#drddstarter

“----Usouuuu-chaaa~n, we all miss you so much over here! I’m being serious right now!!” A feminine voice whined over Stella’s cell phone. It was the first time in months since she had been in her home, having had spent her first two terms at Hope’s Peak Academy. While the seer had been hoping to spend some time with her family, she was still excited to hold an actual party in her house for the first time in forever. It was incredibly common for Stella hold get-togethers at her place in her old high school, but Hope’s Peak made her act different.

She had found the courage to actually send out invitations to everyone in her first period, seeing as it was the class that she felt the most comfortable with. “Awww, I miss you too, Senpai! I really do,” she smiled while drying the last of the dishes. The voice began squealing loudly almost immediately with some sort of negative emotion before finally making out the words, “Noooooo!! D- Don’t call me that!! I won’t accept that from the likes of you!! Y- You damn Super High-School Level, that’s too much!!”

“Still as loud as ever?” Stella winced, though unable to hold back a laugh, “It’s a wonder how everyone can put up with you~! Especially without me around to hold you back...”

“Ugh! I’m not a child! I have some control, you know!”

“I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes at this statement. That was a lie. She knew very well that wasn’t true. “Anyways, I told you before that I’m busy right now.”

“Busy, huh?” The girl mused over her speaker phone, “Still studying for your midterms? We’ve been struggling with really badly here too. Ours are coming up next week! It’s a total nightmare here.”

“Ah, well, I just finished testing this week,” Stella explained, “I’m going to be hosting a little party for my class. A small celebration sort of thing, I guess.”

“Ahhh~~~! A party full of bunch of geeks,” her Senpai gushed sarcastically, “What a dream~! You better hang out with us next weekend after we’re done testing! You owe us some fun too.”

“How could I say no to that?” Stella questioned, picking her up her phone once finished with her last chore. “I promise I will, Senpai, but I’m afraid we must part for now. I will be reuniting soon with my own geeks... Then I will grace you with my presence at a later time, my sweet~”

“Haha, gross! I’ll talk to you later then, Usou-chan-- you better tell me how the party goes!” The two former classmates made their goodbyes before hanging up. With a sigh, Stella then pulled her hair out of its bun before walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. Who was to come first, she wondered. Oh, she hoped this party would actually be somewhat enjoyable. She knew how to please her friends, but most of her classmates were still something else to her. She liked a few, she feared a few, even intimidated by some.

Relaxing was key now, though! None of that anxiety in this household! Her grandmother had put enough crystals and candles around to keep those sort of feelings out of this place! She had to remain positive, happy, excited!

... Ah, she was pretty excited though.

The girl made her way downstairs until reaching her family’s shop. It was just as she remembered it. Shelves and displays featuring all sorts of trinkets that someone of her talent would love, and with more. All sorts of candles that had various instructions taped to them, as well as questionable items that could only go into the right hands. She never did liked those damned ouija boards that her grandmother would sell... Creepy...

Walking to the front door, she opened it as a small ‘ding’ announced her exit. Outside were all sorts of stores, cafes, and various shops on every corner. She wondered for a moment over how her classmates would feel knowing that she lived in a place like this? Surely they weren’t expecting something extravagant, right? The thought admittedly made her nervous...

[Surgery Room]

No, this simply would not not sate his needs. This array of cocktail medications did not satisfy any kind of craving he had to fill, and extending the search to the operating room did not yield anything even remotely successful, and it showed how restless it made Masumi.

Simply put, where... could one find... sleep medication?

Throughout the oneirologist’s rather reckless expedition throughout the room, containers and bottles were strewn around, a messy tenure brought about by the desires of one silvery-haired boy would not be stopped. The actions of a careless housepet feline could relate to the disaster the boy brought on with little apprehension. 

Though, it did not seem that his quest would yield any results. A faithless chance to have...

Mumbling to himself, Masumi squeezed ever so seemlessly into a medicine cabinet, perhaps in some illusioned hope of stumbling into a secret compartment to which would ease his nightly affairs.

