitch face before? That's just you, though. Imaginin' you sitting there smiling to yourself is a thousand times worse somehow.

[He leans on the back of the chair, close to Togami's head now that he's leaning back, but without actually touching him or anything.]

Then it is very fortunate for you that you do not expect a smiling response to that.

[ He has not, in fact, heard of resting bitch face before. Did you say I'm JUST A BITCH?? ]

C'mon . . . just tryin' to lighten the mood a little. This's gonna be painful. Probably in different ways for all of us, though.

It's an unfortunate necessity to get everyone up to speed if we wish to work together.

I know. Ah—what if he doesn't wanna hear it, though?

[He's got his voice very low by now, chin resting on the back of Togami's chair, near his ear. Still doing his best to look casual. To be fair, he'd do this shit anyway.]

[ He reacts more to the words than to the delivery of them, so he just looks up towards Leon out of the corner of his eye, brow furrowed. He also lowers his voice, although, he's not putting all that much effort into avoiding being overheard. ] You're an odd choice to advocate for his ignorance. Would you have preferred to be in that position? You wouldn't even be able to argue this viewpoint to me without the knowledge that you have.

Withholding information from him would allow us to use him as a tool, which is certainly an option, but I would have thought that you would prefer to treat him as an equal. Isn't that why you suggested this meeting in the first place? [ He doesn't really want to suddenly end up in the position where he's the one arguing in favor of telling people things. It's weird. ]

—C'mon. That ain't what I mean! Obviously I wanna tell him! I want him to know everything! I'm saying, what do we do if he doesn't wanna know? What're you suggesting, we just yell out, By the way! You're—

[He actually does raise his voice for that. How fortuitous that he realizes he's doing it just in time, and cuts himself off, sinking back down deeper into the chair's back cushion and clearing his throat. When he continues, it's even quieter than before.]

Y'know?

If you want to tell him, then you accept that you will tell him whether or not he wants to hear it. Of course I'm not suggesting it be done in that way. I'm sure it can be... couched. [ He ends the sentence distastefully. He did consider that he would like to do this more gracefully this time, but he thought the others knew what they were doing with that. ]

I want to tell him if he wants to know! You really think if he says "No, don't tell me, I don't wanna hear it," we should just ignore that?

[His tone is only half accusatory there. There also a genuine question underneath. Should they just tell him no matter what? Probably. It would make everything easier. But who would actually force someone to sit down and listen to how dead they were if they flat-out begged not to hear it?]

. . . I dunno. Maybe none of this is gonna matter anyway if he says to tell him everything.

Like I said, I don't necessarily have a problem with keeping him in the dark, but it forces inequality between him and the rest of us. Not to mention, he can never truly give informed consent to being kept in the dark, since he doesn't know what it is he doesn't know.

You sound like a philosophy class or somethin'.

[But he doesn't have an argument for it (he's not yet on Philosophy 101 level, here) and sighs, drumming on the back of the chair.]

Okay, okay, if it comes up, we'll just tell him all this, and it'll work out!

Precisely.

[ He's A-OK with this conclusion. Chihiro might not be, but that's kind of his own problem!!! ]

[ Kyouko arrives eventually, and she doesn't seem too worried about how things might go. She seems... pretty normal, really, which isn't too unusual for her.

During the evening, she'll have a drink in hand (most likely tea of some kind) and sitting somewhere in the living room, off to the side. She won't mind being approached, even though she's not talking to anyone herself. ]

[As much as Leon loves Kirigiri—and, if he's honest, Togami too, fine—he still has a moment, watching them sit there quietly, of dammit, why'd everyone who had social skills have to end up in the code?

But how many of them who were here does that even include? Naegi; that guy knows how to make people feel better. He was a good friend, for the short time Leon had him. Hinata, of course. Leon still misses him.

