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datawyrms · 4 years ago

Text

Still Robophobic?

Chapter 2 while crawling through all of K1-B0′s text so I can inanely chatter and make depth that probably wasn’t there because it makes me happy. and you can’t stop me. Once again I am serious this is all of his text so this is LONG. (and if you didn’t read my first super long post covering Prologue/ch1, you might want to do that first) someone make me work on my fics lol

Also I totally just realized Keebo is totally hiding behind Himiko after Monokuma’s return to life and I just MISSED HIM lol. He trusts Kaede and Shuichi, even when they’re being sketchy as heck and says he’ll think of plans too, because more plans are better than less. shame upon me for overlooking more of his trusting and trying to help nature. MOVING ON.

Cold open with the funeral that starts at Kaede’s portrait so you think it’s current but no this is for our viewing pleasure only...Gonta finds the horse a hint...Kaito abuses a doorbell and shepherds Shuichi out of the room...get to the dining hall and Keebs is muttering questions so he can be the first one talking in a scene again!

K1-B0: Writing...? Gonta: Yeah! Like someone try to hide writing in grass! Weird, right!?

keep shining on with your refusal to do anything but ask questions unless talking to Kokichi or a Protag, Keebo. As Keebo is garbage at people, he has zero reaction to the Hatless Reveal. The human has removed part of their clothing and he does not care. If you’re curious, Maki, Ryoma, Himiko, Keebo and Kiyo are the only ones not to remark on it at all. :v

Kokichi: Kirumi, be my mom! Gonta: Gonta want you to be his mom, too! K1-B0: ...What are you two even saying?

even keebs knows you two are being hecka weird by asking that guys. Which is probably the joke that the robot calls them on this. Or it’s him not getting the point of moms/what they’re asking for...since you know. Built in a lab...(Though he does know, since he made fun of Kaede that way.)

K1-B0: ... Kokichi: Hm? What's wrong, Kee-boy? You're not eating— Oh yeah! I totally forgot you can’t eat! Y’know, cuz you’re a robot! K1-B0: ... Kokichi: Hey now, don't look so down. I'll bring you a broken TV later. K1-B0 I don't want that... I'm not a waste receptacle. Angie: Nyahahaha! Keebo and Kokichi seem to be getting along swimmingly!

Everyone’s eating and Keebo is just listlessly staring at food. Till Kokichi decides to loudly announce to everyone that’s what he’s doing. Which, judging by the fact Kaede had to ask...Keebo might have told Kokichi based on how he says ‘he forgot’ that and no one has really noticed he just watches. It’s been a busy set of days, I suppose. Angie is right in a way, she notices how Kokichi’s poking isn’t getting as much of a response and how the little punk keeps pushing on to get some words out of him. Course, it mostly looks like he’s making fun of him, but that’s Kokichi! for an ‘emotionless robot’ you sure picked out his emotion, tiny terror. Things Keebo doesn’t call robophobic: being told to eat broken electronics. He is pretty down though, Kaede’s FTE makes it pretty clear he’s pretty jealous that he can’t eat. Considering it looks good to him and all. (Who programmed that. Why would you do that.).

Shuichi falls into the depressing narrative ‘everyone is faking being normal’ mode after that conversation, we talk about the horse a hint again/Gonta’s gullibility.

Kokichi: Nee-heehee... Gonta, you're so gullible. Y'know, if you keep being this gullible... You’ll be killed before you know it. Understand? Shuichi: ...Ah! The moment Kokichi said that word, the warm and casual mood shattered. K1-B0: What's wrong, everyone? Is there a problem with Kokichi's advice? Gonta: Oh, Kokichi... You no should say thing like that, even as joke.

Keebs can sorta read the air to tell the mood just got real nasty...but has no idea why because to him it’s perfectly sensible advice. this boy. If someone is tempted to commit murder, logically they’ll try to trick people. Who do you trick? Someone gullible. He knows it isn’t a joke. No one actually answers him either, though he can probably guess by Tenko calling Kokichi insensitive. this is why he’s bad at people, people ignore him aaa

Kokichi tries reminding people hey monokuma is totally gonna exploit your glaring weakpoints lol/ups his dislike score, said bear shows up, kubz give area unlocks/ make an attack on titian reference with the nape of the neck thing and they skadoodle. (keebo also having a neck weakness...tsumugi....)

Kokichi: Hmmm... Seeing that robot-looking one get left out makes me think of Keebo...

yes keebo, you really, really are. No one else even says anything about this, Maki moves the conversation to the items they just got. Poor guy wants to pretend he isn’t that left out. Oh well...he’ll probably figure it out...eventually... Shuichi gets given the job of rubbing items on things because he is the Protag so Go Unlock Stuff, Boy. Keebo hangs out with Tenko near the to-be-unlocked pool.

K1-B0: That item we received earlier...I think we can use it on this stone monument. Can you try?

Tutorial robot strikes again. There is information I know, so i am going to say it and have no fluff dialogue. Tenko has a pretty sweet little scene with Shuichi here and he’s just beep-boop my protagonist powers know a puzzle when I see it.

K1-B0: The ivy withered in seconds. What remarkable technology... Tenko: Ah! We can get in! We can go in from there, right!? K1-B0: ...You intend to go inside? That course of action seems dangerous. Monophanie: No, it’s not dangerous. There’s just a pool in there.

This is why no one invites you to their DnD sessions Keebo. Sure, it’s true they probably shouldn’t blindly blunder into new places but you literally just told Shuichi how to open the door. ‘Ah, a new discovery. Time to ignore it.’ Of course he’s impressed by tech bordering on magic, which is fun. I wonder if the Kubz got summoned to make sure Keebo didn’t chicken out on exploring :v He honestly seems to trust they won’t lie to them, or at least not blatantly/in ways that would get them killed.

Tenko: What should we do? There may be a pool, but we’re not going for a swim, are we? K1-B0: But...if it is not dangerous, then maybe we should take a look. It is never bad to have too much information. Shuichi: Yes, I suppose you're right...

K1-B0: It looks like there's a pool inside. We should take a closer look. It would be best to know the specifics.

Easily swayed, this robot. Two seconds ago you were all ‘let’s not go in there’ and now you’re This Is Totally Not Dangerous, time to Take A Look. Because the Monokubs said it was okay. It had the opposite effect on Tenko, but she’s outvoted by the ahogeholders. I’d say ‘make up your mind’ but this is how Keebo makes up his mind. If he knows something ‘for certain’, he wants to know more. If it’s iffy, he’s cautious. It does look like he’s indecisive as hell though xD

Shuichi: ...Then I suppose that dream is pretty far away. K1-B0: It’s not necessarily a dream of mine... But swimming with everyone does sound fun. If I tried to swim, I would just sink. Shuichi: ...And that one is even farther.

He tries to relate to Tenko a little bit here, in the swimming is her dream but really he just thinks it sounds fun to be included, he knows he can’t swim...they’re in the same boat in that regard! Tenko actually does want to learn to swim, it comes up quite a bit in URDP. Keebo not so much. He really is more chatty about himself in smaller groups :v

K1-B0: I wonder if the day will ever come when I can swim with everyone... Tenko: Keebo! I was wondering... If you fell off a boat and sank to the bottom...would you be stuck living under the sea, beneath a rock or in a pineapple!? K1-B0: What...? Shuichi: No, I believe that before you'd get too deep, your body would be crushed by the pressure... K1-B0: Please don’t say such scary things, both of you! Or I’ll never set foot on a boat!

K1-B0: ...If I ever get the chance to ride a boat, I will wear a state-of-the-art flotation device.

He’s scared. By both of them. He doesn’t get the reference at all, obviously. His hopeful wondering that he might be able to take part in something gets redirected into either being trapped alone at the bottom of the sea forever or crushed to death. From a question that basically comes out of nowhere! But he apparently is still willing to go on a boat with proper precautions. To not be left out. he just wants to be your friend guys. you could at least say sorry for freaking him out come on. His struggle with Not Being Swim Compatible continues.

Shuichi: This looks like...a storage room? K1-B0: I peeked inside and discovered all manner of pool supplies in here. It is fully stocked with kickboards, water polo balls, and even sturdy rubber inner tubes. Perhaps I can float in water if I inflate them and attach them all over my body. Shuichi: Ah, I think you would look like that tire company's mascot...

shh let him do it, it sounds funny. It’s interesting Shuichi’s willing to say this out loud, he usually keeps his snark in his head. Also, you got a lot of info from a peek Keebo. Thank you for also mentioning rubber inner tubes exist here, as this will be plot relevant later. :p

Tenko: Oh, Keebo! Are you a degenerate male or a girl!? Which is it!?

Shuichi: Really? How interesting...I suppose I did just assume he was a...he. But Keebo is a robot, so...

Non binary keebo is canon. ‘don’t know’ he/him pronouns on the profile page for the robot. Because he literally hasn’t even thought about it before. And it doesn’t seem like he intends to either! He doesn’t start rationalizing out which one he might be, just admits he...cares so little it never crossed his mind. but seriously how old are you. how long have you existed and not a SINGLE person asked you Keebo your backstory is super shaky. Or secretly depressing. also i totally forgot Miu gets way too excited by the tennis machine. no wonder she takes so long to drag keebo to the lab :v Shuichi wanders off to unlock everything else, and they all meet back up in the gym.

Angie: Alrighty then, check this out. K1-B0: That is a peculiar-looking flashlight...So, what of it? Angie: Umm, I dunno what it is either. I inspected it pretty good...Nyahahaha, but in the end I couldn't figure it out.

we’ve been here for two seconds and you’re back to asking questions aaa Though the fact Angie and Keebo have actually talked to one another again is good, it helps explain why she might have chosen to add him to her ‘friend group’ -cough- Angie then explains she asked Monokuma, he shows up, sorta explains the flashback lights.

Kaito: Hey! Don’t just give up on explaining after a single sentence! K1-B0: So...what should we do? Tenko: What should we do...? You mean, should we or should we not use the flashlight? No way! I refuse! It reeks of fishiness!

keebo i’m confiscating your question mark key. Taking relying on others opinions to entirely new levels, this robot. But hey he’s actually been answered twice! That’s better than posing the question to the sound of crickets chirping. Tenko seems to like him better in general after hanging out a bit too. (and the whole ‘is not a boy thing.) Kaito and Kokichi face off in ‘should we use the flashback light’ annnd

Tenko: I'm...staying. After hearing that degenerate’s speech, running away would just frustrate me! Gonta: Gonta also stay... Is what true gentleman would prolly do. K1-B0: I also agree with Kaito. Our defeat is 100% assured unless we stand up to this. That’s... how I feel, deep inside. Just a whisper- Kokichi: You hear it in your ghost? I'm pretty sure robots don't have ghosts, though. K1-B0: ...Leave me alone.

First mention of his inner voice! Kokichi pounces on that, which just gets Keebo to actually stand up for himself a little, though pretty pathetically. He doesn’t seem all that sure if it’s him feeling what’s right or the inner voice though...calling it a whisper. He’s completely convinced to go along with it though, he’s really more of a follower...but of course the outside world is going to compel the protag to get plot details. then they actually use the light

Shuichi: I can't either...I suddenly realized... I could not remember any important details of the Ultimate Hunt... K1-B0: It’s no use, I can’t remember either. I can only remember being chased... I can't remember anything else at all.

Way to echo Shuichi’s inner thoughts, Keebo. This whole flashback light should really be confusing him more than it does. but we’ll get to that.

Ryoma: Could the reason be that...we were caught by the Ultimate Hunt? Shuichi: Caught...by the Ultimate Hunt? K1-B0: You mean, we tried to escape by erasing our memories, but they found us anyway... And subsequently, we were captured as part of this Ultimate Hunt?

At first I thought Keebo’s ‘returned’ memory might have been slightly different to compensate for the glaring issue but nope! Here he is, stating they erased their memories. and he’s summarizing again lol. keebs. i don’t care if you throw your harddrive in a washing machine, you are going to very quickly re-learn that you’re a goddamned ROBOT. He doesn’t even question this memory, no one does! (ok, kokichi probably caught it based on what he does right after this but otherwise) did you think you were a slightly less ultimate robot how did this even logic in your head. Questions that will never be answered.

Kaito: We just gotta work together. If we cooperate, we'll make it out of here alive. Just like a certain someone said... Shuichi: ...Kaede. K1-B0: But I believe cooperating with each other is the most logical course of action— Kokichi: *snore* I’m snooooring! K1-B0: ...Why are you sleeping!? Kokichi: Whoa! Huh, what!? Tsumugi: Hey, Kokichi...we're having a serious conversation here. Kokichi: And is it written somewhere that I have to take serious conversations seriously? Kaito: Tch, quit acting so immature! Kokichi: Hm? I’m a teenager...so duh I’m immature. Aren’t you guys forgetting to act your age? K1-B0: But I don't have a biological age... Kokichi: Don't worry about it, Keebo. I'm just talking to the humans right now! K1-B0: ...Grgh! Kokichi: What were we talking about again? Something about working together to escape, right?

he thinks kokichi is actually sleeping. he genuinely buys it when he says I’M SNORING. you sheltered little robot. He is super bad with people in so many new and exciting ways. Which effectively stops him from being a driving force/leading anyone...which is probably exactly what sleepyhead wanted here. Then excludes him further with the not a human reminder, which Keebo still doesn’t actually contest. No fitting in for the robot, can’t be trusted. That and the conversation gets re-directed to the mastermind among them from this diversion. Use Robot for Free Topic Change :v Keebo doesn’t speak up again at all after this, but he’d probably have no idea what to say about Ryoma just casually going ‘nothing to live for bye’ so. Free time dialogue time!. First time slot...he’s in the dining hall

K1-B0: ...Shuichi, if you have free time, would you like to spend it with me? There's something I want to ask you.

Lookit him, taking some initiative and asking Shuichi to hang out. Negative five points because you want to ask questions. he’s a very curious robot. Second time slot he retreats to his room.

K1-B0: There's an area in this school that is closed off. It seems there are other hidden rooms as well.

There’s a lot of hidden rooms! He really doesn’t talk about anything but current events and the school... Free time ends, kubs bungle the motive delivery, Shuichi watches Kaito’s video...and goes to run off to tell him right away about his sad looking grandparents....

Shuichi: Keebo! Have you seen Kai-- K1-B0: Impeccable timing Shuichi! I was on my way to get you! Shuichi: You were? K1-B0: Everyone is gathering in the dining hall. Please come right away. I'll go get everyone else.

Keebo’s been promoted to sleepy student fetcher in the meantime, or more likely volunteered to help Kaito when he proposed gathering everyone to talk about it. Good thing Kaito didn’t beeline for Shuichi or he might have actually seen the video :v

Kirumi: Shall we wait for everyone then? Until then, I can provide you all with massages— K1-B0: Thank you for waiting! We gathered everyone else! Korekiyo: My word...and after I was about to finally experience one of Kirumi's famed massages... K1-B0: Wh-What do you mean? Are you also suggesting that I cannot read the air? Maki: So what is it? Why did you drag us here?

kiyo you’re hurting the robot’s feelings with your massage lusting. Keebo no idea and just assumes it’s a reading the air thing pffft. Getting everyone together to discuss the kubspads is a bit more important, even if they wanted to do something first. Not that anyone is going to tell him that :v

Kokichi: So, what are these videos? K1-B0: No doubt they’re the motives from Monokuma, but why were they all mixed up...? Gonta: Y-Yeah! Why Gonta get Tsumugi's video— K1-B0: No! Don’t say it Gonta! Gonta: ...Hm? Tsumugi: Aah...I heard it... I see... So Gonta has my video... Gonta: ...Huh? Gonta not supposed to say it? Miu: Who fuckin’ cares!? We’re gonna exchange ‘em anyway, right? K1-B0: No, we cannot exchange them. Shuichi: What? We can't? Ryoma: Why not? They're videos of the most important people in our lives. K1-B0: And that is precisely why we cannot exchange them. Although we do not know why our motives were mixed up...As long as we don't exchange them, we don't have to see our motives at all. Himiko: So it’s better to just ignore them... K1-B0: Yes. At least, that is what I think. Tenko: Th-That's true... If we ignore them, then we won't have a motive... Ryoma: I'm against that.

The robot has learned the technique of how to cut people off mid sentence, but was a bit too slow on the draw here. This is basically the first time Keebo takes the lead on an idea though, so of course it’s about keeping everyone safe. poor gonta. Innocently having no idea why the weird robot is suddenly pushy at him. The fact this clicked really quick for Keebo while Shuichi is still half ‘but i gotta show it to Kaito’ is pretty interesting, but makes sense. He’s probably less likely to have that emotional ‘oh friend would want to know this, i must let them know’ moment our detective is having. I expect he saw it as a motive first, and all else second. Kaito is the one who takes over when it comes to confronting Ryoma, because Keebo and conflict do not mix well. because he’s a doormat. He does speak up again though!

Kokichi: Who cares? Ryoma just stated his opinion. Actually...I feel the same way as him K1-B0: Are you...trying to cause trouble again? Kokichi: Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying we shouldn't care about killing or dying...But I think it'd be better if we didn't cooperate with each other...Actually we *definitely* shouldn't cooperate with each other!

...because Kokichi speaks up! Kokichi likes to remark on him, so darn it, he’s going to remark back on on the purple terror. He keeps going on for a long time here too. The fact Keebo was one to originally bring the ‘don’t share’ plan up might be why Kokichi goes so hard against it here. he doesn’t trust keebs as far as he can throw him, so anything he wants done must be obstructed. It’s early on enough that he hasn’t really had time to confirm Keebo is as harmless as he says he is (usually.) And hey if it doesn’t work he’s still showing himself as ‘difficult’ for future evil plans.

Kokichi: Anyway, I’m warning you all for your sake. Let's just exchange our motive videos instead of cooperating with each other. K1-B0: ...I cannot comprehend that logic. Kokichi: Well, now that I've said I won't cooperate, I can't afford to be seen with you losers...C’mon Gonta, let’s go.

good job keebo. don’t refute or argue, just state you have no idea how his brain works. He doesn’t speak up at all once Kokichi leaves either, not even when it devolves into Kirumi getting a bunch of orders. He isn’t one of the ones that leaves so apparently he just...watches everyone eat hot pot :v Then it’s time for more free times!

