#i want everyone to just forget so i can die in peace but that'd be far more painful than just dying.

[miamicommune]

into the fourth year of the worst long-lasting depressive episode of my life and i don't know how to think of it anymore other than boring.

[suguwu]

😱😱😱 Bee you do it to Takao like that?? You kill him like that!? No goodbye, no last "I love yous" that's so cruel!!

okay before i get into THAT, you never fail to provide the most beautiful detail to every mundane moment, but if i gushed over every one, this ask would get five part series too

Honest to god i was so certain Takao would've actually left in the end. Like "oh your soulmate's here? guess i'll die" and he just!! goes!! and let's be real in his shoes, i dont blame him. at least he said something. he communicated his feelings and he took a step back because he wanted space.

like yeah reader suffers a bit, but she's got a solid support system. she's got her parents, she's got her friends. have i mentioned i love Abe and Yoshikawa so much?? what would this story be like without them? how would Reader cope without them?? i dare not think.

also you're so good at describing food, i wanted those crepes so much

okay and i must know, what's the soulmate clause in the marriage contract, what was all that about??? it sure sounds like a lot of boring paperwork to me, and a headache to work through. you're so good at weaving subtle worldbuilding in where it matters, but that's the problem, i want the story to be about bullshit soulmate clauses in marriage contracts. what are soulmate laws here, what do they look like

Kita is so good, that's the problem. the progression of their interactions between text and phone call to eventual physical visits was very sweet. If he was an asshole that'd make things easier. and honestly i was Very nervous where it was going because like especially when the wedding got cancelled after reader met her soulmate, i'd lose my mind because you KNOW that got people's tongues wagging.

it's unfortunate that it's not hard to imagine that a lot of people would in fact, find reader insane for not immediately choosing her soulmate in a heartbeat. your neighbors, your co-workers, distant relatives, people on the goddamn street etc

oh my god speaking of, i wasn't kidding when i said i would've fist fight Atsumu in the streets, i could've HOWLED.

Aran is a fuckin blessing because i knew the twins were gonna have Opinions on reader after she rejected Kita. THEY may be protective of Kita, but I'M protective of reader and i'm stronger, i know it. i could beat them. the social expectation surrounding soulmates would be abysmal, can you imagine?? and we only got a little taste of it, when Atsumu just threw his hands up like "He's your soulmate!" as if that was supposed to be the end all be all statement to end an argument. when reader is MARRIED??

oh, you already have a partner? forget them! you met your soulmate! guilt tripped reader for KITA'S choice to remain in contact as if it's her job to manage his feelings. i'd ream Atsumu so hard it'd strip the hair dye from his follicles and he'd have to go back to Onigiri Miya, a brunette again.

thank god reader has supportive loved ones. thank fuckin god. if i got grilled by the general public, or even people in my life why i chose Some Guy and not my Soulmate, i would kill everyone in the room and then myself. SMH

okay i definitely had more to say but i'm gonna cut myself off now before i go insane luv u so much bee, congratulations again on getting part 2 out!!

whisper beloved this had me ROLLING lmao thank you so much for taking the time for this!!

cut because this is a long answer lol

i did do it to takao like that i'm afraid,,,he deserved better but i couldn't give it to him. i knew it from the start

takao could have peaced out and honestly it would have been the expected thing for him to do in this society! so he just took a step back. which i think was hard for him but easier than it could have been, knowing the support system reader has in place. i'm SO glad you love abe and yoshikawa they are also near and dear to my heart,,,love a good friendship!

lskjdflksjdf once i'm done with the fic i may release some of my worldbuilding notes! for the shrine clause (and a clause used by most marriage venues), it's one that allows the person getting married to get out of the contract without any consequences if they meet their soulmate. so they would get their deposit/any money back and not be held responsible for any penalties that might otherwise be described in said contract.

for the form they hand in at the time of marriage, some countries track soulmates and have bureaucratic systems around it. it's almost like a census in some ways. the form is essentially a report about whether either party has met their soulmate and if they are marrying their soulmate. it can be used as a way to stop the marriage if the soulmate desires to do so.

kita is Very Good and that's half of the issue, like you said! and yes, society has a Lot to say about reader's choice - it's very unusual and there's a lot of controversy around people who don't stay with their soulmates (don't even get me started on soulmate divorce).

