Hisakawa Koukou - My High School Life is Despairin

[Miya]

[fieldbox= Fujibayashi Ren, #00ddff, solid]

[July 22nd, Morning/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-B]

Ren's question was largely ignored when Leo started replying to Umeko's accusations in an angry manner. However, Umeko was apparently undisturbed to his explosive response. She even pulled Ren and made her stand behind her, as if she was protecting her sister from Leo's sudden outburst. At this moment, Ren was puzzled on what to do, as she realized that the conversation was getting more and more personal.

The conflict between Leo and Umeko. A conflict that she did not participate nor witnessed.

"...I don't think you've been understanding me at all, Leo. So let me make it clear to you. I haven't been implying anything about you being responsible for Robert's death, or what may have happened to Yuri."

"I've been saying it's your fault this entire time."

"You're probably the only one here who thinks otherwise."

Her tone and her gaze changed tremendously, turning into something more than hateful and mean. At this moment, Ren wanted to break the argument between the two.

But once again, she could not.

She has no idea that she will end up failing her duties again.

History began to repeat itself, unbeknownst to the hapless, white haired, short girl that acts as a defunct shield to her masterminded sister.

---

"Hey, Leo. May I ask you something? Did you ever consider if the way you did things were right, or wrong?"

Umeko commented once more in her furious tone. The short girl felt a chill down on her spine as her eyes noticed that all of the students were unconscious, even the homeroom teacher. Ren, Umeko and Leo were the only ones that were standing in the classroom. However, Ren began to experience graphical glitches, lines of command prompts within her sights.

The classroom's VR system has been hacked, and apparently something is circulating within the system that incapacitates whoever that connects to the VR through their Electrospinal Pulsar Attachment.

"W-what's going on?!"

She broke Umeko's grip and confronted her, while visibly disturbed by the current ongoing incident. The sudden display of her Social Morals Administrative Protections being overridden like it was coded by amateur programmers. At this moment, she finally realized who the culprit was.

"Umeko, why---!"

Ren lets out a panicked gasp as her legs suddenly gave out, her body suddenly felt weak as she struggled to stand, her hands desperately holding onto a desk nearby, and her eyes on Umeko. Her custom Anti-Bunnying Firewall v2.1 did little to stop the intrusion and shutting down her consciousness.

"Stop!" She pleaded haplessly to her emotionless sister. "You don't have to do this! Neeee-saaaan---!"

Ren made her last cry to Umeko, as she felt her body becomes more and more heavier, her arms and her hands getting numb, before losing her grip on the desk. She eventually slumped to the ground.

"Was it wrong for me to believe that you could've changed back then?"

Ren's eyes once again focused to Umeko, as her consciousness was quickly slipping away. She noticed Umeko's grim determination. A sight that she did not want to see on her respectable sister.

"Tell me, Leo."

The last words from Umeko that Ren managed to hear, before she closed her eyes, fully.

@Ehb @Rithas @Raven Haruka @_das_ende @_edited[/fieldbox]

 

[Illin]

[fieldbox= Hajime Sakurazaki, #5e3319, solid]

[July 22nd, Morning/ Hachi-ou Subdivision, Harisson Residence, Streetside]

("What?")

Confusion. Then, realization.

("Amnesia…?")

There was also the possibility of her faking it. Yuri was good at acting, and Hajime didn't value himself too highly on his perception. Or anything really. Still, this coupled with her father's behavior earlier, made the possibility of acting low to Hajime. As his brain continued to work through the events, Sakura gave him a command.

"Mmm ah."

He nodded his head and opened up his phone. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed an unread message from Sakura. He read it but didn't reply to it, as it would be useless now. Still, he was thankful for her concern.

He texted Chiyo and Mika that they found Yuri. While he was doing so, he saw Sakura kowtowing and was shocked. The idea of following suit briefly entered his mind, but he discarded it. From his judgment of Yuri's father, Hajime felt that it would only irritate the man more from adopting such a stance. In addition, he hadn't apologized for his earlier behavior, where he suspected of Mr. Harrisson of being a stalker. And he wasn't planning to, since Hajime felt he would do more things in the future that would aggravate the man.

