#be glad that i’m trying to openly discuss these things cause i rather be transparent n honest

[writingmochi]

lissie: also, not that i’m trying to beat a carcass or something, but i didn’t realized that there is an echo chamber of minor enhablr drabble writers who has their own circles AND their own dramas, especially coming from myself who administers a minor-safe network.

many of the peeps that join come from the same circle and many of them are around the same age. and, idk man maybe because i am an adult, much of their drama can be easily resolved behind the scene rather than just… airing everything out

kinda reminds me of the petty drama i was a bystander to back in 2022 that pushed me to go on a one-month hiatus and change my whole system here

AND WHY IS IT ALWAYS ENHABLR OR ATEEZBLR THAT HAS THOSE TYPES OF CONFLICT? AND TXTBLR ARE GETTING ONE TOO BECAUSE OF SUS ASKS IVE SEEN PPL ON MY DASHBOARD GOT?

for heaven sake

[gold-pavilion]

Red’s Complete Guide to the SDR2 Stage Play

The following is a sort of walkthrough/summary of the SDR2 stage play, mostly focusing on what’s different in this shorter but also highly expressive version of the story than the game, and what extra content is in it. 

It’s mostly aimed to help non japanese speaker friends (or not fully fluent ones) enjoy this amazing play even without english subtitles available; in general terms, just having good memory of the game’s events will allow you to watch and follow it just fine, but anything else you could be missing, this guide will point out for ya! That being said, you can either read this all on its own, or keep at hand to check as you watch. I’m dividing it in parts according to what would be the game’s chapters, so you can easily find your place. Hope it’s useful!!

PROLOGUE / INTRODUCTION

The beginning is quite the same as the game: Nagito waking Hajime up on the beach, memory gaps, no one knows why they’re there when they should’ve just been at their entrance ceremony, etc. The minor differences would be that they’ve already separated and had a look around, thus cutting out the island exploration from the main POV. They’ve all warmed up pretty fast to the place too. The setting of it being a fun class trip is established and everyone’s excited to go to the beach, minus Hajime of course. 

More small changes: as you’ll notice, Hiyoko being unable to tie her own kimono sash, getting help offered by Mahiru and getting attached to her happens at this point (‘cause of the swimsuits they want to put on) instead of in chapter 2, so their relationship gets established this early. Also, Teruteru and Kazuichi are caught trying to sneak in to where the girls are changing, ahem.

As in the game, Hajime’s hesitating a lot about just relaxing like that. We get a cute little new moment where he sees that even “Byakuya”, though claiming it’s to “research the way to leave this island” is prepared to go play at the sea, and with some prodding from the boys overall, he gets convinced to join in and have fun too. All super sweet, before Monokuma hijacks the scene. The killing school trip begins!

The opening and character introduction sequence is absolutely amazing and stunning, but since the intros and the comments Hajime and Nagito exchange as they go from character to character together are pretty much the same as in the game, there’s nothing to note from me. Just how amazingly it was put together! 

After that, along with the basic intro to the killing game, there is an added rule for the students to see: the one/s who earn/s the right to leave the island will be given back the stolen memories of the last 2 school years. So, the amnesia period is immediately established, and Hinata’s own amnesia about his talent is taken as proof that it could be true. Teruteru is openly agitated about the possibility of having that two-year blank, more than anyone else, and while revealing there’s a restaurant waiting for him on land he tries to get reassurance from the others. He’s much more transparent here.

Monokuma gets the group under control with a different method than his monobeasts: he makes lightning shoot at them. Real lightning, no tricks, as Byakuya says. Here, he reveals he can control the weather so that’s what he uses to keep the students intimidated. Different, but easier for stage representation than robots and achieving the same purpose. After all is done and Byakuya has sent everyone to rest for the night, there’s a small added scene of Hajime and Nagito staying behind, and having the following exchange that I thought best to translate directly:

Nagito: “So it turned into this kind of despairing situation…”

Hajime: “Why would that Monokuma guy do something like this?!”

Nagito: “It’s unforgivable, right?! That killing game…! It’s absolutely...!

That’s it… we… we have to join our forces and stand against this despair!”

Hajime: “I’m glad that the first one to call out to me here was you, Komaeda.”

Nagito: “Yeah... me too, I’m glad to have [met] you, Hinata-kun.”