K1-B0: Everyone seemed to really enjoy that delicious-looking tripe hot pot... It's fine. You do not need to worry about me. *sigh*...

oh he literally did. I forgot this line. keebo. why do you do this to yourself. The food thing is...a big thing for him. Is this why you hate vending machines Keebo. Do you think those machines ate the food. In Free time slot two he’s alone still (he’s almost always alone, no matter where he is. Kokichi and Kaito were just in the room he’s in now the previous free time tho.)

K1-B0: I also want to know what is contained in my motive video... But...if a killing were to happen because of that... It would mean that we've betrayed the very wish that Kaede entrusted to us.

I want to know but am putting everyone being safe first. Though also ‘Keebo what on earth could you been shown that would make you thinking killing is okay suddenly.’ Then I’m ‘oh do you mean you don’t trust the person you trade with to not go murder’. Do you have Shuichi’s, Keebo? Is that making you double down on Kaede’s wish, right to Shuichi’s face? Kaito is surprised to know Shuichi has his, there’s nothing saying they had to be ‘swapped’ to match...it’s just interesting to think about. another interesting thing is Himiko and Angie are hanging out in the same room during this free time. V3 is pretty good about foreshadowing future events if you go talk to everyone! Anyway, Keebo shows up in Tenko’s parasol event/bonus scene.

K1-B0: I am grateful for your care, Kirumi. Kirumi: This is more people than I had been told. Tenko: I'm sorry... I just wanted Himiko to feel like a celebrity, too! Angie: Can I join? Atua says He wants to feel like a celebrity too! Himiko: If Atua wants to be a celebrity, then we might as well invite him too. Tenko: S-Sure... If that's what you want, Himiko. Grrrrgghhh...I just wanted to vacation like a celebrity with Himiko! Shuichi: ...Would a god want to be a celebrity?

This bit is interesting! Tenko objects to Angie coming, but she must have invited Keebo herself, as he isn’t here to set anything up. He doesn’t spend either of his free time spots at the pool, so it’s not coincidence that he’s there either. Maybe they’ve bonded over their inability to swim. He wouldn't just tag along of his own accord. Tenko then tries to shoo Shuichi away here because of course she does :v

Shuichi: ...What about Keebo? Tenko: Keebo's a robot, so he's neither male nor female! He barely passes! K1-B0: ...I cannot tell if that remark is robophobic or not. Shuichi: Well at the very least, you're better off than I am...

Want to be included...eclipsing need to be treated the same...Even though he’s self admitted to not being either! :v Keebo honestly doesn’t know what he wants. Shuichi apparently thinks you’re enough of a guy to get turfed out with him Keebo, so that’s probably something you like? It’s nice to see Tenko remembered though, considering she was the one who asked him in the first place.

Kirumi: By the way, Keebo... K1-B0: Yes? Kirumi: In your case, would you prefer oil over tropical juice?

Kirumi: Keebo, Tenko requested I help her feel like a celebrity. And she has included you as one of her guests... I will do my utmost to fulfill her request, for that is how a maid must conduct herself. So please tell me what food or beverages I can prepare so you feel like a celebrity Shuichi: Such pride and dedication... Kirumi's prowess as a maid is showing! K1-B0: Um...I do not require food. And I would not be able to taste it in the first place...

He’s a bit hard to read here! He’s happy with just the offer, but seems a bit awkward about it judging by the sprite being used. Actually being accommodated for seems to put him off a little. It seems he’s fine on oil on the moment so he has no need or desire for it though. Which conflicts with Kirumi’s goal and seems to actually irritate Keebo by pressing. He’s doing the exasperated hands up sprite when he’s stating he doesn’t need or taste food. Would it be nicer to just go ‘okay fine oil’, probably. but he doesn’t since uh. It could just be the ‘I just said no thank you why does no one LISTEN’ getting to him! that and we know keebo has like -10 to tact anyway. That and...asking him what he needs to ‘feel like a celebrity’ probably just sent him thinking ‘THAT’S A FEELING???’ so he just sticks to a fact and pretends he’s not at a loss. Keebo then spends his time more interested in the parasol than anything else, because of course he is. He honestly looks puzzled by it, it’s kinda cute.

K1-B0: Out of curiosity, do you really need that parasol even though we're indoors? Tenko: Of course! If you wanna feel like a celebrity, you absolutely need a parasol! A robot like you wouldn't understand what it means to feel like a celebrity, huh Keebo? K1-B0: Ghhhh... Th-This is a difficult feeling to understand!

Keebo cannot have a nice thing without getting dumped on for it almost immediately after :v He basically admits he doesn’t know what ‘feeling like a celebrity’ is like by trying to justify himself...but really tenko the question was fair and you just go ‘haha robot’ instead of maybe realizing it’s an atmosphere thing not a feeling thing. In the morning after Shuichi chats with Ryoma...

Shuichi: Good morning, Keebo. K1-B0: Good morning. Um, have you seen Kokichi or Gonta? Shuichi: Ah, I haven't seen them... K1-B0: I see...I saw them earlier...and they seemed to be sneaking around. Given Kokichi's penchant for mischief, do you think he's planning to cause more trouble? Gonta is very earnest but also very naive... Kokichi could easily fool him. Shuichi: That's true... That is a bit disconcerting. K1-B0: ...I wonder why Kokichi is so determined to undermine our cooperation. True, Monokuma does interfere with our attempts to cooperate, but consider this...Perhaps what Monokuma fears more than anything...is our cooperation. That is why I think that Kaede was not wrong. Shuichi: ...I think so too. I’ll always be thankful for what Kaede tried to do for us. K1-B0: That's right! If we all cooperate, I'm sure we will be able to escape this place! If we meet every morning for breakfast, we will slowly but surely become more united. Shuichi: Yeah! K1-B0: Well then, I will go to the dining hall now.

Keebo and Kokichi are mutually on one another’s case and it’s pretty hilarious. He doesn’t call Kokichi cruel or anything either...just mischievous. Even someone terrible at people saw what kind of person Gonta is, and has apparently decided Shuichi is the one who has to hear about his concerns. He’s pretty into the getting along and working together thing, but Kaito really takes the roll from him in most group settings, so we kinda only see it when Shuichi is alone. Though Shuichi maybe uh. don’t be thankful about the attempted...murder...I know that’s not what he means but hahaha it does not read well xD also Kokichi is totally Keebo’s rival, not Shuichi’s. because keebo is the real protag. :v he’s totally Togami levels of dickery to Keebo, who’s pretty Makoto-ish...even if I do read Kokichi more favourably at times for that sort of comparison :v Moving on to the dining hall.

K1-B0: According to my calculations, not everyone has gathered today. Shuichi: You can see that without doing any calculations...

You know you’re low on the totem pole when Shuichi will dunk on you. Out loud. This is the opening bit for this scene! You couldn’t remark on people missing, no. it is dunk time. Everything Keebo does is in numbers detective, he’s a robot! He doesn’t need to inform you that he calculated it, yes...but he’s trying to impress people and he just sucks at it >> anyway yes people did not come to breakfast.

Tenko: Maybe she's hiding a bunch of kids in there that she's secretly taking care of! Shuichi: What? She's not some stray dog on the streets raising pups... K1-B0: I also saw Kokichi and Gonta sneaking around together. Miu: A couple of virgins sneakin' around sounds like bad news to me!

Keebo reiterates the ‘kokichi is a menace and has gonta with him’ fact for the rest of the class/people who don’t read optional dialogue. Yet he doesn’t mention how this concerns him like he does to Shuichi alone! because that’s not a fact and we’re in a group setting.

K1-B0: Himiko is acting rather odd. I do not fully understand what she is doing...

The Ultimate Mage might not have anything nice to say about him, but he’s paid enough attention to notice the weird ‘calm’ Himiko isn’t normal. Better point it out to Shuichi! and keebo you don’t even halfway understand what she’s doing, it’s ok. Though I suppose 1% of understanding is technically not ‘fully understanding’ something too :v

Himiko: Nyeeeh...as long as I pray like this, I don't need to waste my energy on useless stuff. No matter what happens or what trouble lies ahead, my heart will be calm... K1-B0: I see...It’s escapism. Angie: No... She has merely abandoned reality to speak to Atua. Tsumugi: That *is* escapism.

He found an answer! it’s delightfully cynical and calculated and thus hilarious. He’s doing his little ‘hand up/i’ve deduced something’ pose so he looks pretty proud of it too. Tsumugi of all people backs him up on this! Though I suppose she’d know allllll about escapism! :V gdi moogie. Yet even with his short, matter of fact answer he’s still confused after all the back an forth/ the hug scene.

K1-B0: What’s going on...? Did Angie...do something to Himiko? Angie: Hm? I just undid her brainwashing, that's all. K1-B0: But...Himiko is clearly acting strange. Himiko: That’s rude. I’m not acting strange. This is my true self... I guess Atua's words can't reach robots... K1-B0: Wha—! You're being robophobic again! Angie: It's okay! Atua has compassion for robots who look human! K1-B0: O-Okay...

Aw. He’s worried about his friend...who doesn’t like him and said we should kill him. this boy, I swear. Very forgiving. We can add one to the ‘times Keebo actually outright said something was robophobic’ count...annnnd Himiko is literally using the reason that he’s a robot to invalidate his concern over her behaviour. i think he’s justified! Not to mention he instantly backs down when Angie basically goes ‘oh Atua would include you’ and doesn’t argue for any other robots here...really just say ‘stop treating me like i’m sub human’, but then they’d just say he is sub human so. robophobic it is :v He just wants to be included so badly...but he’s getting the message as a robot he can’t. and that is sad. of course he listens to angie later, atua and her will include him, even as a robot. Though not at first! The next time he talks...

Angie: No, noooo, that's wrong. It's not enough to simply live here forever. Our lives must also be full of divine purpose. In other words...We must make this academy heaven on earth! Shuichi: What...? Angie: In doing so...our desire to leave will vanish, and the killings will cease. K1-B0: Are you...being serious right now? Angie: This place provides us all with shelter, food, clothing, and wonderful friends! What more could you possibly desire? Do not give in to your greed.

He’s very much on the ‘no, we are not staying here forever’ train. He can’t parse if she’s being serious or not. He’s also doing the job of reacting since Shuichi is still mostly reacting in his own head instead of out loud. Her argument might compel him a little though, considering how alternate plans of escape haven’t really shown up...

Himiko: Now is the time to demonstrate my powers. My magic is the only thing that can heal your twisted hearts. K1-B0: But in our current predicament, performing magic tricks is quite illogical- Himiko: Nyeeeh, don't disturb my concentration. You gotta learn to read the mood already. And...it's called a magic show cuz I do magic. Not tricks

Cut off again and dismissed! Keebo needs to avoid people shorter than himself, apparently it never goes well for him. Though he does get an unintentional stab at Himiko here by outright ignoring her ‘magic’ bit to clarify that they’re tricks. He isn’t too great at telling a sort of performance could cheer people up, sure...but people really should be thinking of other solutions too. but no we’re gonna dunk on the robot and go ‘shut up you’re dumb’. The fact he still attends when he clearly doesn’t get how it should help, or why...he’s trying so, so hard.

Korekiyo: Kehehe... Faith as intense as this can be quite terrifying. K1-B0: There may be no cause for concern. This does not appear to be related to our motive videos. Kaito: You're only worried about that? K1-B0: Of course. We cannot afford to take Monokuma’s motives lightly. Tsumugi: But...everyone who isn't here could be showing each other their videos, right?

yes kaito, he already expressed concern over Himiko’s behaviour and basically got told to sit down and shut up. Twice. Of course he’s only focused on the only thing he didn’t instantly get shut down over. You should have backed him up earlier! I really do love Kaito, but Keebo never really benefits from Kaito’s good qualities. Free time again, he’s hanging out on the 3rd floor. Same general area as Maki’s lab...so basically alone, as usual.

K1-B0: A magic show...It seems unconnected to the killing game, so I do not foresee any issues with it...

Fortune telling is not one of his skills. Though I suppose the show itself has no issues, it’s what happens before...This is also the last FT slot in the chapter so I’m smacking the level one FTE here.

K1-B0: Since you have come to speak to me...I can only assume that you've taken some sort of interest in me. Shuichi: Ah, well...you are a robot, after all. K1-B0: Indeed. Curiosity is a very useful human quality...Very well, I shall humor you. Shuichi: ...Hm. I feel as though he's talking down to me a little... K1-B0: So first, I will explain my functions. As a robot, I'm somewhat extraordinary compared to you. Shuichi: But...I remember you saying something about having the strength of an old person... K1-B0: T-True, but...Considering the tragedy that occurred during trial production, it was a logical design choice.Now first, is my visual acuity. I have 20/13 vision... Impressive, no? Shuichi: ...You think so? I believe that's pretty normal... K1-B0: What are you talking about!? Over 50% of high school students have less than 20/20 vision! But no matter what, my visual acuity will always be 20/13. Shuichi: If it got any worse, I suppose that would count as a malfunction... K1-B0: My next function will definitely surprise you. Shuichi, please raise your hand. Shuichi: Huh? My what? K1-B0: I want you to put your hand in front of my mouth. Shuichi: ...Like this? K1-B0 Haaaaaaaaaaa... Shuichi: ...What the hell is this? K1-B0: Haaaaaaaaaaa... Shuichi: Lukewarm breath grazed across my hand. Well, Keebo is a robot, so maybe not "breath"... K1-B0: How about that? In addition, my warm breath also functions as a dryer. Shuichi: Ah...I see... K1-B0: Now, now, you can't be surprised just yet, okay? Case in point, my hand can turn into a multi-tool! With both hands, I have 20 tools at my disposal! My finger can detect wafting aromas, and even distinguish between different scents! I also have a music player for when I'm bored. I can even play tapes and records. Neat, huh? Shuichi: I'm still thinking about how weird your breath felt, I dunno about your other functions... K1-B0: Don't be too surprised. After all, I am the Ultimate Robot! Shuichi: ...

The start of Keebo’s FTE is almost word for word how he starts with Kaede. This is how he introduces himself to people. This is him being confident and secure. Unlike Kaede though, Shuichi has no qualms in pointing out Keebo’s shortcomings instead of letting him chatter on like he does with Kaede. He spends a lot more time trying to show him new functions, apparently thinking he just needs to show one that’s a bit more ‘impressive’ to get a positive reaction. Like being asked questions, or at least a ‘oh that’s cool’ instead of ‘wait aren’t you weak’. But we’ll gloss over the the tragedy in trial production AGAIN. To the point he takes Shuichi’s baffled silence as a more positive reaction than of the others he got, seeing as he seems to think the detective is impressed...even though we know he’s not. It’s true most people don’t have twenty tools always on hand and a music player that can take tapes and records on them at all times but...it’s easy to dismiss as not that interesting. Even though he’s desperately fishing for validation here. The nicest answer we can get out of Shuichi here...is clearly a lie, to be honest. (Keebo probably uses that music function a lot.)

Shuichi: Y-Yeah...amazing K1-B0: Right? I am Professor Idabashi's masterpiece, after all. The professor's technology has given me the functions to support a life of comfort. Shuichi: A life of comfort... I see. That makes sense. K1-B0: However...My greatest attribute is actually not a function at all.

He takes it as a honest statement and instantly brings up how great his creator is. Keebo...cares about Professor Idabashi a lot. He is bragging, about himself...but everything he is is something his ‘father’ made. Or at least that’s what he thinks anyway...He wants people to know how great his dad is. and that’s sadly sweet. (Since he probably doesn’t exist. or care about him if he was made for this...) The part where he supports of a life of comfort is interesting though. Are you built to bring comfort to the professor, or mostly yourself Keebs? It could be both. It’s nice to think Keebo’s father figure would want him to be able to live comfortably...be able to stand on his own two feet as it were. He might not have a use for many of the functions, but he’s clearly thinks they’re valuable

Shuichi: That's actually pretty normal. K1-B0: Gh—! Wh-What do you mean, "normal"!? What do you know about robots!? The meaning of "normal" is purely subjective anyway! Don't assume your definition of normal is the same as mine! Shuichi: Oh no, he's really mad! K1-B0: F-Furthermore...! My greatest attribute is actually not a function at all.

ahahahaWHOOPS. Good job Shuichi, you genuinely upset him. Because you said his ‘father’s’ work is ‘normal’. Without the context of the ‘nicer’ reply, this can seem really out of left field! Keebo is usually all about being ‘normal’ and fitting in ‘like everyone else’ but here he goes basically spitting fire at Shuichi for it. What do you know about robots indeed Keebo...But hey, we get some of that impulsive side here, getting overwhelmed and just spitting out what he thinks right away. This is WAY more fight than we usually see him give Kokichi, and that guy’s mocking him all the time. probably because he hopes Shuichi is a better/nicer person than him but still. In contrast...

Shuichi: Ah...is that it? K1-B0: Is that it...? You mean, you're not impressed? Shuichi: Well, I assumed you would have more...special...functions. K1-B0: ...W-Well, you know...I *might* have a special function of sorts... Shuichi: ...Might? K1-B0: But Professor Idabashi told me to keep it a secret. I hope you get the chance to see it someday. And besides... My greatest attribute is actually not a function at all.

He just takes it when Shuichi is unimpressed. Clearly Shuichi not being impressed with him is a shortcoming on his part, not the Professor, or his work. Being told he’s lame or disappointing is something we’ve seen a lot of...and apparently that doesn’t trigger his get mad buttons. Think he’s...kinda used to it by chapter 2. Though Keebo will still try and fish for later attention by suggesting he does have a ‘special’ function he’s been told to keep a secret. (Though...what Keebo things is special might not rate such praise from others)

Shuichi: It isn't? K1-B0: You can't tell what it is? It's my compact, lightweight design that makes my various functions possible! This is what truly drives Professor Idabashi's technological revolution! Well? Now do you understand just how amazing I am? Shuichi: I don't know how to respond to his boasting...Maybe someone like Miu would really appreciate his mechanics. Shuichi understandably is ‘ you’re like slightly less heavy than Gonta and he’s way bigger than you Keebo wtf do you mean’. This makes far more sense when you know KEEBO CAN FLY. He’s lightweight enough for that That is incredible. Too bad Keebo doesn’t actually like flying, according to him. Though really, being light enough to travel around where humans can fairly easily when he’s made is metal and carrying quite a bit of hardware is similarly impressive, even if Shuichi doesn’t really see it. He does correctly get that Miu would probably be impressed though! sorry keebo your attempts to look self assured have failed yet again. (As I wonder if Keebo feels he can be above or below humans, but not equal considering how little success he has and how his final FTE finishes but mhm we’ll get there.) Keebo is ones already grabbed by Gonta by the time Shuichi gets dragged in.