Hajime remained silent as he waited for a response. At this point he had reached a conclusion about what happened to Yuri. From his knowledge, Yuri did not have an identical twin. So that was out. Faking it was discarded earlier. So, it was amnesia. Possibly induced by whoever murdered Robert. Still, that left the question of how they did so. From what he could see, Yuri didn't have any injuries, but she could have been hit on the head and it was covered by her hair. Still, that left a few questions.

("Why are there no bandages on her head then, or why is she not in the hospital? Was there an issue with the Spinal Attachment…?")

@Ehb @RainDash @xLarius @Raven Haruka[/fieldbox]

 

[Rithas]

[fieldbox= Leo Kane, Royalblue, solid]

[July 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-B]

"...I don't think you've been understanding me at all, Leo. So let me make it clear to you. I haven't been implying anything about you being responsible for Robert's death, or what may have happened to Yuri."
"I've been saying it's your fault this entire time."
"You're probably the only one here who thinks otherwise."

Damn the thoughts of other people, it seemed.

"Quit whining, Leo. I swear that same victimized attitude you always have is irritating! At least Robert kept to himself. At least Nozomi tried to give you a chance, even when you didn't want it. Just by having you here, not only are you causing everyone trouble, but you're now getting students killed as well. Seriously, why couldn't have you have been the one who died instead?" A drop of blood rolled down his chin.

Clarity in madness. "At least?..."

The insults and revelations went through him.

"Hey, Leo. May I ask you something? Did you ever consider if the way you did things were right, or wrong?"

Slumped students, teacher lying down. Everyone unconscious.

He supposed now was the time to shiver.

He always knew she would find something in this shitty system.

"W-what's going on?!"
"Umeko, why---!"
"Stop!" "You don't have to do this! Neeee-saaaan---!"

Click.

"If it becomes apparent that you're beyond saving from being erased... Just be aware, I will make preemptive motions to ensure the damage your Disappearance causes is minimized as much as possible. Likely, that means I'll have to beat those other people when it comes to having you erased."

Well, perhaps the hints were there.

"Don't worry! I'll fix it all soon, it'll all be forgotten about!"
"Trust me Kokoro, they deserved it."

"Err...Kokoro..do you...um...nevermind"

"Sorry! Sorry! You two can go on ahead!"

"Say, Leo. Kokoro sure has been busy a lot lately, hasn't she?"
"Sure? She's always doing other things. I don't know what I can do about it?

Did Umeko ever wonder if he actually knew what was going on with Kokoro?


Ren, Chiyo...everyone. Here but not. Not a single witness.

"Was it wrong for me to believe that you could've changed back then?"
"Tell me, Leo."


Just the two of them. With a very ominous atmosphere. How very...

He couldn't. He just couldn't anymore.

"I-I tried." ---- "I tried and tried and tried! N-no one cared. No one listened."

Was it too much to say it? That he was so selfish and cowardly that he could find fault in Umeko for not standing with him? He did want to change. He had to, the guilt was too much. But he was by himself, surrounded by his past actions. And as the loneliness and anger rose, the guilt subsided. Maybe if she just continued with him. He could of changed. He would of.

Was that why he felt so angry by that? His selfish desire for an eternal patience.

A ridiculous thing to ask, kindness had already been wasted on him a million times over.

And then people laughed with him, people smiled and joked and it was easier to fake. People liked him, woes forgotten. Gone for so little to his home and it seemed that was all that was needed. For then at least.

It was easier to pretend that it had never happened. Easier to go back to how it was. To how he use to be, better that then the empty corpse he felt like. His moment of clarity clouded. Back to doing something.

