GREAT CURSE.

At this point she didn’t know what came first.

The sound of one of the books falling off the shelf seemingly out of nowhere or one of the cats meowing loudly to grab her attention.

Either way, it didn’t help Celica much as she quickly took a step back with an initial reaction of shock as she looked between the fallen book and to the larger feline that looked at her before looking right next to the shelf as if the cat was staring at the air again. Though her reaction that followed wasn’t that of being frightened, but of confusion and curiosity.

“What’s…gotten into you?” she spoke carefully, but who was she even asking that to? Her cat? Herself?

“Maybe I’m just…tired…” she mumbled under her breath. She was still physically exhausted after going to heal a certain idol’s injury, but was stopped from finishing due to the draw back of her own health for it. Maybe she really did need the rest, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

She picked up the book from the ground with one hand to examine it. It didn’t have a title anywhere. All there was was a brand on the front and a different one on the back. She recognized the book easily. It spoke tales of a war from a long time ago over the gods that were worshiped back home.

Strangely enough, looking upon her free right hand, her palm held a brand that looked exactly like the one on the front cover.

Did…anyone ever noticed that?

Did he scare her?

He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to distress Celica; not after all she’s been through. He starts to regret trying to interfere, but he then notices the curious look in her eye. A wave of relief washes over him. Honestly, though, he should have expected this. He probably knew Celica better than anyone.

...

Celica most likely didn’t remember him, and how special she was to him. He was genuinely worried about frightening or hurting her, but he seemed to be dealing the most damage to himself.

Continuing to watch over her, he noticed that mark on both the book’s cover and her palm. A memory popped into his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn’t need to focus on that right now. He just wants to get Celica’s attention.

Daiki reached out to try and touch her palm, only to have it phase right through. He’s hit with another painful realization, that he’ll never be able to hold her hand like that. Their mortality separated them, and he just wanted to shout in frustration. Instead, he keeps calm. Touching her wouldn’t do any good, so instead, he moved another book while she can see it. 

Goro could see Daiki’s eyes darting around and he took it as a sign of the other’s wariness. Of course, that was only to be expected, and he told himself that he wasn’t bothered by it. He’d more than earned it, after all.

Daiki hardly reacted to his barely-veiled jab, which was fine. His defensiveness had already spoken for itself, so there was no need to seek further reaction. Still, Daiki’s dismissal of him, if not outright, was clear. Goro could begin to break down that last image of himself he’d given the class, but it wasn’t going to be productive to push it now, when Daiki was disgruntled and disoriented and Goro had already hit a nerve once.

“It took me some time to gather myself, when it was me. Especially given the nature of your end, I thought it was best to be sure you found out how to leave. At first I couldn’t move far from my body, but as I processed the new memories, I was able to travel where I wanted. If our experiences are similar, you’ll find that it’s hard to focus on them at first; once you do, you’re able to move freely.” A polite explanation with just enough of a personal connection to give it validity, to provide a sympathetic side to him without becoming truly vulnerable. It was a craft he had long since mastered.

And when Daiki dared to ask him a question, there was no doubt that he was referencing Wataru even if he didn’t speak his name. Goro wondered how purposeful that was, if he didn’t want to hear it at all, but pretended not to have read so deeply into it and started his response with his name.

“Wataru is in the execution room. He… I wouldn’t say he’s ready to see anyone, so I thought I had likely given you enough time to wake up before I check on him afterwards.”

Perhaps it wouldn’t be what Daiki wanted to hear. But taking his own memories into account along with recent circumstances, he thought it might be worth risking the truth.

The nature of your end…

Haha. Oh, he wished he could forget.

He suffered. He screamed as loud as he could, bloodied fingers clawing at the wooden sauna door. No one heard him, or perhaps he was ignored. He’ll never know for sure, and he wished it didn’t eat away at him like it did. He could think for hours, small “what ifs” and situations of if he had been luckier playing in his head. Perhaps, he’d still be alive. But that’s just not how things turned out.

The experience scarred him, just as the burns on his skin did.

He had so many questions, reserved for that one person. So many whys and how comes. The thought of asking him all of those things… He laughed to himself.

“I appreciate it.” Daiki wondered if that was concern; but would Goro actually feel concerned for him? He doubted it. He sat and listened to what Goro had to say, even with the possibility in his mind that he could be being lied to. But what would be the point in that? No one has the upper hand in the afterlife. There’s nothing anyone can do. Nothing can be gained, so he decided to trust Goro for now.

In the execution room. Because he’s a murderer. The thought still won’t settle.

“I see.” He wouldn’t say he’s a hundred percent ready to face the man who killed him, either. Thinking of Wataru’s smiling face, the one that he was always used to seeing, and then that face filled with agitation before he hit the ground… His stomach turns. If he could get sick, he probably would.