Korekiyo: The same is true of the rest of us. We were all seized by Gonta...and brought here. Tenko: But Shuichi's the only one who got knocked out. K1-B0: Gonta apologized for that. Apparently he couldn't slow down in time when he tried to grab you. Shuichi: What is this anyway...? Why did Gonta do this?

Gotta let Shuichi know that Gonta is sorry. Gonta is probably one of the nicer ones to him in general, so it’s not a big surprise that he’s already forgiving the guy for dragging him here, and hoping Shuichi doesn’t blame him either. Since we know who’s to blame....

K1-B0: I do not think Gonta would ever decide on his own to capture us. What is Kokichi trying to accomplish by taking advantage of Gonta's naivete? Regardless, I cannot forgive his nonchalant attitude about using people!

...haha keebo’s being nonchalantly used by tons of people...Anyway he doesn’t blame Gonta for this at all, understandably and is already going ‘what is that little gremlin up to?' He’s been concerned about this exact thing for days but wasn’t able to do anything about it. He even clarifies that even if there was a ‘good’ reason, he cannot stand for Kokichi just using Gonta like this...but unfortunately won’t be able to prevent it the second time either.

Kokichi: Isn’t it great!? Only an evil supreme leader like me could do something so...eeeeeevil! K1-B0: Kokichi...why are you doing this? Kokichi: Oh, I thought we could throw ourselves a little screening party with all our videos. With all you here, exchanging our motive videos wouldn't be that difficult at all...And I wanna see your videos, too, so I figured we could all binge-watch them together! K1-B0: D-Do you know what will happen if you do that? Kokichi: Ummm... Everyone will know their motive and a killing will be more likely to happen? But I like playing on Mean difficulty. Also, I don't run from battles in RPGs, either! I wanna win this killing game! So I'm not gonna run from it, I'm gonna crush it! That’ll be waaaay less boring, don’tcha think?

protag and rival square off. Or more Kokichi monologues his evil plan. Keebo’s the one to confront him about it first...and oh look, Danganronpa reference in regards to difficultly level. I wonder if he suspects he’s talking to a camera already. After all, he decides the gathered group is ‘enough’ for the little viewing party even though Gonta couldn’t get everyone. Five missing people is quite a few.

K1-B0: It seems I must be the one to take care of this. With my talent, Kokichi, I will stop- Kokichi: Yeah, yeah. I don't have time to listen to some robot. Let's see...it's exactly 9 pm. right now. I should be back by nighttime. Welp! Have fun with the bugs till then!

sorry keebo you don’t get to have monologues. He just listed to yours Kokichi, get back here and listen to the whole thing. It is good to see Keebo taking initiative though! Even if...people are not going to be all that impressed even though it works.

Tenko: M-My Neo-Aikido is no match for Gonta's superhuman strength either... K1-B0: ...We still have a chance when Kokichi comes back. That’s when I will take care of this. Everyone, please just endure it until then. Shuichi: E-Endure it—

Hey remember how all the cameras in the game are apparently magically tiny bug bears? So feasibly all CGs could just be shots from them? How are there bugs on the edges on such a tiny camera? ...Well we have a bigger camera at this scene, don’t we! keebo’s totally buried by bugs like himiko is ohno. Keebo might not be able to get bitten, but he’s not having a good time at the insect meet and greet either. He doesn’t talk during it, and his post dialogue doesn’t mention his own feelings. I imagine bugs crawling inside him would be unpleasant though :v Hopefully that didn’t happen. All those armored plates have edges for things to get at though...hm.

K1-B0: ...Thank you for enduring it, everyone. This is the last chance. Please leave the rest to me.

He is gonna help! do your best you funky little robot. Though if anyone had stopped Kokichi from leaving or made him have to listen to the speech Keebo could have done this an hour ago. This is why you back up your robot buddy, kids.

Kokichi: Oh, don't worry about it, Gonta. Just keep watch so these guys don't— K1-B0: That’s it! I won’t let you do as you please! Kokichi: Hm? K1-B0: I didn't want to use this unless I absolutely had to. It eats up a lot of my electricity. But that’s neither here nor there! I will stop you right here, right now! Shuichi: Keebo...what are you going to do...? K1-B0: ... Shuichi: Still glaring at Kokichi, Keebo slowly reach a hand behind his ear...and spun the mechanical parts there. Tsumugi: He's lighting up!? Is he gonna self-destruct or— *whirrr...* Tenko: Huh? What's that sound? K1-B0: One moment please... I'm rewinding the tape right now. Himiko: The tape?

Shuichi: Keebo shouted out and pushed his palm against his ear That's when... ‘Is this your doing, Kokichi? Did you have Gonta kidnap us?’ Was that...my voice? ‘Nee-heehee...he's so simple-minded. As soon as I told him that everyone who hates bugs was trying to get rid of them......he started crying, and said that he would get you guys to love bugs...or something like that.’ Could this be...? K1-B0: So, what do you think!? You just saw my audio recording function for the first time! Tenko: Did he really just whip out an audio recorder like it’s some kinda secret weapon!? Tsumugi: Really? It’s a cassette tape? In this day and age? K1-B0: But it’s metal tape, you know!? Tsumugi: The sound quality isn't the issue! K1-B0: L-Let's just put this aside now. More importantly, it seems to have worked.

Over the top and flashy for...recording audio with very good quality. No wonder it uses so much electricity if he needs to light up to get it to work. Or he was just trying to show off since he’s personally getting back at Kokichi for this actions here...or at least making sure he’ll see some consequences. Not that it matters, he just gets made fun of anyway...even if he tries to defend the tape being metal as a way to seem less unimpressive.

K1-B0: We must run while we still can! Tenko: Wait! We need to take back our Kubs Pads first! Shuichi: Tenko snatched the Kubs Pads from Kokichi. Kokichi: Awwww... Shuichi: Then, we all ran out of the lab. After leaving the room, I could still hear the muffled buzzing and Kokichi screaming.

yup keebo leads the fleeing out and totally leaves him there to his fate. With audible screams. He might be nice but he’s got limits. and apparently being locked in a room for like two hours being swarmed with bugs is one of those limits! Though I think he’s still more bothered by the ‘using Gonta’ bit. After they get out Monodam takes the pads to return them...

Tsumugi: But out of all of them, we can probably trust that one, right? K1-B0: Shall we go back to our dorms? It is well past nighttime. Angie: Nyahahaha, that's true! We have the magic show tomorrow.

of course you’d think that Tsumugi. We trust the robotic one that kills it’s siblings. Though they are the ‘friendliest’ cub...it just makes me think of another robot who gets determined to kill all their friends for the greater good hm. Keebo just thinks all his human friends should get some sleep, but he’s probably wanting to go charge if that light show just gobbled a chunk of his battery. It must be one hell of a drain if he can go a week normally without worry... Which he somewhat confirms in the morning.

Shuichi: Ah, Keebo. Good morning. K1-B0: Good morning, Shuichi How are you feeling today? Are you still sore from the events of last night? Shuichi: Ah, I'm fine. Are *you* alright? K1-B0: Yes, I’m fine. I’ve recharged the electricity that I used on my recording function. Even so...I'm very happy that I was finally able to use my functions to help everyone! Shuichi: Keebo's recording function... It's not exactly revolutionary technology, but it did help a lot. Yes, thank you, Keebo. You really earned your title of Ultimate Robot. K1-B0: Oh, it was nothing, really. If you ever need my help for anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Shuichi: Ahaha... Yeah, I sure will. K1-B0: So...the magic show is starting soon, yes? Everyone has probably gathered in the gym already. We should get going as well.

Shuichi actually asks if Keebo’s alright! Actual concern instead of more dunking! Keebo asking if Shuichi is okay is not as much of a surprise, but it’s nice to see he admits he’s happy that he was able to be helpful. He wants to be useful. Goes and downplays how he helped in order to keep stressing how ‘please ask me if you need help I WANT TO HELP’ :v Then he’s off to go to the Magic show, which he probably isn’t super interested in but Everyone Should Be There, so he’s gonna go. Also, we learn from Angie that Keebo and Kaito were the designated equipment carriers from Himiko’s lab. I guess it wasn’t too heavy, or Kaito might have been doing the brunt of the lifting. Also, when you talk to Angie before the show...

Angie: Tenko, you’re trembling. I've told you many times that Atua loves all His creations. Tenko: What do you mean, all his creations!? That's way too much love! What about Monokuma, huh? Does Atua love him, too? Angie: Of course. So we must love Monokuma, so that our love will reach him. Tenko: Shaddup already! Robots can't feel love! They can't feel any emotions at all! K1-B0: And yet...I felt a strange pain in my chest after you just said that...

y u gotta do this Tenko, he’s RIGHT HERE. or at least apologize! But no, we’re just gonna let Keebo know his emotions he’s feeling aren’t real I guess. You two were getting on okay, so of course he’s upset...but this does also set up a little more that Keebo’s heard Angie say Atua accepts robots twice now.

K1-B0: This is quite a professional-looking set. However, considering how unsettled Himiko is...We might not get to witness for ourselves the skill of the Ultimate Magician. How unfortunate.

Well, he’s impressed by the work his friends did! And seems like he’s at least semi-interested in seeing Himiko’s talent in action, even if he knows it’s trickery, not magic. He’s always ready to be a supportive sort of friend and praise their efforts. not that he gets it back all that much. He does get caught up in the tension of the show and seems to worry a bit after Gonta runs up to the stage.

K1-B0: Um...Less than ten seconds remain...

Notably, he’s also one of the ones who looks to be mid movement after this line...(there’s a lot of CGs for this part, huh)

K1-B0: Look! The piranhas! Tenko: H-Hurry! The curtains! Open the curtains already!

Then Ryoma is shown to be very very dead. Due to how everyone who wasn’t at the show rushes in, there aren't as many reactions before...well.

Kokichi: Yeah, break it. It’ll take too long to drain it by hand. Shuichi: But what would we even use to break— Kokichi: Gonta! Kee-boy! You’re up! K1-B0: Huh? What do you mean, we're up? Kokichi: Gonta, throw Kee-boy as hard as you can! Use that robot like a battering ram! K1-B0: Who are you calling a battering ram!? Gonta: Gonta throw Keebo! Got it! Tenko: Then, I’ll help too! K1-B0: N-Now wait just a second. You don't need to team up now—

K1-B0: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

robot gets yeeted despite protests because guy no one likes says to. Why are all you guys so mean to this poor robot. You could have seriously hurt him! Good thing he’s waterproof, but he still got treated as a thing and probably got nasty blood water all over him >> Does anyone even say ‘sorry’? Or even thank you? NO. being keebo is suffering, like it’s pretty funny but MAN these kids are jerks to him.

K1-B0: I’ve...gathered Ryoma’s body and belongings...in one place... Shuichi: Keebo looks depressed... He *was* just used as a battering ram, so I understand why.

maybe apologize for what happened? or tell Kokichi off, or Gonta for listening and Tenko for just going along with it? no? ok sure we’ll just leave him staring listlessly after carrying the remains of his friend while soaked in his blood, why not. after all he doesn’t have feelings, apparently.

Korekiyo: In any event...let us begin the investigation. K1-B0: Investigation... So it's really going to start again. Tsumugi: I can't believe it... One of us killed Ryoma...

yes you can tsumugi. Why are you always talking near keebs this chapter. Unsurprisingly, Keebo still doesn’t really like the idea of a class trial and what it means, but I suppose it gives him something to think about that isn’t how he has zero respect around here. Anyway, Maki says ‘nope, i’m out’

Miu: The fuck is that bitch's problem!? She's seriously not gonna investigate!? K1-B0: That seems...rather irresponsible. Korekiyo: She likely assumes someone else will take care of it...and I suppose she isn't wrong.

Considering you all die if you’re wrong, irresponsible is certainly a word that works. He doesn’t do name calling or anything though, just points out the behavour. She’s busy trying to hide she’s an assassin, but it isn’t like the rest of the kids have too much time to worry about that. Keebo is probably a bit more shaken than he lets on though, he doesn’t confront or talk to Kokichi at all while he’s busy accusing Himiko, and usually he does!

Kirumi: To solve this mystery, we must first learn the trick behind Himiko’s Underwater Escape Act... K1-B0: We have no choice in the matter. Shuichi: He’s right...we have no choice. We have no choice but to find the culprit who killed Ryoma. This investigation is to save all of our lives...because we’re risking our lives in the class trial!

Behold as Kirumi tries to send both protags on a pointless wild goose chase! The underwater trick and how it works turns out to be completely irrelevant! Which of course, Kirumi knows and is banking on. :v She’s sneaky. Anyway, Kaito is Shuichi’s partner for this case...

K1-B0: Although there are many unknown variables, the first thing we need to make clear is...when was Ryoma murdered? Kaito: Well, in the middle of the show, obviously. The culprit knew how Himiko's trick worked and took advantage of it to kill Ryoma. In other words, everyone watching the show isn't suspicious. K1-B0: ...Kaito, you didn’t attend the show either, did you? Kaito: N-No, but I'm still not suspicious. I forgot a promise...so I was just eating breakfast. You got it!? I’m not suspicious! K1-B0: I do not understand how that explanation is supposed to convince me. Shuichi: Keebo does have a point...

Robot is right, ‘when’ the murder happened is one of the most important details of the case. So thankfully, he didn’t just immediately try and follow Kirumi’s ill motivated advice. Apparently if Kaito gets questioned by Keebo his brain just goes into shock. Kaito isn’t dumb but he has this weird habit of getting flustered with Keebo’s blunt questions. Maybe because he’s figured out Keebs wants some reasonable explanations! and he doesn’t really have one and just...tries to justify himself in a way Keebs is not impressed with at all. He doesn’t provide any other information, but that’s not a big shock. Considering he was both at the show and the meet and greet and had to recharge, he didn’t really have a chance to see anything of use for this case. this will be a trend.

Shuichi: The fragments of the broken glass water tank have been piled up. There are so many tiny pieces...Gonta and Tenko certainly didn't hold back when they threw Keebo at the glass.

More proof of robot abuse. but really Keebo doesn’t come up much in this investigation. Kirumi actually shows up a second time to distract Shuichi by giving the ‘clue’ that Gonta was the last to see Maki at 8PM. She really had plans to not get caught. We have no need to hear from our robot friend again until pre-trial time.

K1-B0: ...Is everyone ready? Gonta: Not like we have choice, right? Korekiyo: Kehehe... You are quick to understand. It's as though Monokuma has you trained.

Has all of you trained, Kiyo. But Keebo’s doing his protag job in asking the obvious question to prompt responses :v

K1-B0: I did not calculate that we would gather here under these circumstances again...What would Kaede say if she saw us right now...?

I suppose it is also your job to hope. Though it is a little sad that he’s worried about letting Kaede down. Most of the others are more concerned about the trial and the case surrounding it at the moment, but this is what he’s stuck on. Shame and disbelief. this robot understands empathy very well, okay. Class trial time :v

Kirumi: But it does point to Himiko being the most suspicious. K1-B0: Ryoma died during Himiko's magic show. Korekiyo: His body appearing in the water tank leads one to think the escape trick played a part. It’s only natural we suspect Himiko. She was the one performing the trick.

oh look who’s the first person to agree Himiko is suspect after Kokichi/Angie point to her. Keebo is just outright wrong here! This is why he is not the detective :v Somewhere along the way he’s decided ‘during the show’ was the time of death, whoops. This is also a bit weird becauseeee after the nonstop debate about the cause of death...

Angie: Ryoma drowned, Himiko changed places with him, and then the piranhas ate him. Right? K1-B0: No, Himiko only had 60 seconds to escape from the tank...Even if they changed places at the start of the show, that's insufficient time to drown someone. Kirumi: If that is the case, then when did he drown?

watch out the robot knows how long it takes to drown a man. But this is why his other comment is weird...he knows Ryoma couldn’t have drowned during the show? I suppose he didn’t know the cause of death...but it’s in the monofile...throwaway line you aren't meant to think about too hard but dang it

Korekiyo: Yes... By that point, he had already joined the ranks of the dead. K1-B0: Could that mean his body was hidden until the culprit made it appear in the tank? Gonta: Hidden...where? Kirumi: The culprit would have had to hide the body near the tank, and then show it during the act.

He gets back on the right track after Shuichi points out Ryoma had to die before the show. I super didn’t notice this the first time I played, but Kirumi is always here to make the correct idea seem unlikely and try and steer conversation away from it! and of course kokichi helps her derail it back to explaining the trick.

K1-B0: How did Himiko escape the water tank? Angie: Maybe she just climbed out and no one noticed.

So Keebo kicks off the non-stop debate about the water tank :v Because asking a question is his favourite thing to do, and he just tried suggesting the body could be hidden, so he’s filled his doing things quota.

Shuichi: The staircase also has an escape hatch, one facing away from us. It’s placed so that the water would not drain from the staircase. K1-B0: In which case, a person could exit and leave water inside the staircase. Shuichi: However, that person would be soaked, meaning that *some* trace should be left...That would explain why there was a puddle around the stairs...

Rephrase for the audience and give Shuichi a gap before he has to launch into another explanation. He’s quick to pick up the logic, but he doesn’t really need to apply it since Shuichi usually does that part too :v

Shuichi: ...It's because she changed her uniform. K1-B0: The dormitory is stocked with uniforms. Did you hide one behind the stage in advance? Himiko: Nyeh... Nyeeeh! Angie: I remember seeing Himiko go to the gym this morning, carrying a uniform and a towel.

He does get to do it here though! V3 is nice in letting the other characters also confirm things without Shuichi’s handholding, but he will still be doing the bulk of it, obviously :v keebs can be smart.