He supposed he should of told her. Told Kokoro back then. Why he did everything. Maybe it could of changed some things. Maybe it wouldn't of. Told her to stop, told her to hit him and to grow up. For both of them to grow out of their childlike fantasies.

But he was strong in his beliefs. His foolish destructive beliefs. Because I can see, and if I can, why can't you?

It was worse now, he did things without caring. Without cause. A facade, doing whatever he wanted. Carelessly, perhaps why everything was as bad as it was now.

Keep going forward, keep running forward. Never stop, never look, never think. Just do it. He never even remembered what Kokoro's saying about popularity was.

"I didn't know what to do! I didn't know how to repay her!" Leo cried out. Wiping the blood off his lips.

And then he looked back and everything was worse. He kept hoping Umeko was a siren of hope in a sea of despair. But that what she was to him, a siren. Something that only dragged him deeper. He kept hoping that one day he could fixed the one fragment of past that he still had a chance to.

If not Kokoro, if not his home. If not his family. At least that. At least her.

But everything just made him feel that guilt.

How could he feel anything for the others when that was his first and biggest regret in school.

"I could of changed! I wanted to change! I wanted to be different!" He smacked his hands against his chest. His emotions nearly took his own breath away. He just.....

He couldn't go back. He had to go forward. But....couldn't the future contain the past?

Was this a dead end, or an opening of a tunnel?

"I wanted to be different from the person who was ignorant of his friends."

He could of ignored them, he could of ignored them and been a better person. But he just couldn't do it...

So he told himself it was impossible.

"So was it wrong for you to believe in me? I-.." A tear rolled off his cheek. "Don't think so. Because, at one point. We had something eh?"


Because Kokoro...This group is all I truly have at the moment.

"It's my fault....I...know...Umeko...I've always known."

His friend were knocked out around him. He hoped they were okay.

He was always a hopeless optimist deep down somewhere.

@Ehb @*Sigh*[/fieldbox]

 

[Ehb]

[fieldbox= , , solid]
[July 22nd, Afternoon / Hachi-ou Subdivision, Harisson Residence, Streetside]

"You look just like her... I'm sorry. Is there a Yuri Nozomi here?"
"Nozomi...? Well, it's true that Nozomi's my family name. However, I don't know anyone named Yuri."
"Tell them that we found Yuri. They're all so worried about her, if we tell them that we haven't found her..."
"Mmm ah."

The girl who looked undeniably like their classmate responded with a look of worry. Sakura looked to Mr Harisson. Explaining herself, and then pleading for an answer.

"Mister Harrisson. Yuri vanished from the classroom. I told you I'm not all that well informed, and I'd love to stay in the dark, but my friend is missing. Please tell me! What's going on?"

She went so far as to prostrate herself onto the ground. Showing just how earnest she was in her request.

However, Harrison simply looked on at what was going on. For him, his prayers weren't answered at all. He had hoped he would be able to do this quietly, without involving anyone else. But seeing Hajime clattering away at his phone, and this girl so intent on getting answers to go and tell everyone back at their school was unacceptable. At this point, they had already seen too much.

Mr Harrison's face grew grim, as he finally came upon what he was looking for in his coat.


The white haired girl spoke forwardly to the two students she didn't know.

"Please calm down a little! Certainly, there must be some kind of mistake going on here!"

Trying to level the situation, 'Yuri' insisted they stop for a moment.

"Maybe I might have doppelganger I don't know about in this neighborhood. But, even if this 'Yuri' might look like me, 'Yuri' isn't my name."
"My name is: Lilly! It's a pleasure, to.... meet...."

Her blue eyes widened. Hajime noticed this the split second he looked up, after he had heard a loud bang from behind the girl. It sounded like a gunshot.


Nozomi fell forward into Hajime Sakurazaki's arms.

Dead.


Bang.
The next shot came instantly.

Mr. Harisson's pistol drove a bullet into Sakura.

He shot her like a dog.