During his time in school together, Wataru was someone he always trusted. Someone so kind… Was he really capable of killing someone, especially so maliciously.

It was painfully obvious how little Daiki trusted him, even now when he could do nothing to him. Painful or laughable, maybe. It meant nothing; Goro no longer had any need for trust, and even if he did, there was no way he could get it now.

He raised his hands in a placating gesture, well aware that even gloved they might only remind Daiki of his latest crime. If they did, that was just as well. “I meant no harm–only that it seems this particular incident was a case of many plans gone unfortunately awry.” Liar. Still, that defensive reaction easily confirmed Daiki’s view of him, fulfilling its purpose.

“I am only human; I wouldn’t say I remember everything.” Goro knew he was being intentionally difficult, and softened his approach only slightly. “However, I am well aware of the truth circumstances of our final ‘vacation.’ It appears loss of life unlocks those memories.”

There was no reason not to share that with him; he was going to tell him how to get out, and that knowledge implied the information he’d just given anyway. Keeping it secret would only be further proof that he was untrustworthy, and while he had no intention of earning anyone’s trust, there was no advantage to pushing them further away either.

Daiki claiming to be fine was definitely laughable, but there was no reason for Goro to push him on that. Let him save the talk about emotions for someone who was more interested in seeing waterworks, whether he and Wataru were able to reconcile or he waited for another death. Because of course, there would be another, and most likely soon.

He might as well cut to the chase before he risked Daiki getting emotional anyway. “Have you tried to leave yet?”

A brief glance at one of Goro’s gloved hands was indeed enough to unnerve him. He remembered seeing the broken fingers hidden underneath, and evenin death it wasn’t a sight that was easy to forget. It was something gruesome, but it was also served as a reminder of how much Goro wanted Noah dead -- or maybe not even Noah specifically, just someone so that he could snake his way off of the island and continue with whatever plans he had in the outside world.

But, before all of that, Goro was once a student at Hope’s Peak too, right?

It’s a memory that makes him feel conflicted. It’s possible that he and Goro could have been friendly in the past, and he could have made friends with some of the other students, as well. With their newly reacquired memories, it made the circumstances around the murders all the more painful to him. But it didn’t change the fact that Goro Akechi was now a murderer. It didn’t change the fact that Wataru Hibiki...

Still, he couldn’t get himself to admit it.

Daiki knew that Goro was being difficult, probably to get a rise out of him or something. What was even the point? The two of them were sitting around in some sort of afterlife. Nothing could be gained from trying to irritate him. He wondered what kind of grudge kept Goro from moving on into the next life.

“It seems like it.” They seemed to remember their lives before the killing game started -- and not everything, like Goro went out of his way to point out. There was a sigh that passed his lips. It was clear that Daiki was still trying to come to terms with whatever memories came back to him. All of those people that he actively avoided before were once his friends, and he spent his last few weeks alive wanting nothing to do with them. It was something ugly and unfair, but that’s what the curse decided for him.

With Goro’s question, he shook his head. “I haven’t been awake for long,” He explained with a defined curtness. It was obvious that Daiki didn’t have many words for the detective. He was still adjusting, and Goro wasn’t the most welcoming presence, but he would at least humor him with the bare minimum. It was nice to know that he wasn’t alone here. “...But seeing you, I know it’s possible.” After all, if they were limited to where they died, then he would be where Monokuma held the executions. Though, that gave him a realization, and he finally brought himself to look back up from the sauna floor.

Goro had hesitated to approach the sauna, painfully aware of his circumstances. He’d watched as Daiki struggled, screaming and desperate and so unwilling to die but helpless to find a way to live. While he wasn’t the paragon of justice he’d made himself out to be, he didn’t enjoy watching someone suffer, and yet he had been powerless himself; he had only been able to watch.

And he himself was a killer, and had long been one. Daiki had seen his final victim, there was no reason for Goro’s presence to offer and kind of comfort to him. But thinking of him being trapped in the sauna even in death…

Goro didn’t care. He didn’t. Except after what he had witnessed in Daiki’s final conscious living moments, he wanted to at least let the other know how to get out. Then he would leave, neither leaving himself open to be judged or forcing him into sharing space with a murderer.

He approached with a facade in place as always, but not quite the same polite one he’d always worn. Heavier, more tired, and openly bitter. He had already told all of them that he was a seasoned killer, even if he’d thought he was bluffing at the time, and most if not all of the class had seen how meticulous he had been about his planned murder that had been interrupted. There was no point in pretending to be the innocent and pleasant boy he’d created prior to the murder.

But neither did they need to see how saturated the well was with poison.

