#aetheria academy

[loremaster]

i went crazy (as i am known to do) and drew BOTH of each daily prompt for @raincodeshipweek! nothing past PG-13 here. double check the tags for ships below - or if you want to be surprised, jump in and see them all here:

Hurt/Comfort - Clockmare - I remember a while ago @pixelatedraindrops did a poll over which of the two to draw sick in bed… Halara's cat allergies won out, but I thought the opposite scenario of Fubuki needing recovery from overusing her rewind powers was cute too! This is a very cute ship that needs more love!

Healing - Kokolight - This is *THE* ship that's all about healing. (Emotional healing at least.) Yuma learns a lot from Vivia about how to embrace the uncomfortable parts of life… and Vivia learns a lot from Yuma about how not to let that diminish your spark. Plus, by the end, they understand what each other’s been through more than any other characters... almost. Also, dat height difference. Good shit.

Dancing - Aetheria trio - Similar bonding over shared grief here! But this time there's three of them! Big 3 of Cups energy. It's a shame we never really got to see much genuine interaction between Yoshiko, Waruna, and Kurane during the game's story… but sometimes the most fun parts are what we get to imagine for ourselves, hmm? Anyway, yeah. These three are bonded for life. (Too bad it wasn't a very long one...)

Domesticity - Viviakou - There's nothing funnier than two guys with opposite behaviors. Vivia wedges himself into the crack between the bed and the wall as far as he can. Yakou spreads out and takes up more room than the bed even has. Plus, he snores. Disasters, both of them. …I was going to try and come up with another ship for this prompt, since - spoilers - there'll be more Viviakou later on... but I thought of this image and laughed hard enough I couldn't not draw it!

Sun/Rain - Yakou/Amaterasu Researcher. - One of the happiest moments of Yakou's life was when his wife got him a boat for his birthday. A whole boat!!! A portable office! Never had he felt so loved before. …Never has the sun shone that brightly again. He hates the rain.

Stars - Clockbolt - Fubuki is staring out wistfully at the rain clouds, lamenting that she cannot see her star - the one her parents bought for her. But luckily - “Don't worry, Princess, I'll be your star…!” says Desuhiko. Bolder, brighter, and much, much closer than her faraway prize…Yeah, I think Fubuki would eat that up. This is a fun ship. I like that Desuhiko - against all odds - treats Fubuki like a person. And ironically I think that would make her like him more!!

Flowers - Furroughs - What else could I have drawn for 'flowers,' honestly? It's a cheap bouquet of Black-Eyed Susans! I can't see this as a healthy relationship, honestly, but that's what makes it fun! Imagining them as childhood friends who used to be really close but grew apart in adulthood strikes just the right chord of melancholy with me. Even more heartbreaking if you see them both as trans - imagine Yakou's so excited to have a friend like him, and then as soon as Seth transitions he's like "you don't know me. never speak to me again." Mmm, I do so love to put Yakou through the wringer.

Memories - Yumagami - Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I imagine Yuma goes through phantom pains after their pact gets broken, not knowing whose laughter keeps ringing through his ears, what's up with that tingly spot on his cheek, or why he can't look at a barrel without his face feeling hot. (Though, he's probably astute enough to put together the clues...)

First Times - Viviakou - The first time Yakou heard Vivia say that catchphrase, it didn't feel very good.

Final Moments - Viviakou - ...The last time didn't feel very good either.

Swap - Vivia/Amaterasu Researcher - Okay, hear me out. If Yakou had managed to run up that hill, make a deal with Kodaka, and get him to swap their places - that is, he dies while his wife survives and becomes Chief of the Nocturnal Detective Agency - I think Vivia would think the same of Mrs. Furio that he did of Mr. Furio (that is, helplessly smitten). EXTREMELY underrated. Please ship this with me.

Alternate Universe - Zilara - My personal pet rarepair!!! Alas, our two confident creature-lovers have been kept from each other by the cruel hands of fate. So, I cope by drawing them getting fancy little drinks together. This is an homage to Boba AU, of course, but honestly, while drawing this, I was picturing them as students at the local prestigious college campus. Maybe they're members of frat Alpha Beta Omega or something.

Past/Future - Makoyuma - This one's more of a concept/pitch than a fully explored scene, but hear me out: time travel AU. What if Yuma meets a mysterious masked stranger who turns out to be a tech-savvy time traveler from a destroyed future... but then also turns out to be himself, somehow? How is there someone who looks exactly like him, 5000 years from now? What's the connection between Yuma and Makoto? And why are they so drawn to each other?

...The last prompt for the official Ship Week is a free day - so I'm going to take the day off! Though, there are a lot of other ships I lament not shouting out here - Kokobolt, Kokomare, Twimare, Fubugami, just to name a few!!! But I'm gonna give myself a break for now. Don't worry, you'll see more art from me soon - maybe even print versions of this, and some of my other Rain Code fanart. And if there's a specific ship or scenario you really can't wait to see... my commissions are open! ;D

[caeboa]

This informant has a case! If only a Master Detective would solve it!

My Kurumi Wendy flower art is here! The first side features strawberry flowers and apple blossoms. I chose them firstly because of the apple on her coat sleeve and the strawberry on its back, but the meanings for these flowers are widespread as well!

Strawberry flowers are associated with innocence, sweetness, and beauty. The flower is closely linked with feminity, being a symbol used for both Aphrodite in Greek myth and Mary in Christianity. The strawberry fruit itself has gone through many meanings too, sometimes meaning temptation, and other times, meaning righteousness. It is sometimes linked with optimism, with suits Kurumi. Lastly, a fun feature of the plant is that it can bear fruit and flowers simultaneously, showing fruitfulness and bounty.

Apple blossoms are often associated with the arrival of spring and rebirth. They are used in various types of love magic in folklore. In Chinese art, they mean to show encouragement, action, courage, and passion. Apple blossoms also sometimes mean healing, immortality, and regeneration. The apple itself in Christianity is often used to depict the fruit of knowledge taken in Eden, and has long roots in many stories, as well as being the fruit that's golden shape caused Eris's discord.

On the alternate side's art, which I've put under the cut since it's story relevant, I included the glowing flowers found in Aetheria Academy in the game, who resemble calla lilies, and clovers, which were also shown in the gardens. Calla lilies can many things, but a different one here is death and magnificent beauty. Clovers mean faith, hope, love, and luck in their four leafed variety.

[shinigamichan]

I know yall can’t pick a partner but can you pick a flag goddamn

[starryqueen-18]

Atheria Academy: next character outfit sheet

[biggie-chcese]

Why I think Yomi Hellsmile should've died in Chapter 4

(this essay isnt what you think it is. spoilers for the whole game btw)

Alright so let me preface this by saying that this is not a Yomi Hellsmile hate essay. I like Yomi. He's my favorite peacekeeper. He's funny, he's entertaining, and he makes for a very effective antagonist. So why have him die? Well, for the same reason I wouldn't have Yakou live: I think it makes for a better story.

So here's the true title of my essay: A Critique of how Rain Code's Narrative Handles the Peacekeepers (and by Extension, Yomi) and their Downfall

Let's start with Yomi's downfall in canon. Yuma and Vivia find out his role in Huesca's murder and, ultimately, Yakou's death, and are angry beyond belief. But they're also helpless to do anything as they escape the labyrinth with vengeance on their minds. Of course, this gets shut down immediately, and then Makoto ex machina comes in with Martina in tow to arrest Yomi for his money laundering and bribery. And right then and there, in one fell swoop, the peacekeepers are completely eliminated as a threat in the story to be replaced by Makoto.

