XVII.「 The Star 」

Time of Death: 6:55AM Victim: Ayumu Abe Location of Body: SHSL Good Luck Research Lab Cause of Death: Asphyxiation

The victim is Ayumu Abe. The time of death was 6:55AM. The body is located in the Captain’s Quarters of the SHSL Good Luck Research Lab. His body is dangling from a rope fixed to be a noose, his feet not touching the floor.

“Yeah, it’s a really good fake, but still fake. No sun, no natural surf… but I’ve got this radical dial that makes it easy to turn up the intensity of the waves!”

He points to the knob on the wall, grinning. Almost as soon as Ayumu says that, though… his face splits open into the brightest grin you ever did see. 

“Oh, man, really?! For real?! You don’t know how?! Lemme teach you!”

Swimming? Surfing? Who knows, he’s just incredibly excited anyway.

Would you believe he hadn’t even noticed the knob? Because he hadn’t even noticed the knob until Holokai pointed it out.

“Wow, that’s really cool... it’s nice that you get to pick, I think.”

He remains fixated on the knob and its apparent miraculous powers of tide control for a moment or so, but Holokai’s enthusiasm ropes him back in to that conversation real quick. The idea of getting taught something is pretty exciting, no matter what it is.

“Oh, are you sure...? It would probably be good to learn how... and you seem like the best teacher for that, I think, so if you want to, I’d like that...”

“Ah so it’s like an organization or a building… or something like that.”  He’s not completely sure “How do you help out?  Is… sleeping part of helping whatever goes on over there?”  

He can only imagine that the sleepiness he does is a part of it.

“Oh… that’s smart!  And cute, was that a gift from someone here?  Or did you bring that over from home?”  It really was cute and smart at the same time.  “At least you’ve got some kind of protection.  I guess it just comes and goes at random then?  Can’t really predict when you need to sleep?”

That’s how it worked right?  If he knew when it would strike that would just be a different sleep schedule right?

 “Huh… face blindness… still not sure what that is.  I guess I’ll ask around but it seems that you’re doing alright for yourself, despite having that.  My voice is also pretty distinct!  So if that helps then… yay!”

He could admit that Shiba was pretty smart, tough, a real complex character.  But sadly he’s never heard her rap.

“Shiba-chan is pretty smart, though I haven’t heard her rap yet.  But if she’s here for rapping I guess you’ve heard her do it before.  What about you Abe-san, hat’s… what’s lucid dreaming like?  Does it feel weird being able to control your dreams all the time?  Or is it relieving?”  

He’s anted to ask this for awhile but never really had the chance considering the murder game they were in now.

“Mhm... I don’t really get all the science behind it, but apparently my brain stuff is super easy to track when I’m asleep... and it helps them figure out what parts do certain things or something...”

He really is just making a name for himself as “that guy who sleeps all the time”, huh?

“Ah... Hatoko-chan got it for me when we were really young...”

So yes, he did bring it from home. The thing definitely shows some signs of age, even with how remarkably well cared-for it is. (Especially considering how much he must use it as a pillow.)

“And, um... pretty much. I’m always kinda tired so it’s hard to tell when I’m... more tired or something, but I don’t think it’s a big deal. That’s just how it’s always been, you know...?”

Yay for Distinct Voice Jito! He nods - between his voice and the paint splotches, it was usually pretty easy to distinguish that Jito was... well, Jito. 

Kioku was headed to the Chemist’s lab, when she notices something in the flowerbed… Upon closer inspection, Ayumu seemed to be laying amongst the flowers in a deep slumber. What else is new. She approached with caution, careful not to step on him once more and kneeled down next to him, gently nudging him awake… This was like a disney movie, like a sleeping princess in a forest… except it’s Ayumu, and the flowerbed’s probably been squashed.

