X.「Wheel of Fortune」

( tw: knives, stabbing )

The time in between executions never got any easier, but knowing that yet again, an innocent party would be killed, it definitely felt worse than all the times before. It was a shame, going from quite the win streak to being wrong twice in a row…

Luckily, there wasn’t much more time to dwell on it, as Takaku is suddenly dragged away. Just like those before them, they were being sent to death because of your decision in this twisted game. 

As the monitor turns on, the first thing that catches your eye is Takaku, their bright and colourful appearance clashing with what seemed to be a wheel behind them. They seem to be strapped in by their arms and legs, unable to move anything but their neck. As for the wheel, it seems like something out of a circus act, without any sort of symbols or words that hold any meaning. 

And then, without any sort of warning, the wheel begins to spin, as if an unseen force were pushing it. The wheel spins at a dizzying pace, moving faster and faster until Takaku is nothing more than a blur. 

When the first knife hits the wheel, it narrowly misses its target, but whoever is throwing them doesn’t seem to want to give up as another dagger follows behind it. Soon, there are dozens of knives littering the wheel, and you can’t seem to tell if any of them have hit their mark or not. 

And then it all comes to a stop. 

The wheel finally halts, revealing that your suspicions were correct and that they had remained untouched. Knives and daggers surround their form, inches away from causing any physical harm. However, despite the fact that the projectiles have since ceased, the jester remained in their restraints without any sign of being able to escape. 

Moments pass by without any change, and you wonder for a moment if something unexpected will happen, just as it had in the past. Anticipation fills you, in a way, though it comes in the form of something at the bottom of your stomach. Everything is building up, staring at the jester as you wait…and wait…and–

Your only warning was the look of horror on Takaku’s face before all you could hear was the wet sound of piercing flesh, dozens more knives flying directly at their still body. 

As usual, the feed cuts during the impact shot, but when it returns, you are left with the image of the floor with Takaku’s feet dangling lifelessly, blood pooling beneath them.

Perhaps planning their little shout-together in the midst of trial wasn’t ultimately appropriate – and it certainly hadn’t helped them solve the case – but when Takaku Kurukuru expressed interest in ouendan (that he’d always take 100% seriously), he resolved to show them the ropes!

… Which is. Why he was in his lab once again, this time in full uniform, plastic megaphone by his side as he awaited the arrival of –

“KURUKURU-SAN! OOOOOOSU!”

…Of course, here was the only place he was technically allowed to utilize his maximum volume, and he was always ready to take advantage of it.

Waving them over, the smile on his face is as radiant as his voice was jarring.

“YOSHIDA-KUN! OOOOSU!” 

They had their own brand of energy which they returned Ryuu’s greeting with, but their projection and volume simply could not hope to match his. He had to shout and be heard over enthused crowds, and they usually wore a mic during their shows. It almost made them wonder about the audio quality of their allegedly broadcast killing game, but such thoughts were for a time which wasn’t to be spent yelling with a cool friend, who they’ve promptly scampered over to.

“You’d know best, Yoshida-kun! I’m always ready to run, jump, and yell! My outfit is optimized for flexibility and acrobatics, you know!” They snicker in a manner that suggests that might not quite be the case, but it certainly hasn’t seemed to restrict their movement before. “I always like to warm up before shows, though, so a bit of running around sounds like lots of fun!”

The pianist is fixing the hair around her face, watching them fidget without a word. She doesn’t say anything to what they’re saying, until they ask if she can show them how to make the flowers. She almost cuts them off with—

“No.”

Her answer is firm and sudden. These flowers, these memorials… this was something between her and Takeru. Something that she wouldn’t dare replace him in order to do. She stares at Takaku in the silence following her answer, and slowly realizes that maybe… this is what Takeru would’ve— no, does— this is what Miyabi and her mothers want. To make friends? This is what—

“…of course it would not be a problem, is what I mean. Please, sit down, and allow me to complete this one before I show you.”

Her head hurts as she tries to figure out why she’s allowing Takaku to join her, but tries to ignore this. She gestures towards an empty chair a bit of a ways away from her own, though she does move over slightly to make room for them. She puts some of the flowers to the side gingerly, as if they were just as delicate as real ones. She doesn’t let them know what the flowers are for.

“I would rather not ruin my posture by sleeping on random tables— and…”

She picks up a piece of fabric she was working on, but stares at them as she ask.

“Are you truly considering me a friend, or is that just a word you like to throw around to see if it sticks?”

Scissors are picked up and fabric is cut, though Mayura waits for an answer.

Takaku just stares back at Mayura with that same placid smile when she tells them no, and then immediately backpedals- no, she doesn’t backpedal, she finishes her sentence!- with a much gentler sort of expression. Or at least, that’s how they’d regard it if Mayura wasn’t always smiling just like them! There was no imperceptible sense that she didn’t like them floating around, no sirree!

“Thank you! I’ll pay close attention, promise.”

They meander over to the seat and plop themself down in it unceremoniously. They grip the seat and swing their legs a little, but for the most part it seems like they’re happy to keep this conversation civil if Mayura is. Look at the flowers, but don’t touch. They get the impression that if you’re willing to fall asleep surrounded by something, it’s gotta be pretty important to you. 

They watch. They look back at Mayura. They tilt their head to the side.

“...”

“I consider everyone here my friend even if they don’t feel the same way about me.”

They realize how that sounds like the most massive cop-out in the history of cop-outs, and they have an entire cop on site! They’re incredibly prone to just acting how they feel, and right now they feel like being calm and maybe even kind of honest with Mayura. It’s not like people usually listened to her anyways, and even if she did tell anyone about the conversation, Takaku had their doubts that anyone would believe it.

“I know I can’t make anyone like me if they don’t want to, but I’m gonna keep trying.” They tilt their head slightly to the other side. “Sometimes you just have to look at things from a different angle. Like sitting nicely and taking interest in the things they like to do instead of trying to find a joke they’ll find funny!”