Sakurazaki saw himself staring into the barrel of Mr. Harisson's gun. Looking down, it felt like he was holding a ragdoll. Nozomi's body was so light. But, It was relief too. She was already dead. She died instantly. Painlessly. Mr Harisson had murdered this girl as considerately as he could.

But, as much as he wished for it, this extreme situation wasn't a dream.

The warmth from the blood soaking the front of Sakurazaki's uniform was proof of it. The cruel reality that was unfolding in front of him.


Hajime didn't dare look back up. It felt as if, the moment he looked upon Mr Harrisson once more, it would be all over.

At the doorstep of a 'game over' happening in front of him, everything he had was about to be taken away from him.


Time was frozen. Even as he saw the pool of blood around Sakura grow, even as he heard the frantic barking of dogs, and the horrified screams of Mrs. Nozomi, hysterically screaming undecipherable things to Mr Harisson. But, the shot that was surely due to come did not come as automatically as he expected.

He was about to die. Mr. Harisson wasn't saying anything. Sakurazaki was only now beginning to appreciate why Mr. Harisson was so insistent on him and Sakura leaving. But, even so, he was still in the dark, as to how things could have turned out like this.

There wasn't any winning against someone whose gun was already poised at them. Even if he tried to use the body as a shield or distraction, it would only delay the inevitable, even worse, he would probably be remembered as a disgraceful coward for using Yuri's body in such a way. Even so, Inside him, Sakurazaki felt that he had a right to say one last thing, Make one last request. Maybe that was the chance that Mr Harisson was granting him with his silence.


With the last once of his deteriorating resolve, he...

@RainDash @Illin
[/fieldbox]

---

[fieldbox= Hayata Umeko, turquoise, solid]

[July 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-B]

("Sorry, Chiyo, Ren.")

...
..
.

"You... always knew?"
"Don't screw with me Leo! You say you felt bad, you say you wanted to change! If that was how you felt this entire time, then why? Why...?"

Umeko's words trailed off. There were many things that she wanted to say. Many things. But, she stumbled over what to say.

In the end, she shook her head, slowly, in denial.

"I... guess the problem was simple. Stupidly simple. We... never really did just sit down and talk to each other honestly, did we?"


Looking up, Leo Kane saw it.

Without the mask. Without the leering eyes that calculated.

Ume-chan looked upon him softly.


"Hey, Leo-kun, did you know? I, had so much optimism for the kind of person you'd be back then. You where always shuffling around in the background, looking like you didn't have anything to do with anything. But, you'd surprise everyone when you did decide to pop in in an important moment. I always thought that, while you were keeping to the side, you were thinking hard, trying to understand. Coming up with a solution that would make everyone happy."

Her eyes turned downcast.

"But, I overestimated that part of you. I kept on idealizing who you were, rather than trying to see who you really were. I projected unreasonable expectations on you. Expecting you to chase after me when I got mad. Expecting you to change when no one was there to encourage you. Everything I thought about you was a fanciful web of misconceptions."

"Back then, I was so lonely, when you became my first friend, I had so much optimism. I was so optimistic, that I didn't realize I didn't know how real friendships worked. There was nothing real about our friendship with one another. It was just pure sophistry on my part. Kokoro-chan simply made me realize that I didn't like being by myself as I thought I did. The most 'real' thing I've ever done was repaying Kokoro-chan's kindness by becoming her 'replacement.' When I realized that, the person named Leo Kane became a mostly irrelevant detail, beyond the times he would cause trouble with his antics."

"But, I was optimistic. I minimized the damage as much as I could. I hoped that he be able to find a truth he would chase after for himself, rather than letting himself get pulled around by his clubmates."

Umeko looked up. Before Kane, now instinctively clutching his heart and on his knees.

"At this point... Leo Kane has become too acidic for this environment. So much so that several people have become hurt as a result. The sole responsibility for that, lies with Umeko Hayata. Who convinced Nozomi Yuri to pursue re-educating Leo Kane rather than throwing him out."