“…Hello, Ayumu-san. Wakey Wakey.” She smiled kindly to the boy. “Perhaps you would care to join me to the Chemist lab? I think sleeping out in the open like this isn’t a good idea, At least, It isn’t very safe - so you should come with me. There’s probably a nicer place to sleep in there.” He probably caught like 50% of that, considering he literally just woke up - but whatever. She puts out her hand for him to hold. She’s really treating him like an absolute child now. He knows where the lab is, Kioku.

“... eh? Oh, yeah, okay... okay, I’m coming...”

He got very lost in the maze last time he tried to go to the chemist lab, actually. The assumption that he knows where it is would be incorrect, though he’d be able to find it. Eventually. For sure. Maybe. 

Ayumu’s basically stumbling along behind her at this point, miraculously not tripping but still struggling a little to keep up. Despite this, he still seems pretty content.

Kai, of course, hasn’t left his lab much. He looks completely at home in this shack, grinning and humming some kind of tune as he mounts a longboard up on the all. When Ayumu comes in, he turns, and grins.

“Oh, hey!”

He finishes mounting the board and turns his body to Ayumu. 

“Oh, yeah, totally! It’s great! I mean, it’s kinda small, but it’s all fake, right, so… I mean, it’s better than nothing, huh?”

“Oh, it’s fake? That’s too bad...”

With all the whimsical sights of the station, it was easy to forget that things here were probably not as it seemed. Or, perhaps more likely, it just never occurred to him to think that “station = underground = everything about this situation is really really weird.”

At least Holokai seems optimistic about it, which means Ayumu’s feeling pretty optimistic by proxy. Probably.

“Yeah... I mean, you can still do surf things and stuff, right?” 

He glances vaguely in the direction of the boards. The fact that he recalled Holokai’s talent without prompting was a miracle in itself. Or maybe it was just a lucky guess.

“The water also looks really nice, even if it’s fake, I think... I’d like to try it, maybe, but I don’t know how...”

So he was right?  He knew that paying attention in that psychology class would come to help him someday.  Even if he struggled a lot through it.  Though really it seemed abundantly obvious.

“Amaiyume?  Is that a… doctor?  Researcher?  Friend?  Maybe a mix of all three?”  

Perhaps whoever it was has more insight as to how Ayumu was able to function as well as he did despite his sleep condition, or maybe helped him become a lucid dreamer.

“You’ve probably heard this a lot… actually I know you have because Shiba and the others have definitely warned you about sleeping on the floor.  But… not much I can really do for you except give you a pillow to go with that blanket.  At least then you’re head ought to be comfortable.”  

Sadly for Jito, he had resigned the idea of training Ayumu around to cart him to his room if he fell asleep.  That would be exhausting for both of them, and probably annoying after awhile.  

“Prosopgnosia…?  I uh… have no idea what that is.  It sounds like a condition you have if you get possessed by a ghost.”  

He apparently didn’t pay enough attention in psychology class for that one.

“Prosopnogisa, Prosopnogisa , Prosopnogisa… it is a fun word to say.  I wonder if I could make a rap out of it.”  

No Jito, leave the rapping to the professionals. 

“Yeah, all three, kinda... Amaiyume is where Utagawa-sensei works. I think he helped found the place or something, but I’m not sure... He does all kinds of important stuff that he says he’s really happy to have my help for, which I think is nice...”

Nothing but praise for Utagawa as usual, it seems. He nods along while Jito starts warning him about sleeping on the floor, and then doesn’t warn him about sleeping on the floor, and then says if it’s going to happen he might as well be comfortable. Ayumu thinks that’s pretty darn considerate of him!

“That’s why I carry Fuwafuwa, aha... they’re soft enough, so if I can feel it coming, they can be like... an emergency pillow or something, I think.

He holds up his stuffed sheep almost proudly. Still old, still well-loved, still holding up somehow.

“Oh... I think they also call it ‘face blindness’ or something like that?”

“I’m okay at voices, though... I don’t really know how it works, sorry.”