PLEASE I AM CACKLING honestly atsumu deserves a fist fight for that one! both the twins do in their own way (osamu distracted kita so atsumu could go after reader). reader's been hoping to avoid them because she knew from aran's stories (they've met a few times, mostly over facetime when he was visiting kita) that meeting them probably wouldn't go well. and...on the money with that one.

thank you thank you for all of the thought that went into this ask. you are always far too kind and i'm so glad you enjoyed it!!!

[silent-sentinels]

Plural Asking 100 Questions: Part 10!

(last one! ready?) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

91. If you collectively had to choose, would you pick to become a vampire or a werewolf? vampire, we like the aesthetic better lmao also please let us be immortal so we can sleep more without time mattering as much hkjgh

92. Your body is transferred into one of your Members sources, which do you pick and why? oh hm well we don't have a source, but i guess we could all be transferred into disco? that'd be challenging kjhgfg

93. If all of you turned into animals right this second, which animals would we find in your System? LMAO OKAY SO!! a fox first of all, a manta ray, probably several fish, and also probably several types of birds, a bunny, a butterfly, a spider, a snake, some cats, several deer and deer-adjacent creatures.

94. What would a Minecraft server with all of your Members look like? (example: chaotic, peaceful, laggy, ...)

CHAOTIC AS FUCK HKJHG but also the body gets extremely motion sick from playing minecraft too long so that would suck hjkgh

disregarding that, maybe we'd try to recreate our city in headspace? could be a fun project to work on together!! though we're really not good builders hkjhg

i think we'd all share items, any chest is fair game if you're not a bastard about it hkjhg but also we're all so extremely forgetful and disorganized. maestro would probably try to organize everything to no avail hkjhg

did you know we never had minecraft growing up, so we just read the minecraft wiki for kicks? <- this was probably expertise's doing kjhgf but we do know a lot of crafting recipes now hkjhg also did you know 23 blocks is the exact height you can survive a fall from? and slimes at their tiniest deal no damage to the player? and-

oh motherfucker we'd be doing anything for an elytra but NONE OF US ARE GOOD AT FIGHTING HOW ARE WE GETTING PAST THE ENDERDRAGON hjkghg at some point we'd just gamemode some in

ryan and juliet are absolutely fucking with noteblocks and/or making a parkour course. scott is taming every animal ever hkjhg theseus is sitting in a corner and writing novels in minecraft book and quills hkjgh and we would all build a safe little house for ceres <3

mom and lili would make a cute little garden together and oath would be vigilantly guarding them from hostile creatures. we'd probably put lili in creative mode, we are NOT LETTING HER DIE HKJGHG

i think faucet would find it peaceful, since it's just us!! <33 and distance will probably do that thing where distance travels very very far away in a straight line before coming back with a bunch of things distance picked up!

burden would probably pick up on anything we're lacking and build farms for it. or make transportation easier. or place more torches so its safer. or craft better armor for everyone. just, responsible minecraft things hkjhjh

95. If you could choose between only living in Headspace or only living in Meatspace (real life), which would you choose? well our headspace is hazy and vague, but if it was a solidified headspace, then we'd love to live in our headspace city!! but if it has to stay hazy and vague we would uhhh probably lose all sense of self in there hkgjhg it's like brain fog but In The Real, the fuckin pale is swallowing us hkjgh

for all the drawbacks real life has, we do have people here we love and want to stay for. headspace would be a nice escape, but we're determined to live out here for the people we love.

96. What topic would you collectively make a youtube channel about? (it can't be plurality!) we'd probably make an art channel? speedpaints and animatics and such! we've always loved cool art channels... ooh maybe song covers too? who knows :3

97. Which superpower would your body obtain, if you had to collectively decide on one? flight!! its a little lame compared to other powers out there, but we've always wanted to fly :]

98. Who would pick the coolest tattoo for the System and who would pick the worst? the coolest would be a toss up and/or collaboration between Songbird and Debonair, who would probably pick some sickass artsy thing. the worst would be Sharps who would just convince us not to get a tattoo because it would hurt and like. yeah shes right it sure would hgkjhg

99. If you only were allowed to eat one food for the rest of your life, but you would have to decide on the food collectively, what would it be and what would the decision making look like The decision making would involve Yearning bemoaning a lack of sweets and ultimately resolve in us choosing wonton soup, which is our favorite food and has enough vegetables for our daily nutritional intake. rip cotton candy tho 😔