Miu: So Himiko went in the stairs with the body!? What kinda kinky shit is she into!? K1-B0: That seems unlikely. There isn't enough space for two people to fit in there. Tsumugi: Yeah, the stairs are pretty cramped. It'd be hard to fit even Ryoma and Himiko in there.

Keebo makes a point, Tsumugi takes the chance to reiterate it to be ‘helping’ by doing very little :v Angie argues for a switcheroo which leads to the next debate, Shuichi refutes it, leading to

Korekiyo: She had no need to worry about us witnessing her at that point. For the entire stage was hidden behind a curtain. To all but Gonta, anyway. K1-B0: Then the culprit never would have considered hiding inside the staircase with the body.Entering the staircase *after* moving the body is much faster, and seems more rational too! Tsumugi: Then...Ryoma’s body wasn’t hidden in the stairs?

He’s back again to confirm his earlier point was correct! With extra logic on his side thanks to Gonta going where he wasn’t meant to. and yes mugi that is what he just said please pay attention. He’ll keep defending it too, such as in the debate afterwards.

Tsumugi: It wasn't really in the stairs, was it? K1-B0: After all, there was only enough space for Himiko.

Shuichi’s busy agreeing with Korikiyo here since he actually goes into what another option might be other than reiterating it’s not the stairs. Trial goes on, Miu correctly accuses Kirumi but of course, it’s too early and baseless so we need to argue with her.

Gonta: I-Is too soon to tell. We should hear what everyone has to say, right? Miu: Fuck that noise! K1-B0: But, Miu, you don't have an alibi for when the crime occurred either, do you? Miu: Y-You think I’m suspicious? I...don’t even know where the gym is.

oh Miu. Robot is always glad to point out relatively simple contradictions like this and get people flustered. Not one to accuse though, since he might simply not know something...

Tenko: Anyway, among those four, the culprit must be the one who doesn't have an alibi! K1-B0: ...I apologize but given the circumstances, we have no choice but to suspect you. Tenko: Suspect who!? Who’s the culprit!?

Even though he says sorry, this triggers a mass panic debate :v Though it’s the logical thing to do, he can occasionally figure out putting people on the spot for murder can be uncomfortable and apologize for it. This is a friendly robot who is way nicer than most people are to him gdi. Miu, Kaito and Kirumi squabble it out. Keebs ends up being in TWO conversations :v

Miu: I have an alibi! K1-B0: What is your alibi? Miu: When I was running from Gonta...Things got a little...heated if ya catch my drift.

He caught it, and apparently had no interest in following up, as that segment switches to Angie asking after Maki’s alibi. Keebo decides to poke at Kirumi’s alibi instead. which is the weak point for this debate. All business today it seems!

Kirumi: That was five minutes before 9:00 p.m. K1-B0: Did you really leave the gym at 9:00 p.m.? Are you sure you did not stay at the gym?

Of course the bullet that breaks it is Kokichi’s account. Because Kokichi and Keebo get on like a house on fire :v which of course means it’s time for the two to squabble again.

Kirumi: This information could have been told to us beforehand. Kokichi: Sorry! Forgot! I definitely didn’t keep it a secret to make the trial more interesting! K1-B0: Forgot...? It seems far more plausible that you were telling another lie. Kokichi: Unlike robots, we meatbags can't pull out our memories from our hard drive. K1-B0: Was that supposed to offend me? Your irrationality fills me with pity...

Of course, the alibi ends up being worthless since the time of the crime isn’t what the kids think it is. (Later it’ll damn Kirumi but right now? not so much.) It makes Kirumi look like less of a suspect so it’s actively harmful, whoops :v So were you ‘forgetting’ because it won’t help solve the case yet...or just having fun. Either way, Keebo shows that he really needs to install a sarcasm detector, that was REALLY blatant. But sassy robot returns, he goes from angry to eye rolling once he realizes it’s more of a backhanded complement than an insult. ‘Why yes my memory IS better than yours, annoying purple meatbag’. Too bad it ultimately leads to Kirumi being off the hook so Kokichi can get his ‘make Maki and Kaito fightfightfight’ game on but I like this interaction. He gets to feel proud of himself a little :v He keeps this attitude for a bit, considering...

K1-B0: Most of that was unintelligible nonsense, but it would seem that Miu has an actual alibi. Kokichi: Yup. It took a while, but at least we got everyone's alibis cleared up...We should remember all of this, in case we need to recall these events again.

oh no they’re AGREEING. someone check hell it’s probably freezing over. But lookit that swipe at Miu. They really don’t start off on the right foot at all! We get the everyone’s alibi bullet which still ultimately means nothing(for now)...and Kokichi gets the fight ball rolling with a...surprising assist from Keebo?

Kokichi: If one of them is the culprit, then the innocent one should know who the guilty one is. Yeah? Because if you know you're not the culprit, then you can just accuse the other person. K1-B0: Yes, that is true. Kokichi: Which means, there is one person among us who definitely knows who the culprit is! To that someone who knows... Do your best to convince us! Work harder!

He’s still eye rolling here, but offers his agreement. which yes, it is true...if either of the accused is the culprit. Which they aren’t. Keebo doesn’t know this, obviously but it’s still weird to see them ‘working together’, but this happens more often the further we go. Mostly because Keebo will follow anything with a solid/logical backing. Kokichi might be a liar, but he generally has a solid bit of evidence or logic to springboard off of. (even when taking us in the WRONG DIRECTION. if you wanted to pressure maki we could have done this in a way easier way you little gremlin). So really, these two will team up more often than Keebo would with say...Kaito, who prompts his next line.

Kaito: Hmph... You don't get it. This isn't just any hunch...This is an official hunch from *the* Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Tsumugi: Wh-What...? K1-B0: How illogical... This is even more difficult to comprehend than Kokichi's antics. Kokichi: You're totally not serious! You can't be *that* stupid, right?

Yup. Kaito is more confusing than Kokichi. Kaito is basing Maki’s innocence on nothing but what he feels, which people can sort of get. We all have ‘hunches’, the backs of our brains picking up on little things that we might not actively be paying attention to, and he’s got a lot of belief and trust to give. We can get it, some people you just want to trust! Keebo doesn’t get it. Error, no input found, please give me a provable, actual reason for that hunch. I kind of think he doesn’t even get hunches himself. He can clearly worry, or have concern, but he might lack those sort of gut feelings on if you can trust something or not. After all, he can actively search through his own ‘brain’ and explain why he feels a certain way, he doesn’t need to just ‘have a feeling’. Kokichi following Keebo up here to slap an insult on an honest statement of ‘i have no goddamned idea what you’re on about’ is just expected :v

Kirumi: So...you do not have any evidence. K1-B0: Only baseless conjecture. Tenko: B-But...I totally get where he's coming from! Cuz I wanna believe in Himiko too!

Kaito’s inspiring speech broke zero ground in the ‘make the everyone understand’ attempt. Whoops. So Keebo’s backing up the murderer pointing out the lack of proof. As it is baseless conjecture. You need a fact, or at least a lie presented as fact to get him to understand what you’re driving at. This is honestly interesting, considering he’s ‘hope’ motivated later on. There’s nothing logical about a meaningless hope! So it feels less like him and more his...helpful voice telling him to ignore logic... Maki fesses up to say she saw Ryoma at nighttime

K1-B0: So Ryoma was still alive at nighttime!? Tenko: I thought the crime took place between 8 and 10 o'clock at night?

He’s not on board yet, but he’s listening! Even though if true, haha we spent all that time talking about stuff that doesn’t matter.

Miu: Quit fuckin' around! You think I'm dumb enough to swallow that line of crap!? Kirumi: Yes, this seems too convenient. K1-B0: But why did Maki wait until now to mention that? Kokichi: Ah-hahahaha! It’s totally obvious! Maki’s sooo desperate that she has to lie!

oh hi kirumi no big surprise you simply go ‘no it is garbage’. Keebo’s the one to offer a way out by asking why exactly she didn’t mention it until now, he’s not instantly saying it’s out of the question. Kokichi follows up to try and press that it’s a lie, answering his question. Which probably just tells him that he should keep listening, since Kokichi lies so much :v

Kirumi: Does this mean you an Ryoma recived one another’s motive video? Maki: Maybe... I actually didn't check the one I got, so I wouldn't know. K1-B0: Maki admitted earlier that she hadn't checked her Kubs Pad. Angie: Then why did Ryoma think that Maki had his motive video? Kaito: If he went around asking at random, he might've asked some people besides Maki. Miu: He never asked me! He probably never asked you guys either, right!? K1-B0: Then...who was it that told Ryoma about his Kubs Pad?

Flexing that good memory, and giving Maki a little backup. After all, Keebo’s an expert in what it feels like to get dismissed :v He them prompts Shuichi to Do His Thing in calling Kokichi out as the one who told Ryoma. (Though he doesn't actually get to make him answer before they get derailed again) Though even though he’s willing to listen and belive she possibly did see Ryoma...he’s still not too thrilled about Maki’s choice to keep it secret.

Korekiyo: *If* that story is true... Maki: ...It's true. K1-B0: Then why did you wait until now to bring that up? Maki: I didn’t say anything until now because I wasn’t in the mood to be suspected.

He’s pointing and everything. He’ll believe you but darn it explain. He wants to understandddd. But still, no name calling or excessive rudeness, because he is a good lad who doesn’t threaten or do such things. She explains not wanting to be suspected buuuut

Kaito: Well, whatever. Either way, let's just believe Maki. Angie: Yes, yes. Those who believe shall be saved. K1-B0: No, we need to wait. There is still more to confirm— Shuichi: Well then, why don’t we ask Kokichi?

couldn’t you wait for him to finish the goddamned sentence Shuichi. Still, Keebo’s not a hasty one, the second Kaito wants to just go ‘good enough’ robot is right back to WAIT NO THAT’S NOT LOGICAL. It does get Kokichi to properly admit he knows who had who’s pads though. More squabbling about believing Maki ensues...

Korekiyo: I find Maki's testimony suspicious. It's far too...convenient for her. K1-B0: This is...difficult to determine. Kokichi: Maki is lying! Like I said before, a liar like me knows their own kind!

Are you trying to convince Keebo, Kokichi? You keep reiterating your point right after he speaks. Keebo is basically admitting he’s completely undecided and not taking a stand either way, but he’s usually pretty wishy-washy...because having an opinion involves what he thinks. and he doesn’t like admitting what he’s thinking very much. Certainly not if he doesn’t have a fact to back him up. Shuichi lies in the following debate. keebo will basically always follow shuichi, he’s the ultimate detective. Though hearing everyone else agree/trust him first probably lets him consider it true more easily. (and kokichi just nudging shuichi he saw that lie but not doing anything about it...)

Himiko: So we're right back where we started... What a pain. K1-B0: However, it should be clear now that the crime occurred after nighttime began. Kirumi: But then when was Ryoma's body placed inside the piranha tank?

Maki’s testimony + Kokichi’s admitting of telling Ryoma Maki had his kubspad + Shuichi’s lie about overhearing= enough to set this as ‘the truth’ for Keebo. It is true, but here comes Kirumi to instantly derail them to the wrong detail first. When doesn’t really matter right now!

Miu: So did we fuck up by thinkin’ the body got stuffed into the piranha tank? K1-B0: I don't think so. We have evidence to prove that's what happened. Tenko: Then when did the culprit throw the body into the piranha tank?

There is evidence, and even then he’s saying ‘think’. he’s so hesitant to speak in absolutes right now. As he might be wrong :v The whole Maki debacle was confusing for him. But now Tenko is repeating the question Kirumi posed and we go on a merry goose chase and have a scrum debate about it. Keebo’s on Shuichi’s side again. (He always will be, with one exception.) He doesn’t actually have a line though! He just gets to shout THIS IS OUR ANSWER with everyone.

K1-B0: That means it was certainly possible to put the body in the piranha tank from the window... Shuichi: However, I’m also positive the pane dividing the piranha tank was set up beforehand. Korekiyo: That certainly couldn't be tossed in. It would need to be placed carefully. Kirumi: Even if the culprit were to throw the body from outside the window...The window is far too high. It cannot be reached from the floor.

protag explaining tag team. Shuichi speaks more confidently in trials, saying things like ‘he’s confident’ while Keebo is hovering around with ‘possible’. You think our detective is an anxious mess half the time? so’s the robot :v oh and Kirumi is once again pointing out ‘problems’ to try and get the line of thought dropped. It works, considering we start going on about the ladder and whatnot and slam headlong into a logic wall until Maki says ‘okay no, time to talk about Where Die, not how get in fish tank’. You knew too Kokichi don’t you ‘ Why didn't anyone realize this yet?’ me :v

Shuichi: That’s important to remember...it’s not as if everyone here *wants* us to find the truth. One of us is trying to sabotage this trial... K1-B0: Well then, let's discuss the crime scene to figure out who the culprit is. Himiko: That's not a bad idea for a robot. The last time I heard such a good idea was......when Nino told me to move in with her under the bridge to get out of the cold. Tenko: Himikawa Under the Bridge!?

it’s a Arakawa Under the Bridge reference :v Honestly there’s tons of references in the game in general and we can totally blame Tsumugi for them. Keebs is glad to be the one to agree to a new topic though. Then he doesn’t have to state an opinion and can just fish for everyone else’s thoughts! He doesn’t even react to the ‘for a robot’ crack at him. :c Though for good reason I suppose when no one takes you seriously and judges you on a dime. Next nonstop debate to establish the crime scene...

Angie: Wasn't it the dorm room? Ryoma was relaxing in his room when he got attacked. K1-B0: But the cause of death was drowning. There is nothing in his room that could collect enough water.

Refuting Angie’s idea with a pointless weak point. I DO think the white noise that goes across when Miu goes ‘S-S-Sow’ might be Keebo though. ‘This is difficult to watch’ does match his general speaking style, and probable opinion :v

Angie: Hmmm...How did those handcuffs get from the lab to the water tank? Maki: Because Ryoma was wearing them, right? K1-B0: Yes, though they were only visible for a brief moment when Ryoma appeared in the tank. I am certain he was wearing the handcuffs at the time. Kirumi: The handcuffs were left after the piranhas devoured Ryoma

He did it, he said he was certain about something! Good job. Considering perfect memory and the horror that was that moment it was probably very easy to recall. oh dear keebo has perfect memories of all his friends corpses. that can’t be fun. oh and the fun of being THROWN AT THE REMAINS. Kirumi ‘helps’ with the easy logic of handcuffs didn’t get eaten. :v Now we’re working with the angle of body movement now that we know it came from Ryoma’s ultimate lab. Tenko suggests just tossing the body from the pool area...

Kirumi: Your explanation contradicts some things we discussed earlier. The gym window was too high to reach from the pool side, even if one used the ladder. Tenko: That’s right! I apologize! I must go on a journey to reflect on this! K1-B0: We keep hitting dead ends, since we don't know how the body was thrown into the gym... Kokichi: Nee-heehee... Well, that didn't really give us any info about the crime.

So of course the murderer tries to make it sound impossible, since we’re getting a bit too close to the truth! Keebo’s frustrated at this point, he’s eye rolling again with no leads to how it was actually done. He hasn’t considered the new approaches that could be possible now that they know where everything started. Kokichi ‘agreeing’ with him should be a tip off though :v shuichi goes and drives a brain taxi and raises the rope possibility.

Kirumi: Is the rope long enough to reach both windows? Korekiyo: The rope is roughly 65 feet in length. As for the distance between the windows... K1-B0: According to the sign at the pool, the width of the pool is roughly 35 feet...and the distance from the edges of the pool to the windows is an additional 16 feet. Altogether, the sum total length from one window to the other is roughly 50 feet. Gonta: And pool is only thing between research lab and gym windows... Miu: You bet it’s long enough! Heh! That’s what she said!

Chatty when he can do something easy like math! Numbers make sense and don’t confuse him with believing and who is working against them. Miu does basically sum up what Keebo took a paragraph to say tho. Since he needs to show his work. he likes having proof, and assumes everyone else likes knowing how he got the answer too. oh and reminder gonta is still plenty smart, he points out how to do the rope trick here. Then we talk about the zipline-i mean ropeway.

Korekiyo: You say the culprit placed their foot on the windowsill? Isn't that against school rules? It would count as entering the gym, would it not? Monosuke: Last time we got asked that question, we decided it was okay. Stickin' your body through the window is an automatic out, but standing on the sill is— K1-B0: Wait, who asked you last time? Monosuke: ...Eh? K1-B0: It is quite possible that the culprit went to you to confirm the details of their plan... Monosuke: ... ...O-Oh shiiiiit!

He does know how to press on something suspicious! Not too surprising he’s the one to confront a Kub, he even cut him off to do this. Keebo seems to put more stock in what the Monokubs say or do at any given time anyway. Of course, he won’t answer, but it isn’t really necessary. Just confirming someone asked was enough, which that freakout accomplished. Kirumi tries to sidetrack again with the ‘multiple trips’ thing...

Korekiyo: Which is why the crime was committed during nighttime, while we all slumbered. K1-B0: But if the culprit was so careful to recover the rope they used to commit the crime...Why did they leave the inner tube in the pool? Shuichi: I believe that was an accident.

He really, really loves questioning things. This part doesn’t make sense, better ask about it, and hurrah, my detective has an answer ready to go. He might not contribute much himself, but he does provide setup :v Shuichi announces Kirumi as his top suspect...

Korekiyo: That is not yet a certainty. Let us hear her testimony first. K1-B0: Is this true, Kirumi? Kirumi: I cannot believe you would suspect me...If that is the case, then I will have to deny it. I will not let you make the wrong choice.

question.exe is always running. i swear. Still, never just taking it right away, he wants to hear an answer. Snap judgements are not his thing. Even if he does lean towards believing Shuichi. because he has secret protag sensing powers. Trial 2 is such a change from one with how hard Kirumi fights here. since kaede did not want to kill everyone :v Keebs says quiet until he’s heard enough proof to throw his support behind Shuichi again

Shuichi: Just tying the rope to the frame wouldn't cause so much damage. The rope that was tied to the frames must have been weighed down significantly. The frames didn't break, but they were left with distinct marks. K1-B0: Those scratches are proof that you used a rope to carry the body to the windowsill. Kirumi: ... Kokichi: Oh? What’s wrong, Kirumi? What’s wrong, what’s wrong!? Hey, what’s wrong? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!?