He perks up minimally when Jito mentions the possibility of rapping. That’s what Shiba does! And he likes Shiba, and he likes Jito, and for once he’s had a pretty good idea.

It was sure great that Mayumi got her research lab.  No doubt he could come by and request a bowl of delicious ramen, if she was okay with it of course.  Though he’s a bit surprised to see Ayumu wandering about.  

“Good evening!”  

He delightfully states before waiting an awkward amount of time for Ayumu to respond back.

“Yup, that’s me.  Good to see that you’re up and walking Abe-san.”  

As opposed to sleeping in the main hub.

But he was brimming with happiness to know that Ayumu at least enjoyed his gift.  

“Of course, when I thought blanket I though Abe-san will surely just sleep around with this.”  

Heck in the last trial he fell asleep with it.  What were the odds.

“Glad that it was comforting to you.  Though… I want to ask you if you’ve got like uh… Narcolepsy.  You’re always sleeping, like at first I thought it was sort of an act cause you’re a dreamer but you sleep a lot… like A LOT.  Do you not get enough sleep at night or…?”  

He seemed a little curious.

“If not, sorry… just wouldn’t want you to pass out somewhere dangerous like on the train tracks or here… where someone might not see you and trip over you while holding a bowl of ramen.”

Aha, wow, Jito knew him so well... He saw something people would generally use while sleeping, and gave it to him. It was genuinely flattering that anyone thought of him like that, even if it was really kind of predictable that he’d like it. Jito’s question almost seems to catch him off guard and he blinks slowly, less like it finds it to be a strange question and more like he’s surprised that anyone even asked.

“Oh... yeah, I do. I got diagnosed right before I started working with Amaiyume, I think...”

That’s probably one of the most straightforward answers anyone’s ever gotten out of him. Just have to ask the right questions.

“It’s not a big deal, though... it’s not like I’ve really gotten hurt because of it or anything.

Maybe a couple bruises here and there, and maybe it would have been worse if he didn’t have Hatoko there on a few occasions, but that’s not his reality at present. The fact that they’re in a killing game and thus falling asleep in the open is dangerous still doesn’t seem to have registered.

“I guess if you’re asking... I should probably tell you I have prosopagnosia, too.”

It only made sense to offer that up, since people knowing about the two were so closely correlated in his mind.

Mayumi found herself flushing, though it wasn’t at all odd that someone would forget her name… they had never talked before, and she’d just kind of vaguely remembered him from the trial.

“Mayumi… Mayumi Hanezuka, head chef and owner of Hane-Ko Ramen.” She tapped her chest and the kanji for Hane emblazoned there. “I um. I was… y-yelling.” Mayumi, please do something more positive for people to remember you with…

“I… you know, if it were just the garden beds I wouldn’t think twice to start growing things… but. Uh… you know, it’s because…” She glanced over at the trap door, then looked back at the earth, giving it another pat pat.

“…this… this talent lab… it’s… Namiko’s, right? So… I mean. It feels kind of disrespectful to try and make it into a garden.”

“Uh, if you’re asking about other places, too… everywhere but here is way more impressive, honestly. I don’t know who’s designing these but they have no sense of restraint or practicality. Did you see the castle?”

Hmm... a lot of people were yelling, if memory served, but now that she mentioned it he could pick out her voice a little more clearly. So she was the Hanezuka Shiba had mentioned before... yeah, that made sense. 

“Right... Mayumi-san. I’ll make sure to remember that...”

At this point, that was really the least he could do. They should at least be familiar with each other’s names by now! Smh, Ayumu, get it together. He’s too busy thinking about how being an owner and head chef must be a lot of work, but he’s sure she enjoys it, so on and so forth. 

“Oh, yeah, it is hers, isn’t it... I don’t know. It’s too bad we can’t ask her if she’d mind or anything...”

Maybe a little too casual there. Even if he does seem slightly downcast about the loss, it doesn’t last long.