Aaaand then there was everyone else. The cool-headed, closed-off genius sitting there in front of him, even though he knows her well enough by now to know she's actually sweet and caring underneath her exterior. The other cool-headed, closed-off genius sitting over across the room, the one who's less caring and definitely nothing like sweet and could probably stand to get his ass kicked. The guy in the skirt who cries at the drop of a hat. And everyone from the other class who'd left: the yakuza who'd threatened to kill him over a short joke, the hot stonefaced swordswoman who reminded him of Kirigiri except deadlier, the dude convinced he was a poisonous Lord of the Underworld who could literally talk to hamsters, and . . . whatever the hell you'd say about Komaeda Nagito.

Damn, he really was the only normal person to ever set foot in Hope's Peak, except for Naegi and Hinata.

Shit, though. He loves and misses them. After watching her for a moment, Leon crosses the room to sit next to Kirigiri, leaning back on his hand.]

So . . . I dunno how to start all this, but if I just sit here and think about that we're never gonna get started.

[ She glances over at him, surprised he's bringing it up first. Then again, having a... party, or gathering really, was his idea in the first place.

Kyouko crosses her arms, looking over to Chihiro. ]

Alright. So, Fujisaki-san, I know you have a lot of questions. What do you want to know?

[Chihiro had settled in on a corner of the couch, taking up as little space as he could with the full skirt. He'd opted for tea as well, though he held it quietly in both hands, sipping occasionally. He wasn't sure what he'd expected of a party, but it seemed rather... low key? Was that the right word? Not that he minded of course!

So when Leon pushed the conversation, he looked up abruptly. Started?

When Kirigiri followed up by giving him the floor to ask questions, well... he wasn't so good with being put on the spot, but he tried to gather his thoughts.

Was that what this party was for then? To talk about what had happened at Hope's Peak? But the strange part was how they'd put it all together. Why just answer his questions and not tell him about what had happened? To spare him some of the gruesome details perhaps?

He paled. It wasn't as if he wasn't curious, but he also wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. Leon seemed to be coping well with his own mortality, but how would he handle it if he found out something had happened to his classmates? Or himself?]

...oh.

[He gripped his cup tightly for a moment, rubbing a thumb thoughtfully over the rim as he glanced down at it because he wanted to look anywhere but at the faces around him. What would he see there? Pity? Fear? Hurt?]

I... know that Kirigiri-san mentioned that she and Togami-san were able to escape with Naegi-kun's help, but I don't know how many of our classmates were also able to leave. I'm not sure if... if I really want to know the answer to that.

Can you start with... did you find out who was keeping us there? Who was behind it? And why?

[He's not going to be the one to answer this. Leon's pretty sure he should stick mostly to the stuff he was actually there for . . . which isn't much, but when it comes to this place, it's more than the others except Kirigiri. He can wait for that. The crap about back home, it's better if they take care of it, right?

But he shifts a little closer on the couch, until he's not quite leaning on Chihiro, but he's close enough for his warmth to be felt. Comforting. It's all he can do.]

[ Kyouko notices his hesitation, and is glad he starts off with that question first. It's better to ease into things than tell him who survived immediately. ]

Junko Enoshima was the mastermind behind it all. The Junko Enoshima you met during the game was not the real one... it was Mukuro Ikusaba pretending to be her sister.

[ She pauses, not sure exactly how to answer why she did it. Kyouko still doesn't completely understand the why herself. ] As for why we were put into that game... it was all to cause despair.

[Enoshima. He remembers clearly the sight of her corpse, impaled by countless spears in the school's gymnasium. But Kirigiri was saying that wasn't her? It was another girl, Mukuro Ikusaba. He wanted to say that the name seemed familiar, but in a far-away sort of feeling that he couldn't quite place. It wasn't that he doubted anything his classmate was saying, but it was such an elaborate setup. Faking her own death to manipulate them all? And for what? To cause despair?

He frowned, confusion clear on his delicate features. But that wasn't all there was to it, was it?]

Enoshima-san was the mastermind, but... the scale of what she did, how carefully she planned it, she couldn't have done it alone. I would've thought some organization perhaps... A terrorist faction maybe... but one of our fellow students?