But okay... isn't that super underwhelming? The peacekeepers and Amaterasu corp have been the main driving force of the game's primary conflict, and yet somehow they are completely eliminated as a threat because Makoto grabbed a few files off screen. And also, this brings me to my first major issue I have with this ending:

Part 1: Why the fuck do they care?

No I'm serious. Why do the peacekeepers care? So what if Yomi bribed his way to the top? You mean to tell me that the cops who spent the entire game assaulting and antagonizing civilians give a shit? They're never shown to have any sort of problem with their corruption. They send people to be executed on whims and knowingly, regularly falsify evidence on murder cases. At best the peacekeepers are indifferent to the suffering they cause, and at worst they are gleefully complicit in it. So, again, why do they care about Yomi's money schemes? In fact, they only benefit from Yomi's rule because he gives them the power to freely instill fear in Kanai Ward's citizens. The game never, at any point, has an "are we the baddies?" moment from them nor does it ever even try to have at least one peacekeeper question Yomi's authority, even when he's throwing them under the bus. Throughout the whole game, they stand as a completely one-note, cartoonishly evil representation of police corruption.

So why the sudden heel turn? The resolution of chapter 4 feels so jarring to me because the game has zero buildup to it. This also applies to Martina's return. Actually let's also talk about her.

Part 2: So... Martina's return lowkey is kinda lame

Don't get me wrong, I was pretty hype when she came back. But also, the magic wore off pretty quickly for me because I didn't understand why she was suddenly a whole different character. I suppose her brush with death gave her some time to contemplate her actions, or perhaps she felt indebted to Makoto and asked him what she should do, or maybe Makoto held her life over her head and told her to change her act or he's letting her get cubed. Who knows? We get nothing expanding on this so it could be anything.

I feel like people kinda forget that Martina was just as corrupt as Yomi? Like, she is not his helpless victim. I'd even argue that their relationship isn't abusive. Martina is in it with her own interests in mind in addition to just being a massive sadomasochist. I cannot stress this enough: whatever tf she and Yomi had going on, she was completely into it. Even at the end of chapter 2, she was drooling over him and the idea of punishment... until Yomi crossed a line.

Y'see, Martina thought she was special. She thought that whatever punishment Yomi had for her Aetheria Academy blunder, she'd come out of it alive, because she's his beloved right hand. Yomi then showed her that she's just as disposable as the rest of his underlings by ordering her to be brutally executed. That is when she becomes a victim.

Anyway, I'm saying all this to make a point that Martina hasn't shown any interest in being an honest cop until chapter 4. It's completely out of nowhere, just like with the other peacekeepers.

"But Biggie," you may be thinking, "why would Yomi dying fix these issues?" Well I'm so glad you hypothetically asked!

Part 3: We love missed potential, baby!

Kodaka sometimes does this thing where he introduces an interesting concept that plays with the rules of the game... and then doesn't commit to it. Think like the double murder clause in Danganronpa V3 chapter 3, where they mention that if two separate murderers act in the same day then only one of those murders counts. Then they do nothing with this, and instead create a very weak chapter.

This is a similar problem I have with the tail end of chapter 4's mystery labyrinth, which is a really amazing labyrinth that introduces a really amazing concept: taking down a secret mastermind. After reaping the culprit's soul, they have this cool, brand new secret area that... does nothing. No, I'm serious. Nothing happens. All it does is piss Yuma and Vivia off and waste everyone's time. They find out Yomi's involvement in the case, but they still don't do anything with that. Sure it brings a whole new feeling of hopelessness, but doesn't that make Yomi's downfall literally five minutes later through the mundane actions of someone else off screen seem all the more underwhelming? From a gameplay and storytelling standpoint, I think this is just... a cop-out. I think it'd be cool if he was involved enough in Huesca's murder to count as an accomplice, then with Vivia and Shinigami at his side, Yuma reaps Yomi's soul. It's a decent payoff for the NDA and the player while supporting the game's message about the importance of finding the truth. And god does the game need support in that regard, because the Mystery Labyrinth almost never helps and Yuma instead gets saved by someone else (which would've been nice to expand on if we go this route bc there's something interesting about Yuma calling for the labyrinth to kill people for ultimately no reason, but they don't do anything with that and that is a WHOLE other essay lol).

But this is not my main reason that Yomi should've died here. I wouldn't feel so strongly if that was the case. No, my problem lies with a character that isn't Yomi, and what is part of the entire reason Rain Code's plot exists.

Part 4: Is Makoto fucking stupid?

"/lh" by the way. Makoto is my second favorite character in this game behind Yuma, and I adore him. His story, his motivations, his undying will to be a protector of a people that no one else will protect, by any means necessary... he is such an incredible character and antagonist and I genuinely adore him. But I have one eensy weensy, teeny weeny little issue with him:

Why did he need the detectives to oust Yomi?

Makoto claims in the ch 5 labyrinth that the reason the detectives were brought over was to oust Yomi, which leads me to believe the command for the detectives to come to Kanai Ward was his work, not Number One's, then Number One simply caught onto this and took advantage of the situation to sneak in. Though, that's just a guess on my part, mind you. So I suppose he was just desperately hoping at least one of them would take care of Yomi, but isn't that weird?

The detectives don't ever find the evidence of Yomi's money laundering and bribery. Makoto does. The detectives don't ever bring Yomi's corruption to light. Yomi... already does that without their help. Actually, why didn't he secretly team up with the Resistance for that? Too busy ignoring Dohya District's glaring issues, Makoto? Too busy turning a blind eye to your people's suffering?

Uh. Anyway, the only detective that actually does something beneficial for Makoto and kills Huesca is Yakou, who was already in Kanai Ward. And don't tell me that Makoto accounted for Fubuki and Desuhiko's fortes here because that part of the plan was all Yakou's idea. If Makoto could've predicted this, he would've just called the detectives necessary to this plan instead of luring in a bunch of them at once to get slaughtered.

Tons of detectives died coming to Kanai Ward to do... what? Distract Yomi? Could the World's Greatest Mind truly never come up with a better distraction for a guy who didn't even realize his Martina Cube™ order never came in? Yomi isn't shown to be some sort of hypervigilant supergenius nor is he nearly on Makoto's level. Could he truly not have outsmarted Yomi and led him astray long enough to grab a little binder of paper?

So, once again, you may be wondering how Yomi's death would fix this. Well, Yuma, a detective, is the one who kills Yomi.

Makoto is well aware of Yuma using the Book of Death at this point. So what better way to get rid of Yomi than to carefully manipulate the detective who has the Perfect Criminal Murder Tool™? Makoto can't just assassinate Yomi himself- that would make him the main suspect and he'd have to do a lot of PR maintenance to get the rest of Amaterasu Corp off his back. But Yomi mysteriously dying of a heart attack while Makoto isn't anywhere around... well, that's different.

"But wait," you may be thinking, "doesn't Makoto want to keep Yomi alive because he's a Kanai Ward citizen, and he loves Kanai Ward?"

Good point! But doesn't that also apply to Yakou, whom he also had a hand in manipulating into that crazy sui-homocide of Dr. Huesca? Or, what about Fink? Remember him? Makoto killed him for "knowing too much." I know that information is missable, but it's there. And don't tell me it's just because he's a hitman and has killed other Kanai Ward residents, because Yomi has sent many residents to their deaths without trial... not a huge difference. So a body count isn't really on Makoto's "should I kill them" conditions, it seems.

If Fink gets killed for "knowing too much," then Yomi shouldn't be exempt from this, especially when he was leaking homunculus information to the outside world. That goes far beyond "knowing too much." It just doesn't make sense.

But you know what does? Makoto actually using the detectives to wipe his hands clean of Yomi's mess. Yakou is used to take care of Huesca, Yuma is used to take care of Yomi, and Makoto gets to sit back, relax, and watch everything play out just as planned.