“Oh, yeah, the castle, I remember that... the one with the stage and stuff. It was really nice in there, I think. Arisa-san did makeup for me in there once...”

Wrong castle, buddy. Guess that’s a ‘no’ then.

“I’ve never seen anywhere like this, really... not even Korakuen. It’s almost like a dream, but real... it’s nice to be awake to see this kind of thing for once, I think.”

The locations in the new area seemed rather… bizarre. An underground studio and an snowy terrain… how strange. But it made sense with the whole fairy tale theme these kids seemed to have going for them. Kioku made her way to the SHSL Rapper’s lab for a quick cursory glance to try and look for any possible routes of escape. Not that she thinks Monokumi would give them the chance, but it’s worth a look over at least.

When she enters the hut in the area - she’s surprised to see a message that says ‘try rapping when outside’… Well, she knows what this means! So Kioku heads outside, glancing around at the area to see if anyone is nearby… No? Okay. She takes a few steps, before stepping on something… weird. This isn’t ground. She looks down before jumping back in shock.

“O-Oh my gosh! Ayumu-san… I apologize!” She takes a step back, looking down to Ayumu… this kid really will sleep anywhere, huh? “D-Do you need help getting up?” She offers a hand out to the boy.

“…I didn’t see you there…” She pauses for a moment, looking him over once more. “O-Oh! Perhaps you’d like to investigate with me once more? I’m trying to uncover a…” She thinks for a moment, before deciding to add a little flare to the story in an attempt to entice Ayumu, perhaps make him a little more enthusiastic about joining her… didn’t she do this last time and he didn’t seem to care? Whatever, she’s trying it again!

“... Hi, Sherlock-san.”

Absolutely riveting conversation from Ayumu as usual. He stares blankly at her hand for a second before taking it, pulling himself out of the snow. There’s no effort made to brush any of it off or anything. It’s just an accessory now, like his bows or star clip.

Wow, a magical secret that involves rapping... you know, like in every D*sney movie how the princesses start dropping bars. He nods like it makes perfect sense to him, though at this point Kioku probably recognizes that he’s just agreeing with her as always.

“That sounds nice... sure, I’ll join you.”

Shocking.

“So, um, do you need me to do anything...?

“….what else, what else… potatoes. Definitely potatoes. Daikon…”

The sound of dirt being played with doubled, but it wasn’t until Ayumu spoke up that Mayumi actually focused back into the present, the blush that rose on her cheeks indistinguishable from the flush of heat.

She tried to dust off her hands, but… no, that dirt was staying.

“Uh… Ayumu-kun, right? Uh.”

She glanced down at the dirt, then looked around, and finally back at him, shrugging.

“…I… was thinking that this place felt kinda barren, but… all this soil and stuff, maybe we could use it. There’s a lot of vegetables and stuff you can grow from kitchen scraps, if you’re careful… though.”

“…I guess I don’t really know if that’s the right thing to do with… this place. Uh, what brought you here? Are you… looking around and stuff?”

"Yep... that's me."

She seemed sort of familiar, but he couldn't quite remember which of his classmates she was. It’s not like he seemed particularly bothered by this failure of memory, but at this point you’d think people would at least mostly have names down, even if they got them mixed up sometimes. He looked like he was still slightly lost in thought after trying to remember when he actually asked.

“... who are you, again?”

Sorry, Mayumi. Either way, he continued without seeming too perturbed about not seeming to remember who he was talking to.

“Growing vegetables sounds like fun... what else could you use a garden for?” 

It’s disconcertingly hard to tell whether or not that was meant to be a rhetorical question. 

“Mmmhm... looking around and stuff. It’s good to find new places... have you found anything nice? I think it’s too hot to sleep in here, but it’s kind of pretty anyways, right? Kinda like Korakuen...”