100. What is the most fun about doing polls and answering questions, in your opinion? we like getting to explain ourselves. we are a constant conversation, and we like getting to share even a bit of our thought processes (if faucet lets us, of course.) if theres a poll or a question asked, we know the answer we're giving is warranted and wanted, in some way. we like knowing there's people willing to listen to us :']

for these questions specifically, we've also been trying to get to know ourselves better!! we're still new, still processing, still trying to understand how we work! like, these questions made us realize sharps is an age slider and helped us situate headspace a little more so!! hkjgh yippee!!

thank you for reading any of these if you did!! we love you!!

[elpida]

"You could try, you never know maybe what they truly crave is long-forgotten mannerisms." and yet that smile on her face changed into something wider, pearly white, and a little carefree. Not enough that she wasn't watching him but enough that she could loosen the reigns, just for a few minutes. Back in that settlement, Eden had been what her Brother, Ben, had labeled as a peacekeeper. She liked to give newcomers the benefit of the doubt. She didn't want to believe that everyone in the world was bad, despite their being bad people. As awful as it was, what was the point in living if they forgot the very morals and emotions that made them human? There was a difference in surviving and survival. That was the thing too, Ben had been the brute for the both of them. Whilst she was soft-spoken, peaceful, gentle... he'd hardened to something tough, so that his little sister didn't have to lose herself to the end of the world. Maybe that was how she got this far, took a leaf from his book, the big brother that made her promise she'd be more cautious, that she'd point a fully armed weapon at someone like he taught her. It was a silly thought but Eden did like to believe that somewhere, in some twisted turn of fate, her Brother was guiding her path... and just maybe he'd guided her to find someone that'd manage to get a smile, from the girl that thought happiness had forgotten her.

Eden had shaken her head, her smile faded enough to know that no, her Grandmother was not here anymore... but she also wasn't a monster roaming the Earth in a permanent state of limbo. That knowledge was enough for her. "The politeness in me wants to say sorry, for hearing about your Mother's passing and your father, and how young you were... but in these times, it's almost like they received mercy right? To die in the old world without knowing anything about this, the memories of them never weighed down by this life." Eden took a breath and she really did think before she spoke again with words that came from her heart. "We all lost people, I don't think there is a single person that didn't lose someone along the way anymore.. and grief is a hell of a thing, right? I think what determines how we handle it is how we think about it. I like to think the grief will never leave me." she starts to explain and she'd accepted what happened to her Grandmother, she went peacefully, died in her sleep... but Ben haunted her, in the best of ways. "Maybe if we just think about our grief like a gift, that we got to know someone and that hollowing feeling it leaves means that we won't ever forget, right? Grief is in the memories they leave us with and I'd never change them so if that is the greatest pain I'll ever know, that we'd ever know and maybe we could suffer with it together because I hope it never leaves. I hope I suffer with grief, forever." One moment passed before she turned her head at what he said, that he'd keep her alive, her slight smile resuming. "I think I can live with that punishment."

Another swig of water as he moved, but this time it was left glistening on full lips. "I'm good, don't smoke. Never touched one actually, I uhh.. I do have some, but I found them for trading purposes you know?" That Brother of hers had taught her the basics very well, what to keep if she found it, what'd be worth it's value these days. See, the world now was so different but in the old world, they wouldn't have known each other. She'd have been pure sunshine that didn't step foot inside grubby bars downtown, she'd have never gotten in trouble with any gangs or mafia... she'd have been that girl behind a counter serving you coffee in a bakery, that was filled with a million sweet aromas. Cinnamon, warmed bread, vanilla but her perfume would have been lavender. That's what she was, sunshine and lavender daydreams. Eden O'Connor would've been a local town sweetheart in knee-length dresses that fluttered in the breeze. "I worked in my Gran's bakery on a weekend. It was called Bread, Bakes and Books. I make a mean cupcake." she was in that reminiscent state, picturing the place, the worn wooden floors, the display of pastries, the shelves lining the back of the stoor. She was picturing her and Ben, standing and having their height marked into the wooden door frame and how she hoped it'd still be there. "I wanted to be something she was proud of but in the end, she was proud of me wanting to take over her Bakery. I liked making things and seeing people enjoy them, it was... simple, you know? My Brother was training to be a doctor, he was in medical school." those moments she'd laughed with him, made her feel like there was hope for something better than everyone being her enemy. Her own laugh was light and bubbly. "Oh I don't know, you'd totally pull off one of those white collars!" she teased but her nose scrunched when she giggled.