Pictured: two very different confrontation styles. I suppose it makes sense Keebo would be knowledgeable about scratches on metal :v He’ll just state some proof that goes with Shuichi’s statement, while Kokichi attempts to annoy her into submission instead. Shuichi brings up the black fabric/the ‘everyone’ thing and Kirumi slips.

Kirumi: Y-Yeah, so what? You’re still wrong! Your logic is flawed!!! K1-B0: Kirumi...why are you becoming increasingly erratic? Korekiyo: Kehehe... There is such absolute beauty in trying to fight against the truth.

:c He’s confused again. Yelling out questioning perfectly good logic is strange for her, emotionally charged, and he hasn’t really figured out guilt and panic makes people act out strangely. He knows the feelings exist, but not the full extent they can go to. and really it can’t be fun to watch someone so collected start falling apart because they murdered another one of your friends and is going to die for it...

Shuichi: The extra uniforms in our rooms are made of the same material we're wearing now. We can test my theory by comparing the fabric scrap with your glove. Kirumi: Gh...grgh... K1-B0: ...Well, Kirumi? Will you allow us to compare the black fabric we found in the pool with your gloves? Kirumi: U-Uhhh...!

‘will you allow us to damn you’. Keebo, you sound like you’re mocking her if you ask now. but he probably doesn’t quite realize that. comic, kirumi spite votes shuichi...

Tenko: Th-There’s nothing good about this at all...! *sob, sniffle...* Wh-why did it have to be Kirumi...? K1-B0: Truly, this result was unexpected. Tsumugi: How can you be so calm about it...?

This time, the culprit actively tried to get away with it. He might not really know how to feel about the whole thing. Kaede was apologizing, while Kirumi was fighting the whole way (and will keep doing so). He probably would have said this about anyone though...suspecting friends isn’t something he likes to do. and you made him this way moogie shush.

Tsumugi: You mean like from the motive video? So Kirumi watched hers after all? K1-B0: Earlier, Kirumi mentioned that she had accepted a request...Perhaps that request came from a someone important in her motive video? Kirumi: ... Maki: ...Do you have nothing to say for yourself?

Going to ask more questions to try and understand, as per usual. Kirumi does use this as a chance to try and get away again mhm. Keebo isn’t using any of his distressed sprites here either. He might be coming off as a bit heartless at the moment, poking at ‘why did you kill’ and not even looking shaken. so guess who mentions that after Kirumi drops the ‘prime minister’ bit.

Kokichi: I don't think it's odd that an Ultimate-level talent could be *that* powerful. I mean, Kee-boy’s talent lets him pretend to be human, even though he’s a heartless robot. K1-B0: How rude! I am not pretending! I am still learning! Tsumugi: U-Uh...I see. Well...good luck, I guess.

Yes, this gets the biggest reaction out of him. That’s normal and easy to understand over ‘how do we feel about this.’ While Tsumugi mocks his attempts to learn because she’s terrible :v and Kokichi is almost another backhanded complement? ‘Pretend to be human’, so you do buy his ‘pretending’ and how he seems very human? even though you keep calling him heartless and emotionless...and getting him thrown at things...

Monokuma: I am the ruler of this world. Nothing is beyond my power. Shuichi: Nothing is beyond your power? What kind of arrogant, ridiculous— K1-B0: That is 100% a lie! It is impossible that he could bring disaster to a country! Monokuma: Puhu... Puhuhuhu

Keebo feels the need to cut Shuichi off here! To back him up, but I wonder if his inner voice was telling him he had to deny that claim. He’s throwing out impossible and 100%, certainties...while Monokuma is mugging for the audience. as he basically is a god in their fake little world. It would explain how he’s changed his mind by the next line...

Tsumugi: Kirumi's got the lives of hundreds of millions of people on her shoulders, right? K1-B0: Logically, Kirumi’s survival would result in fewer casualties than our collective survival would. Himiko: Geez... Maybe it would've been better if we'd gotten the culprit wrong...

He seems to believe it now. Not enough to say anything definitive, but he will say it’s ‘logical’. even though you can’t really assume that. Who knows what the collective rest could do for people? No one :v

Kokichi: Do you really think someone as desperate to live as Kirumi would give up so easily? Of course not. In fact, she probably still hasn't given up, even now. She was hoping that learning the truth would make one of us volunteer to die in her place. K1-B0: ...What!? Kirumi: ... Kokichi: But Monokuma would never allow a blackened to escape punishment, so maybe......she wanted everyone to rebel, so she could use that as cover to escape on her own. ...How about it, Kirumi? Am I close?

This shakes him. Lying over something so important is almost unbelievable. After all, he couldn’t see why someone would lie on someone else’s behalf with their life on the line in trial one. Not really a shock he doesn't consider the opposite being possible too. Keebo doesn’t really...lie. Basically ever. The closest he ever gets is a flustered non answer that is technically a lie in a back route. He still cheers her on when she makes a break for it though.

K1-B0: Run! Please hurry!

He doesn’t really react to the death, he’s prompted to speak by Angie.

Angie: ...Oh? Isn't that what Atua said? All desire, even your desire to escape this place, can corrupt you beyond redemption. K1-B0: It's Monokuma who is corrupt. He is the one who distributed the motive videos. Korekiyo: Those videos were more dangerous than we thought. To have driven Kirumi that far...

He’d still rather blame the obvious antagonist over the people he calls friends. Clashing with Angie here doesn’t stop him from getting roped in later...hhm.

Shuichi: That must be why Kirumi did not want to show the videos. She thought that if everyone felt the same murderous rage that she did...this killing game would be pure chaos. She...wanted to stop it. Kokichi: If that's the case, then we really shouldn't show our videos to each other! K1-B0: That was our consensus from the beginning. Not including you, of course.

Shuichi gives a pretty kind interpretation of her actions, and Kokichi earns some robot sass for his actions. Kokichi likely had his own video and was not driven to any such murder...figured out his own plan might actually be bad too little too late.

K1-B0: For now...we should rest. To me, that seems the most rational course of action.

keebo wants to be morgana. GO TO BED. While you just...sit around awake all night long and think about what happened, I guess. Of course, we won’t do that because we have another reveal to do first.

Kokichi: Maki admitted it during the class trial, remember? Ryoma wanted her to show him his motive video cuz he was looking for a reason to live. But that wasn’t the whole story... Ryoma was blackmailing you, wasn’t he, Maki? K1-B0: B-Blackmail? Ryoma just so happened to discover Maki's true identity. So he used that to blackmail her. I bet he said something like... “If you don’t show me my motive video, I’ll tell everyone what you really are.” That's why Maki didn't want us to know she met with Ryoma. She wanted to keep her true identity a secret! That’s why she kept quiet until the last minute!

That’s the last thing he does, enables Kokichi by asking for clarification :v Hope you liked to see Keebo do things, as the ‘trio’ forms up he has fewer chances to show up. He’s still got a few in 3, but in 4 and 5 he’s fairly sidelined. Well he TALKS a lot, but mostly just his normal questions :v

hahaha this took way to long why am i like this. when am i going to cover his gifting dialouge. who knows. aaaaaaaaaaa. feel free to yell at me about the robitt. or any of the characters :v Chapter 3 will come sooner than I expect I assume...

#danganronpa #drv3 #kiibo #keebo #K1-B0 #longlong post #i mean it #all of chapter two!#kaito and keebo are ideologically opposed #he's much friendlier than kokichi but they don't really get eachother #but that'll show more as we go #hopefully you enjoy rambling #tumblr plz put my stuff in the tag next time lol

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crystalelemental · 6 years ago

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FE Fates Replay - Part 6

Okay...okay, I think I’m over Peri being here. Kinda. Not really, but enough to move on with our lives. God I hate her... Her levels have been better than some of my units with Aptitude! You couldn’t even just make her a bad unit?!

Ugh, whatever, chapter 12. The map itself is actually really cool. The idea is that there are a ton of jars lining the field, and they’re filled with poison or medicine. You can tell which is which when you hover over them. Attacking a medicine jar heals you or increases stats or something, for all units within a few spaces. Poison harms you, brings you down to half HP, or lowers stats, again, for all units with a few spaces. The concept of the map is to navigate through the maze by breaking the medicine pots strategically to make your way forward. I actually really like the concept of the map. I’m just...not entirely clear why this place, the most advanced medicinal center of the world, has a bunch of jars of poison laying out. Or the medicine, for that matter. You’d think they’d have a storage space for that shit, instead of leaving it lying around. Kinda strange, when you think about it.

Anyway, Ryoma is here, but you don’t have to fight him. You can either beat him, or escape within 16 turns. Failure to do so probably means Elise dies, since you can’t use her this chapter because of the illness. Saizo and Kagero are the mini-bosses, in a sense. They hover right near that nice dragon vein that shatters all the jars, and are paired up so they’re more defensive. Frankly, they seem kinda scary. High speed, high evasion, able to hit close or distant foes, and having an attack on them just negated if you miss too often? Pretty brutal. Or, well, it would’ve been, if Dragon Corrin wasn’t huge. She basically one-shot Saizo right away, and then massacred Kagero. It was not even fair, frankly. They didn’t deserve that hard an ass-whupping.

Now here’s where I want to note again: I am playing Casual. So at this point, I made a save, and did two different approaches. One was breaking all the jars instantly and seeing how that played out, and the other was leaving them. Leaving them lets you be a bit more precise in your movements, but I honestly found breaking them all immediately to be way more effective. A lot of enemies get hit with the poison, and since you’re causing the break, you can set up your units out of harm’s way. That said, this does immediately open up the path for like 10 ranged enemy units to swarm you, and most are ninjas so your defenses drop really fast. It’s surprisingly dangerous. I’m sure there’s a better way to handle this map, but we’re on a timer here so instead, Dragon Corrin is just going to bait all your fuckers out and take like no damage, then have everyone else run in and smash them to death. With that, all the remains is Ryoma. Who is also no match for Dragon Corrin’s hugeness. I paired her up with Nyx, and she deal something outrageous like 25 damage to Ryoma in that single hit, and took like 6. Being a dragon is kickass. Her dialogue with Ryoma is about the same as usual, but I did have Azura land the final blow, getting her unique dialogue with Ryoma as well. Honestly, it’s more of the “Ah, so you’ve betrayed us Azura!” stuff, and how I guess nobody from Nohr can be trusted.

Look...I get it. Nohr is the instigator in a war here. They are, by all accounts, the bad guys here. But my god if I’m not tired of having every single conversation with the Hoshidans turn into then yelling about all Nohrians being scum, and how being treacherous is just in their blood, yadda yadda. I know I shouldn’t conceptualize it this way, but my god do the Hoshidans come off as way more belligerent. Sure, we have the inside perspective of what the Nohrians in general are like, being inside the kingdom, but like...okay, imagine in Heroes, if everyone who met Laegjarn and Laevatein just kept shouting about how they’re horrible awful people and their whole kingdom is a bunch of back-stabbing sub-humans. That’s basically how Hoshido approaches Nohr, solely because the king is insane and evil. I get that they’re angry, and they’re right to be so, but their approach to people legitimately trying to act with a sense of decorum and decency is still to constantly call them scum and dismiss the whole kingdom. Seriously, fuck you guys.

After Ryoma gets fucking bodied, Elise is given the medicine and is back to full strength! From here we are given our next assignment. There’s another rebellion in Cheve, and we’re to put it down. Boy Garon, you’re sure doing a great job leading, what with the constant rebellions going on. So, off to Cheve it is, where we meet...oh god yes. It’s Takumi again. Oh man, I am going to kick his ass into the fucking dirt. He yells more stuff about Nohr being traitors and shoots Elise with an arrow, securing his death. The rebellion is all mad and shit, and Corrin gives another order to not kill anyone. Early on, we get two new characters, Benny and Charlotte. Benny doesn’t stand out much at all, so not much to report. Charlotte...is the only character whose outfit might be worse than Camilla’s. The win still goes to Camilla, because...my god, lady. But Charlotte is a front-line warrior, who’s barely wearing clothes. I think I’d be less pissed if her defense growth wasn’t so high. Look, this is a series with units in heavy armor and units in cloth armor. There’s meant to be a distinction in which stats are good. Her having great defense is not following the damned rules! Also I think the armor part above the cleavage pisses me off too. Like, if you’re going for the whole seductive appearance, go all out. That stupid little bit of armor ain’t doin’ shit anyway. That said though, her introduction is threatening to kill everyone for being too noisy at night, so like...I can relate. Might be another situation of “solid character, shitty costume.” But she sucks up to Corrin really hard, so she’s kind of all about the attention from others, and is a bit of a gold-digger in general. So we’ll see if that goes anywhere in supports.

Map itself isn’t that interesting, so once you win, Hans, of course, does his thing and starts killing everyone. “Uh, um...the king! Yeah, the king totally told me to do it, so you gotta follow my lead on this one!” Camilla apparently agrees and insists that there’s nothing we can do here. Listen...I’m pretty sure there’s a solid argument for not listening to the current commanding officer being a punishable offense. I get the king’s decree and all, but you know how Leo and the others constantly think around the problem and look like they’re obeying but don’t actually obey? Yeah. This is like...the easiest time to do that. Evacuate the townsfolk and sticking Camilla’s axe in the back of Hans’ skull, and call it a day. The village is gone, as far as the king knows, and Hans’ death was in battle. They don’t know the difference. “Oh, but Iago might be spying on them.” Bullshit. Iago could be doing a lot of things, but he only shows up to be slightly annoying. Besides, if he were really so vigilant, then Leo wouldn’t be able to pull of anything he’s pulled off in the game. We can’t throw out “Iago is watching” as a convenient catch-all for everyone, except for Leo because the plot needs to make us think that he’s the clever one so no one else is allowed to think around problems.

Chapter 14, the group arrives for some more rest in Cyrkensia, which mostly seems to be about a big theater. It’s a neutral territory, which I wasn’t aware existed in this conflict. Leo finally joins us and is around, I guess. Corrin attempts to confront Garon about the situation in Cheve, and he’s just like “Good job on killing all those innocents. I hear you even seemed to enjoy the work. That’s the kind of thing I expect of you.” Like, buddy. Guy. Are you an idiot? You know full damn well Hans was full of shit on that report, and by now you know that Corrin wasn’t going to go along with it either. Honestly, this is the biggest problem with Garon, he’s inconsistent. For such a merciless guy, he sure keeps giving Corrin a ton of second chances after she constantly and consistently defies him. Almost like...everyone’s kinda full of shit? And that Corrin can do whatever she wants because plot armor? Weird.

Azur-uh, the totally mysterious performer on stage, gosh-golly who could it be, attempts to sing this magic song that is too lit for the king to handle, so he has a combined orgasm/heart attack and nearly bites it. Iago, ever the clever advisor, is like “HOLY SHIT, THAT PERFORMER CAST A CURSE ON THE KING!” I...don’t think that’s particularly likely, guy. But no, everyone just goes along with that, as if it’s the obvious answer. So yeah, I guess that’s what we’re doing now. Catch the mysterious singer. Oh, wait, the Hoshidans are here. Better fight them first.

Keaton shows up, mostly because he has no sense of direction and kinda just bumblefucked his way here. He seems cool. Wolf man that collects bugs and shit. He’s alright. The map itself was pretty uninteresting. Mostly it’s just a lot of flying and ranged units on very narrow paths, so it’s kinda hard to defend everyone effectively when the enemy is so much less hindered by the terrain. Also there’s a cleric who uses the Freeze staff, and my god am I already getting tired of that one.

After the map, Garon commands you to kill all the performers in this neutral territory, because that’ll go over well on the global stage. Sure doubt that’ll set the neutral territories in motion against you. Corrin is mortified and does that arguing thing, and Leo gets to be the only smart one and takes her aside, and tells her that they’re going to follow orders by looking in really unlikely places so everyone can escape. See, this is what I’m talking about! Iago’s literally in this general area, and yet the plan is spelled out and carried out without a hitch! Why couldn’t anyone have figured this out back in Cheve?!

Chapter 15, this is another fun map. Corrin is still upset about all the needless killing lately, and sees Azura taking a walk as well. Thinking about how similar their situations are, she follows, and finds Azura sinking into a lake! Fearful that she’s drowning, Corrin chases Azura, and falls through the lake herself, into this mystery world full of weird soldiers that are apparently not able to feel any emotion at all and just seek to kill. Gunter shows up and is apparently alive and well here, so that’s cool. Really, there’s a lot I can recall that pisses me off about this hidden world, but that’s for a much later time when they try to explain shit. For now, just know that I hate this place.

The map itself is neat. The dragon vein splits your party into two copies, one in the north and one in the south. A unit and their copy share damage and stat changes, so anything that hurts one hurts the other. Also only the real Azura in the north can do the singing thing. It’s a neat concept, and having only three units to do it is an interesting limitation, but...one of them is Azura, who is very weak, and her copy can’t even provide multiple turns. And the other is Gunter, whose stats are not terrible but who comes with no preparation and the worst growths in the entire game for some reason. At least you get a bunch of stat upgrading items if you can clear it fully.

Now...this is where things get dumb. Azura informs you that you must jump off this cliff, and you’ll arrive at the bottomless pit that Gunter got kicked into. Why? Dunno, that’s just how they’re connected. Corrin asks why they can’t just go back through the water, and Azura informs her that only Azura and Corrin are able to do that, so Gunter would get left behind. Corrin asks the logical follow up of “Why the hell would that be the case?” but this question is ignored so that there’s more shit they can explain in the true route. I’d call this foreshadowing, but I think foreshadowing comes with a degree of subtlety. Azura jumps, and Corrin follows, with Gunter going last. Oh, I forgot something. Azura informs them that “time flows differently in this hidden world,” which is bullshit code for “we needed a way to get Corrin and Azura alone for this next scene, so Gunter not showing up immediately with them is because the flow of time is convoluted.” So begins the true contrivance train. Azura uses a magic crystal from the hidden world that can show you the truth of things. She uses this to show Corrin the truth of King Garon, that he is a weird goo monster! Literally, he’s made of goo. Callie didn’t believe me when I called him a goo monster, but she has since acknowledged this is the only explanation for him. What does this mean? No idea. Initially, I would’ve said he was killed and replaced by the thing, but Azura further explains that her performance in Cyrkensia (*gasp* It was her the whole time?!), was to restore Garon to his senses, implying that he’s still the same human, just corrupted into...whatever this is. Somehow. God, I hope they can explain how the fuck this happened, but I doubt they can. Azura explains that this song was the only way to restore him, and that it failing means there’s only one option - regicide. About time someone on this fucking team started talking any sense.