And later, in the next chapter, when Yuma learns about Makoto using him like this, he realizes that he's truly been had.

Part 5: How I think it should play out

I'm not being a hater. In fact, I deeply love this game and have a lot of respect for Kodaka and the writing team, so please don't take my little rant as some sort of effort to bash on my favorite video game because that's not what this is. I'm not gonna prop myself up as a better writer than anyone on the team because I'm not, but I'll still try my hand at rewriting this scene to fit my personal taste. So I would like for you to imagine with me, the end of chapter 4...

Yuma and Vivia find the secret area of the labyrinth and find out that Yomi has been masterminding Huesca's murder. Shinigami points out that, hey, that's why the labyrinth is falling so slowly: we haven't finished it off! Vivia stands by Yuma's side, and all of them, driven by their rage and desire to see justice be done, reap the soul of the true mastermind through one final strike of the solution blade. Labyrinth collapses, snap back to reality, oop there goes gravity, oop there goes Yomi, who collapses on the ground.

The peacekeepers are surprised and approach the body. They find that Yomi is dead. They're shocked, and as this is happening, Yuma isn't sure what to feel. Is he glad that he managed to avenge Yakou? Not quite, because Yakou is still gone, the hitman is still out there, and everything still hurts. But a part of him feels... vindicated. Vivia seems to have equally complicated feelings about this. For once, it was... kind of worth it to find the truth, even if a bit messy.

Well now the peacekeepers confirmed Yomi is dead, but now they're accusing the detectives of this. And they're honestly kinda right. Yuma and Vivia realize that they're in kind of deep shit, but the sound of Martina's voice comes from off screen asking what on earth is going on here, making everyone freeze.

Enter her, Makoto, and Seth (I'll say why he's here too in a moment). They're surprised at the sight before them, but Makoto only pretends to be. Then you see it... Martina and Seth go from visibly suprised... to relieved. And there's something oddly triumphant, yet a bit chilling about Makoto and the two people we've witnessed Yomi throw under the bus standing over his corpse. It feels thematic now, as if righteous judgement has come. And... it also solves the "what happened to Seth" question, lol.

Makoto shakes his head and sighs, stepping over the corpse and approaching Yuma and Vivia as he comes up with an excuse: "I always told him that those temper tantrums weren't good for his blood pressure. I guess his heart couldn't take it anymore."

He then nods to the others. Seth instructs the peacekeepers to clean up the body, as they rot quickly in this city. There's this foreboding feeling in the peacekeepers' obedience and efficiency, and Yuma begins to wonder if he did a good thing. Did his actions change the peacekeepers for the better, he asks himself, or did he simply shift the power over to someone worse? Shinigami tells him she doesn't know.

Makoto approaches them with good news: they found and arrested the hitman! Yuma, frightened, does not address that and instead asks him why the other high ranking peacekeepers are here. Makoto says that they... owe him a favor. Martina expresses her gratefulness for him stopping her execution order and asks if they can do anything else, to which Makoto replies telling her no, they're doing an excellent job. After some more conversation, Seth, Martina, and the peacekeepers then leave with Yomi's body to let Makoto talk privately to Yuma and Vivia. Makoto apologizes for their loss of Yakou and offers some faux sympathy. They're both... still conflicted about this conclusion, but Makoto tells them they're free to go, so they'll think about it later. Oh, but before they leave, he gives Yuma a little gift: a suspicious black box. Of course, Yuma can't open it just yet- it's a surprise!

Then the rest could play out pretty much normally (though an encounter with zombie Yomi chapter 5 seems inevitable and also awesome).

I think this alone would solve every issue I addressed before. The peacekeepers do not change out of nowhere. They simply reallocate power and there's still this feeling of them being a threat as they're now directly connected to the game's true antagonist. There's now a theme to Martina's return with Seth's presence as well. There's now a narrative purpose to that final section of the mystery labyrinth with proper payoff. And, most importantly, Makoto's motivations to use the detectives make more sense.

By the way, if any Yomi lovers think that he should stay alive for a potential return in the sequel... isn't it such a blessing that Yakou's DLC introduced this pretty neat little pill that could still make that possible? Just saying.

So yeah. Yuma, for the sake of narrative payoff and character writing consistency, please kill this clown. Thanks for reading <3

[roseseatea]

The Aetheria Academy ladies, but I swapped their art styles

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

カナイ区の看板は何語かわからない言語で書かれてるのにエーテルア女学院の掲示物はなぜか完全に日本語なんだよなぁ。流石にこれは他言語でもそのままなのかな。 The signage in Kanai Ward is written in a jumbled language so players can't tell what language it is, but the posters or something on the wall of Aetheria Academy are completely in Japanese. I'm curious to see if this will be localized.

演劇部ルールのポスター、いかにもマッキーで書いたっぽい文字の感じとかも含めてリアルで好き。 I like the poster of the rules of the Theatre Club for kouhai(後輩) written by senpai(先輩).

演劇部の部室のホワイトボードに貼られているポスターだけ日付が書いてあって、6月2日（金)って書いてあるから、もしかしてレインコードのストーリーは5月の終わり〜6月初めあたりで始まってるのかな？(他に日付の情報があったか記憶が曖昧) The only poster on the whiteboard in the Theater Club room has a date on it, and it says that a summer festival will be held on Friday, June 2, so maybe the RAIN CODE storyline started in late May or early June? (I don't remember if there was any other information about the date).

[brightstarblogs]

RainCode Honorifics!

First let me preface this by saying I'm not Japanese so there may be a few mistakes in this post.

I haven't seen anyone else make a post on this so I figured I'd do it myself. I've always found honorifics interesting in Japanese media and often include them in my fics. RainCode is a little different however because all characters go by their first names instead of surnames which most Japanese media typically use (since most surnames are westernized/wacky). This interested me so I wanted to do a little research!

But yeah, if you want to use honorifics in your own fics or just find Japanese linguistics interesting, I hope you enjoy this post! It has taken me 3-4 months to compile this list.

Spoilers ahead!

Yuma: Typically Yuma uses -san when referring to other characters. However there are a few exceptions to this. Yuma uses -chan to refer to Shinigami (because she asked him too) and with Kurumi. He also changes to using -kun for Desuhiko after they arrive at Aetheria Academy in chapter 2/Gum shoe gab 2 to show they're friends (but this could be to reciprocate the fact Desuhiko changed from using Rookie to My man). He does not use any honorifics for the peacekeepers (Yomi, Martina, etc) to show he doesn't respect them and Makoto (Although he will use -san when talking to Makoto). He also doesn't use honorifics on Aiko, Karen, Waruna, Yoshiko and Kurane, although he does use -san when speaking to other students in the investigation.

Shinigami: She tends to not use any honorifics and instead uses nicknames. Most notably Akuma-chan for Halara (Hellara in the dub). When she does use a character's name it is with no honorific. I did notice she uses -dono in the gum shoe gabs when saying Yuma's bond with a character has deepened. -dono is often used in writing letters/emails, but also is used in a lot of fantasy media/JRPGs. Shinigami does reference Dragon Quest in the dub so perhaps this is just her being a nerd (Special thanks too @/rararazaquato for pointing this out). If you want to know more about the nicknames she gives the NDA in Japanese, please look at this post!

Halara: They use no honorifics for any character. The only time I heard them use one was in their DLC when they use -san for their client (They do not use Tetra's name though. They say Ojo-san).

Desuhiko: He also doesn't tend use honorifics. Unlike Halara though he uses nicknames. He refers to Fubuki as Ojou, which translates as Young lady/princess. He uses -chan for Shinigami and Kurumi but also when referring to female characters like Guillaume and NPCs where he'll say neko-chan. He also calls Yuma Rookie until they arrive at Aetheria Academy, where he changes to My man for the rest of the game.