"I could take you there, to where the settlement was because I imagine it'd still be there, the radio and it was the type you could get music on, or reach out to people, had one of those-" she moved a hand to do the walky-talky gesture near her mouth. "-things, to talk to people. I want to get a few things I had to leave behind but... thing is it'll be crawling with the dead by now, it'd be dangerous. We'd have to be real careful." What perk was there in that for her? She'd have cover, there was no way she could get back there alone. No chance... but with him? Maybe it'd be achievable. "Are you looking for someone?"

"A market? I haven't heard of it but that sounds.." her head nodded to finish her sentence. It sounded dangerous, people sounded dangerous but... if you wanted to get your hands on certain goods you had to face the music. Eden knew that she'd need antibiotics or something to fend of infection, that'd be her best and probably quickest way of getting them. She didn't trust him fully, they'd exchanged kindness but trust was something that was deserved and earned. That didn't mean she didn't like him, that she didn't like the way darlin' and sweetheart rolled from his mouth. Yes, she knew it was probably something he'd throw at any woman, but she was definitely allowed to feel a degree of flattery given the situation. Sunlight streamed across her face, and there was a moment she realized exactly what she was, dead weight. Her hand rummaged into her pocket, pulling a small handful of bullets and handing two out to him. "That was the deal right? Bandages, for two. Plus... if we end up in a tricky situation, you have options. We both do." She was evening their playing field, she could kill him easily.. but her handing those bullets to him, was her own extension of trust to him. He didn't have to help her, but he had and fair, was fair. If she was untrustworthy, she'd have kept them in her pocket and not brought it up again.

Those same petite hands and slender fingers reach out for his shoulders, about to slide her legs around and get to his back. She could walk if she had not been so exhausted, but this was a girl that'd fought to even be here right now and you could tell Eden was beyond tired. She was fighting heavy eyelids even as she'd held that gun at him. Under normal circumstances she'd have made herself walk, but what use was there in fighting? All that came was this sad and hesitant question. "Won't I just slow you down? I don't want to be your burden.." Despite how her mind protested and told her to walk, Eden slid herself to his back and hooked her arms around his shoulders and to his front. Just for a little bit, she told herself. What she did do, was hook her backpack around her shoulders and linked his through one arm.

In her head she was convinced that as he walked, she'd be the lookout, the eyes... make sure no dead ambushed them from any direction and yet, they'd barely walked a street before the weight of her head became that bit more noticeable. The grip of her hands together loosened at his front and what'd been nicely paced breaths became deeper, something lost to slumber. Heavens she had tried to fight it off but when exhaustion came knocking you'd not rid it. Her head rest against the back of his shoulder, short strands of black slightly skewed, and the heat of her breath angled at his neck could be viewed as a relaxing reminder, that they were no longer alone, just as the heat of his body served as some form of comfort to her, a sweet lull. She did not trust Jace, but he was safe right now. If he didn't have this hold on her she'd wake, and she'd know herself stupid for wanting to believe in human decency but right now, just like this, he was safe to her.

" Well aren't you a little lady. " smooth baritone, warm and thick like melted caramel, complimented the manners rather than mock them. It did tickle the man under the ribs, witnessing someone uttering ' please and thank you ' so honestly, not from fear or force. It seemed to him, the girl was a pleasant company even before the army of dead conquered mother earth. The realization followed by another, that the chances of them being in the same circles in the life before were slim, very, very slim, odds for even meeting her where 1 in a 100. Sophisticated, polite, calm women did not enter pubs owned by the mob, filled with people arm to the teeth, downing beer and not minding the brute behavior. No, this one certainly would not be in the cards he was dealt -- so somehow, deep inside, for the first time the man saw the bright side of getting that Joker with a decaying zombie face that changed the world order. . . because meeting Eden certainly didn't count as another disaster.