CHAPTER 1

The next day, Byakuya announces the party and the group accepts his proposal without suspicion. The old building is suggested as the place, cleaning duty is required, the straw game comes out and Nagito ends up chosen to do it. So far, no news. But on the party scene, we do have several differences:

From how they explain it, the old building consists of just the dining hall and the great kitchen. With this simplified setup, everyone is closer together, so there’s no messy deposit room, no office to guard, no fire door to take into account and Byakuya isn’t checking anyone for dangerous objects. Also, no guard outside and no Monomi, since she’s been locked up by Monokuma. The scene with Hajime speaking to Byakuya privately is preserved (though it doesn’t take place in the kitchen and he wasn’t dragged off to it, but rather, approached Byakuya himself to raise his suspicion that the party was planned for everyone’s wellbeing) and his mysterious dialogues are the same.

When the blackout occurs, they’re able to find the breaker and turn electricity back on their own. Only when the body is discovered do they get told there’ll be a trial, and how it will work. Investigation time!

When everyone scatters, they’re mostly talking about having things they want to check out or thought were weird, with a very active attitude about it. The times when the sound effect rings and the spotlight is focused on Hajime, is when he’s established a key clue, a class trial bullet, so he’s naming/explaining them out loud. Not much else to note, but isn’t the whole investigation scene SO dynamic and enjoyable? Such brilliant staging!! For the trial too!!

Not much is different in the trial until its very end, in fact it goes faster than in the game with all the complication factors that were skipped, so it reaches Nagito’s breakdown quickly. As I’m sure many people will want to know what the dialogue is in the famous getting-touchy-touchy-on-Hajime scene, I’ll note that it’s Hajime saying “is that your true nature?! Have you been deceiving us all this time?!” to which Nagito replies “that’s… wrong.” Quite sure the writing is the same as in the game, it’s just the acting that carries it differently.

After that, in the end, the way they figure out the culprit is from the existence of a passage to get under the floor that they’ve concluded the killer used: since it’s clearly not in the dining hall, it must exist in the only other room of the building, which is the kitchen, where only Teruteru was. Case closed in a much more brief, yet complete manner.

During the reconstruction of how it happened, the conversation Nagito and Teruteru had in the dining hall is very different from the game. Instead of the monologue focusing on his love for the ultimates and how he wanted to see them display a bigger hope, his words are much more manipulative. He asks Teruteru: “hey, Hanamura-kun… could it be true... we’re missing 2 years worth of memories? 2 years is a long time… if it were true… what then?” and insistently “Don’t you want to know? Don’t you want to go back home?”, playing from the worries he was displaying earlier. He is also more straightforward in remarking that Teruteru wasn’t his victim nor acting in everyone’s defense, that he could’ve said something when he realized he had killed Byakuya instead of him, but kept quiet to save himself (a dialogue that, in the game, is said by Monokuma instead). He also claims to love that hope Teruteru had of going home, a hope so strong that Byakuya and everyone else could’ve died for it.

You’ll see that the execution is also very different, as almost all of them will be (personally, I love them even better than in the game). As Teruteru dies, his last words are: “momma… I’m sorry”.

Post trials comes another surprise: the group gets a freebie for their effort, which is a new piece of info. They’re told there is a traitor among them. Of course they suspect Nagito, but then, as they’re confronting him, we get this:

Hajime: It’s your fault! That Hanamura… and Togami...

Nagito: Ah, right, about that… that wasn’t Togami-kun.

Gundham: What are you saying?

Nagito: During the investigation, I found this.

Hajime: Togami’s e-handbook?

The name’s… different.

Ultimate… imposter.

Ibuki: Daaaaang! That Byakuya-chan wasn’t Byakuya-chan, then?!

Nagito: But what an amazing talent! Because, out of all of us, no one even thought it wasn’t Togami-kun! He sure got us! 

But… since he’s dead now, it’s not worth caring about, is it…

Akane: I’ll beat ya up, you bastard!

Hajime: Not worth caring about? 

The fact that he was a wonderful leader, who protected us with all he had, didn’t change.

That he’d tried to protect us till the very end… and not allow the killing game to happen… he was a proud, worthy leader.

Chiaki: Yes… that’s true.

With that very early revelation, the chapter closes.

CHAPTER 2

Shortening matters, through the night Monokuma already gave to everyone a piece of their past: the envelope containing the pictures of the girls in their Hope’s Peak uniforms and of Fuyuhiko’s sister’s body. They all have seen it by morning, but naturally don’t know what it could all be and don’t discuss it. As in the game, Nagito is being kept away, tied up, though here Akane helped as well; she intended to beat him up while she was at it, but Nekomaru stopped her claiming the strength of her muscles wasn’t meant for stuff like that.