Fubuki: Uses -san for every character.

Vivia: Uses -kun for most characters. He doesn't use honorifics for Yomi or Makoto, and uses -chan for Kurumi

Yakou: Like Halara and Desuhiko, Yakou tends not to use honorifics but there are a few exceptions. He uses -chan for Fubuki and Kurumi. He also calls Seth -sensei when he was trying to deescalate the situation in chapter 1. He uses -san for Tetra, so I think he uses honorifics with clients. I don't know for certain but that's my theory.

Kurumi: Now, Kurumi tends to use -san for most characters. She used -san with Yuma when they first meet, but switches to -chan when he is in disguise in the school to help blend in. She then uses -kun from chapter 3 onwards (and once in chapter 2 when she's held by a peacekeeper, but Yuma doesn't hear her). She doesn't use honorifics with Akio, Karen, Waruna, Yoshiko, Kurane and Shachi.

Makoto: He uses a variety of honorifics. He tends not to use any for Yuma, but also does say -kun. He also uses -kun for both Yomi and Martina/Suwaro. He also uses -chan for Kurumi.

Now onto minor characters where it gets a little difficult due to screen time.

Pucci: Uses -san for Zange so maybe uses -san for other cast members.

Melami: I didn't hear her use any honorifics as she doesn't refer to others by name and tends to use nicknames.

Zange: He didn't call any character by their name so I have no idea unfortunately.

Aphex: Used nicknames so again, I am not sure.

Zilch(?)/Hitman: In chapter 1 he uses -kun for both Yuma and Aphex. He did not address the rest of the cast by name so I have no idea if he'd use -san or -kun for Pucci or Melami. Even then I don't know if that was an act as he is an imposter. He uses -sama however for Yomi in chapter 5 when you find him as a zombie.

Martina: Fun fact, she is actually called Suwaro/Swallow in the Japanese sub! I don't know why her name is changed but this was a fun surprise. She uses -sama for both Yomi and Makoto. She doesn't use names for the NDA.

Swank: He didn't use any names, but I included him because like Martina, his name was changed. Originally he was called Spank in the Japanese sub.

Yomi: Only ever called Martina by her name with no honorific.

Seth: Like most peacekeepers he calls Yomi by -sama.

Guillaume: She tends to refer to Dominic by just his name, along with Shachi. She however does use -sama for Yomi like the other peacekeepers.

Priest: Uses -san for the clock-maker

Teacher: Although this is Desuhiko, in disguise he calls Kurumi by -san.

Yoshiko: No honorifics

Kurane: No honorifics

Waruna: No honorifics

Shachi: No honorifics

Iruka: Uses -san for Yuma but no honorifics for Shachi.

Servan: Doesn't use honorifics for other resistant members, but uses -kun for Yuma

Icardi: No honorifics

Margulaw: No honorifics

Ramen man: Uses -chan for Kurumi. Not sure what he'd use for other characters.

Enyne: Before she reveals her identity she uses -san for Desuhiko

[trubbishrubbish]

Having some Martina thoughts. Spoilers for the whole game below.

So, chapter 4 reveals that Martina was still alive, The execution that was supposed to kill her was stopped by Makoto and Martina no longer loves Yomi. But a lot must have happened in the background before this point, mainly when Makoto stopped the execution and what happened immediately after.

For starters, Yomi is very surprised to see that Martina is still alive, this gives me the impression that Yomi assumed his execution order was already carried out and Martina should be dead.

Why didn't he double check with any of his peacekeepers to confirm that the deed was done beforehand? Perhaps he was too distracted dealing with the master detectives in chapter 3-4, or maybe Yomi cared so little for Martina that he didn't feel a need to check if she did die. If you toss trash into a garbage bin, do you really need to see if it's actually in there? That was likely his mindset.

Yomi issued the order the night after the Aetheria Academy case. The next morning all of chapter 3 occurs than the day after that is chapter 4. So about two days have passed since he issued the order, and he was surprised to see Martina alive the night of the second day. So, Yomi expected her to be crushed in that presser machine as soon as possible.

With that in mind, when did Makoto stop the execution? Was it before meeting Yuma in Kanai Tower or after Yuma leaves Kanai Tower?

The amount of time that passed between the submarine exploding and Yuma waking up in Kanai Tower is unknown but since chapter 3 starts on the morning of the first day than we can assume a few hours have passed. During that time, a peacekeeper under Makoto's jurisdiction found Yuma floating along the riverbank, probably not too long after the explosion. He radioed the CEO about this found detective and Makoto ordered them to bring Yuma to Kanai Tower.

Makoto said Yuma was in "tatters" when found by the riverbank, so maybe Makoto stayed up those few hours taking care of Yuma so he would not die. Then, when Yuma is fully healed, Makoto waited until he woke up and walked outside the bedroom so the two can chat.

In other words, Makoto was preoccupied that whole night so he did not have any time to stop Martina's execution, that means he did it after Yuma left Kanai Tower.

But wait, how did Makoto know about Martina’s execution just in time to stop it? I don’t think Makoto has any secret cameras in Yomi’s office that recorded the conversation and Makoto stumbling upon this execution himself is unlikely. The only way is a peacekeeper that knew about the execution personally telling him about it. But what peacekeeper would notify Makoto? The peacekeepers respect both Yomi and Martina but since Yomi outranks Martina, they have no issue sending their second-in-command to death. Whoever this single peacekeeper is, they have to be more loyal to Martina than Yomi and have a personal liking to her that motivated them to report to a power above Yomi.

And I think I know who that guy is.

That’s right. The chubby peacekeeper who was very excited about getting punished by Martina was the one who told Makoto about her execution. News of Martina’s execution would spread among the peacekeepers and the Chubby Peacekeeper would likely hear of it at some point. Since he admires Martina so much, he didn’t want her to be killed, regardless of Yomi issuing the order, so he told someone higher up than Yomi that could stop it. A short time later after Yuma leaves Kanai Tower, Makoto hears about the execution from the Chubby Peacekeeper and swiftly heads over to the presser room and puts a stop to the process, saving Martina.

Supporting this, the Chubby Peacekeeper is there accompanying Makoto in the lab. Among the Peacekeepers that are loyal to Martina, him being there can’t just be a coincidence.

Maybe becuase he helped in saving Martina's life, she wanted him to be there when she confronted Yomi.

Now the last question. What happened immediately after Makoto stopped the execution order? Very simply, Makoto had a conversation with Martina, obviously in a different room away from the presser. Martina was no doubt traumatized and utterly terrified to almost be killed in an inhumanely cruel way and it be by someone she thought she loved. Makoto being a homunculus of the "world's greatest mind," therapy skills could be among his repertoire. Whatever they talked about together had major changes in Martina's behavior and relationship with Yomi.

Firstly, Martina has recognized that all the unlawful and brutal actions she committed as vice president of the peacekeepers were wrong. She feels guilty doing them and wants to resign from her position as atonement.

This is a decision she made herself. Makoto didn't suggest this and was ok with Martina still being vice president.

In addition, Martina is heard helping in the clean-up and reconstruction of Marunomon District after the flooding incident. Martina decided the best way to make amends for her prior actions is to personally help Kanai Ward and the people recover. Even in places that she wasn't involved in.

Secondly, Martina no longer loves Yomi. Makoto helped her come to terms that Yomi was abusive to her and he never truly loved her. Martina will probably still have lasting trauma from Yomi that can't be quickly undone after one therapy session, but Makoto did give Martina enough strength to face her abuser in the critical lab and shut him down.