There was a whole new station… the prospect of finding her own talent lab had driven her to explore, but she hadn’t gotten far before an obstacle had presented herself, and now she sat quietly in Namiko’s lab, beside the trap door that lead down into the recording lab.

It was hot. Sweltering, enough that the collar of her shirt was damp with sweat, but she merely sat there, pony tail pulled over one shoulder to keep from sticking to the back of her neck, one hand toying with the soil in one of the empty flower beds.

“…onions.” She scooped a handful of dirt and then let it go. Pat pat, pat the dirt. “….garlic. Ginger, maybe. Do we have lemongrass?”

Pat pat pat, scoop.

“…sunflowers. I guess. Unroasted nuts are a long shot. How did they get it so warm in here?”

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been watching her do her thing, but ultimately he sat by the flower bed and mirrored the pat pat pat, scoop-ing of the soil. Hmm. Nope, he had absolutely no clue what purpose this served. It was kind of fun, though.

“... hey.”

There’s a pause like he might have said her name, but then just continued without doing so.

It was time for a little cheering up. Especially in these dire times… Kioku hadn’t exactly been in the mind for leisure activity. She was too busy investigating and questioning and looking for answers - she didn’t give herself a moment to breath. Perhaps she could make someone’s day by handing over one of the items she had won? But who would like these… She rummaged through her belongings. A VHS Camera, a bunch of school uniforms… No one wants this. Until she it. It was perfect!

She picked up the soft blanket and inspected it closely. It was very comfy… She knows just who would like this! It’s gonna make that kid’s - er, teen’s day! So she snatched up the blanket and folded it neatly, then headed to Ayumu’s dorm room - knocking on the door.

“... you said you were Sherlock-san, right?”

Yes. Yes she did. Brilliant deduction - that’s why he’s Watson or whatever! He doesn’t seem to acknowledge anything other than the fact that she is definitely standing there. That’s... par for the course, actually, probably having very little to do with his recent awakening.

“You can... come in, if you want.”

“Real, not real… pocus, shmocus.”

Sticking her nose where it isn’t belonged as the per usual, Namiko leaks over, hair dragging on the floor as she eyes Ayumu up and down.

“Did you think this was fake? I guess that’s a fair enough assumption and all, what with kids with stupid-ass hairstyles teleporting in and out and spoutin’ shit like ‘uwaaa the world outside is wrecked and also it’s two years in the future’ and whatnot. Kinda a whole lot of hullabaloo, for sure.”

“Anyway, you know what’s real? Me! And you, I assume,” she takes this pause to lightly punch Ayumu in the arm, “and I mean, no one’s dead yet, even if someone got stabbed, sooo…”

“Let’s try and make important life connections for the few days our ‘real’ life might remain, hm? I’m the,” she poses, “Namiko Nakasone! And you, with your unnaturally colored hair, excess of hair accessories, and bags under your eyes that are scarily reminiscent of a no-personality harem protagonist are…?”

“Huh...?”

Oh, wow, there were a lot of things being said at him really quickly. He was trying to keep up with everything she was saying (she sounded familiar, somehow, had they met before?) and then next thing he knows he’s getting punched...? Hm. It didn’t really hurt, though he instinctively rubs at the affected spot anyways. It does, at least, enable him to tuck away everything that got said prior for later and catch the fact that she did give him her name.

“Namiko-san, right...? I feel like... we’ve met before or something? I don’t remember hearing your name before, though, sorry...

He shrugs it off quickly enough, apparently.

“It’s nice to meet you either way. I’m Ayumu Abe... and thanks, I think. My friend gave them to me a little while ago...”

Oh, right, he still carried around that stuffed animal. How old was he? She had to imagine he was her age, right? Still? Sure, Arisa ditched hers pretty young, but should an eighteen year old or so be carrying around a toy? Noel probably liked that. At least it was a cute toy and obviously cared for. She had seen some that looked like they went through the shredder even in elementary school. Y’know, when it was still cool to have a toy.

