Tatsuya Yamazaki - SHSL Street Fighter
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It had been uneventful, and thus peaceful, and yet boring. It wasn't something of which to complain per say, but Tatsuya still found it difficult to cope with the terms of his captivity. Being cooped up in a relatively small place for so many days on end was something he would never get used to, no matter the resources he was provided with, no matter what activities he busied himself with. He wasn't being schooled but he hated being walled up inside an academy, it seemed needless and felt suffocating. At least, when the world had been falling apart, anarchy allowed for some volatile semblance of freedom. The autonomy to move around, barred only by the demands of his capricious environment. Perhaps it was too much freedom, in lacking attachment to any such place or figure aside from the Future Foundation. But he was allowed some degree of independence and discretion, back then. What he had now...
It didn't compare in the slightest. Day in, day out, it felt. He was restless, not yet annoyed, but felt agitated knowing his situation wasn't likely to change if he did not choose to take matters into his own hands. And yet the risks and rewards did not seem to weigh up. The sacrifices he needed to make were not sensible. For as long as the value to human life came into play, Tatsuya wouldn't be absolving himself of his disquietude any time soon.
Several days passed quickly. Mornings were wasted away with half-assed breakfasts and training sessions with Ken, which weren't too difficult surprisingly, in the sense that Ken didn't do anything to warrant another huge bandage plastered to the other side of his face. Afternoons and evenings demanded little of him, so Tatsuya spent them in the gym, mostly, and would head back to his dorm the moment he felt fatigue. He was only semi-present at dinner, still not trusting enough to partake of the meals the chef had cooked, and he spoke to very few except out of necessity.
He was tired, honestly. And hungry. Unsurprising, as he knew he wasn't eating properly, but although Tatsuya had spent months espousing this sub-par state of well-being, simply watching others eat well was taking a toll on him. He knew he was missing out. He had a strong will, and he was always so vigilant in avoiding any and all risks, but perhaps he was the real fool here. It would help to feel stronger, he thought. He understood the importance of a well-balanced diet and its implications upon the body. And while he was weary and could not do much to improve his sleeping patterns (given the circumstances of the murder that had taken place prior, drugs were not an option), a full meal would leave him feeling invigorated and energized. It would improve his chances at survival, he rationalized.
...That is, if the meal didn't happen to kill him first, of course.
That morning, he was up before the announcement, had showered to rid the airs of exhaustion lingering about him and sat himself on his bed, absentmindedly braiding his hair as he contemplated whether it was worthwhile to address the hunger pangs or not, with something
other than a bare loaf of bread. Maybe, if he was careful about it. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a bowl of miso soup this time, provided no one else who shared in the meal dropped dead before him. Maybe, if he served himself, and sat alone to eat, then
just maybe...
The familiar chime of the morning announcement shed Tatsuya of his thoughts, his gaze flitting to the monitor stationed opposite him as the bear's horrendous voice suddenly flooded the room. Their captor's request was brief, and although covert, it told of something worse to come. 'Special' was surely synonymous with something devastating, especially considering it involved the lot of them. Perhaps it was another motive, Tatsuya supposed. The thought was a grim one, but void of surprise, he was hardly moved. Flicking his braid over his shoulder, the street fighter stood from his bed, collected his tablet and wasted no time in making for the meeting hall as demanded.
Everyone was familiar with the drill now. The wait had been short, and Tatsuya had hardly spent a minute or two standing off to the side of the hall before the bear had lapsed into speech. Much like Tatsuya had anticipated, the topic at hand was an uninviting sort and quite aggravating, considering Monokuma was initiating the lot of this sheerly out of boredom. Maintaining his detached front, Tatsuya remained unflinching even as the second motive was announced, and hell it sounded icky, but it wasn't unexpected, no. His secrets... there were a few, but any fact worth killing over seemed lost on him. Even as Monokuma boasted the possibility of their secrets being shared with all the world, Tatsuya felt cold and uncaring.
As if the world had the right to judge him for who he was and what he'd done. This world, that was in the process of falling apart over the horrific crimes and reprehensible ignorance of its craven people?
What a joke.
Tatsuya kept his silence as the robotic bear continued on with the circumstances surrounding the motive, alluding to the fact that their secrets had been shared with one other person within the room. Knowing this complicated the situation a little. While they were prohibited from blurting secrets, having possession of another person's in light of that individual's awareness wrought a web of friction between them all. You had an incentive to kill the one who possessed your secret to ensure no living being aside from yourself would ever know... but you also were subject to that same term, for the one whose secret you possessed. It really depended on how valuable those secrets were, that a person might act on this motive at all, but the level of distrust their group had been imbued with was not a trifling matter regardless of how everyone felt. It may not have become so obvious yet, but Monokuma was hacking away at their integrity as individuals, and people would pretend indifference for the sake of their pride, but some were sure to be squirming on the inside. Tatsuya did not know the other graduates well enough to know who was most susceptible to this sort of grueling temptation... but it was for that very reason that he couldn't afford to trust any single one of them.