It seems Peko is getting a few more added interactions with Fuyuhiko as well, mostly since she can be closer and take more physical actions in this medium. As she tries to stop him from breaking away from the group, she tells him “if we’re together, it’s certain you’ll be safer”, with this same nuance in English where she could mean together with the group, or together with her. Neat stuff.

Moving on: everyone knows Nagito’s situation. Mahiru suggests taking breakfast to him in front of everyone in this version instead of privately to Hinata, to which everyone reacts complimenting her kindness. No one actually goes to give Nagito food tho (ouch), since everyone starts taking off to the beach and to mess around, doing their own things. Also, Sonia’s interest in Gundham is already made noticeable. A fun little addition:

Hajime (to Gundham): Sonia wants to invite you though, so… will you come to the beach too?

Kazuichi: Hinata…

Hajime: What do you say, Tanaka?

Kazuichi: HEY…

Of course, everyone agrees and will be meeting at the beach house in 1 hour. So it’s not a girls-only meeting in this version, but for everyone who didn’t have other plans. Under Hajime’s advice they’ll try to stay together as much as possible to be safer.

The stage skips to what’s happening at the beach house not long after. We proceed to the murder, conveniently obscured, and body discovery.

As for differences in how the case unfolds, during the investigation, it’s Gundham and Sonia who notice the beach house has another exit: the small window set pretty high up. Then, as Komaeda joins in, he takes special interest in checking whether Hajime’s remembered his talent yet or not. He finds it pretty amazing that even without that, he’s out there solving cases, and expresses looking forward to Hajime remembering. He remarks that he’ll always be on the side of hope to clarify his position.

This class trial is also cleanly shortened without sacrificing anything important. As you’ll notice from the proof collected, the whole thing with the fake Sparkling Justice doesn’t happen. After concluding it couldn’t have been Hiyoko and the killer set her up, the point is made that the killer actually used the window to leave, which only one person could’ve possibly done: Peko. So that’s that.

Once again, it’s rather the reconstruction of the incident that changes. Hiyoko and Mahiru are talking about their friendship, how they’ll continue to be friends even after regaining their old memories, or might’ve even been friends before, when Peko knocks Hiyoko unconscious. The discussion continues. 

On the 2nd part of the case reconstruction, Fuyuhiko openly threatens to kill Hiyoko right there to get Mahiru to talk about the pictures and his sister’s death. You’ll notice the image on the screen is the other one, of Sato’s body, but since it was the only picture of a live actor, they used that one as though it were the sister (please be understanding)! Plus, the story about bullying and how they were both killed doesn’t come up, so there’s nothing to be confused over in this version. All we know on the play is that Mahiru took the picture, because Monokuma said so, so Fuyuhiko believes she did the killing too. Mahiru argues that she must’ve taken it as proof. “Us photographers… can tell the meaning of a picture we took ourselves”, she says, but it’s too late.

The debacle of whether Peko is the killer or Fuyuhiko counts as it for using her as tool is, of course, maintained. Enjoy the actors’ amazing representation and another great execution scene!

The rewards for winning the trial this time: 1. The info that the traitor definitely came to the island with them. 2 The traitor belongs to a world-destroying organization called Future Foundation. (Which, in a fun dialogue I believe is new, Nagito calls a pretty hopeful name for something like that.) 3. Those who have talents will be given a present related to their talent. Nagito leaves to check that out, and with Hajime musing “will I be able to… remember my talent?”, the chapter closes.

CHAPTER 3

From here on, the stage play’s scripts starts to differ from the game more and more.

The gift Nagito received for his talent was the gun. Upon finding that it’s loaded with only one bullet, he understands it’s for playing russian roulette, a test for his luck aside from a present. I have to say, I find it insanely cool that he goes for 5 out of 6 shots instead of the 1 shot he did in the game, like holy shit??? But anyway, his reward for the game is the binder with the info on Hope’s Peak and the students.

As for the others, the gift Ibuki got is an electric guitar, Chiaki got a game system, Kazuichi got the communication/camera set that he would make at this point in the game, the one that plays an important role in the 3rd case, and so on; everyone got something related to their talent, except for Hajime. He already suspects it might be that he has no talent, after all, but the others comfort him, doubting that’s the reason.

Enter the despair disease. In this version, Nagito doesn’t get the disease; only Akane and Ibuki do, plus Mikan, who catches it from the start as well unbeknownst to the rest. The set up is like this: Mikan will be caring for the sick at the island’s hospital facility, Hajime volunteers to be there with her, and Kazuichi provides his comm set to link the hospital with the hotel lobby to stay in touch without spreading the illness. 