He conjured a small smile, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall. “I imagine that’s not the only expectation you had which failed to be met.” He remembered the other’s obvious crush, though he wasn’t feeling cruel enough to remind him of it (yet?). “You don’t appear to be in pain anymore; that’s good.” Perhaps the other would take it as concern for his well-being, and certainly Goro had no desire to see him in pain, but it also provided evidence for his hypothesis that pain felt in these forms was due to psychological stress, since there was no longer a physical trigger.

That smile, small but backed with the faintest traces of bitterness, caused his stomach to turn. Goro had revealed his true demeanor during Noah’s trial. He revealed that Noah wasn’t his first. He felt like an idiot back then for believing that he was innocent based purely off his talent and the fact that they had briefly investigated together. But he was wrong. Goro had indeed killed Noah. 

The thought of taking another person’s life... His skin crawled, but he supposed that was how he ended up like this. 

The question caused Daiki to sit up a little straighter, hairs standing on the back of his neck in some sort of hostility. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He questioned, brows furrowing in frustrated confusion... Which was a lie. He knew exactly what Goro was talking about. That meant Goro remembered everything as well, right? Even so, that didn’t mean Goro deserved a straightforward answer.

“So that means you remember everything as well, don’t you?” Everything before the killing game began. Monokuma sure had tricked them, making them forget all of their friendships, the times they spent together; everything. But maybe it was for the best. If Daiki had never remembered, the truth about his killer wouldn’t have hurt so much.

The last thing he remembers is the sweltering heat, steam clouding his already fading vision and choking his lungs. He remembers accepting his death, knowing that he had it coming. Someone as unlucky as him was bound to end up dead eventually.

They were right about you.

It’s a sudden, unwelcoming thought, but with it comes the rest. With it comes the constant rejection. The rejection from his family, of his happiness, of everything. Hope’s Peak was his only solace, the thing that made him happy. Hope’s Peak brought him another chance to beat the odds he was spited for. Because of Hope’s Peak, he made friends.

Then why did it end up this way?

He’s brought out of his thoughts by the deep, searing sting of his skin. Looking down to glance at his arm, only to see peeling and blistering that stained it a grotesque-looking red. It wasn’t like this when he gave up, and he begins to wonder how long he was in there before he was found... The thought of it is sickening.

Looking around, he realizes that he’s still in the sauna. The steam is nowhere to be seen, and it seems that it’s been turned off. How much time has passed? It’s an irrelevant question, so he drops it before he even considers the answer. More importantly, it seems things have been fixed. The doorknob is back in its place, with the net most likely placed back where it was before. 

It seemed like his murder never happened. Maybe, by now, he’s already been forgotten. For someone like him, maybe that’s for the best. Would someone who was cursed, destined to succumb to a terrible fate from the beginning, be worth remembering?

He then remembers that conversation when he feels a dull aching on the side of his head. He remembers falling, as well as the blurred sight of pale, yet vibrant cyan hair. He remembers that he is the one that caused his death, yet part of him yearns to deny it. There’s a tightening in his chest and an ache in his heart as the memories settle. How could Wataru do this? He wasn’t capable of murder. He was a good person, wasn’t he? That’s why Wataru was the one that he...

His thought process is, once again, interrupted. However, this time it’s by the sound of approaching footsteps. Looking up once the one approaching him is in sight -- Goro Akechi, the one who killed Noah not too long ago -- he keeps a calm expression despite how utterly distraught he feels.

He was a killer, cold and selfish, with the other students being only stepping stones for his own plans.

Too bad he tripped and fell, drowning in the very blood he spilled.

Daiki was as pale as his robes. A corpse sat before them, watching as Goro’s body was quite literally choked out of him. His arms, his legs -- his entire body trembled as he stared. This went against absolutely everything he was taught. Daiki, a pacifist who swore not to harm a single living creature, was now partially responsible for Goro Akechi’s death -- all for nothing.

He felt sick. He couldn’t look at the body any longer. With the sparse amount of energy he had left, he turned his back from the execution that had taken place, sliding down to the ground with his back against the podium. Pulling his knees to his chest, he sat still. It didn’t seem like he’d be moving for a while.

The student was uncharacteristically calm. There was an unusual lack of tears. He no longer shook, and instead merely stared forward. One would assume that he was at ease, but the “peaceful” expression on his face could only be interpreted as “deeply disturbed”. He stayed.

This was all for nothing. Two people were dead, and now everyone’s hands were stained red.

“Aaaaaaaaaaa!” Suki yelled. Less of a yell and more of a sound someone made at the doctor’s office when they were told to open their mouth wide and say ‘aah’. But dammit she was trying! Then she coughed and had to stop.

A small step back was taken when she worried she’d startled him. Obviously it was because her yelling wasn’t very good yet. And well, she’d been startled too the first time she had to wake up to that noise, so this made them fair and square. “H-hello Daki.” She stepped forward again, arms tightening.