" Does the please and thank you approach work on the corpses as well? Maybe I am missing something here. . . instead of smashing their hissing, ugly mug, I should have just politely ask for them to take a hike. " the laughter continued to spread through the scattered, ruined space of the gas station, until it suddenly died down. Her touch, that is, the squeeze of the sleeve of the leather jacket left him in place, watching the small hand next to his wide one. He allowed contact, left his hand still, feeling the hunger for protection, comfort. . . perhaps most of all humanity, in that act. " No need to thank me sweetheart, we can't all be just savages, killing for a bite of food or bullet that would do more good if we swallow it ourselves, not others. . . " A grim tone to the response, but honesty evident in the sentence.

A thought passed through the privacy of his mind, a realization of hypocritical statement. He killed for less than a bite of food, which today means literal survival -- before he killed for mere piece of land that wasn't even his. A territory, to protect the invisible lines of what the Devil stranglers proclaimed theirs. Gaze wondered to the chain still hanging on his jeans. A weapon taking more lives than bullets ever did or would. A favorite thing to steal a soul with. Clearing his throat, snapped back to the present moment by the melodic tone of Eden's voice, grin appeared under the untrimmed mustache. " Would never say, Irish's that is so polite? Maybe there is hope for us after all. " he joked, knowing well the reality is far from the stereotypes other glued to the Irish. They were friendly, helpful, honest, loyal . . . maybe after a few pints they were just a bit sensitive with the nerves. However, a few firsts flying in a quick brawl and everything is back to normal. " I am a mutt myself, that is why the accent isn't on point. " Jace explained vaguely, unaware of the small chit chat they were having, not very common for this times. " Am from Texas, long way from here. Left when I was 16. " small pause, deafening silence when the never-ending regret cut the beating blood pump on the memory of what. . .who he left behind without even a proper goodbye. " Mother was Irish, died giving birth to me. My father was Texan, and the old man gave his best to convey the bits and pieces of her memory on me, so he copied her accent, until my tongue didn't shape words with it. . . the thing ended tho, he died when I was eight, went to my uncle and aunt. "

History lesson was over as quickly as it began, telling it stirring the graves of too much buried ghost eager to haunt him. " Some valuable skills for sure. Is she still here? " Regretting the question as soon as it fell from the mouth, thick eyebrows lowered. " I mean. . . if your community fell apart, maybe she is out there. " Approach of reassurance not his usual ammo, though he tried. It seemed this fragile woman experienced a turbulent ride through the roads of Inferno, there was no need for the ' hard truth ' yet, telling her everyone she knew were probably dead, and she had a guardian angel getting her this far if she was so merciful and trustworthy toward strangers. Although, he scolded his own self, recalling the words she uttered before, asking only for a quick death. The woman was tired, obviously, tired of living the life on the run and in constant terror or everything around them. Chest puffed, chains of muscles tensing, need to shield her bubbling in his chest. She seemed as one of the very few pearls of purity on this gruesome battlefield of horror. " The thing you said, about finishing you? I think I'll keep you alive, listenin' to my bullshit probably a better punishment, to teach you not to lower your weapon around strangers, ya? " Jace teased, trying to bring up her spirits.

Pushing the callused hand into the back pocket of the light blue jeans, man fished out a crumpled box of cigarettes, biting the bud of one and extending the hand towards Eden. " Want one? " The other hand lighted the tobacco, as he inhaled the delicious smoke almost feeling the muscles fluttering with euphoria. Yes, he was addicted to this sinful pleasure. Next statement of the woman came as a punch to the gut, nearly choking on the grey could lingering in his lungs, Jace coughed violently. The corners of the eyes tuned red, while the eyeballs were glazed with a thin layer of tears. " Damn darlin' , you nearly killed me, I though we were good. " Commenting while straightening himself up, balled fist slammed the stone-hard chest. " A preacher, huh? I assure you, sweetheart, I was quite the opposite before zombies fucking up the society. " As if the patch ' president' on the left side of his chest and the brutal sight on the back, didn't reveal enough.

" And what were you? Professional climber surely not. " Another harmless joke, trying to keep the conversation light, making them forget for a moment where they are. Thick fingers brought the cigarette to the lips, taking another hit. Mention of the radio caught his interest instantly. " Radio, huh? Honestly darlin' been searching for some of those for a while now. Classic radio, song playing one. . . any chance you know where I can get that? " There was a promise, a legend even, passed down from generation to generation of the bikers. An agreement, between the rival clubs. A story so bizarre Jace always thought it was just a joke. But now, he really hoped it was not. The story went that if ever there was a disaster, something so devastating that the world can't recover from it, the clubs will join forces, unite, see the survival of their ranks is secured. And all he had to do to see if that is really true, is find the radio and listen. . . for the tunes of the song The house of the rising sun. Coordinates hidden inside of the lyrics, to the actual house.