From his position at the hospital, Hajime sees the transmission which he supposes is taking place at the hotel, so he runs over there. But from the hotel, when checking the comm system, the transmission comes on again so everyone thinks it has to be taking place at the hospital now. On the road from hotel to hospital is where they run into Mikan and Akane. Once at the hospital, the bodies of Ibuki and Hiyoko are there.

This investigation process differs A LOT from the game’s. For starters, everyone is far too discouraged by now from so many of their friends being gone and Kazuichi doesn’t even want to investigate anymore. To top things off, when Nagito arrives...

Hajime: Komaeda… where have you been?!

Kazuichi: Mioda and Saionji died! Do you get it?! Both of them at once!

Nagito: Who kills, who gets killed… I don’t care about that anymore.

Hajime: What did you say?

Akane: You asshole… if you say that, I’ll kill ya!

Sonia: Owari-san!

Nagito: Hey, Hinata-kun… did you remember your talent? Did you get any present from Monokuma?

Hajime: … no…

Nagito: Then, this is true…

Hajime: What does that mean?

Nagito: Hush! A reserve course level guy like you… could you not talk to me like we’re equals?!

Hajime: Reserve course?

Nagito: I got this from Monokuma… documents from within Hope’s Peak. You… have no talent, you were a reserve course student!

After explaining what the reserve course is, leaving Hajime destroyed, Nagito steps away to do his own thing.

With Hajime totally out of commission from shock, it’s the other characters who do the investigating on their own this time, without the protagonist’s lead we’re used to. Pretty painful to witness, honestly, but a very clever, impacting and well-handled modification. Everyone lets him have his time. In fact, when Fuyuhiko asks what’s wrong with Hajime, Gundham replies “Do not ask… it is a trivial matter.” for him, and when Chiaki talks to him, it’s only to ask case-related questions, no personal prodding. They only get to go over the causes of death, how the monitors worked (the hotel one showing a feed of the hospital, the hospital one showing a feed of the hotel) and as soon as Fuyuhiko finds a bit of the pillar-wallpaper-thing, investigation time’s over with no more evidence pieces than that. On to the trial.

Like it would happen in chapter 4 in the game, Nagito’s undermining Hajime in the trial, but no one else minds that he’s from the reserve course. Hence the physical attitude you’ll see him taking throughout. Understandably, though, from how the set up was, Hajime looks very suspicious, so the first part of the trial is on the possibility of him having committed the crime. Once that’s cleared and they’ve got it down that Hiyoko’s body was already there when he woke up, hidden under wallpaper, it’s concluded that the transmission was a trick from the killer, who had to be female and at the hospital at the time: Mikan.

Her breakdown follows pretty much the same script as in the game, as well as how she finally gives herself away by mentioning specifically the camera angle. As for the reconstruction of the case, it shows that Ibuki was already healed at the time, that Mikan used some sort of injection to kill her. As for Hiyoko, all the same, except… well, you’ll see. “I’m sorry for being a disgusting, pervert woman…” is what she says, which kinda... adds a layer of to consider in their behavior to each other.

Just as in the game, Mikan reveals what the despair disease did to her, talks about her past and her old lover before she’s executed. No additions or changes on any of that.

CHAPTER 4

… well, kinda. Chapter 4 of the game pretty much doesn’t happen in the stage play. Instead, we get the scene we can see immediately after the execution:

Angry and at her limit from everything that’s happened, Akane challenges Monokuma, like she would go off on her own to do in the game. With everyone being right there in this version, Nekomaru, Fuyuhiko and Gundham are quick to back her up, while Hajime and Kazuichi keep the more physically frail members of the group safe, and Nagito simply stands aside from everything, commenting how awesome everyone is. Do note that he takes a spear from the Monokuma army for his own purposes.

While the whole Funhouse ordeal doesn’t happen, the main points and the weight of the game’s chapter 4 are preserved, with the self-sacrificing role Nekomaru and Gundham take during the fight. All the information we get from the game chapter has already been given in the previous parts of the play, the tensions and relationships between characters were also already set up, and the victim and culprit roles kept a last-effort, self-sacrifice spirit; it’s true that it’s less morally complex and takes exposition away from Gundham, but everything is still basically covered. Even the message to “not give up on life”. So, with their noble deaths, this chapter closes.

CHAPTER 5

Here the play realigns more faithfully to the game’s order of events.