"The one who should bear all the responsibility is Hayata Umeko, who thought that her clueless little sister would awaken the inherit Heroic instincts she thought Leo Kane had."

"The fault lies with Hayata Umeko, who tried to become the villain in Leo Kane's on a misguided belief that it would save him."

Umeko's eyes narrowed, meekly.

"I'm sorry, Leo. That it's come to this."


Leo Kane's heart began to slow. It was slowly, but abruptly struggling to beat. His body realized this immediately, and began to scream to his mind for help. But, given what Umeko had shown, it was probably too late.


There was no longer any right or wrong answers. Merely the final words of someone who was about to die. If Leo Kane had to die right here, he did have a right to at least one thing: the chance to curse the name of the person who was responsible for it. Responsible for everything. Maybe he would finally find closure in being able to do that. And in that, Umeko Hayata would find closure too.

To admit there was nothing special between the friendship that once existed between Umeko and Leo. With the benefit of hindsight, to be able to say that it all was a mistake.

The ending note to this story would gleefully jeer, at the things that Umeko and Leo despaired over, hoped over, desired for. Umeko allowed Leo Kane to be the victim until the very end.


"Hey, Leo-kun, could you do me a favor?"

"Could you say it?"

"Can you tell me that you hate me?"


That's right. Correct? It's her fault isn't it? Why would she expect anything of you? The real world doesn't conveniently work out through hopes and dreams. Everyone is merely passing on their despairs onto other people, while laughing like fools all the way.

Joy.
Understanding.
Mere trinkets that people deceive themselves into wanting.

The desire for anything like this is base instinct. In yet, people will happily step over each other to attain it.
There's nothing wrong in saying you HATE her.
In fact, it may be the most sensible thing to say in this situation.

Say it.

I hate you.
I Hate You.
I HATE YOU!

Smash her face in with those very words!

Tell that foolish girl who thought she could replace Kokoro what for.
Tell her how much of a hypocrite she is for thinking what you did was any different than what she did.


The final moments of Leo Kane dragged on. The demons born from his despair continued to goad him. Born from his instinctual desire to protest such an unfair ending. A death in which Umeko forced his very own body to fail itself. There was nothing to salvage this. All the moments that they wishfully looked back upon were overshadowed by Kokoro's death. At the end of the day, Leo Kane was believed to be causing trouble, and it was the job of people like Umeko to put a stop to it.

Then...

@Rithas
[/fieldbox]

 

[Illin]

[fieldbox= Hajime Sakurazaki, #5e3319, solid]

[July 22nd, Afternoon/ Hachi-ou Subdivision, Harisson Residence, Streetside]

Time slowed to a crawl. A sound of thunder. Crimson petals bloomed and scattered, dancing like cherry blossoms in the orange sunlight. The world went dark, then exploded in flashes of blinding light. First white, then red, blue, and purple. After what seems an eternity of violently shifting color, the world reasserted itself in misty detail. Through the grey haze stealing over him, Hajime looked down to see the corpse, plum bordered in red, leaning against his body. As he watched the blood spread across the concrete floor, Hajime turned his head towards the source of the sound. It came into focus frame by frame. It was a semi-automatic pistol, the sort of weapon no one who is not a member of the police force or military has any hope of seeing in this city. But despite the virtual nonexistence of firearms, there is also no one who can fail to recognize on sight, for they are the final answer to close-range combat. The ultimate power by which a man with no training or skill can defeat any master of the martial arts with a single squeeze of the finger.

Though it seemed that Harisson was giving him a chance to speak, Hajime didn't say a word. He did not engage in any other form of communication either. Such things are only necessary when dealing with a fellow human. There was no common ground between this man and him, however. What use have they, then, for the myriad tools that mankind has created to foster mutual understanding? None whatsoever. Even insults would be but wasted breath, to say nothing of any attempt at reconciliation.