CONTRIVANCE TWO! Corrin says no one else would go along with this, and that they can’t tell the other siblings about this because, as Azura explained earlier, if you talk about the other world, you’re cursed and get drawn back in, never to leave. Because if you could just talk about the problem, then this entire plot, from start to fucking finish, would be resolved in the span of like 5 minutes. We needed a contrivance to say why they can’t just do that. But hey, you know, Awakening’s story just wasn’t that good, and we’re here to do a better job. They remember the Hoshidan throne, and that sitting upon it would restore someone’s true memories and shit, so their new plan is to gain Garon’s trust and have him sit atop that throne and be revealed as a good monster. So let’s just run with that.

Chapter 16, Xander finally joins us! He has a nice introduction with Corrin and Azura in particular, mentioning that when Azura came to Nohr, it was with Garon’s second wife, Arete. Now...I’m confused. So, diving into things from my last playthrough, Mikoto and Arete are siblings, from Valla. Arete had Azura before marrying Garon, so I’m assuming that Garon must’ve already had his four kids by the time she shows up, since none of the Nohrian siblings are apparently related. But Xander only mentions Camilla and “later, Leo” in his explanation of the other siblings liking her despite the masses not liking her. So...when were the kids born? Because in addition to this, apparently Elise has no memories of her father ever being a good person, which I believe happened shortly after Arete, who must’ve come in after Leo was born but maybe not before Elise? It’s so fucking confusing.

Anyway, we’re on the direct war-path with Hoshido. We’re told to go by sea, since they’d never expect a sea-based attack! Garon makes some comment about outsmarting them at every turn, and it’s like...guy, listen. I know you think this is super clever, but unless the Hoshidans are full-on dumbasses, they thought about the fact that the navy can get to them too. Iago also attempts to be a shit, by asking where Corrin and Azura went last night. Corrin, in the span of like two seconds, seems to have learned how to lie really well, and gives the story that they went out for a stroll, encountered some unknown soldiers, and killed them all. She even parrots Garon’s thing about rebellion and seeds and all that. Our girl is learning...

No sooner do you leave port than you are besieged by pirates. Yes, pirates have snuck aboard, and are taking all the gold you set off with! ...a few questions. (1) Why is this gold not in your pockets? (2) When you win, why is some of the money gone forever? You’re at sea, and there are no pirate vessels nearby. They all snuck aboard ahead of time, and have no exit point. So where the hell did the money go? This mechanic makes no sense. I will admit though, I do like the idea of balancing keeping your characters alive, and saving as much money as you can in this kind of route where funds are limited. It’s a cool idea, it just doesn’t make sense. You’ll also note that the goal is “beat the boss,” but the boss isn’t present. Part of your goal is to identify which Nohrian soldier is in disguise, and out them as the leader. Again, really cool idea, for a fairly nonsense map.

There isn’t a ton going on with the map outside of this, but you unmake the boss, Shura, and probably kick his ass really hard now that you have Xander. Shura talks a lot, but the only thing of value he says is that he’s the one who had kidnapped Azura as a baby, under orders from Yukimura, the tactician for Hoshido. Shura explains that he doesn’t really have allegiance to either nation, but wants to avenge the death of his clan. You are given the option to kill him or spare his life. I sincerely thought about killing him, just to know what happens, but I did let him live. Corrin thinks he deserves a break after all the shit that’s happened to him, so that’s fair I guess. With this, we press on toward Hoshido.

UGH. God, I knew the plot would take a downturn, and here we are. EVERYTHING about that hidden world, Valla, is just stupid beyond words. I hate its existence. Even just smaller things at this point bother me. There’s no reason Leo has to be the only one with an ounce of sense. Hell, he even states that all the siblings have become masters of seeming to obey while making judgment calls for the greater good, yet no one else is allowed to demonstrate this ability because then Leo loses his only characteristic so far, being clever. Honestly, the characters have been doing okay, but the plot’s holding them back. So next time, instead of plot, I’m going to be doing the supports. All of them. We gotta figure out who’s getting paired up with who, after all. So stay tuned for me going insane, because now I have to deal with Peri talking. God...if you’re listening...please...look down upon the development team for Three Houses. If they’re making another fucking character like Peri, where she’s just infantile and murder-happy, give them a sign that they need to knock that shit off.

#fire emblem fates replay #fire emblem fates #everything about valla's involvement is garbage

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firesofdainix · 6 years ago

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I Learn to Live Half-Alive

the former ultimate tennis pro grieves his existence.

He has little knowledge over his past. He simply forgot about it. But what he never forgets was Danganronpa.

He can feel the water seeping at his nose, slowly drowning him. With his natural instinct to fight, he tries, and fails, to get out of the sink. He can hear his handcuffs scratching the sink. Why is he fighting? Didn't he just say he had no more reason to live anymore? Is it his natural instincts? Is it because the water is killing him, suffocating him, drowning him? He can feels someone's hands on him, drowning him. Killing him. Just like he once did to the mafia employee he had killed years ago. Was this karma, because of what he did? Why did the killer target them? Because they're weak, small, and already dead inside? Is that why he was here, sulking about why he didn't have someone in his cubs pad? Why no one was in his supposed motive video. He really doesn't belong here.

He starts to fade from this world he says he hates so much. Is he going to heaven? Or to hell? Maybe the latter. He doesn't belong in heaven. He's just a murderer, that's all. He finally closes his eyes, and his struggling for freedom finally dies. He wonders how hell will punish him for his sins. No, this hell is going to make him suffer for his misdeeds in the real life he has.

He wakes up in a dark, empty, tight space, where he can only move in limited moves. His eyes widen to the venue he's in right now. He hates dark spaces. He hates being locked in a small space. But he keeps calm, even though he's noisy, pounding heartbeat says otherwise. This is... the real world, right? His memories are a bit fuzzy, like, he can't remember what happened the past few days. Though he can remember some details, like him never being in prison, for one. Huh. Never being in prison. That's new. He waits for a few minutes, until the hatch to his so called pod opens. A man with a shirt labelled 'Team Danganronpa Staff' reads.

Danganronpa. Ryoma tries to remember the memory to where he had heard such a name before. Then it clicks. Oh yeah. Yeah. Huh. Danganronpa's the world he had emerged in? The one where they kill teenagers, right? It's a show, right? A high rated show, right? Who would want to watch teenagers murder each other? Then he remembers the many times he has watched the show with his friends. Oh yeah. He's a psychopath too, huh? Watching the people try killing their comrades, then get executed themselves? How inappropriate for younger audiences. And... that's all Ryoma remembers, in actuality.

"Hey, what's the deal with me not remembering anything?", Ryoma asks the staff who helps him up.

"Oh, it's probably because of our new policy", the staff replies.

"What's the policy?" Ryoma could barely talk more than a low whisper, and now they're asking him to stand?

"No breaks while filming. The fans want none stop Danganronpa this year."

"I...see?" Fucking morons. He tries to stand, but then remembers his death. His short legs quiver, and he falls back into the pod. The staff notices this.

"Do you want me to carry you, Mr. Hoshi?", he asks in a polite manner, bowing to him.

Ryoma absolutely hates being carried by others. He hates his short stature, he hates how everyone looks down at him. Maybe that's why he had joined Danganronpa? To tell everyone that he's not a harmless fucking midget, but can be called a murderer as well? He shrugs that thought away. He doesn't remember anything, and he doesn't bother. Maybe not remembering might give him a new life and new identity. And, since he can't walk that well, he just nods to the staff to carry him.

"Dinner will be served shortly", the staff announces as he puts him down on a chair. Ryoma looks around. Looks like a dining hall.

"Sure", Ryoma says. To be honest, he's not that hungry after his death, but he feels so skinny.

"That is a good sign that you want to eat", the staff sighs. "Because you have been stuck there for a week and a half."

Ryoma feels himself sicken after what he said. He was in that... whatever you call it for a week and a half? Why? How long is each episode? Why are they making them do this? Why did they not let them eat, sleep, nor drink in real life? The fans? The ratings? Money? It angers him that he's only been eating virtual food. Ryoma sighs, then looks around. This dining hall seems decent enough. Some people start to enter, and catches him by the eye, then talks to each other.

"The writers are truly pulling it off", one says, sitting on a chair.

"I agree", another says.

Ryoma listens in to their conversation.

"I want to see how they solve the mystery", the first says.

"Adachi, it was horrible, how he had died", the second says, looking at Ryoma with malice hidden in his eyes.

"Eaten by piranhas, what a bad way to go...", the guy, Adachi, says.

Eaten, huh? How long was Ryoma stuck in that pod before he pulls to consciousness. He knows he had been drowned in a sink, in his fictional research lab, but when were piranhas ever involved in his murder case. Unless... He smirks. Oh, Tojo, you've done it again. Talking to Tojo, then letting her kill him... she must already have a plan, since she can't have prepared the murder at nighttime. Punishable.

"I can't wait until tomorrow", Adachi says. "Too bad they only do reruns at nighttime. You know, after nine?"

"But the poor teenagers have to way until their demise", the other says. "But anyway, I can't wait 'til tomorrow for the trial!"

Ryoma stays silent during the whole encounter, and more and more people start to flood in the dining hall, all talking about the death. They do acknowledge Ryoma's presence, but being the insensitive piece of shits that they are, they sit near him, letting him hear what they were saying about his death. Then he feels someone tap his shoulder. He looks up and sees a familiar face, someone he has known in the killing game and his faded memories.

"Amami", Ryoma says. "Weren't you supposed to be dead like, last week?"

Amami chuckles. "Oh, yeah, yeah, but my fucking parents haven't arrived yet."

Ryoma shrugs. "Shame."

"Shame indeed."

From what he can gather from his old memories, Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Adventurer, one of the survivors of 52, is a legend. He became quite famous when he was just a young child. He doesn't know the details though, but still, he's a legend in Danganronpa. But in Danganronpa 53, he doesn't seem to have that paranoia or fear in 52. All he has was a laidback, mature attitude. Oh, and add being mysterious there.

"Long time no see", Ryoma says.

"I left after a week", Amami replies. He was so careful at not using die in his sentence. "So, how's it holdin'?"

"I don't remember anything, outside from Danganronpa", Ryoma says. "All I fucking remember is my fabricated memories, some shit about Danganronpa, and that's it."

"Lucky you", Amami says, sugarcoating the words.

The cooks are now filing out of the kitchen, giving them all sorts of food. Amami seems to be the first one to dig in, since the others were just talking, not noticing that there was food on the table. Ryoma takes some sushi and rice balls, and starts to eat. He didn't know he was this hungry as he bites to one of the sushi rolls. He looks at Amami's plate. His plate looks like French cuisine, but he doesn't know what kinds of food it is. He notices that Amami takes small bites of his food.

"How's your week in here?", Ryoma asks as he dines.

"Shit", Amami replies casually. "I've been forced to watch the show."

"They're fucking cruel." But, how cruel was he in this life? He was a murderer in Danganronpa, was he cruel in this one too?

"So, how's your first bite of real food?"

Ryoma savors his food's taste, so he doesn't respond until he swallows a portion of his food.

"Delicious."

"Yes, so delicious."

"So, Amami, how did you feel about my death?" Ryoma is curious about how everyone would react to his death.

"Sad", Amami says with a decisive look. "Wasted potential. Infuriating. You know, the works."

"Why do I feel like you're just making an opinion up?"

"I actually don't have an opinion on who dies, to be honest."

"What? Why?"

Amami smiles yet again, but somehow, this was unnerving. "Because, you are all good people, and I shouldn't be biased."

"How... unique." Ryoma finishes his food and sits there, just doing casual talk with Amami.

"I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?", Amami sighs, looking and sounding exhausted.

"Huh. Maybe."

"Oh, it's probably because of my mood swings. Whenever I'm not in the mood I go around making people uncomfortable." Amami scratches his head. Ryoma sees scars on his arm, all new. He's cutting himself now? Is that why he wears long sleeved clothes?

"Oh? Have Borderline Personality Disorder?"

Amami shakes her head. "No. The only stuff I think I might have are Depression and PTSD. That's... probably it?"

"You should go talk to a real therapist", Ryoma suggests.

"I have a therapist", Amami says. "and that's me."

"Self therapy?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that... illegal?"

"If you don't know what mental illnesses are."

"...Fair point."

Ryoma was sent to a bedroom, since his parents are not here yet. Letting him sleep in the place where he kinda died, are they... giving him more trauma or something? Though his past self did get asked for this, got asked to be in the killing game. But why bother changing him? Did they change who he is so he can be accepted by the viewers? To be sympathized with? Because he honestly can't remember who he was before. Was he an asshole? An obsessive fan of Danganronpa? A delinquent? Or was he always like this? Mature, untrusting, suicidal, depressive? Did he go to prison? Or did he live a normal life. The staff says that his memories about his life will return to him in a week or so. So he's stuck with non-existent memories and a bunch of fuzzy ones. Whenever he tries to remember something breaking his memory barrier, his head aches. So he avoids thinking about memories at all.

There was a knock on the door. Ryoma looks at the conveniently placed clock right above his bed. It was a little after ten. So, who could it be? He opens the door to see Amami in front of the door, with a small smile and his hands behind the back.

"...What are you doing here?"

"I just want to give you a little something", Amami says. Then Amami gives him a small pocketknife he was hiding behind his back.

"What do I need this for?", Ryoma asks.

"Oh, nothing", Amami says, still smiling. "But hey, if you're down and sad, why don't you cut yourself to make you feel better?"

Ryoma looks at him with a blank expression, and takes the pocketknife from him. "Thanks... but are you feeling alright?"

Amami seems to go back to normal after that. "Oh... gave you the goosebumps again, huh? Sorry."

"S'all right. Now I'm starting to think you have BPD or something."

"I don't." Amami scowls, then sighs. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"Me too. Looks like we still got long ways to go."

"Will you ever use that?", Amami asks.

Ryoma shrugs. "It depends if I'm not that depressed or a sad sack of shit."

"You were always sad in the game, though."

"Well, I'm going to turn my life around."

Amami scoffs. "Well, good luck with that."

And he walks away, and Ryoma closes the door, looking at the pocketknife he was given. Was he really going to use this? To inflict pain on himself, to see himself flinch in pain, then finally becoming numb to it all. He shrugs. Maybe he's going to use it in the near future.

Just... not today.

#fanfic #i learn to live half alive #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #ryoma hoshi #rantaro amami

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rahmakapala · 7 years ago

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This One - Chapter 38/40

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Pairings: Gen, past Kenshin/Tomoe

Characters: Kenshin Himura, Sakamoto Ryoma, OMC

Word count: 11024

Chapter summary: The Shogun has resigned, but the rebellion is far from over. However, with the focus on political infighting, the ordinary rebel soldiers face a new challenge: a standstill, or as they’d call it: boredom. Oh boy, this can’t end well!

Chapter 38 - A night to remember, in which Kenshin's persistent tagalongs convince him to go out to party with them (like the rebels they are.)

Read the chapter in AO3, FF.net or below the cut!

Chapter 38 – A night to remember

The wind was blowing in gently from the south, carrying with it a hint of sea air and the fragrance of incense. There was a sharpness in the air, the early winter frost stinging his nostrils with each inhale. Yet there was not a hint of white lingering on her grave, nor any other color but that of murky dirt, bereft of life.

“At least it’s better than snow,” Kenshin mused out loud, as had become his habit whenever he visited her. “When spring comes again, this unworthy one will bring you flowers, that he will.”

Her gravestone was a comforting weight against his back and he leaned into it, relishing the tranquil quietness of the graveyard. To his far right, a monk was sweeping the lawn. Other than the monk, there was no one nearby.

The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky.

Kenshin closed his eyes and drew in the cool winter air.

It really was a beautiful morning.

“The new era this one has dreamed about, it’s coming – this time, it really is coming, because the Shogun resigned from his power.” Kenshin paused, trying to put his errant thoughts into words. “But, somehow… it’s odd. Everything is changing. This one knows it to be so. One has been in the meetings, listened to the speeches of the men in power. But when this one walks the streets and listens to the people, it seems like nothing has changed at all.”

When he had first heard of the shogun’s resignation, he had felt elated and hopeful. Now though, after following Katsura-san around and watching the people his leader was still negotiating and arguing with, Kenshin knew it wasn’t that simple.

The formal resignation of Shogun Yoshinobu had left behind a void of power in the higher echelons of the government.The bakufu officials, provincial lords, and Tokugawa family still held significant power behind every decree, law, and decision that was made. Katsura-san was aware of this and was of the opinion that the revolution would not end until the government was remade and the highest level of power restored to the Emperor.

So now, the rebels were trying to push the issue with political leverage.

If it didn’t work, there were rumors that higher-ups in the Ishin Shishi were cajoling for a show of force. There was talk of once more trying to take over the Imperial palace.

Kenshin couldn’t say he was particularly enthusiastic about the idea. He remembered all too well how badly the endeavor had gone last time.

Katsura-san agreed with him, as he – along with Sakamoto-san – was firmly in favor of more peaceful tactics. But the ugly truth was that no one could say how long the politicking would take, and the rebels were getting impatient.

“The last thing this unworthy one wants is more needless bloodshed, but at the same time… it’s terrible to be waiting around for the worst.” Kenshin mused. A moment’s thought flitted through his head and he bit the inside of his cheek, before shaking his head firmly. “No. This one has promised to keep fighting until it is all over, and so he will. Soon, this will all be over and then, this one will be able to leave killing behind him.”