Now knowing they’re Ultimate Despair, Nagito no longer has sympathy for the group or their dead friends. Since the binder he got has info about everything except the traitor, his aim is to uncover them through his bomb threat now. Here he’s immediately revealing his aspiration to wipe out despair from the island and become the Ultimate Hope, and as Hinata asks him to stop before he kills someone, Nagito tells him: “Hey, Hinata-kun… I believe… in my Ultimate Luck!” Words that will be very important.

Here, Fuyuhiko steps up to establish what to do with the situation: Hajime and Chiaki will be staying behind to go through the documents Nagito gave, while he and everyone else will go search for the bombs. “It’s got nothing to do with talent. I’m doing it because I trust in you… so leave that up to me,” is more or less what he says, like the cool heckin bro he is. Very neat modifications. What Hajime and Chiaki have on their hands, then, is the info about the deaths of the student council, Kamukura Izuru, the most despair-inducing incident in the history of mankind, Junko, the group that constitutes Ultimate Despair… pretty much what we’d be getting during the chapter 6 exploration of virtual Hope’s Peak.

Continuing, Nagito has been spotted going into a building, which would be the factory warehouse, so the group get all back together and chases after. The discovery of his body plays out just as in the game, the case itself has the same elements too, from the stuck door to the fire to the bottles. Enjoy the amazing and chilling staging!

In regards to the investigation, even the group recognizes it was too short this time around and that they have no leads. Chiaki already recognizes that “this might not be a trial to find the culprit”.   

Once again, the trial is more agile and short. Given that everyone was together most of the time and no one went in or out of the warehouse after Nagito, Hajime proposes it was suicide very quickly. A trick pulled to throw them off… and get them all executed? Although most of the others are ready to accept that as the conclusion, Hajime himself is quick to pause things and question it. Because Nagito said that he would expose the traitor, not kill everyone, so that shouldn’t be what he’d try to do. The trial goes on.

Hajime’s effort to understand the reasons behind Nagito’s actions is comes in the form of a truly fantastic change here, a new scene annexed to the case reconstruction. I’ll translate that conversation between the deceased Nagito and him:

Nagito: Hi there, Hinata-kun.

I really didn’t think you from the reserve course, of all people, would be the one to finally reach the truth.

Hajime: It wasn’t just me… it’s because everyone worked together!

Nagito: Hey, did you find the traitor?

Hajime: ...

Nagito: You haven’t found them, then. I’m glad.

Hajime: You, who obsessed over hope... 

Why would you go this far to get us killed?

Nagito: To make despair into a stepping stone for hope. That’s all it is.

If I were able to overcome this despair, then I’d surely become the true hope. The Ultimate Hope!

Hajime: So what… if you die it’s meaningless, isn’t it?

Nagito: Oh, no. [The next line, I’m unable to translate at my level, due to how fast the actor is speaking I can’t make it out properly. There is an “isn’t it natural” there, but that’s all I can catch. Apologies.]

Hajime: I… 

I was happy you’d called out to me at the start… when you were telling me I’d remember my talent someday… I was happy... 

I… with you…!

Nagito: That’s… that’s wrong, Hinata-kun.

You the reserve course student, and me with the Ultimate Hope…! You, as someone without talent, have no reason to be talking with me, do you?

Hajime: Komaeda!!

Nagito: I’m hope… I oppose despair! And hope… moves forward. 

Through this scene, Hajime has realized Nagito’s intention to save the traitor and kill the rest.

Now, quite similarly to how it goes in the game, Chiaki confesses and the nature of Future Foundation as the good guys is revealed through her. Plus, Monokuma delivers the reason Nagito wanted to save someone from that organization, the revelation that everyone else is Ultimate Despair. Why they were taken on the island is established. 

It is with all that already on their plate that Chiaki asks them to execute her. Trusting both Nagito’s talent and Chiaki’s bravery, Hajime makes the call to vote for her as blackened.

Chiaki’s goodbyes are the same as in the game, but damn, does it deliver differently on stage… 

CHAPTER 6

As soon as the execution is over, the graduation for the remaining students begins. It’s very confusing for me to pick apart the fine detail of what’s just like the game and what’s different, since it’s all small things all over the place, so I’ll just be thorough in summing up this whole part.

The survivors are immediately presented with the first choice, which is what appears on their e-handbooks and the stage screen: graduate and leave the game world, or don’t and stay in it. This is the first time anything about the island being a simulation comes up, so the explanations for that are due. Junko’s presence is revealed.