“...perhaps... some surgical... sedatives... would suffice...”

Despite how drastic his measures were, the oneirologist thought the solution completely appropriate, sifting through the shelves knocked over in his occupancy of the cabinet.

It was, by most accounts, a pretty nice day out. Sunny, and warm, but not too warm. Just right. The perfect day for lazing around and enjoying life. Which was, of course, Hiroshi’s daily agenda between trials. But today he had an idea of what to do with his time, and was pretty set on accomplishing it.

He walked around the mall for a little while, visiting each of the shops to see if there’s anything interesting. Some of them he made a note to visit again, others her passed by with hardly a second thought. Not that he was really here for that, though.

A number of minutes later he found himself on the roof of the mall, looking quite pleased with himself. He could see the whole island from up here! ...Oh boy, was it ever small. And so much water, all the way around. Hold on, just how had he gotten up there?

He made his way to the edge of the building and perched on the edge of the roof. It was an awful long way down but he wasn’t terribly concerned with that. He dangled his feet over the edge and it could have just been six inches off the ground.

Oh, hold on, someone was coming. He picked up a pebble and chucked it in their direction, aiming for the ground near them.

The conversation with Nisemono had shaken him up, left them feeling...strange, to say the least. They’re upset, they’re mad, they’re salty, they’re-

“B-back to square one.”

Seiji shudders, gripping his arms tightly as he leaves the cafe. He’s got a scrape on his knee, and that needs fixing up as soon as possible - or, he could, y’know, let that bleed out on the ground. No biggie.

He vaguely remembers the announcement made by Monobear earlier that morning, the one about new areas opening and the like. There was a hospital, they were sure there had been. One that would, hopefully, be full of bandages and things of the like.

Seiji jogs through the island, taking too many wrong turns (not like he’s in a hurry, he’s got all the time in the world. Until someone decides to drop an anvil on his head or something.) in an attempt to navigate his way to the hospital. One would think that he’d be good at following maps, and the truth is, he’s not bad - he has to have some sort of skill at reading apps to be able to climb mountains year after year. It’s just a fact.

“Mmm, so this is the hospital? J-Jesus.”

Great, even the stutter is back. 

The hospital is...a hospital. That disgusting hospital stench lingers, making Seiji wrinkle his nose as he glances around, trying to find some bandages.

It’s a little unnerving, honestly, being in a hospital with...nothing in it. Usually there are people - nurses, doctors, patients bustling to and fro, making their way around as each takes care of the business they need to.

“A-ah....a-anyone there?”

After Hayato finally left, Chika finally got out of bed and stretched. The morning had been full of awkward tension...though she wasn’t sure if Hayato exactly noticed considering how he was...either way she observed the room a bit closer now that she had the chance. She wrinkled her nose a bit, noticing the laundry beginning to pile up...on the floor. She tried not to laugh at the state of his room, but it was difficult and ended up chuckling to herself anyway. After taking a quick look around his kitchenette, she noticed neither of them had much in their pantries...well she knew what she was doing today.

She thought back to before Hayato had left when she was trying to distract herself and had swiped through the maps for a few minutes to see what was available and had seen a grocery store. Maybe she could pay him back for letting her crash at his place by picking some stuff up for him? She Grabbed her sweater that was hanging off a chair, pulled it on, and dashed out of Hayato’s room before anyone could catch her. 

Apartments  → Grocery Store

Finally arriving at the grocery store, Chika grabbed a hand basket and began looking around, not paying too much attention to where she was walking. She figured it was still fairly early and that no one would really be around, and it didn’t seem like anyone was there. That was until she felt a soft thud and saw a wave of blond hair in her face. 