“Oh! Cool! You’ll be used to stuff, then! It means I can really flex my makeup muscles with you! Like, you don’t mind, right? I promise I won’t give you, like, clown makeup or something–I’m not cruel!”

She laughs and winks over her shoulder at him

“So, like, who’s this Hatoko-chan person? Like, she your sister or something? A friend? I know Mitsu-kun stopped letting me do his hair when we were, like, six or seven so it’s cool you still let her play around and get some practice on you! Ooooooh!! Those hairclips are super duper cute!! Like, so fetch!”

Arisa moves over a chair from in front of the vanity out and pats the seat for Ayumu to come on down and receive his fabulous prize of the resident fashionista going absolutely ham on his face and hair. Who could want anything more?

“You don’t need to do a thing but come on over and lemme do my thing! Sorry for asking you to move, I know it totes sucks! I just, like, wanna be able to look from every angle without having to fight the couch, y’know? It would totes suck if I messed up because the couch dipped on me while I was doing your eyeliner! Nothing is worse than smudged eyeliner.”

He sits very politely and continues his efforts to focus on what Arisa is saying - it’s almost nostalgic, in a way. It sounds like a lot of fun, and he’s never really been any good at doing it himself, and now the nice girl from the party is offering to do it for him! 

“Of course I don’t mind, Arisa-san... I trust you.”

Maybe not the wisest course of action considering the entire ‘kill each other’ thing, but it was just makeup. What could possibly go wrong? She promised she wasn’t going to make him look like a clown, and it sounded like she really knew what she was talking about!

“Hatoko-chan is my best friend... she has been for as long as I can remember, actually... I think you’d like her.” 

While still tired in overall tone, there’s a definite undercurrent of this being a subject he enjoys talking about. He doesn’t actually know what ‘fetch’ means, but is presently assuming it’s a good thing since Arisa said it. He stays on the couch stuck in his thoughts for a moment, but ultimately stands and wanders over to sit in the chair as prompted. 

“Yeah, smudged eyeliner is no fun... I don’t want to ruin it or anything, since you’re being so nice and all. I’m excited to see how it turns out...”

Fumiko picked up her head when she heard noise and stared at the person who seemed more interested in the decor than her just sitting there. Fair enough, though!

In fact, even with his question, she just continued to stare at him.

“The creepy lady put ‘em up after she introduced herself and the game.”

It was a quick and neutral response but Fumiko just kept staring at Ayumu, somehow invested in him for no apparent reason.

“So what’re you views on violence? Like, let’s say there’s a real big bad guy or whatever and he gets killed in front of you, would you be able to sit and watch it all happen?”

She props her head up with one of her arms, resting her elbow on the table as if she didn’t just ask a very odd and almost out of character question. Something was bothering Fumiko and seeing Ayumu wasn’t making it any better. 

“... oh. That makes sense.”

It was a slow and neutral response, especially if you compared it to Fumiko’s. He didn’t really react to being stared at, though his eyes drifted downwards even before the strange question was asked. 

“... I don’t know... maybe?”

Well, what a comforting and reassuring answer to get! Although it kind of seems like he didn’t really understand the question, judging by his tone... 

“That sounds like... something that would only happen in a bad dream, right? Or a movie...”

“I guess it depends, maybe...? Why do you ask, um...”

Aha! So he’s actually lost! That was a good thing for our vigilante at least, who lets out an audible sigh of relief that he probably should’ve kept to himself.

He doesn’t contemplate how he’s going to get the two of them out of here – he doesn’t have the chance as the others’ words seem to inflate his ego about the size of the entire garden in an instant.

“R-Really? I’m your hero?”

– As if his ‘I’m a hero!’ shtick hadn’t been shouted outright following Haruto’s injury. Still, the remark clearly has him in high spirits as he continues along the path, Ayumu in tow in absolutely the wrong direction.