She explains that the group wouldn’t be allowed to graduate until a point where the Future Foundation member was dead. Now, they can. And if they graduate and wake up, their friends who died through the killing game will also go back to life (except Chiaki, of course). Hajime is unsure, so to convince everyone, Junko brings the simulation of the others back, who also pressure Hajime to choose to graduate. But he denies it, because that’s clearly not their friends. How does he know? Because Nagito just said to graduate too, and he’d never share that opinion, he wouldn’t agree in any way with the designs of Junko, who is despair. Therefore, it’s all an illusion!

The truth of that choice is explained: they WOULD all come back to life, but all of them would have Junko’s mind. So uh, yeah, that’s why they act and pose as you’ll see, and MAAAAN how I dig those once again incredible performances!! 

When Monomi appears, it is to reveal the other option: the emergency shutdown command, which will take the survivors out of the program without Junko (and of course without the others). No, Naegi, Kirigiri and Togami do not appear in this version, so she is giving that information on her own and without the 11307 code. But, the Junkofied classmates explain that would also cancel everyone’s progress in the program and return them to how they were before entering it, as Ultimate Despairs.

The two options are summed up: the “hope” option that Nagito is signaling is the emergency shutdown that sacrifices the survivors back to despair but doesn’t let Junko out into the world, and the “despair” option that Imposter is signaling would be the graduation that allows the survivors to wake up with their memories from the program, but also lets Junko out occupying the mind of each of their dead friends. 

On top of that, as everyone is physically restrained to pressure them into the final choice, when Hajime’s trying to talk back to Junko, she reveals he’s the one who brought her to the program to begin with. Since he has no memory of it, she goes ahead and tells him that he’s the legendary Ultimate Hope, Kamukura Izuru. “You are Kamukura Izuru,” she makes everyone chant repeatedly, to get it through his head. So, the shutdown option that reverts everyone to their despaired state, would also make Hajime return to being Izuru. And his current self? The chant is then “disappear”, which gives him the answer to that.

Just as in the game, Hajime is paralyzed. Retreating within his mind, he monologues about how he can no longer choose between hope and despair, themselves or the world, just can’t choose a future. And in much the same conversation, Chiaki hears him out and reminds him that he is himself, that he’s acted undeniably as himself within the simulation and, most importantly, that life isn’t like a game where the 2 options given are all there is; that he can create any other options he wants, create his own path. “You’re not doing it for anyone, but for yourself,” she says, before giving him a hope fragment.

It’s with that mentality, that decision to create his own future, that Hinata returns and convinces the others to do the emergency shutdown. Trusting each other and what should be a new beginning instead of their end, they press both buttons together which begins the process.

The final scene is a perfect replica of the game’s, as far as I can tell. With the digital world falling apart around them, everyone prepares for what may come after, hoping they won’t forget each other and what they went through, a bit scared, but happy to be together and determined to carve out their future. 

With that, the stage play ends. Enjoy the outro!

I hope you’re able to have as much of a great time as I did watching the play. The actors truly awed me with how much life they breathed into their characters, and I strongly recommend watching the play more than once through, ‘cause you can always notice new details, other characters doing their own things in the background when the main spotlight wasn’t on them, characters slipping into poses that are so much like the game sprites, etc. The modifications were also brilliantly done to make things shorter without messing anything up, keeping the plot perfectly together; something admirable and, in my opinion, the work of a very skilled writer. The stage work was just unbelievably amazing to me too. Wanting to show all this, so that other people could appreciate how well done it was, is a large part of why I made this long-ass thing.

Have a cool time reliving the fantastic story that SDR2 was!

[impracticaldemon]

Interactions ~ The Ghost, Ch.4

A sequel to The Road to Tokyo ~ by impracticaldemon for Saichifest 2019

Words: ~ 1800  Rating: T (though the next chapter more likely M)

Read also on: FFN | AO3

Author's Note: This is Chapter 4 of the story The Ghost, a story that took on something of a life of its own (heh). This chapter was written for SaiChiFest 2019, which I am co-hosting on tumblr Feb 16-19, 2019. I hope you continue to enjoy this journey with Saitō and Chizuru.