Jace thought through the options laid on the table of destiny. Wounded stranger with probably not one savage bone in her body a bad package to take on. Slowing him down is the least of his problems, after all, he can't fully trust her. " Ok, darlin' this is what I propose. I am heading to a place allegedly not far from here. . . a market so to speak. Vulture's nest, heard of it? " Of course he will decide the opposite, taking her with him Jace got the information from the last guy he joined forces with. . . briefly -- considering Eden was now drinking the water he took from the man after strangling him. But he didn't end the guy's life for liquid, no, it was because the man tried to do that to him. Mistake on his part, underestimating Jace's calmed behavior. " From what I hear, I can get some bullets there, for a price. And medicine, that is certainly a thing there too. . . I just wonder what they will charge for it. " Trade was a complicated thing these days, value determined on the spot by the individuals, depending what they need. But she needed some antibiotic, something to prevent a potential infection. " Can you walk? " Jace asked before she answered does she even want to join him on this path, already approaching her and turning his back. " I would gladly offer you a ride on my Harley, but the flat tire got us separated. So I can offer you my back for a while. Because we have to move. This place? " He looked over the gas station. " Hot spot for unwanted guests probably doing the same things we did, looking for anything they can use. So we need to go. "

[allaboardthemetro-blog]

Entering the Final Act || Akira || ATTN: All Passengers

His smirk grew slowly as everyone reacted.  He was glad to see Airi put the knife down; getting stabbed would really put a damper in this moment he was savoring.  The anger, the fire everyone was spitting out… He’d even gotten Billy to snap. And here he’d thought the guy was too foolhardy to actually crack.  This was beautiful, honestly. If only there were more people to see it.

Would applauding a little overdo it?  It would probably overdo it. Still, it wasn’t like he was going to be regularly interacting with these people after this.  Just some things for the police, maybe a little for HPA, and then home free. And jegus, the urge to clap was just too strong right now.

So, he did it.  He brought his hands together, his slow claps echoing throughout the trial room.  Congratulations, everyone, you found the mastermind. You found the one who put you on this train and didn’t stop until the station of living hell.  Bask in your glory.

Here he was, and he was about to talk your goddamn ears off.

“So, why’d I do it?”

“I’m sure you’ve all been waiting long enough for some sort of answer.  You’ve watched your classmates die around you, send some of them to their deaths by your own hand, and for what?  Why would anyone want to do this? And especially to us, just innocent little HPA students?”

He cracked his knuckles and took a deep breath.  “Well! You’ve heard of the Reserve Course, right?  I’d hope you would have, given that I’ve been here this whole time.  So I’m not going to explain it for you if you don’t. Too bad.

“What you might not know is what sort of treatment the Reserve Course students get.  Long story short, we’re like the red-headed stepchildren of the establishment. Even though we pay the outrageous tuition that funds the whole place, we’re treated like substandard by pretty much everyone on campus.  We’re students, but we don’t get to use any of the fancy equipment our money pays for, we don’t get the benefit of ‘guaranteed success upon graduation,’ and we don’t get any goddamn respect.

“And it’s not even like we all wanted to be here!  Sometimes, it’s just your parents assuming oh he must want to go!  Let’s uproot him from his friends and isolate him with the person he’s known since forever and see how they improve, hm?  Oh, this is gonna be great…”

He paused for a few seconds, then cleared his throat.  “But I digress. Anyway…

“The one thing I despise most about HPA?  It gives kids false hope. They sell this narrative about talent, how if you work hard enough, even you, you pathetic little Reserve Courses, you too can join us in the Talent Course!  The goddamn Land of Milk and Honey. It's all bullshit.  Like, seriously, that's not cynicism, that's just reality.  You come from all over the world, have experiences all over the world.  Talia’s from Australia, at least, and this is just a sample group. There's so many more.  There's no way any average Reserve Course student would be able to replicate that sort of world experience and recognition.  No matter how much they want it, no matter how determined they are, no matter how much money their parents funnel into them. But the academy puts this shitty idea in their head, that maybe if they work hard enough, they’ll be able to compete with these ridiculously lucky people who had all the right opportunities!