“Ummm, c-can… I ummm…” She closed her mouth quickly when the words didn’t come, mushing her lips together and staring downwards. This was probably a really personal question, maybe she had no right to ask. A quick gulp before posing her request again.

“Can you s-show me how to yell l-like you?” Suki immediately walked forward after saying it. “I’m n-not making fun of you, I…” It was important that she proved she meant it seriously. The reason shouldn’t concern him and that wasn’t what she was asking either. “I really want t-to learn!”

“You want to...” It took him a second to process what she was asking of him. “You want to yell like I do?”

It was obvious that he was confused. Most didn’t take very kindly to his morning routine, so the fact that someone was genuinely interested in it surprised him. Daiki placed whatever he was working with down, allowing the smallest of smiles to form on his face.

“This is a routine I’ve had for years, so of course it’ll take some practice.” He stood up, looking Suki over. “If that shout earlier was the best you’ve got, then you’ll have to work on strengthening your vocal cords. Try practicing every single day to get more power behind your voice!”

Of course, the only thing that dragged him out and kept him out is Monokuma’s announcement and the fact that he had to go to the lobby to hear it, along with the possible consequences that came with him refusing to show up. Joining up with the rest of the group at last, he had no choice but to listen to what the bear had to say.

The announcement left him feeling sick to his stomach. Of course something like this would happen to them. He was with them, after all. This was just a result of his bad luck... He felt that there was only one solution to his woes, and he found himself making a trip to the convenience store in order to make that solution a reality

--

About an hour later, Daiki is back in the lobby of the hotel with various supplies in hand: scissors, a stack of paper, a calligraphy set, thread, a needle, and piles of various fabrics that only could have come from other scavenged objects. Next to him is a growing stack of good luck charms made with the aforementioned materials. It’s obvious that he’s focused only on his work before him, so he doesn’t expect it when he’s approached and called out to.

It’s a given for him to overreact, his entire body stiffening as he looks up with a startled yelp. However, it seems that he’s used to this, apparent in how he grips the scissors in his hand rather than dropping them in surprise at the risk of hurting himself. Though, he quickly calms down, taking a deep breath before speaking.

In order to get some peace and quiet, Daiki finds himself wandering throughout the hotel in circles while the others mingle outside. On top of having the opportunity to be alone, it’s also a way for him to make sense of his surroundings. Daiki, with his awful sense of direction, will get lost eventually. It’s something he’s sure of, especially with a hotel as large as this one.

Daiki expects that he’s completely alone, but why does he feel like he’s being watched? Maybe it’s just his nerves getting to him… It’s nothing to worry about. Shaking off his feelings of nervousness, he makes a few more rounds of the hotel. Though, once he makes a turn around a corner, he’s stopped in his tracks by the sight of six eyes staring back at him.

God, save him.

He falls backwards, letting out a screech of pure terror.

Suki looked up from her feet to the person approaching her. Walking alone to the hotel had her lost in thought she she didn’t notice thier slip up thankfully. There was something else distracting about them. “Are your…”

She craned her neck around to get a better view. No, it was just a headband and the ears weren’t twitching. Suki wondered why anyone would want to look like a cat. In fact their whole outfit was like a lucky cat charm. She didn’t know what to make of that.

“I… I’m ok.” Nodding followed as Suki rung her arms together. It was obvious they were staring but then she had just done the same so she said nothing. Looked like everyone else was staying down at the beach for a while. She was glad to have someone else there with her, though they weren’t doing anything. Shoulders nudged at the hotel’s entrance.

“C-can you open the door please?” It was a turn and push handle. Suki had no interest in finding out who had touched it last or setting herself up for embarrassment with someone watching. “I’d l-like to go inside…” She tried to smile but it looked too forced.

Just as Daiki had stared, the girl stares back at him. He’s quick to get an idea of her thoughts as her words trail off, taking note of where she’s trying to look. His outfit is something that people ask about often, so he isn’t surprised in the slightest about her curiosity.

“Oh, no. They’re not real.” He states the obvious, removing the headband for a quick moment before placing it back on his head. “They’re for good luck -- the whole outfit is, actually.” Daiki sounds proud and confident in that assertion, which is quite different from his demeanor a moment ago. “It’s, uh... for my own safety.”

happy birthday enjoy it on the beach!

Glancing around at the others who had been unloaded from the ship like himself, everyone seems to have found someone else to talk to. Daiki merely stands in place without a word, observing the chatting masses. He’s taking into account the various body postures, the auras that everyone gives off... He’s not liking it.

One person he notices, however, is glancing around and seems to be in deep thought. They don’t seem to be a threat, and Daiki is becoming curious. He sighs, going out on a whim as he approaches the thoughtful student, clearing his throat nervously.