Makoto realistically didn't need Martina here to get Yomi arrested. The file was enough, but Martina being here regardless speaks volumes. Two days ago, Martina was at her absolute lowest, completely alone and scared and knocking on death's door. And now she is face to face with her personal demon and confidently told him off and arrested him. Such a feat would not be possible without Makoto's support and being surrounded by people who actually care for her. She didn't even flinch when Yomi screamed at her.

Makoto didn't just want to stop Yomi's reign in Kanai Ward, he wanted to give Martina a chance to bolster her coincidence and get closure from her abuser.

Lastly, Martina wanted to show that she has grown from being Yomi's "right hand." She was able to arrest her abuser which is a powerful moment for sure, but that wasn't enough for Martina, she wanted to prove that she isn't just over him, she became better than him.

In the past chapters, the peacekeepers had an authoritarian rule over the citizens. They could arrest anyone over a crime when convenient and strike fear into the citizens to keep them from rebelling. A common phrase from the peacekeepers when arresting a person is:

Even Martina says this same line, and with an extra bit about begging for mercy to the corporation.

This type iron fist ruling is no doubt becuase of Yomi. He wants Kanai Ward to bow to him. He doesn't want any inconvenient truths get in the way of growing in power. He is willing to shoot people who so much as disagree with him publicly. He trains the entire peacekeeper branch to uphold this fear mongering dominance.

Martina had this similar mindset as Yomi, but once she talked to Makoto she wanted to remove this mindset from her person. That's why when Yomi is being arrested, Martina says this:

It's quite amazing that Martina is willing to treat Yomi far kinder and fairer than he did with her. This was a decision she made herself, I don't think Makoto required Martina to only arrest Yomi in a fair way. I believe Makoto would have approved of Martina shooting Yomi dead right then and there if she wanted. Remember, Makoto killed Fink the Slaughter Artist for "knowing too much" even though I doubt what he knew had anything to do with Homunculi. Makoto isn't above silencing people quickly. But Martina wanted to prove both Yomi and herself than she has become a better person than him. She has become her own person without any influence from her abuser.

In conclusion, I am so amazed and happy that Martina was given the chance to not only live but to heal from her abuser. Makoto coming in to save Martina wasn't done to help him take down Yomi, it was a selfless act to save a women who needed help and Makoto provided that help. All so Martina can have a future where she is happy and healthy.

Also fuck Yomi Hellsmile.

[snivyartjpeg]

anthro designs for the aetheria academy girls!

rain code furry au: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[real-raincode-takes]

the real reason yuma was blushing so much after being put in her beautiful aetheria academy disguise wasn't because of the outfit itself actually. it was because desuhiko tucked her

.

[loremaster]

CHAPTER 1 - Man Door Hand Nail Fur Door (Comic)

...aka the Zilara manifesto.

(tw: strangulation, suggestive themes) BOBA AU MASTERPOST: [link]

Yakou tells Yuma to go to the hotel and corral all the other detectives who have been sleeping soundly in the nice fancy rooms over there. Yuma, who got 3 hours of sleep on Yakou's creaky couch, says "Okay, sure thing, Dad." ((side note - wouldn't the train detectives have had rooms reserved at the hotel? Couldn't Yuma have had one of those?))

Instead of agreeing to meet up, they all send poor little Kokohead around the city doing side quests.

Pucci wants to know if Kanai Ward has any good symphonies; recordings of classical music are all well and good, but it's no substitute for the acoustics of a live concert hall. Closest thing Yuma can find is Aetheria Academy's chamber orchestra program. Musicians in Kanai Ward used to be part of a larger regional symphonic orchestra, but since Amaterasu locked off the city, they've had to resort to busking. Pucci seems disappointed, but resigns herself to checking out the high school girls' next concert anyway.

Aphex is cruisin' for a bruisin'. He spotted some suspicious movement in one of the districts on his radar (drug deals?), but every time he goes to check it out, he can't find out which people in the crowd are the suspicious ones. They must be afraid of Aphex's intimidating appearance, so Yuma goes in his stead to grill the people hanging around the square. Turns out they weren't dealing drugs, they were passing around anti-Amaterasu propaganda. They beg Yuma not to tell Aphex. Yuma goes back to the hotel to tell Aphex... who thinks anti-fascist action is cool, actually, so no need to do anything about those guys.

Melami wants to know about the local fashion scene, and is very curious about the dronebrellas she's seen around Kanai Ward. She sends Yuma to see what the big deal about them is, and once there, he gets roped into a long winding sales pitch for technology he can't afford. He relays as much of this as he can remember back to Melami, but once she hears they only come in one color, she decides she's not interested. What's the point if you can't customize it? Just get a regular umbrella. Or a rain coat. That's a much better way to show off your personality! Yuma tries not to scream about how much time he just wasted.

Zange shows Yuma a picture he took (with his mind) of a specific location in Kanai Ward, but can't quite remember where it was. Yuma has to go on a scavenger hunt to find the place that matches the picture and tell Zange how to get there. Zange assigns Yuma a numerical score based on how long it took him complete the quest (which is always too slow). This will be a repeatable quest/minigame with different locations every time.

As Yuma is about to leave the hotel, Zilch stops him. He offers a more formal introduction (since, you know, they didn't actually meet aboard the train) and volunteers (insists) to accompany the poor useless trainee as a senior detective, to show him how it's done.

Zilch has four animal companions with him at the moment: three caged mice and a dog named Bosch.

He doesn't seem to treat them very kindly, though. He isn't careful handling the mice's cage, and he orders Bosch around like one would speak to Alexa.

Anyway, Zilch and Yuma go look for the last remaining detective, Halara Nightmare. Canon ensues.

They run into The Boy and accept the quest to investigate the Nail Man murders. Halara needs some convincing.

At the church, Zilch makes a new friend, or so he thinks.

Zilch tactlessly asks the nun if her ears are natural or not, and starts bragging about how well his own surgery went. For the ears and tail, that is. The Nun doesn't like Zilch's attitude one bit. She watches him use his mice for spying and gets freaked out. The nun threatens to kill Zilch but he doesn't think she's serious.

Zilch says that he didn’t expect there to be a Metal Fox Church here, of all places. Yuma asks him to elaborate, and he says they’re a denomination that exists elsewhere in the world. The church near where he grew up was much larger and more spectacular than this one. The Metal Fox is a deity known for its fortitude and cunning, that offers protection from “hunters,” or persecution of any kind. Zilch doesn’t seem to believe in its teachings at all. #atheistpride

Meanwhile, the dog, Bosch, sniffs around and seems agitated by something. He can place the smells of all the church NPCs around the scene, but there's something else, too. Zilch barks the order - literally - for Bosch to track whichever scent doesn't belong, and the dog goes off on a solo mission.

Zilch has a plan to catch the Nail Man red-handed, but he won't tell what it is yet. He needs to prepare some stuff. So in the meantime, Yuma and Halara hold hands at several different crime scenes.

While Shinigami keeps blabbing about stripping detectives, Halara fucks off to who knows where and Yuma returns to the church to meet with Zilch. Zilch leads Yuma to the nearby woods and reveals his master plan to lure out the Nail Man by taking a doll with a slip of paper on it to the forest, and writing the name of someone for the Nail Man to kill...

"Yuma Kokohead," of course.

Yuma is terrified of being used as bait, but Zilch promises he'll intervene before the Nail Man can actually kill him, it'll be fine. So Yuma the pushover gets tied to a tree...

Halara unmasks the cloaked figure to reveal the priest of the Metal Fox Church, as they suspected. The priest begs for mercy - he was only trying to protect the people of Kanai Ward by purging it of corruption (and letting an innocent man take the fall for it)...!