“And some people actually believe it.  That if they can run a kickass newspaper on campus, they're sure to become a Talent Student, the SHSL Reporter.  But they can't. There's no way that can compare to someone else who's had better opportunities. It'll get overlooked, in spite of all the effort she pours into it.  They just won't care.”

He paused again, but for less time than before.  After a deep breath, he balled his hands into fists, thrust them down at his sides, and continued.

“So, pretty damn clear I hate this place.  But, I'm not alone. Far from it! In fact,there's more than one organization that'd love to see this academy go down in flames.  One particular organization -- though I'm not going to name them, I'm sure they don't want the authorities on their tail -- had the perfect idea to do it.  Create a scandal so devastating, something that would be such a blemish on the academy, they just couldn't stay open. And it should be pretty obvious to you what this scandal is: the mutual killing game.

“So, they have the plan, and they have the means!  There's just one thing they don't have -- an in. They have no way to get in and legitimately gather some HPA students for this, without the academy getting suspicious.”  At this, he chuckled. “That's where I came in. What better place to find a like-minded individual than on the internet? They find me, a genuine student, and with pretty good standing thanks to the student-run paper I'm part of, the Reserve Hope Shimbun.  I have the connections, they have everything else they need, it's a perfect match.

“So we make a deal.  As satisfying as it is to bring down the shitshow that is Hope’s Peak Academy, it's not something I do for nothing.  And I have this friend, you see -- the other founding member of the Reserve Hope Shimbun. She's a good girl, earnest, hard-working, and wants more than anything to be a reporter.  And for some stupid, bullshit reason…” He took a moment to glare out at the students in the trial room. “...she thinks she needs to go through HPA to do that. But now, that doesn't have to be the case.  Her getting a job as a reporter at a news station somewhere in Japan was one of my conditions. And since I've held up my end of the deal, they're legally bound to hold up theirs. She'll get what she's wanted all her life, and she won't have to stake everything on some shitty school that can't even protect its own students from themselves.

“As for me?  I want a life away from all of this.  From all this chaos, all this snubbing, all this talent.  After I get the fuck out of HPA, I’m angling for an average job.  That was the other part of my contract. I'd love a job as an accountant, but, y’know, I'm not picky.  Any sort of salaryman job’ll do. Then maybe I can pick up life where it left off. Move up on the corporate ladder, build a nice family, make a good life for myself.  I've got simple dreams, I'm not asking for much.

“As for you guys?  Heh. It's been pretty damn fun watching you all fall apart, and it's gonna be fun watching what happens next.  This organization I'm working for has their eggs in a lot of baskets, including the media. Useful for getting my friend that job, and useful for making sure Hope's Peak Academy burns.  Once we get out of here, just about every network is gonna wanna know the details.  What toils you went through, what depravity your captors subjected you to.  You'll never be able to get a moment's peace!  You'll never be allowed to forget what happened here.  And you'll never be able to say who did this to you.

“But, at least you'll be able to live your lives.  HPA won't be so lucky. They send their students off to see the headquarters of a newspaper, and then they do nothing when they're kidnapped along the way.  I really did take the time to schedule a field trip, by the way. I asked the faculty for permission, set up the outing with the newspaper itself, it all checked out on paper.  They had no idea it was just a front. Until we failed to show up, of course. Naturally, the organization in charge of this set up the train and the venue. They even set up the conductor!”

The mention of the conductor seemed to remind Akira why they had all gathered here in the first place.  With a peeved sigh, he looked away, then shrugged.

“Oh yeah.  Speaking of Jenova.  Guh, the fucking wimp.  Yeah, I killed him, you're welcome.  He was right, I was sort of planning to kill him, but not from the outset of all this.  He was doing fine at first, but...honestly, if you're going to start a dirty job, you finish the dirty job.  He was getting soft, wanted to wrap this up because ‘he couldn't take it.’”  He scoffed. “Couldn't take it… You do what you need to do. Beggars can't be choosers, he ought to have know that better than I did!

“So… Are we ready to wrap this up?  Ready to get back to the rest of our lives in the real world, for better or for worse?  Because I'm sure as hell ready to see what arises from all of this…”