“Oh! I...I’m sorry... are you-”

Her mind was else where. They all hadn’t even been their for very long and not too many people had died, yet she felt... Numb? She didn’t shake in fear or cry. It just felt... normal. Getting threatened, someone found dead, and then someone getting ‘punished’ before their eyes. It felt normal. Fuck, even when her secret of being a Golden Gai Siren was at risk, she didn’t bat an eyelash. Just went to her room and starting building a gundam model even deep in her mind during the trial she just wanted to get it over with so she could do as she pleased. Like someone didn’t murder one of their classmates and was going to be killed themselves. That thought made the Akiba idol sick. Disgusted with herself and her thoughts actually. Honestly, that hint of disgust made her feel better. As if she were still capable of feeling even if it was a degree  of self loathing. 

Gripping onto her jacket the girl made her way to the Cinema Arcade. She just needed something anything other than being in her room to make herself feel like Miki Iwai. The girl who was lighthearted and fun. And didn’t act the way she was now. 

[Location: Cinema, Game Arcade] 

After grabbing a bottle of cola soda and a turning in the few coins that she had, though she wasn’t too happy with what she got. Seriously, a rock and some friendship bracelets? Talk about cheap prizes... The Akiba idol set herself up at one of the dance games. It ended up reminding her of all the times she’d take Fumiko to the arcade with her. Who knew a girl could move so quick in such thin heels! Smiling at the memories, she took in a breath and began to play. Playing each song in order on the hardest difficulty, hitting each arrow with no trouble.

“Huh? ..Oh! Hey! Needed some mindless fun too?”

She spoke to the student, she’d spotted in the corner of her eye without looking away from the screen or stopping till the song was over. With the grade Perfect on the screen, she smiling to herself. Looking pretty proud and allowed herself to have a drink of her soda that had been resting on the machine. Finally giving the other her attention she smiled to them.

[ Sporting Goods ]

Hayato sighed. He can't believe the machine had his old scarf he wore in middle school. How the hell did they manage to get it anyways? He thought he kept it hidden in his closet back at home. It's not like he could return it, so he just stuffed it in the back pocket of his shorts. In his other hand, however, was a red and white armband. He seems to be holding onto it tightly, but why?

"(This feels really familiar...)"

He shook his head, why did he feel so attached to this thing anyways? He too shoved that in his back pocket as he found himself wandering around the Sporting Goods store. Huh. How did he not notice he was here in the first place?

He did feel more at ease though, knowing that he's in his element. He was going to look at some equipment before he realized someone also had the same idea.

“...”

With quick, muffled breathes, the oneirologist seemed winded within the confines of his company. The events of that night were excitable, nonetheless; to partake in the fruition brought on by the girl with the bright eye’s ideas was an exhilarating step for the boy, if not entirely proactive outside of his boundaries. What troubles he went to by simply deciding to attend...

With his sleepy gaze returning after a meditative breath, Masumi’s gaze flitted between the pair that sat before him. The fiery one; the one who seemed to always be at bay with the rays of the sun. Perhaps the sun was dimming. The oneirologist found the girl’s brimming grin returning less after the trials they endured. Masumi considered consoling someone who would go to such lengths to even offer such an event to take place, but lingered on the thought.

It... did seem like quite an amount... to handle another’s... emotional distress... before he could... quell his own...

And the dark boy, with all his pressing questions. It was of no consequence that he should share time more often with such a curious individual, and perhaps that gaze of questioning found its way onto the other. Perhaps he shall have another question revolving around eldritch horrors the mind might conjure from the depths of unconscious thought. Perhaps he shall look for advice on writing realistic bouts of cranial horror. A hat size came into the slurry of thoughts the oneirologist perceived, but the boy simply glanced on, his true intentions rather hazy. Purple eyes glinted in curiosity of whatever may spill out of a mouth that belonged to a person dark as he. 

With the flicks of his gaze roaming with the rise and fall on a candle, still tagged with the price from a grocery store, the oneirologist let a utensil rest between his fingers, slowly digging into the spread before them. 

Simple, if not bland at best. Vegetables and stews lined before them, and it surely seemed a great deal of effort had been placed into it, but to the oneirologist, the chef made themselves quite clearly never to have experienced a dish too luxurious in the making...

“I... assume... you are... feeling well...”