Yuma thinks he might not have to rely on Shinigami's powers this time, but then...

Bosch leads them back to the church where Seth and his Peacekeepers are threatening Yakou.

And with that… it’s Mystery Labyrinth time!

Zilch’s voice is back to normal inside the Labyrinth. He seems oddly relaxed around Shinigami - because he insists this is not real and actually a dream. #atheist4lyfe

Yuma deduces that Zilch's name was written in the woods by the nun. She witnessed Zilch’s mistreatment of his animal companions and tactless assholery - but the thing that pushed it into murder territory was actually her recognizing the crest of the Alexander family on his fur coat. The full truth comes to light - the Alexanders have been known for generations as prolific trophy hunters. They “live alongside nature,” sure, but it’s a heavily controlled and subdued “nature.” This is antithetical to everything the Metal Fox Church stands for, so the nun, devout to her faith, believed Zilch to be an invasive threat to their way of life, and the peace of Kanai Ward.

And, since this revelation is taking place in the Mystery Labyrinth, of COURSE she gets a cool Mystery Phantom.

The gang also, like, solves the actual mystery.

Then once they find all the evidence they unmask the true culprit and his copycat, and the Priest's and Worshipper's souls are reaped.

Zilch is horrified. Somehow he didn't expect this was actually going to affect reality. Shinigami assures him that he won't remember any of the Mystery Labyrinth anyway, so...

Aaaaand eventually they do leave the Labyrinth. Halara is back to their usual steely exterior.

The masked priest in front of them drops to the floor dead. A scream from the church can be heard, presumably because the worshipper has just done the same. They go to check it out.

Then… Yomi shows up. He intimidates the group and doesn’t seem to deem any of the detectives worth his attention… until he notices Zilch.

Shinigami wonders if he recognized the Alexander family crest... but Yuma makes the connection and realizes Yomi might have had some sort of connection to the impostor on the train. That's pretty scary to think about. Was this the guy who tried to kill off all the Master Detectives coming into Kanai Ward? He seems dangerous...

Good thing Yomi has a devoted right hand to play around with. In front of everyone.

But anyway, regarding the Nail Man situation, Yomi decides to throw Seth under the bus, and punish him accordingly.

Bye Seth! Or should I say... Steve. :noes:

After his near-death experience, Zilch has a change of heart and decides he doesn't need a fur coat after all (seeing as it almost got him killed). Halara accepts it as payment for their services solving the case.... at least Zilch's half of it - Yuma still owes them a small fortune.

And with that the day is saved. Yuma plays a bit of baseball. Halara has a comfy new bed for their beloved strays. And Zilch... has a lot to think about.

-----

HELLO BOBA FANS!!! Thanks for your patience waiting for this update! I hope you can tell I've been working on this very hard (in between assignments for cartoon college)! The post didn't even fit all the images I made for this chapter - I'll be sure to post the other ones separately. At some point.

This chapter was an interesting challenge to write, trying to hammer down Zilch's character - how to make him distinct from his impersonator, but similar enough to lend credit to the impersonator. It took a while but I think I've finally landed on a solid backstory. I'll be posting more about him in the next installment of Boba AU - Zilch's Gumshoe Gabs. Then after that will be Chapter 2! Super excited to rub my gay little hands all over that one.

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading! If you liked this, then please... I beg of you... draw me some Zilara ;_;

BOBA AU MASTERPOST: [link]

[sakura-code]

🤍🌸Kurumi Wendy🌸🤍

She comes from an upper-middle class family

She is an only child

Her mom is a news reporter for Kanai News Station and her dad is a nurse at the Marunomon Hospital

She and her parents live in a fancy apartment building in Ginma District, which is also close to Marunomon District for her parents’ works

She is in the Photography Club in Aetheria Academy

She loves listening to Lo-Fi and Ambience music

Her favorite video games are cozy farm RPGs like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley

Her aesthetic are Cottagecore (specifically fairycore and warmcore)

Her favorite colors are pink and white

She is confirmed to be a Sagittarius

Kurumi’s main Smash character would be Princess Peach

She prefers to be out in nature over being in the city

Sometimes she would sneak out to the natural forests of Kanai Ward to take a walk or break from the city

She is Bisexual Demiromantic

She prefers to be a supporter or helper in the background like being in the backstage team of the Theater Club

[raincode-archives]

Epilogue Character Profile Descriptions

Yuma Kokohead Not actually Yuma Kokohead, his true identity is Number One of the World Detective Organization.

Realizing the Great Global Mystery involved his own homunculus, he made a contract with Shinigami to solve the mystery, losing his memory in the process. He then switched places with the real Yuma Kokohead and went to Kanai Ward as Trainee Detective Yuma.

He sent Makoto out of the Mystery Labyrinth before escaping through the emergency exit. This voided his contract with Shinigami, and he headed off alone, losing all memory of their time together.

Number One's Forte is Coalescence, the ability to make use of another's Forte by receiving their permission and holding their hand.

Shinigami (Spirit Form) A death god contracted to haunt Yuma. Only visible to Yuma, Shinigami is constantly floating and bobbing along at his side. Though cheerful and chatty, this death god's sense of morality is quite far removed from that of humans.

Shinigami can open a path to the Mystery labyrinth, which is the manifestation of mysteries from the real world. The truth behind the mystery is revealed by solving the Mystery labyrinth. Dispelling it requires reaping the true culprit's soul, which results in their death in the real world.

After Number One opened the Book of Death in the WDO library, Shinigami agreed to a pact to help him rid the world of unsolved mysteries and bring happiness to everyone. The two then came to Kanai Ward together.

Shinigami (Human Form) Shinigami's true form. Her personality is no different from when she's in her spirit form, so she continues to enjoy teasing Yuma.

She can open a path to the Mystery Labyrinth, which is the manifestation of mysteries from the real world. She has many special abilities inside the Mystery Labyrinth that can aid Yuma in solving it.

Believing that Yuma would fulfill his promise to show her a world where everyone was happy, she opened an emergency exit from the Mystery Labyrinth. She saw him off as he left, accepting that he would have no memory of their time together.

Yakou Furio A Kanai Ward native and head of the Nocturnal Detective Agency. He lives in an unhealthy, unkempt, and unsanitary lifestyle. He understands the thread the Amaterasu Corporation Peacekeepers pose, but only thinks of how to avoid them. Even so, he cares a great deal for his companions.

In order to avenge his wife who was murdered four years ago, Yakou sacrificed his life to murder Dr. Huesca at Amaterasu's lab.

After his body was transported to the Restricted Area, Yakou retained his faculties and refrained from attacking people. He later entrusted Yuma with a DVD containing footage of the Project: Homunculus experiment.

Number One Number One's body double. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Number One issues orders to the detectives via this double in order to keep his true identity hidden.

(Fake) Zilch Alexander An assassin employed by Yomi. He is a close associate of Yomi's and kills anyone that stands in his way.

After murdering and taking the place of Master Detective Zilch, the hitman killed all of the Master Detectives aboard Amaterasu Express. He framed Yuma for the crime and was returning to Amaterasu when his soul was reaped by Shinigami after the Mystery Labyrinth was solved, resulting in his death.

Makoto Kagutsuchi Makoto is in truth the homunculus of Number One, created at a Unified Government research facility. His goal has always been to protect the homunculi of Kanai Ward, and he is prepared to do absolutely anything to attain it.

Following a fierce battle with Number One inside of the Mystery Labyrinth, Makoto has become steward of Kanai Ward, working endless to protect the homunculi living there.

Kurumi Wendy A student at Aetheria Academy. Hungry for knowledge, she seeks out anything she wants to know with unwavering tenacity. Thanks to her cheerful demeanor and excellent communication skills, she's quick to get along with people she meets. Having a lifelong fascination with detectives, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk with one and shadowed Yuma.