-̘̦̰̩̱--I̛̭̣̗͖̼ ̠́w͖̝̞̮i̺̭l͖̺̫͈ļ̺͕͓ ͏͈̜̘̩̤k̬͉̟i̴̳̜̩͕͙̯̹l̤͇̲̮͈͉̝͟l̘͇̼̗̻ ̟̠̼̘̭ṯ̡̝̻͈̭͎h̟̪i̙̣̼̦̖͎͝s͏̦͓̣̯̠̗ ̛͈̗͙͔̪m̯͓̘͕͉̤̜a̟͔̤͜n̰̤̭͕̦ͅ ̛a̧̝͔̻n͜d̻ ̡p̺̦̦i̴̘͖̲̙s͈̘̤͘s̼̝͓̥̲͝ͅ ̜o̴n̵ ̠̭̠h̼̻̠̝̣̯i̙̮̱͔s̼͍̹̣͔ ̴̦̳̰̹̙̭c̤o̝̟̭̻r̡̰ͅp̵̝̦͖̞̥̝̠s͇̲̥̻̦̹̠ḛ͍̲.̹

Such had been Hajime's intent from the moment Yuri and Sakura fell before him. Hajime's rage was pure and unquenchable, a blazing inferno fueled by his obsession. But what could he do now? Hajime was careless. He never considered the possibility that he might have to face a gun here, of all places. Though it wasn't like he had no preparations either. Ever since Robert's death, Hajime had prepared some measures in the case he was attacked. At the moment, a knife was in his pocket, but it might as well be on the moon for all the good it can do him. Long before he could reach into his pocket and strike with the knife, Harisson's gun will spit flame. Even if he tried to use Yuri's body as a shield, it will be postponing the inevitable. Whatever he tried to do, Harisson's gun will fire first. What could he do now?

Nothing.

Nothing whatsoever. He could ask a hundred people and receive the same answer. His only choice is to die. Time continued to compress around him; in this moment that seems to last an eternity, Hajime's mind tried desperately to deny the approaching end.

His one purpose. Indeed, that is all that is left. The rest of him, the vast array of pieces that made up the boy Sakurazaki Hajime, was stripped away in one fell swoop by the man's violence.

Benevolence.
Righteousness.
Courtesy.
Wisdom.
Loyalty.
Faith.
Honor.
Brotherhood.
Cowardice.
Fear.
Shame.
Sorrow.
Lust.
Gluttony.
Envy.
Sloth.
Greed.
Pride.
Acedia.

They are no more. He had lost it all. And yet, everything that truly matters remained. He has a body, and a will to drive it. Even if he were to fall here no matter what, he would do everything he could. Wordlessly, he stepped into the event horizon, reaching for the knife in his pocket and letting the lifeless doll drop to the ground. As he lunged at his opponent, he felt wetness at the corners of his eyes, remnants of an emotion he thought he had lost, pining for people who were no more.

@Ehb[/fieldbox]

 

[Ehb]

@Illin @Karyra

It's time. This is the part of the story were your life will be decided by the RNG.

There are 10 events that will define how your new life will proceed. 10 Places where things can go wrong, or things can go right.

Therefore, if you are ready please use the dice function to throw a 2 faced die a total of 10 times. (just use throw another dice after the first one). Because the dice function isn't availible in PM's please perform the rolls here. Just be sure your characters are prepared for it. Additionally, I only need one of you two to do the rolls.

---

 

[Illin]

[fieldbox= Hajime Sakurazaki, #5e3319, solid]

[???]

"So you're telling me whether things succeed or fail is basically 50/50? Well, the me now can easily bet on a coin flip while others are too frightened to even pick heads or tails."

He smiled.

"Well, here it is. The rest is yours, Sakura. See you later."[/fieldbox]

 

[Karyra]

[fieldbox= Sakura Okubo, #d4009b, solid]

[???]

"Hey, if we're doing this thing, I hope that we'll meet again, Hajime!"

Sakura waved.

"I hope you aren't too mad at me..."

[/fieldbox]