@saichifest @nalufever @sabinasanfanfic @hidetheremote @eliz1369 @eheartangel @shell-senji @canadiangaap @soujthings @rainylune @kondo-hijikata @flower-dragon @hakuouki-or-hakuoki @annedey @chiire

Interactions (or, The Ghost, Chapter 4)

They hadn't talked about sleeping arrangements. Despite being officially promised to each other—and sometimes Chizuru wondered if she'd imagined that whole conversation—they hadn't really planned much about their future other than travelling to Edo—Tokyo—and moving into Chizuru's former home. She couldn't help but think that other couples probably did more planning before deciding to—well, start a whole new life together. It was probably strange that she wasn't more anxious about everything, but truthfully, the only thing she feared was losing Saitō again. Which led back to her current dilemma. She wasn't quite sure how to ask to share a room, but she didn't want to be on her own either.

Chizuru stole a quick look sideways. In the past, she'd always been running to catch up, or trotting along a half-pace behind. Today, not long after their shadows had lengthened and blurred, and cool afternoon had slid into chill evening, Saitō had taken her hand and drawn her closer, offering silent support just as her steps had started to drag despite her best efforts. Two long, hard years lay still lay between them, as yet barely touched upon, but he was still as aware of her as he'd always been. In the past, it had saved her life.

"Chizuru." Saitō cleared his throat. "It would be better—safer—that is—tonight…"

"Saitō-san?" It was difficult to read his expression in the half-light.

"Sumimasen." They had come to the small town where they planned to spend the night, and Saitō stopped in front of the first place that offered food and ducked within, releasing Chizuru's hand. She hurried in after him.

The proprietor looked surprised to see them, as well he might. Thanks to the business with the bandits, earlier, they were arriving over an hour later than originally planned, and certainly later than most travelers would care to be out, given the cold and gloomy late-autumn nights. Chizuru saw their host's eyes flick carefully over Saitō, and sensed his tension rise as he took him the unmistakeable shape and size of a sword. She'd gotten more used to that reaction over the course of the day, but she still didn't like it. Saitō took it in stride, and he also ignored the whispers of a small group of locals in one corner.

"Konbanwa," he murmured, bowing politely, but without conceding his dignity as a patron. "If it would not inconvenience you, could you please bring a meal, and tea? We were delayed on the road."

The man hesitated, and then bowed in return. "Of course, sir. I will bring the tea immediately, although if you would prefer sake, please let me know. I don't serve sake in an official way, but there's nothing to stop a man from sharing his own stock."

Chizuru was puzzled by the friendly offer, but Saitō simply nodded, and seated himself at the table closest to the door. He placed his sword on the tatami beside him and gave her a faint smile as she seated herself on his right.

"He will not charge me for the sake, but our meal will cost a little more. There is nothing unusual in it—it simply means that he knows those other customers well, and judges that you and I will not be here long enough to cause any trouble for him."

"I see." She gathered her courage. "Saitō-san—"

"Chizuru—"

She hastily gestured at him to continue, happy to defer asking her question regarding their accommodations. It still sounded overly-forward to her, although she'd already decided that any embarrassment was worth it to avoid leaving his side.

"I do not wish to presume upon our relationship," Saitō said carefully, "but I think it would be safer for us to share a room while we are travelling." Dealing with the host seemed to have settled his thoughts—he no longer sounded flustered. "I promise not to—to impose on you in any way."

"Oh—oh of course, Saitō-san! I'm glad!" In her relief, it came out all wrong, and Chizuru felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I mean, I'm glad that you won't leave me alone. And, um, I'm quite sure—that is, of course I'm not concerned about—about anything like that."

Saitō's expression shifted a little at that, and his eyes moved away from hers, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Had she offended him? She couldn't imagine how, and that didn't seem to be quite it.

In the end, the meal was decent, and as reasonably priced as one could expect in this time of short supply. Chizuru poured Saitō's sake with something very like wifely pride, and was delighted—no doubt another overreaction!—to see how pleased he looked at the small intimacy. It was endearing, and she had to look away in order to avoid displaying her feelings too openly for common courtesy. Eventually, the meal concluded, and their host had directed them to the inn recommended by Matsumoto-sensei.

The innkeeper had behaved much like everyone else: wary of Saitō, but courteous, and clearly somewhat reassured by Chizuru's modest appearance and demeanour. He relaxed even further when Saitō mentioned that Matsumoto-sensei had directed them to the inn, and asked quietly—and indirectly—whether the 'problems' besetting the Matsumoto family had been resolved. Chizuru was momentarily at a loss, but when Saitō replied that there were still one or two matters outstanding—most unfortunately—it occurred to her that an acquaintance of Matsumoto-sensei's would know the family's history as Bakufu loyalists. Some members of the extended family remained incarcerated by the Meiji administration in retaliation for their actions during the war.