She was about to be arrested for the theater club murder, but was released after Yuma revealed the truth.

She holds deep trust in Yuma. When he began to doubt his actions, she bolstered his confidence by telling him he was doing the right thing.

While investigating the restricted area with Yuma, she reunited with her murdered friend, Aiko, and was finally able to say farewell.

Dr. Huesca Chief researcher and expert weapons developer at Amaterasu Lab. An arrogant man who believes his intellect is unrivaled. He hates having his precious research time interrupted and allows no one to enter his critical labs.

He colluded with Peacekeeper Director Yomi to secretly sell off Amaterasu technology, planning all the while to double-cross Yomi and flee Kanai Ward. Attempting to use the turmoil caused by the hitman to fake his own demise, he was instead stabbed and killed by Yakou, who sought revenge for his murdered wife.

Yomi prompted Yakou to commit the murder in order to get rid of the backstabbing Dr. Huesca while keeping his own hands clean.

Three years ago, Dr. Huesca conducted the Project: Homunculus experiment. Its failure produced the defective homunculi, which killed the real doctor.

[junkosblunt]

Sapphic Rain Code Server

Welcome to Aetheria Academy

a Rain Code Discord Server For Sapphics

Hello and welcome to Aetheria Academy! Aetheria Academy is a Discord server created by yours truly, @junkosblunt , specifically as a space for sapphic members of the Rain Code fandom to chit chat about wlw ships, share headcanons, analyze characters, and talk about Rain Code content in general. It’s a super chill server with silly vibes and a nice assortment of channels to hang out in.

If you have any questions about the server, feel free to shoot me an ask or reply to this post. We love new members, so if you’re thinking about joining, I say do it! All sapphic identities are welcome!

Click here to join!

[iloveyosukelegs]

Non-breath oblige

description: Of course, she came here for something more important. For something he was afraid to hear in person, word for word, from one of the residents. The truth that he did not ignore, which he knew about, but still was afraid to hear the confirmation of every painful thought.

characters: Kurumi Wendy, Makoto Kagutsuchi

word count: 2.8k

tags: ‼️spoilers for ED‼️, corruption, thoughts of vigilante as the only escape from injustice, my try to extand the tragedy occurred in ch2

link in ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54586600

The girl timidly looked at the huge elevator arch in front of her. She looked around the overly rich building, furnished with expensive furniture and permeated from floor to ceiling with exceptionally exquisite decor. Even to this day, she never tired of being amazed by the amount of truly luxurious buildings in their city. Starting from the Aetheria Academy, ending with the central building of Amaterasu, in which she was now looking around warily.

This is not the first time she comes here, but she hopes to leave here for the last time.

After her hero helped her in the most important case of her life, she was left with only the Book of Death, which caused fear, sadness and gratitude inside the heart of high school student. It contained something that helped Yuma in solving all the cases from which he had the courage not to turn away from, not to ignore the truth for which he fought until the very end.

The elevator made a short high-pitched sound, opening its doors and letting the girl into a box that was perfect fittable to the size of the entire building, there were even relaxing music playing. So that people getting to the upper floors would not be so bored. Especially when your goal is the very last floor of the Amaterasu Tower.

Where the CEO in his usual pose was already waiting for her, thoughtfully scribbling on papers with a pencil, apparently thereby increasing his concentration. Kurumi Wendy smiled - someone clearly didn’t want to work anymore, considering that all the primary tasks had long been resolved...

Without saying a word, the high school student calmly walked inside the immodest hall-office, leaving her briefcase against one of the wide walls and moving closer to the busy guy at the desk. As always, he will not notice her presence, allowing her to silently comb his long, blonde hair, which is, as usual, in a terrible state, using her favorite elastic rubber bands to a neatly collected bun. Allows her to silently observe from the sidelines.

Usually, five minutes after finishing the “quick hairstyle,” Makoto Kagutsuchi notices her, confused by how he again was able failed to notice the presence of a high school student, becomes embarrassed, and then offers tea. Traditional one, with herbs, without herbs, strong, diluted, gifted by someone from the top layer of collaborating companies, that was bought here...

“Or wine? Kurumi-chan, are you drinking wine?"

And after her attempt to agree, there was the gloating laughter of a man who clearly had no intention of sharing expensive alcohol with a high school student and getting his own residents drunk. Which is surprising, because there were so many times more wine in this office than there were any tea...

But today she came here with business. This matter did not require a quick solution, but her briefcase was already packed, and the gaze of the CEO was already directed at her. There was a childish-looking flowered rubber band in his hair. Kurumi smiled, still allowing herself to dilute the heaviness of the pending conversation with the usual chatter about nonsense:

"I must say, you look much better without a mask, Mr. Makoto".

"Is it true?" Noticeable ill feeling in the eyes "is it because I remind you of your boyfriend?"

“We’re not dating” The girl said automatically, without any emotion, for the umpteenth time in the last month “and no, you`re not alike... at least your gaze is much heavier and stern. But still just as caring!"

Makoto looked at her in amazement, for some reason shyly looking away to the side and missing out the scrunched face of the high school student, teasing her too surprisingly sensitive friend.

Kurumi relaxed her face, smiled sadly, holding the Book of Death entrusted to her in her hands and placing it on the wide table.

"And since you have never let the residents down with your care..."

“Kurumi-chan...” the CEO began with his recognisable politeness, getting up from his chair and feeling an inexplicable heaviness inside at the sight of a familiar book. Even the sound with which the weighty book fell onto the surface of a stack of papers made him shudder slightly, “You... want to go look for Yuma, right..?”

“Mr. Makoto,” the high school student said in the same tone as the guy, looking surprised, “I am... going to do so, but that’s not the reason why I came here.”

“Oh, that’s how it is...” the guy apparently looked away sadly, not knowing what to answer.

There was no such need as asking hin personally for a pass to leave the Kanai Ward. This could be done through special terminals installed very close to the train station. His permission for this was no longer required at all, given that Kanai Ward was now an open city, and its residents could move freely between cities or even countries, if it was possible with the routes built into the automated trains running from Kanai Ward.

Of course, she came here for something more important. For something he was afraid to hear in person, word for word, from one of the residents. The truth that he did not ignore, which he knew about, but still was afraid to hear the confirmation of every painful thought.

Hearing about the pain experienced by someone, which he was not able to stop much earlier, felt just like another act before the court of conscience.

And the book in front of him is just a pretext - a pretext for an important conversation. And neither of them were ready to such conversation and still both of them understand the necessity for it.

Makoto nodded slowly, sitting back down in his chair and looking intently at Kurumi, who was stroking the cover of a menacing-looking volume.

"Yuma... used this book to kill the criminals? Right?"

There was a heavy silence in the room as Makoto swore Yuma didn't want it to be put it that way. Just as much as Makoto himself would not want to call murder all the industrial machinations that have been taking place in the Restricted Area for all three years.

But, seeing in the eyes of a straightforward high school student the desire to hear a simple answer - either yes or no - he gave up, not even wanting to try replacing the definitions of words, both for himself and for his original. Kurumi`s belief in them both and this city was too strong, and he should not disrupt this faith.

"Yes."

“So that`s how it is...” the girl looked away, “but it’s still funny... how everything in this city until the very end was decided only in this way. I thought about this for a long time now, starting from the moment when Waruna, Yoshiko and Kurane were declared dead. After all, massed sudden death does not happen this easy, Mr. Makoto... especially during the investigations... especially in this city..."

Makoto held his breath, his whole body was tensed. Somewhere, closer to the elevator, there was a sharp sound - an unstable briefcase sliding down the wall. What a deathly silence is standing here from day to day...