“So, you have any interest in chemistry? That’s what this place is called, right? I dunno a thing about it but I thought it’d be fun to check out! Juuust to cover my bases! That’s part of my job, knowin’ what’s what! Too bad about the maze, though, right? If not for my great sense of direction I’d probably get lost in here too ☆”

Are heroes of justice usually this okay with blatantly lying…?

Our vigilante’s name might have been Lucky, but Ayumu was the one considering himself lucky for the timing of the chance encounter. He hadn’t really realized he was lost until it was pointed out for him, but that didn’t make it any less fortunate...!

“Yeah, you are... heroes show up when people need them, right? Which you did, and you even look like one...”

It’s not explicit, but Ayumu is absolutely referring to his height on that one. This man is incredibly tall, and it makes him feel incredibly safe. He doesn’t protest while he’s getting towed along, although with his sluggish pace there’s a non-negligible chance it’s almost more like he’s getting dragged. Even if that is the case, he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Oh... I don’t know. I think it sounds kind of cool, I guess... I think the chemist here is really going to like it though, right...? 

He vaguely remembers talking to someone who seemed like they’d enjoy it. Todoroki, right...? That was probably right. He could just check the cast page, but he doesn’t.

“Wow, you must be really smart, aha... I’m glad you showed up, then.”

Ayumu is walking ego fodder. You could probably do a grade school magic trick in front of him and he’d think it was cool.

Holy shit this kid really had just been knocked out on one of these couches. Either he had absolutely no fear, or he just didn’t even think about the possible consequences for just sleeping in plain sight. He was…something with sleep, right? Maybe he could tell what was going on around him while he slept or something. That would explain why he just took a nap anywhere…Yeah, sure, we’ll go with that one.

“Morning, sleepyhead!”

She rocked on her heels as she waited for Ayumu to wake up entirely. She knew that maaaaaaybe not everything she said was picked up upon, but she was sure he got the gist of it! After all, he didn’t look confused so he must understand!

“Great, great!!! I’m so hype, perfect! Like, have you ever worn makeup or anything before? Gotten your hair done? Do you know what you like and don’t like or can and can’t use? Or is this your first time? ‘Cuz, like, if it’s your first time, I can totes go suuuuuuper simple and natural and see what you like, or we can go absolutely fucking crazy and get a lil experimental!”

As she’s gushing, she scurries around one of the vanities, checking out every single product on it and either placing it back down in some order only she can understand or all but tossing it onto another vanity. Honestly, she looks a bit like a bee buzzing from one flower to the next in the way she then hops between vanities and examines all of the items, taking things she likes that weren’t on the others.

“Oh, no, no! I mean price, like, I get rid of those eyebags of yours, and you let me do your hair and makeup! Like, you get something outta this, and I get something outta this! Tada! Super simple, right? Whaddya say? That work for you?”

Thinking back on it, did he even understand what she was talking about during her little tirade? Oh well. She just had to hope, she supposed!

Ah...! He actually seemed to perk up a little bit when she started talking about hair and makeup again, now that he was more awake to actually process it. He sat up and set Fuwafuwa off to the side of the couch, making an effort to actually listen politely now. He doesn’t have any idea what she means by going crazy and getting experimental, but she seems excited about it which is good enough for him.

“Oh... Hatoko-chan practices that kind of stuff on me all the time. She says she likes working on me because I don’t move much, aha...”

He reached up and vaguely gestured to the smattering of accessories stuck in his hair.

“She’s actually the one who gave me these... oh, let me move them for you if we’re doing hair too.”

He unclipped the star first and set it on the stuffed sheep, followed shortly by the two bows. Fuwafuwa has been entrusted with guarding these precious accessories, which they will surely do. They’re balanced pretty well on it, all things considered, so those probably weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Okay... there.”

“And that sounds nice, Arisa-san... You can do whatever you want, I’m sure it’ll look really good. Just tell me if I need to do anything, aha...”