“Not that this one knows what he will do afterward.” The admission tasted sour. “This one remembers the promise he gave to you, that he would find a way to protect the happiness of the common people without killing. But how can he do that? This one knows nothing but the sword and… he is stained and broken. Tired.”

Idly, he picked at his frayed sleeves. He really should buy another kimono. The silly purple one Lady Ikumatsu had gifted him was becoming quite worn out. Still, there was something pleasing about the garment, now that he had grown used to it. Its bright colors differed wildly from those of his work clothing, which alone was enough of a reason for him to like it. But he had also noticed that when he wore this kimono, people didn’t take him seriously, instead treating him like a normal youth out on the streets. Sometimes, the illusion was so great that for a moment even he could forget that he was a bloodstained murderer.

“It was quite difficult to ditch Makoto and Hideyoshi and come here alone, that it was.”

“Those two – this one doesn’t quite know what to think of them, that he doesn’t. They insist on spending time with this one and stick to his side whenever the situation allows it, even at work. Neither of them is afraid of this one, and that… well, that feels good, so it does. Maybe it means this one isn’t quite as fearsome as the rumors paint him out to be?”

Another thought sprung to mind. An embarrassed flush rose to his cheeks but he told her about it anyway. “But really, there is something wrong with Makoto, that there is. There is no other way for a man to be so, so… deranged.”

He gnawed on his lip, wondering how to phrase this. She had been a lady, after all. She wouldn’t have approved of Makoto’s vulgarity at all. But at the same time, she had encouraged him to be more open with her about his worries.

“Um, well... last week Makoto attempted to – um, he tried to touch this one again. He has done so often enough that it’s not something to make a fuss about, that it isn’t. But what made this time different was... was that this time it was on this one’s hip.”

And what had made it worse, somehow, was that Makoto had been almost lazy about it.

Maybe that was why it had surprised Kenshin so. He hadn’t expected it. He had simply walked past Makoto, and Chirpy had trailed his hand down Kenshin’s side, to his hip, all the way down to his butt, slowly, as if relishing the touch.

Of course, Kenshin had grown stiff and hissed angry words toward the idiot, but the thing was…

“It was just so odd, so it was. This one knows it was brazen and rude, like an uncouth man touching a cheap yujo in the worst corners of Shimabara. It should have felt disgusting and brought shivers of revulsion to this one’s skin, but… it didn’t.”

He bit his lip, before hastily correcting, “Well, no more than any other touch that the Chirpy idiot has bestowed on this one. It wasn’t that this one liked it, of course he didn’t, but it just didn’t feel any different than someone touching this one on the arm, or shoulder, or back. This one wanted to hate Makoto for it, to be upset about Chirpy’s stupid wandering hands, but this one didn’t, not any more than over the other things the idiot has done.”

Even when spoken out loud, the incident and his feelings about it didn’t make any sense. But…

“Being so close to people, it hasn’t been so bad anymore,” Kenshin admitted. “Casual touches from others at the inn, accidental touches from strangers on the street; those aren’t as off-putting as they used to be. This unworthy one hasn’t had any more panicky spells either. Makoto’s hands wander in this one’s direction so often that this one is getting used to it, to being touched, that he is.”

And as embarrassing as it was to admit, it was the truth.

In a way, it was a good thing.

Even he could see it, because the last time they had played dice, when Fujiwara-san had slapped him on the back to congratulate him for beating Makoto, he hadn’t shied away from the other man’s touch, but rather, had felt good about it. It had felt like he was accepted, like he was just another man in the group, not an insane murderer close to his snapping point that they suffered to exist in their midst.

And sometimes, it seemed like the other men at the inn were starting to see it, too.

“But most often, this one talks to Hideyoshi. He’s an easy person to spend time with. Unlike Chirpy, he doesn’t spout something rude every other sentence, doesn’t try to touch this one or anything of the sort. He is just there. Present. Listening, trying to understand. It’s like, if this unworthy one would want a real friend, Hideyoshi would be the one.”

Kenshin huffed. “Of course, wherever Hideyoshi goes, Makoto follows, so it’s a moot point.”

Also, there was the fact that Kenshin couldn’t understand why Hideyoshi didn’t seem to mind Makoto’s outrageous behavior.

Why didn’t the chirpy idiot’s crazy antics annoy him?

Make him angry?

Or disturbed?

All of Makoto’s blatant flirting, the lingering glances on all the wrong people of either sex, the rude things Makoto said without pausing to consider who might hear him… Hideyoshi rarely, if ever, reacted to any of it. Even though Kenshin had developed something like a friendship with Hideyoshi, the steady-tempered youth only ever stepped between him and Makoto when Kenshin was starting to get genuinely upset.

Huh.

Kenshin blinked as the puzzle pieces snapped into place. “Or maybe… Hideyoshi doesn’t think Makoto is harming anyone with his crazy antics, and only stops him when it’s becoming obvious that Makoto has gone too far? That could be it, couldn’t it?”

The thought made him feel slightly better about it. Though he didn’t really understand the motives of the unlikely duo any better now, three months after their first, terribly embarrassing meeting, even he couldn’t deny that they had given him something to come back to after terrible nights at work.

It was really starting to get late, though.

He couldn’t say how long he had been here, keeping her company, but it must have been hours already. He climbed to his stiff feet and swept the dirt off from his kimono.

“Love, this unworthy one will be going now, that he will. Please, know that this one misses you, every day.” He gently stroked her gravestone in farewell. Then he straightened and faced the breeze, enjoying how it swept his long bangs away from his face.

It felt nice. Refreshing.

Sadly, that good feeling didn’t last long. As soon he hit the streets of the city center, he felt that he was being watched. And there was no surprise as to why: again, people were clearly looking at him. No matter what he wore, how he did his hair, or how girlish he looked, people still noticed him. Worse, they remembered him. His eye-catching hair drew their attention and more often than not, their eyes sought out his face, as if looking for a scar.

While he had yet to find the kind of trouble that turned into violence during these little excursions, it was starting to feel like it was only a matter of time before the inevitable disaster struck.

The Battousai rumors weren’t just idle talk or exaggerated fairytales anymore. No, here in the capital, everyone knew that a monster named Hitokiri Battousai prowled the streets. Hair dyed red by the blood of his victims, eyes yellow as a beast’s, sword as fast as lighting, cutting down as many as five people in one stroke – truly, Battousai was worst of the worst, a monster so fearsome that men only saw him when they were slated to die.

For the most part, Kenshin could see where the fantastic description of him had come from. Well, except for the yellow eyes part. That always threw him. His eyes were strange and pale, a sickly shade of blueish... violet? Something like that. It was a color he had seen in summer flowers and sometimes in women’s clothing, but never on people. Strange and disturbing as it was, the color was very different from what rumors claimed. So where had this story drawn its inspiration?

Even Makoto and Hideyoshi had wondered about it more than once, spending quite a bit of time coming up with crazy theories about the legend’s origin. As usual, Makoto’s ideas ranged from silly to ridiculous, like the theory that Kenshin’s “insane speed” had something to do with magic, and that his eyes changed colors depending on if he was using magic or not.

Kenshin had barely managed to hold back a disbelieving snort at that suggestion.

One of Hideyoshi’s theories, however, actually seemed fairly plausible to Kenshin “We mostly work nights and people carry lanterns that cast yellow light, you know? It reflects pretty well on your pale eyes and makes them look almost yellow.”

And that did make sense, didn’t it? Not that he ever carried a mirror to check, but at least it was something that was humanly possible.

It was certainly more realistic than Makoto’s idea that he used magic, or the common rumor that moonlight revealed Battousai’s true form as a demon.

Kenshin sighed softly, trying to prepare for the tirade he would be forced to endure when he got back to the inn. Makoto would definitely start by commenting on his choice of dress and the fact that he had gone out alone…

As if on cue, Makoto’s face peeked out of the inn. “Pretty! What are you wearing!?! Don’t get me wrong, you look cute and all, but, but... it’s not you! You are all fire and delicate lines, danger and beauty in a single package! And your hair! You shouldn’t tie up your hair like that! How about I help you brush it out, make it all better? I would be only too happy to help! It’s such a good idea, isn’t it, pretty? And why did you go out alone? I was so bored, waiting all day here with nothing else to do but annoy Hideyoshi! Besides, I still need to find out what you do when you go out alone wearing that kimono carrying flowers. Could it be… Oh, no, no, you cannot have a woman on the side! Or maybe you are engaged already and that’s why I am not good enough for you – no, don’t tell me it’s like that! It can’t be possible!”

“Calm down, Makoto.” Hideyoshi’s rumbling voice cut through Makoto’s rambling. “Let Himura-san have some space to breathe at least, would you?”

Kenshin exhaled in relief, watching as Hideyoshi grabbed Makoto by the neck of his kimono and held the overly enthusiastic youth back. Kenshin gave him a slight nod in thanks, and walked past them both, heading upstairs to change. He truly appreciated Hideyoshi’s interference. After the solitude of the graveyard, having to listen and endure Chirpy right off the bat felt particularly arduous.

Sadly, he knew that Hideyoshi’s interference wouldn’t last long.

Today was a rare day where he, as well as rest of their unit, had the whole day off. Nakamura hadn’t been able to find a single miscellaneous errand for him to run, which spoke volumes about the current stalemate they had with Bakufu.

Both sides were waiting to see how the political infighting at the Imperial court turned out. For ordinary soldiers, this meant a respite from fighting. Of course, there was always the chance that disaster might strike and their assistance would be needed on short notice, but tonight that seemed a particularly far-off possibility.

For now, there was nothing to do.

Kenshin couldn’t help but feel restless. Nothing against the men in their unit, even Hideyoshi or Makoto, but they had been cooped up together for months now, gambling and listening to each other telling stories and jokes was becoming… well, not boring, not exactly. It was just that the war had been going on for so long and Kenshin felt like he had met everyone involved, one way or another. Even the Bakufu men were familiar faces to him at this point.

And somehow, the war just wasn’t ending.

Sure, as he’d told Tomoe, he knew that the Ishin Shishi were finally making progress. He had been guarding Katsura-san for several hours every week, so he knew all the advances that had been achieved in the past few months. The rebels were moving troops closer to the capital, armed with Western weapons. He’d been helping to smuggle guns into the city for months, in case they were ordered to attack the capitol en masse, finally bringing their shadow war out into the open.

But even if he knew that a great deal of progress was being made, he didn’t really feel that any change was happening.

What good had all the fighting and killing done for the common people?

Kenshin was starting to fear that the answer was... nothing.

Yet he had given his word that he would fight in this mad war until the end. He had given his word to Katsura-san.

And so he fought. Killed. Night after night, while his convictions crumbled, he endured the guilt that threatened to swallow him alive, bit by bit.

The other fighters in his unit didn’t seem to share his troubles. Their mood was quite positive. Even the unit’s “baby”, the twenty-year-old Hideyoshi, had learned to fight as good as the best of them, able to feel joy from his achievements in battle. Makoto, too, had proven his worth in a fight.

So was Kenshin the only one who didn’t see the point in all this anymore?

Maybe he had been fighting in this war for too long.

…Maybe he was just getting old.

He was only eighteen, the youngest in their unit – but he felt ancient.

Not that people realized that he was actually two years younger than Hideyoshi. Even Makoto hadn’t figured it out. He still thought Kenshin was around his age, twenty-two or twenty-three. It was a source of some amusement for Kenshin, a sort of game to distract and mislead Chirpy to the wrong conclusions.

True, he wasn’t one to lie and he still felt compelled to answer direct questions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be selective about the truth he spoke.

And really, every annoyance he could cause to the Chirpy idiot was entirely justified.

“I am dying!” Makoto declared out loud. “Dying, simply dyiiing of boredom. Hideyoshi, Pretty – you’ve got to help me! You wouldn’t want me to die, would you?”

“Hmm, that’s a tough one,” Hideyoshi mused, pretending to think about it. “I don’t know. What do you think, Himura-san?”

“O, err…” Kenshin mumbled, before giving up and simply shrugging awkwardly with one shoulder.

“Rude! You guys are so rude. What have I ever done to you, huh?” Makoto harrumphed. “But in any case, as I was saying – it’s boring here. Nothing’s happening. Nothing. At all. And I want to do something new. Hey, I know! Hideyoshi, remember that Tanaka fellow from last week when we were guarding that meeting, where he boasted about his skill with dice? How about we go and clear him out of his petty cash? I mean, between Pretty and me, he wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Tanaka…” Hideyoshi frowned. “Tanaka-san was situated in an inn near Sanjo Dori, right?”

Kenshin blinked. He had stopped listening halfway through Makoto’s prattle, but now… there was a spark of enthusiasm in Hideyoshi’s eyes and his lips were curved into an anticipatory smile.

Huh?

Even Steady was interested?

“Yes, he was!” Makoto nodded sagely. “So, what do you think? We can take Pretty with us, can’t we? It’s already late and it’s one of our places, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, think about it! New place, new faces, new plump wallets to empty… It’s perfect, don’t you think? There isn’t anything to stop us from going there and inviting ourselves in!”

Uh oh… Kenshin gulped. “Orr-o, this one is not so sure that is a good idea, that he isn’t,” he said, even if he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. Makoto was so caught up with his idea that he wouldn’t listen to him at all, especially now that Hideyoshi was looking like he was in too…

“Why not?” Hideyoshi smiled. “We are all going stir-crazy in here, and anyway, there is nothing scheduled for us. I mean, Himura-san – even you have a free night. If that doesn’t mean that there is nothing going on, then I don’t know what does. We’ve all seen how hard Nakamura is on you and if he couldn’t find a mission for you, there simply are none.”

Well… it wasn’t like Kenshin could deny that. So maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad?

And so it was decided. No matter how stupid of an idea it was, the three of them were going to visit another Ishin Shishi unit to gamble. Kenshin didn’t know which unit they were going to, but given that this excursion wasn’t going to be in an official capacity or connected to his job, he didn’t want to be recognized. So he combed out his long bangs to cover the scar on his left cheek and pinned the rest of his hair up on a loose bun with the comb Lady Ikumatsu had given him. And since he had already done up his hair, it seemed silly to stop halfway – so he changed into his purple kimono. However, he didn’t want to be mistaken for a girl, so he pulled on his gray hakama and slipped both of his swords into their place by his side.

The combination was quite – unique.

But his scar wasn’t showing and he was armed, so it would have to do.

“You really don’t look like Battousai when you do that to your hair,” Hideyoshi commented. “No matter how silly it looks.”

Kenshin looked aside. “It doesn’t work too well anymore, that it doesn’t. The color is too rare.”

They were waiting for Makoto near the entrance. Chirpy was late; apparently he was hunting for his lucky dice.

“Speaking of your hair color, how did that happen?” Hideyoshi asked. “I mean, I have only ever seen foreigners with red hair. Did you perhaps have one in your family?”

“Orr... o, this one doesn’t know,” Kenshin confessed, after a bit of a pause. “This unworthy one was the only odd one.”

“That’s unusual.” Hideyoshi frowned. “Maybe you were adopted? Some foreigner abandoned you as a baby and your folks took you in?”

Kenshin didn’t know how to answer that. There was logic in Steady’s words and it would explain a lot… except for the fact that Kenshin did remember the village where he was born. Well, fragments of it. And it had been too remote a place for any foreigner to come across, even by mistake. But on the other hand, how could he know for sure? His family could have easily moved to the village after taking him in.

What a discouraging thought.

If that was true, he would never learn his ancestors’ names. It would cement that he was alone. No family, no clan, no true name. No roots of any sort. Only himself, alone – adrift on the winds of time.

Maybe that was for the best.

The person he had become would only bring dishonor and shame to any relative.

“I found my dice!” Makoto enthused. “Let’s go, guys! Let’s get going already! It’s time to fleece Takana and his men!”

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“Orr o ro, no – this is NOT a good idea, that it isn’t,” Kenshin mumbled, his eyes wide as saucers as he took in the sight of the twenty or so samurai in the inn’s common room, drinking, gambling, joking around and sharing stories. By the sheer volume of the party, most of them were already drunk and there were even a couple of… err, ladies serving them. Hair done up in intricate styles, faces painted white, they could almost have passed for geiko or maiko, but Kenshin had learned enough from Lady Ikumatsu to spot the difference.

No, these ladies mimicked the art of geiko, but they were different. Their slender necks were bare, they flashed the pale skin on their wrists, their lips were curled into coy smiles, and the way they kept touching their patrons, teasing them, all but inviting them to, to…

Kenshin swallowed, feeling faint.

“Why is this a bad idea? Tanaka himself invited us in.” Makoto grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

Chirpy was pouring them all generous servings of sake and smiling like this was the best day of his life.

Even Hideyoshi didn’t seem to realize there was a problem.

For fuck’s sake! Kenshin leaned close to Makoto and hissed in his ear, “These men are from Satsuma!”

“So?” Makoto asked, baffled. “We are from Aki, what’s the issue? Just calm down, Pretty, and relax. This will be a fun night!”

Kenshin buried his face in the crook of his arms, and let out a muffled “oro”. Despite his best attempt to stay calm, his fingers flexed on the handle of his katana where he held it against his left shoulder.

Of course, the chirpy idiot didn’t remember that Kenshin wasn’t from Aki.

Thank god that these last four years in Kyoto’s melting pot had shaved off most of his rural accent, a process that had been helped along by his fascination with the archaic humble speech patterns used by old-fashioned samurai.

But still, everyone knew that Hitokiri Battousai was from Choshuu.

He really, really should leave. He should have left the second he realized that the inn was patronized by Satsuma men, but he had been too shocked to react. And now, how could he leave without causing a scene?

“Ah, Makoto! You did come to visit, just like you promised, and you even brought friends with you! Welcome, welcome!” An older samurai, notably thick in the waist and with a big grin on his face, approached them. “Are you boys ready to show off your skill with the dice?”

“You bet, Tanaka!” Makoto declared loudly, and grabbed Kenshin by the shoulder in a very familiar hold. “Please, sit with us! Me and Pretty are all ready to clean out your pockets!”

The sudden touch made Kenshin sit up, ramrod straight, as shivers of disgust raced down his spine. Thankfully, on Makoto’s other side, Hideyoshi noticed Kenshin’s reaction and poked Makoto. Without a word, Makoto let go and dug into his kimono folds, pulling out his famous lucky dice.