"But it's not bad. I realized that this is not bad at all. Because it's much better than an absolute nothing. You might not have seen this,” Kurumi switched to a whisper, making sure that the CEO was listening to her attentively, “You might not have seen this for all three years, but... I was very lucky.”

"Lucky?.. Kurumi-chan..."

“I was much luckier than people who were left with an absolute nothing. You know, I am the only informant of this city,” the high school student quickly smiled, “I talked a lot with the residents of Kanai Ward. Word of mouth is the best source of information! But this word of mouth contained too many stories that had no solution and no single truth. I've seen too much..."

"... truth established by those who had the power in their hands..."

... Conversations in whispers on the stairwells of numerous people who did not even allow themselves to be angry that their loved one was taken under surveillance in order to pin another crime committed by the Peacekeepers on them. Quiet tears of old women who were forced to spend her last days alone - because her bright-hearted husband was suddenly executed for a series of murders. Brutal deaths that were explained by Peacekeepers with the simple word “suicide,” in which none of them had to dig deep anymore, but only sympathize with a family that had unjustly lost their only child.

"... powerlessness of ordinary people, whose word means nothing to those in whose hands the weapon is - and each of us was often afraid that this weapon could be used against us at any moment..."

She remembers her own scream, heard throughout the entire stage of the Academy Theater, the fear from the realization that if she is taken to the Peacekeepers station now, this will be her personal end and another sad story of a victim of the unfair “truth” established by law. How she didn’t even have time to blink in those terrible seconds, how they quickly shut her up and carried her unconscious to the exit from the Academy. The auditorium, in which there were other girls, and the Academy, in the corridors of which there were her teachers - no one could do anything about it. Intervene. Even if each of them knew that Kurumi would never have committed the murder this cruel.

"... desperate attempts of Aiko’s parents back then... to influence with bribes, authority, anything - they knew that their bright Aiko would never have jumped from the roof. She brought hope to her parents too, Mr. Makoto..."

At night, Kurumi still had nightmares about the heartbreaking scream of all three girls who learned about the death of their close friend. Her own tears that did not stop for several months after the incident, because Aiko was her best friend, too... About the silence in their class: no one wanted to discuss the tragedy that had occurred, everyone knew that the cause of death written in official documents was a lie, but they were afraid to talk about it out loud. Slander towards law enforcement is not acceptable. Especially when their cameras are in every classroom, and one of their patrolmen walks around the territory, as if they were really *afraid* that someone will be able to find evidence to the contrary of the loud word “suicide”. As if they did not hide all kinds of evidences from the roof.

"...the amount of such cases occurred monthly, even those that I did not manage to find out or hear about..."

Because many people fell silent forever even with their eyes, that was not able to either cry or whisper about pain anymore.

“It’s funny how even the United Government, which did this to our bodies and personalities, called it “another event in world history.” It was as if... from the very beginning to the very end, we were considered nothing more than a failed experiment. As if behind the word “history” our previous lives and people who died during something so inhumane never existed..."

“And in order not to go crazy from an absolute nothing...” the girl took a short breath, suddenly falling silent, “even teenagers had to commit such a terrible act as “vigilante.” Isn’t it scary when kids kills other kids just because they realized that the so-called “Peacekeepers" cannot help them with anything?.. Do Aiko and all those unfairly accused people deserve to be remembered as something dirty?.. I have been looking for a person for so long who would help me find the truth..."

She was even asking for help the fans of detective genre, for some reason hoping that using books from the library and some films would really help her achieve the truth for the name of Aiko. In the girls changing room she listened to the barely audible crying of her classmates, and no one was able to stop and calm down the cry. She listened to the conversations that occasionally passed in the queues to the dining room. She was trying to get her friend’s case file, having absolutely no plan to get into one of the Peacekeepers’ sites. She was angry at the absence of cameras on the roof, the lack of recording on them exactly on the day of her death, not being able to remember whether they had once existed before, or whether it was also a detail thought out by the Peacekeepers.

She was ready to give up, repeating to herself at night with the hope that was leaving her along with her tears, “to hold on just a little longer.”

And at one day she found her hero. She found the cute boy jumping through the puddles of an underground passage in the form of the most real Master Detectives. With a cute bowl-cut hairstyle and a voice that was not entirely confident in his own words.

“But even he found a solution only in the act of vigilante,” Kurumi smiled sadly, exhaling and tapping her fingers on the eternally silent Book of Death, “but it’s not bad... if the truth is finally achieved for her... it’s not bad if thanks to such terrible method there is a tiny bit of hope for at least a few residents. If they can talk loudly again, scream, get angry, cry, grieve, hate, breathe...

The girl’s shoulders trembled slightly, and almost crystal tears poured down her cheeks, breaking on the surface of the volume.

Makoto froze, unconsciously clenching the fist of his right hand and trying to suppress the pure rage directed at everyone who had a hand in the city that was gradually collapsing from within.

"I did my best-.."

“I know, Mr. Makoto,” Kurumi’s tears quickly ended, leaving small and rare droplets of consequences on the cover of the old book, “I know that you tried for us. I will wait... for more and more residents of this city to receive the truth they deserve."

Makoto blinked, briefly seeing an image of Yuma in front of him, telling him the exact same words before he left.

“So that each of them will be able to breathe deeply, the way I was once, for the first time in several years, was able to breathe when I met Yuma. But since one of the Greatest Minds is now hidden in one of the still unknown corners of this vast world,” Kurumi smiled mysteriously, showing the space around with her hands, “then the one of Greatest Minds who remains here, must promise that he will bring his inhabitants this most necessary personal peace and quite in found truth".

“Of course...” the guy nodded, “Kanai Ward’s only informant... May be no longer worried about this.”

“Then,” the high school student laughed, “the Kanai Ward`s only informant entrusts this matter to you! But remember..."

"Yes?.."

“We are still capable of “vigilante”, Kurumi picked up a heavy volume, pointing it at the CEO and for some reason smiling mysteriously.

"Is this a threat?" Relaxed smile.

"It`s more of the simple warning! Just promise me to... show the residents of this city more humane and fair ways to achieve the truth..."

“I will do my best to achieve the peace where no one have to fight for the truth anymore, Kurumi-chan.”

The girl, seeing in the CEO’s gaze the same mood that was born in her heart, embittered by the stories told by her here, full of flowing pain and resentment, only nodded quietly, bowing for the last time to one of the main saviors of Kanai Ward and taking back the book she had brought with her.

Now she has shared all the information accumulated over the years of personal research. About something personal. About something that not a single attentive glance of the cameras that CEO had a direct access to could see, about something that none of the residents, accustomed to silence and fear of authority, could tell him personally.

“We all trust you with our heart, Mr. Makoto.”

"And I will never dare to let you down again... because it’s really important for me to know what you grieve about, what you`re sad about, what you dream about and what you’re happy about."

Kurumi turned around, smiling broadly at Makoto one last time and leaving her favorite rubber bands, keychains and badges on the table.

“In memory of me and the unremarkable students of Aetheria Academy.”

Makoto, looking at the back of the girl hiding in the elevator doors, only covered his face with his hands, once again in several years fully realizing the damage caused by the “police state.” He would never find the answer to what he would need to do to completely fix the city that had suffered so deeply, but at this moment he believed more than ever that with the freedom this city acquired, the sun of hope would shine more brightly in Kanai Ward.

Or should he say the raindrops on the windows of their apartments? The rain protecting citizens from the previous horrors.

And he, too, could now breathe.

Inspired by Non-breath oblige by PINOCCHIOP but it was greatly changed by the realities of Kanai Ward fate, so I can’t call it a songfic or anything like that...