After a few minutes, Chizuru realized that Saitō was becoming uncomfortable with the increasingly transparent questions about his experiences in the northeast during the war. Long used to trying to avoid prying questions, Chizuru didn't hesitate to feign even greater fatigue than she felt in order to bring the conversation to a quick close. She slumped a little against Saitō's side, and then blatantly interrupted the discussion with a sweet smile and a slew of rather incoherent apologies for her faintness. The innkeeper immediately escorted them to their room with an avuncular—if distressingly knowing—smile. Chizuru discovered that she didn't care and wasn't even embarrassed.

Once the man's footsteps had faded, Saitō surprised her by pulling her close and leaning his forehead against hers.

"Thank you, Chizuru. I—" His arms tightened around her, and although she couldn't see his face, she could hear the strain in his voice, and feel the tension in his body. She instinctively moved her head to rest in the hollow of his shoulder, and his embrace tightened almost to the point of discomfort.

Chizuru swallowed, suddenly overcome by a mix of concern and awareness of the way that their bodies seemed to touch at every point. Surely, she shouldn't be reacting like this when Saitō was in distress? But although she was genuinely worried, she could also feel her heart rate accelerate, and her body seemed to be growing warmer by the moment. She tried and failed to convince herself that it was because she still wore her coat, especially since the brazier was unlit.

"Saitō-san—"

Her words were cut off by a passionate, almost ruthless kiss. Heat flared within her as her beloved, once-mourned Saitō stole her lips and her breath, and left her trembling. Amazing how rational thought could vanish in an instant… She twined her fingers in his indigo hair, and felt his hands caress her back and waist and hips, while still holding her so close that it seemed she could feel every muscle in his chest and stomach and thighs. Her blood was pounding in her ears; she was gasping for air—or maybe for more of his lips and tongue and teeth. When he pressed his mouth to her neck she heard her panting breath change to something like a groan, and it shocked her back to some slight awareness.

How had she thought him calm? How had she missed that he felt this way—although she hadn't really, not since their first real kiss, in his guest-room at Matsumoto-sensei's. His body betrayed him, and she would have blushed if it had been possible to become any redder. And she… her voice held desire, she could hear it, and didn't know what to do.

"Chizuru." Of course, he stopped, mastered himself, shoved her away from him almost as abruptly as he'd kissed her in the first place. Of course. His voice was rough, but controlled. "I'm sorry. Please… forgive me. I want to deserve your trust, and I swear I won't… go farther."

"But—"

"We need time—both of us—I know that."

"But I—"

"It is fine. I'm just sorry… I did that." His breathing was almost normal again, and she couldn't see him well by the light of the one lantern.

"Saitō-san!" They were both a little stunned at the irritation in her tone.

"…Yes?"

"I wasn't complaining."

"I know."

"Then don't apologize as though there was something… wrong… with that… with us feeling like that." She really was embarrassed now, and it was starting to seep through the combined passion and annoyance. In a more level tone, she added, "I told you before—I'm not a child."

She heard him sigh, felt his arms around her shoulders again.

"I know."

"I… didn't mind. Not really."

"Chizuru. We can do better—I can do better—than this. Just"—he laughed softly, at himself, and at her—"stop thinking that I'm… not aware of you… in that way." The kiss he pressed to her bruised lips was gentle, but full of love.

"…I think I understand. But don't treat me as though I don't feel the same way." She tried to make her voice sound firm and grown-up, but in truth she was glad to have a bit more time to get used to this new relationship, this not-quite-the-same Saitō-san.

"I won't—I'll try not to. It's just easier sometimes… You are very beautiful to me."

She stretched up to kiss him, savouring the experience—of the kiss, of being away from any self-appointed guardians, of being wholly her own person. Of being with the man she loved.

They slept with their futons pushed very close together, and that was enough for today. Who knew about tomorrow, though?

[END]

A/Note:

 Less drama, and no bandit attacks, but I felt that these two are bound to be trying to figure out their relationship on several levels. After all, Chizuru thought Saito was dead until just a week before. And Saito is a very cautious man, who just spent almost three years immersed in a hellish war, including almost a year as a prisoner of war. At the same time... they're roughly 21 and 25, they've been deprived of each other for close to two years, and (in my headcanon) they're both starved for physical affection. So hmm. Plus, they have to try to interact with the world around them. As always, your comments are very much appreciated. I apologize sincerely to those who were kind enough to comment on the last chapter (or Teachings of Demons) that I haven't gotten back to. I'm working on it! ~ I