Not for a moment. Not even for a bowl of miso soup. In their desperation, Alex's punishment was sure to be lost on their minds, and it was only a matter of time before a repeat of Arson's murder was going to take place. And Tatsuya's only concern? Not falling prey to this madness himself.
Tatsuya lifted his tablet as it sounded, staring at the home-screen with its ominous new icon. He didn't access the app until Monokuma had finished his spiel in its entirety, although he hardly understood the appeal in trading secrets with others. As a gesture of winning their trust, perhaps, but it seemed hypocritical in having to betray another person on that very same basis. It would serve their captor well, to divide them up like this. Not just for the purposes of this motive, but certainly for motives to come.
As Monokuma ended his speech and bounded away, Tatsuya tapped open the icon and examined the tabs available, scanning all four before considering whether it was an option to bypass this information all together. Perhaps, if no one but he was allowed access to his secret, then he might've ignored it. But he needed to know what it is that other person found out about him, if only to raise his guard against them. And he needed to know who they were as well. As to the foreign secret he received, Tatsuya really didn't care so much... but to understand its severity, in the case that person considered him a worthy target in fear of what he now knew...
Shaking his head, the street fighter opened the tab withholding his secret first. What was written there was a brief though dire statement, correct in one sense and awfully dramatic in another. And in providing absolutely no context, so incredibly vague. It was fortunate in the sense that not many details had been betrayed and could thus be kept hidden, but by no doubt would it also result in all sorts of misgivings for the one who had received his secret. The kind of impression his secret would leave upon others, at least when worded in such an unattractive way, was not going to be a good sort.
Snorting his exasperation, Tatsuya bypassed the second tab in wanting to know who it was that had been threatened with his information. It would matter only so far as it would assist Tatsuya in knowing who to be most wary of. He had no intentions of explaining his situation unless approached and given a good reason to discuss these matters; otherwise, he didn't see the harm in someone knowing of his more deplorable exploits. They would know to keep their distance from him, and that was a good thing.
...Or at least, this is what Tatsuya thought until he read the name underlying the third tab. A moment was spent where he truly, honestly hesitated, before he raised his head and glanced around the room in search of that person. It didn't matter who it was, he had told himself. But maybe it did, if only by a little. While it ultimately wouldn't affect him if that person chose not to accept him for this... and while Tatsuya could afford to completely cut ties and hold every person here at an extortionate distance...
The street fighter wasn't desperate for that. He had built rapport with this person in the past, and to see it all come crumbling down over something so pointless was...
Tatsuya shook his head, ditching a more difficult, uncertain train of thought in favour of the secret he'd been provided with beneath the second tab. Upon reading it, and in seeing who it belonged to... Tatsu merely cocked an eyebrow in question. Like his own, it was so vague, enough that it was difficult to discern specifics. What had they done exactly, and for what reason, these things were left unaddressed and Tatsuya, unable to form a well-informed conclusion, was left unimpressed. Of course, there was still a possibility that it was every bit as incriminating, avaricious and traitorous as was postulated.
Or it was simply a foolish mistake on the part of the individual in question. In any case, Tatsuya didn't see it as a frightful piece of information... only that he and that person had something in common now, and it wasn't all that wonderful.
Closing off all tabs and lowering his device, Tatsuya directed his attention about him, for an indication of how everyone was faring as a result of the information they received. There were a lot of turning heads and dubious expressions, as obviously it was a lot to take in. When talk of a plan arose, Tatsuya thought it futile. In reality, the lot of this would only result in another waiting game. In 48 hours, someone was going to die, or else all secrets would be revealed. Neither outcome was any good. Only one was capable of being avoided. And Tatsuya didn't have the energy to linger on which one it would most likely turn out to be.
In hearing what Haruka had to say last, Tatsuya sighed and pivoted for the exit of the room with a similar thought in mind. To risk one's reputation was the 'correct' thing to do. For Tatsuya, who had a bit of an infamous reputation anyway, that wasn't much of an onerous request. Matters like his own, properly understood, could be excused when compared with more heinous acts. But this wasn't the same for everyone. In any case, he didn't have much of anything to contribute and at the moment, he didn't really care for what the others thought when there was so much hidden among them.
So Tatsuya left the meeting hall, and although he'd felt inclined to eat something earlier, seeing a fair few others heading in the direction of the kitchen guided the street fighter towards the gym instead. Maybe there he could clear his mind a bit... and figure out how he might deal with the individual who held his secret at the current moment. Although would it so matter when all secrets were leeched in a few days' time?
Who knew.