[It just seemed so pointlessly terrible. Despair? That was it? He could hardly wrap his mind around it.

He was vaguely aware of Kuwata shifting in his seat, but his focus was elsewhere, he was distracted by the heavy news. How could this have happened?]

It... doesn't make any sense.

Edited 2016-08-04 00:55 (UTC)

[ Togami finally speaks up from over in his corner, arms crossed. He does have the broadest perspective on this by default. ]

This was only one piece of a much larger plan. "Despair" is ideological nonsense: in practical terms, the ultimate goal was the complete destruction of human civilization. She had a force of people behind her. A number of other students from Hope's Peak associated schools. Her sister, the reserve course, the 77th class, even the elementary school. They all collaborated to make this happen.

[The destruction of human civilization?! And... if Togami was right, she had worked toward it with so many students from their very own school! It certainly became more plausible with the addition of so many Ultimates. Even the elementary school?!

The shock was obvious, Chihiro had never been very good at hiding his emotions. His chest felt tight, no wonder they'd been afraid to speak about it, what a nightmare!]

What... happened to all of them?

[If Togami and Kirigiri had escaped, were they still on the run from all of those students? And Enoshima? Or were there other groups? Had someone rescued them perhaps?]

Did they trap other classes? They way they did ours?

[ He glances over at the others and realizes that probably he's going to have to be the one to answer this, too. Damn. Where's Naegi (from the same canonpoint) to shove explanations off onto when you need him???

Still, he doesn't feel like explaining the whole plots of DRAE and DR2, so let's just go for the relevant summary. ]

...There have been—related incidents. But overall, the Future Foundation has made significant progress in stamping out the Remnants of Despair.

[Just what had been happening outside of their classroom in the short time they'd been there? Related incidents? The Future Foundation? The Remnants of Despair must be the ones they hadn't caught yet, right? So that meant that they'd stopped Enoshima before too many bad things had happened, but if there were related incidents, theirs wasn't the only class to suffer.]

The Future Foundation... saved everyone then?

[Well, that at least explained it in a broader sense. Enoshima and her followers had launched this crazy and elaborate plan to throw them into, "Despair," but they'd been stopped by the Future Foundation and at the very least, Kirigiri and Togami had been able to escape the school.

And there it was again. Togami and Kirigiri, from a class of fifteen students, only two? No, he was sure there were more to it than that, but asking meant being ready to face whether or not he'd survived the high school killing life. And worse, knowing which of his classmates had died and which had... committed the murders.

Somehow he knew. They wouldn't have gathered everyone here like this if the news were favorable, would they? More likely, he hadn't...

Chihiro felt like the cup in his hands was going to break from how tightly he held it, just to keep his hands from shaking. There was a slight, but visible tremble in his tiny frame. His mouth felt dry and he forced that last unpleasant question aside for favor of an easier one.]

Togami-san... you mentioned that you were familiar with Alter Ego. Um... I'm just... curious how that came about. Was... was my program helpful to everyone?

Kirigiri was there for part of it.

[ He says, as if he might pass off that answer... but no, maybe he should save passing things off for the really awkward, bad news that is already hanging over Chihiro's head. ]

...But yes. The program was instrumental to our success. It saved Naegi's life. Later, it became an integral part in the operation of the Neo World Program, saving even more lives in the process. You can rest assured that your overall impact was positive.

[He glances for a moment at Kirigiri before Togami speaks again. It was a mixed blessing to hear that Alter Ego had been so helpful. It made him even happier to hear that the program had saved Naegi, and though he didn't know what the Neo World Program was, if it had saved lives, that was what mattered?

Your overall impact was positive.

It was carefully worded, but just ambiguous enough to further lock in his worries. If he was still there to help them, wouldn't Togami have mentioned that, rather than his program? Or have mentioned that the Chihiro from his time had helped work on the Neo World Program?

He smiled a faint smile, he was glad, of course, that his friends had been helped, that he had been useful, but it was pained, and he could feel tears prickling at the corners of his vision.]

I... I'm glad. I'm not strong or fast or clever like the others, so... I'm glad my work was able to save Naegi-kun and help with that program.

[He looked down and rubbed at one eye with his sleeve. He had to ask, he had to put it into words and acknowledge it. If he didn't face his fears, he would never get stronger.]

I want to ask... but I think I already know. I didn't...

[A couple of tears escaped, but he swallowed his fear and forced the question out.]

I didn't make it, did I? Is that what this is all about?

[Ah, there we go. Leon's not going to be the one to answer this, either; it feels wrong butting in for things he didn't see himself. He only has a vague idea of what even happened with Chihiro back home. He wouldn't know what to say.

But he can do this better than the other two can: he wraps an arm around Chihiro's shoulders and leans up against his side, solid and warm and hopefully a little bit comforting.

It sucks to hear what happened to you.

(Probably. Or else you're Leon, and you already knew, and that sucks in a completely different way. But he can still kinda relate.)]

[ Hey, what do you know, it's the really awkward bad news he wants to pass off to someone else. Now his gaze lands firmly back on Kirigiri, his mouth flattened in silence. ]

[ And there it is. The question they'd all been dreading. But Kyouko knows she has to answer it, there's no other way around it.

She lets out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Talking about deaths... it never gets easier. ]

No, Fujisaki-san, you didn't make it. [ And now it's out there, in the open. Yet, Kyouko feels no relief having it out there. ]

Togami-kun is right, though, you made an impact. I fully believe that, had it not been for Alter Ego, none of us would have survived. [ Because, really, without Naegi, Kyouko isn't sure what would have happened. ]

[The silence was all he needed to confirm it. If he was honest, truly honest with himself, he knew he made an easy target; weak, quiet, the sort no one would really miss. There was no way he could bring himself to do that sort of harm to his classmates, and if they didn't make their escape quickly, it was almost inevitable that he'd end up a victim.

Still, the cold, hard truth of it was difficult to face. Leon wrapped an arm around him as his tears began to overflow. The gesture, the touch of another human being, kept him grounded somewhat, reminded that this was real, that this wasn't just a story, some game ViViD had thought up.

But Alter Ego had helped Naegi. Had helped them survive. Even if he felt like there was a hole in his heart, that bit of knowledge helped patch the hole into something small enough that he could handle it. It had to be some great irony that the only time he'd been useful to his friends was after he'd died, but at least he knew.

Chihiro stared down at the cup in his hands through watery eyes. As upsetting as the news was, he managed a thin, weak smile. His voice, though small, didn't shake this time.]

I'm so glad that I was useful.

[He bit his lip to keep any more tears from falling. Despair... huh? No, knowing that Alter Ego had been successful, that his program had enough autonomy to work to help them, that lives had been spared, that... that was a lot more like hope, wasn't it?]

Edited 2016-08-10 05:16 (UTC)

[ She stands to move closer to Chihiro, smiling softly. ]

You were more than just useful. [ And there's a short pause, as she considers what to say. ] If Naegi-kun were here, I believe he would say that you gave us hope in our time of need.

[ Gggghhh. This is way out of Togami's depth. It's all he can do to not make fun of anyone right now, but then all he's left with is a discomfort that he can't immediately dispel. There's definitely no hope of him saying anything comforting. He looks up into an empty corner of the room, arms crossed and shoulders stiff. ]

[It's pretty awkward on this end too. Leon may be better at dealing with this kind of thing than Togami is (not much of a feat, seriously), but because he wasn't there for any of this, it complicates things; there's nothing he can say about Chihiro's impact on anyone after his death. But he can at least be a comforting shoulder. He averts his eyes too, staring down at Chihiro's skirt without really looking at it, and leaning firmly into the half-hug he's got him in.]

[closed] unlike Hope's Peak, attendance is mandatory

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