Tanaka-san laughed. “Such enthusiasm! You are definitely welcome to try, boys!

And so, they started playing.

As far as gambling went, the game wasn’t bad. Makoto made for a good show, entertaining the group even as he maintained a winning streak. Kenshin entertained himself by trying to predict the dice the best he could, managing it often enough that he was making more money than he lost.

In a way, Kenshin could now see why people found these sorts of parties enjoyable. Slowly but surely, even he was starting to relax. These people didn’t know him. They didn’t fear him. Most likely they thought that he was Makoto’s… err, companion. At least, given the looks they got whenever Chirpy said something flirty or touched him.

Kenshin didn’t like the idea, but it allowed the men here to dismiss him as unimportant and caused them to ignore the similarities he shared with Kyoto’s most well-known horror story. So, he was desperately trying not to let Makoto’s easy familiarity get to him.

Unfortunately, the sake being served seemed to have no limit, and Makoto was enthusiastically taking advantage of the free booze.

Given the company, Kenshin couldn’t possibly pass on alcohol either, not without risking insulting their host. He took tiny sips, trying to drink as slowly as he could.

So what if people thought him odd and girlish for doing so?

He wasn’t going to get drunk in a situation as unpredictable as this. It certainly didn’t help that it had been ages since he had last drunk anything, and that out of all the people at the party, he was easily the smallest.

A true lightweight, as Makoto had mockingly declared when he had defended his chaste drinking.

“Say, Makoto’s pretty little friend… what was your name again? I never quite caught it?” Tanaka inquired, a benevolent smile on his face.

Kenshin’s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time he’d been directly addressed, so he couldn’t refuse to answer. But what could he say? Among the rebels, Hitokiri Battousai was as commonly known as Himura Battousai. Um, right… Trying to smile, he murmured softly, “This unworthy is called Kenshin, so he is.”

“Kenshin? Like devotion? That’s a nice name. Suits you.” Tanaka nodded absently and took another sip of his sake. “Say, you fight for the cause also? Because, I swear I’ve seen you somewhere, but for the life of me I cannot remember where.”

“…orr o,” Kenshin tensed. “Well, um… this unworthy one does a lot of bodyguard jobs, that he does. Easy work, mainly involving waiting around and looking fancy. Sir Tanaka could have seen this unworthy one during one of those jobs, that he could,” he explained, trying to pass it off. The last thing he needed was to be recognized and forced to fight, so the less these people thought of him, the better.

“Looking fancy?” Tanaka let out an amused guffaw. “I can see that, a pretty little thing like you. And if you can use that toothpick of a sword at all, it probably works marvelously as a surprise tactic.”

Kenshin tried to keep smiling, not letting his growing annoyance show. His expression probably looked terribly fake, but…

“Oh, Tanaka – shut it. Pretty is damn good with a blade. They have him desperately overworked at our unit, the poor thing. It’s stupid, though. I could do a lot of the jobs Pretty runs. It’s very unfair that the higher ups keep giving some people more jobs than the others, don’t you think? We got this weasel of a superior who just loves making our lives difficult. He gives shit hours and we rarely get enough time to rest. Can you imagine having a superior like that?”

Thankfully, Makoto’s intervention was enough to draw Tanaka’s attention to the favorite pastime of all soldiers: grumbling about their superiors. The older Satsuma samurai eagerly took the bait, and so the conversation moved on, needing little input from Kenshin except for a few nods and an agreeing or disagreeing sound at appropriate intervals.

However, as he listened and watched the conversation unfold, Kenshin slowly began to realize something about Makoto.

No matter how outrageous, rude, and loud the Chirpy acted… he wasn’t stupid.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Whenever people tried to engage Kenshin in conversation, or inquire about something that Kenshin didn’t know how to answer, Makoto would step in and interrupt them, distracting them and guiding the conversation elsewhere.

It was almost like… Makoto’s loud and dramatic acting was just that: an act.

Kenshin simply hadn’t realized it before now.

Sure, a large part of Makoto’s one man show had to be genuine. No one could fake an entire personality, not so consistently, and for such a long time. But it was like with Ito-san’s use of subtle lies and half-truth. Everything was so smoothly mixed together that people couldn’t keep track of where the truth ended and the lie began.

Frowning, Kenshin glanced at Hideyoshi who was following Makoto’s spectacle with a smile.

Steady was probably the only one who could see where Makoto’s act truly began, what was a convenient lie and what was genuine. It was not entirely dissimilar to the morning when Kenshin and Ito-san had been captured by those Mimawarigumi rookies and Kenshin had been the only one who could follow the truth in Ito-san’s speech.

But right here and now – honestly, even in their unit – all anyone else could see in Makoto was a loud and brazen young man whose outrageous behavior was entertaining to follow. They dismissed him as a harmless idiot, not someone to watch out for, and this allowed Makoto to go anywhere, talk to anyone, even people he really had no business talking to. And hadn’t Hideyoshi said that Chirpy swindled him into the rebel troops, despite the fact that Steady wasn’t a samurai?

Huh.

Kenshin bit the inside of his cheek as another thought sprung to his mind: hadn’t Lady Ikumatsu suggested that he do the same thing when he wanted to go out on the town?

She had… hadn’t she?

Looking at it now from the sidelines, Makoto’s act did work like a charm. The samurai he was ripping off of their hard-won pay with his outrageous luck, they were from Satsuma. No matter that Makoto and Hideyoshi were originally from Aki, they had joined Choshuu forces.

By all reason and logic, shouldn’t that cause trouble?

Most definitely.

And yet, Makoto and Hideyoshi had even swindled Kenshin into the party with them, which was pretty remarkable now that he thought about it. But no one here was paying attention to the obvious. These Satsuma samurai should bear a grudge against them, even by association. But they didn’t. Instead, they were cheerfully sharing their party, booze, food, and all, with three strangers, no questions asked.

However, Kenshin wasn’t sure he could do what Makoto was doing.

He just… wasn’t that outgoing.

Talking so easily, letting out the first thought that came to his mind with no consideration to the weight of his words?

Such a thing would be impossible for him.

But that wasn’t the point, was it?

The core of Makoto’s act was to be loud, and therefore, invisible. If Kenshin could learn to do that, if he could make it to work for him, it would solve a lot of his problems. So Kenshin tore his focus away from his musings and to the present, and for the first time, he paid attention to the Chirpy idiot with utter seriousness.

“…but the most hilarious thing I ever saw was when Battousai dropped an entire squad of Shinsengumi into a river. I mean, everyone knows he’s made an art of the trick: just a couple lightning-fast slashes to the wooden flooring and boom! The bridge breaks apart and everyone gets a nice cool dunk! But damn, when I saw it myself, it was just… beautiful. It’s a memory so fond that I’ll cherish it until my dying day. You see, by doing that, Battousai forced the whole squad of Mibu’s wolves to explain their shame to their commanders. I mean, I would love to kill them all, I really would, but in a way… ensuring their humiliation is even better.” Throughout the story, Makoto was waving his hands enthusiastically, his honey-brown eyes sparkling with glee.

Kenshin tensed up. What the hell Makoto was doing? This was just about the worst possible choice of topic for conversation!

“True enough, though I can’t say I care too much for Choshuu or their over-regarded killer.” Tanaka said. “I have been here in the Capital for quite some time now and never once have I seen even a flash of that legendary hitokiri. I bet the rumors of him are exaggerated.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Makoto grinned. “I have seen Battousai. Hey, don’t look at me like that – I have. I really have and that guy, damn can he fight. He is so fast that it’s impossible to see him move. One moment he is there and the next he is across the street and a dozen guys are dead. I don’t know how he does it, but it’s ridiculous. What would I give to learn how to do that?” Makoto grumbled, but a second later, “Aha, and there it is! I win yet again! Pay up, buckos!”

Chirpy leaned in to collect his winnings with deep bows and exaggeratedly polite gestures that were so over the top that it bordered on mocking. But no one was insulted. No one cared. The men simply let the insult pass with a smile and handed over their money to Makoto.

Then one of the… uh, ladies who were there to um, entertain the men decided to move over to their group. The men welcomed her with cheerful catcalls and she smiled amiably, accepting their enthusiasm gracefully, evaluating where to settle down…

“Hey, beautiful,” Tanaka called to her. “I think there is a good place for you over here, next to Makoto’s young friend.” And he pointed directly to the empty space Kenshin had painstakingly tried to create between him and the closest Satsuma samurai to his left. It was where he had taken refuge whenever Makoto’s passes had started to feel too much, but now –

“Thank you! I’d be pleased to sit with you, gentle sirs,” the lady demurred, and moved to kneel delicately right beside Kenshin, arranging her intricate kimono so that it flowed right and wouldn’t get wrinkled.

All her controlled, well-practiced movements, even her cherry perfume, brought up memories. The reminder wasn’t pleasant. No, this lady’s practiced manner, her perfume and carefully chosen garb, were so far from Tomoe’s natural elegance that the difference was jarring, almost violently different from the little bit of happiness Kenshin struggled to harbor in his heart.

His Tomoe… she had been elegant, but reserved. A real lady. But this girl beside him, she was blatant in her intentions.

Kenshin straightened his back, trying not to show his distaste.

Makoto leaned in close to him, whispering in his ear. “Say, Pretty – if you really don’t care for my attentions, then how about hers? Every man should experience some enjoyment. The whole time I’ve known you, you’ve never once looked at a pretty thing. That’s not normal at all.”

Kenshin’s breath caught, and he turned to Chirpy.

Instead of saying more, Makoto gave him a pointed look, nodded towards the entertainer to Kenshin’s left, and raised his brow expectantly.

The weight of Makoto’s not-so-subtle hint, the situation he was in, the social expectations therein… Gods! It felt like a cage settling around him, trapping him tighter than any shackle.

Everyone around him was smiling and enjoying themselves, engaged by the gambling, conversation, and free alcohol.

And here he was on the verge of panicking, just because he had someone sitting on either side of him.

Normal?

It was anything but normal. Kenshin was well aware of that.

Any sane man should be able to handle this. True, he wasn’t a shining example of sanity even on his best day, but he wasn’t mad either. He wasn’t! Not like Nakamura was trying to paint him out to be.

So did Makoto have a point?

All the men Kenshin had ever heard talking about physical intimacy were of the opinion that it was the best thing there was.

And back then, in Otsu… Kenshin, too, had enjoyed those things, with her.

Now, any touch, no matter how well-intentioned, felt off-putting to him. Even when he could stop himself from shying away from casual touches, he certainly didn’t feel any pleasure from them. And yes, he could always reason that when Chirpy touched him it didn’t count – after all, Chirpy was a man and Kenshin didn’t care for men, not like that – but surely he should still be capable of liking a woman’s attention?

…Or was he broken?

Kenshin gave a discreet glance to the girl kneeling on his left. She looked and behaved like as was expected of a girl of her status and profession. Her manner was not the most refined or elegant, nothing like that of the fine courtesans he saw when following Katsura-san to a meeting of Ishin Shishi leadership, nor any of the geiko or maiko he had seen when going to visit Lady Ikumatsu.

Instead, this girl, she was, well… easy with her attentions. Her smile was flirty, her glances assessing, and her gestures inviting, like any of her touches didn’t bear any particular significance to her, but were just a means to an end.

So, as the gambling in their group continued and the girl to his left started to inch closer to him – leaning against him, trailing her fingers on his left arm – Kenshin allowed her touches. He didn’t say anything, didn’t let out a hint of protest, even when she started to grow bolder.

He had no interest in her.

As cruel as it was, he only wanted to find out if he could tolerate her touch. To see if she could bring out even a hint of excitement or desire in him.

With Tomoe, in their little paradise, their physical intimacy had been so easy, natural… the most perfect thing. Gods, how he missed those moments with her, seeing her black eyes grow wide, sweat glisten on her milky skin. And her breasts – oh, he had really loved her breasts; playing with them, feeling their softness in his hands, nibbling on them and teasing her pert nipples until they were glistening with his saliva, all red and stiff.

A gentle curve of bosom pressed against his left arm, and Kenshin closed his eyes, trying to focus on the sensation.

Back then, he hadn’t really needed much to get the liquid fire flowing inside him. All it had really taken was the feel her soft skin, or her breathless moan…

“You are a very handsome man, gentle sir,” the girl whispered huskily in his ear. Her warm breath tickled the side of his neck, and her fingers trailed down his shoulder, sweeping behind his back and reaching to pull him in an embrace. And suddenly, bile rose in his throat, the feeling of thousand disgusting legs crawled over his skin, and the tiny hairs at the back of his neck stood up.

It was hundred times worse than any of Makoto’s frequent attempts.

Kenshin swallowed, trying to keep breathing, trying to chase away the feeling of revulsion.

Gods, why was it like this?

Why was it so much worse than with Makoto?

He had thought he could handle Chirpy because he wasn’t in any way, shape, or form attracted to the idiot. A man’s touch should be more off-putting than a woman’s, shouldn’t it?

“Say, Pretty – I wonder, do you have a girl in town, or who is it that you are always bringing flowers?” Makoto asked from his right, leaning closer to him – boxing him in.

Kenshin gasped, but his throat was tight, like there was something blocking his breath…

And people were looking at him, expecting him to speak.

Cold sweat flowed down his brow, as he fought down the wave of panic threatening to overtake him.

Breathe! Just breathe, you idiot! He told himself firmly. You can’t lose it here. You can’t.

But fuck!

Why in the fucking hells did Makoto have to bring her up now? Fury stirring, he flexed his fingers on his katana, seeking something solid to ground him. He had no intention whatsoever of sharing his most precious memories with any of these people.

“Orr o, it’s nothing.” He hid his eyes behind his long bangs and murmured softly, trying to sound disinterested. “Just someone this one tries to visit as often as he can, that’s all.”

“You buy your lady friend flowers? How romantic! Would you buy flowers for me?” The girl reached over to sweep his long bangs aside coyly, and cradled his left cheek…

Just. Like. She. Had. Always. Done.

The feeling of disgust became far too much to bear and Kenshin shot upright, detangling himself from her slimy touches and snarled, “She was my wife and she is DEAD.”

It was like everything stopped at that moment.

The girl stared at him from the floor where she had fallen, her eyes huge with shock. “That scar…”

“Married?” Makoto’s exclaimed, “You were married?!!”

And Kenshin… just couldn’t deal with it. He simply couldn’t. Not with everyone staring at him like he had gone bat-shit crazy. He had to get away. But he couldn’t. There was no place to run. So he buried his face to his hands and tried to breathe: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale… desperately struggling to shut out the world and the stares and the people.

But then, Hideyoshi’s faint ki was there, warm but worried. “Kenshin. Hey, are you alright?”

And that presence, somehow it was familiar enough that he could concentrate on it, fight back the panic, enough to face his friend.

Steady was there.

He was not alone.

“I… I’m sorry,” Kenshin whispered, a wave of shame flooding in. He really was a wreck of a human being. But Steady’s presence was enough that he could orient himself and realize that his face was covered in cold sweat. He swept his face dry with his sleeve, numb with embarrassment and shame.

“It’s not a problem,” Hideyoshi assured him, and stepped backwards, giving him room to stand up. “Now come on. Let’s take a breather.”

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They found a quiet corner on the inn’s second story balcony, and without further word, they leaned against the railing. The balcony overlooked the backyard, but from this high up they could see past the fence separating the inn’s property from the lively city centre. The winter night was cold, the circle of the moon visible in the cloudless sky. At a distance, the lantern lights danced across the dark rooftops.

Bit by bit, Kenshin found he could breathe easier.

The incident in the common room… he should apologize. Especially to the girl. He had pushed her aside so rudely. He could have hurt her! It wasn’t her fault that he was a freak, a failure, and a terribly selfish idiot on top of that.

It was just that Makoto’s questions had brought up his worst fears and doubts, that’s all.

Hideyoshi cleared his throat awkwardly, cutting through his melancholy, “So your wife died, huh?”

Kenshin closed his eyes, then exhaled softly and whispered, “Yes. Almost three years ago, that she did.” It had been years since her death, and yet, the wound was still raw. Even the simple admission hurt.

He didn’t want to speak about this, but he was ashamed of his outburst earlier, and besides, Hideyoshi had always been reasonable. He was good at just being there when people needed him.

“That’s too bad. I’m sorry for your loss.” Hideyoshi said. “It must be terribly hard to keep fighting when burdened by that kind of loss. I mean, I fight for a girl. I fight to make this world a better place for her… and after everything is settled, I will seek her out. I am not expecting anything, but it would be nice if she had a place for me in her heart, if I could try to win her good regard. Settle down with her, have a home and a family. There’s always after the war...”

It was hard not to be jealous of the picture Hideyoshi had painted with his words. After all, it was not unlike the hesitant hopes Kenshin had entertained himself only… well, a lifetime ago. That beautiful dream was beyond his reach now. He’d had his chance and he had ruined it in the worst way possible.

Kenshin was distantly aware that most people were able to try again, to see beyond the horror of the present and hope for something better. Some people were capable of letting go of their sorrow and finding other lovers…

So it wasn’t like that dream was impossible, not in theory.

But for him?

It felt like far too much to ask.

True, during these three years he, too, had thought about life after the war and the horror, when he could stop killing. The trouble was that he didn’t have any other skills besides his swordsmanship. All he knew was war.

Did it matter?

How sweet would it be to abandon his blade? To leave everything he knew behind him and to settle down in the middle of nowhere, where people had never heard of Battousai, of the Ishin Shishi, and knew nothing of war? There, even a failure like him could start again and live his days in peace, seeking to help others.

It would be a good life.

She would approve of that, of him seeking atonement for his sins by helping others.

The thought ached like salt in an open wound and Kenshin gasped, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

“When one had found the most perfect person in the world… and then lost her, how could one ever think of another?” he heard his voice speak.

Hideyoshi didn’t answer.

Kenshin didn’t turn to look. He didn’t need to see to know that Steady’s eyes held empathy, compassion. It was his nature.

“I’ll tell Makoto to stop flirting with you.”

“…orr o?”

“It’s okay. He will listen to me, “ Hideyoshi said softly. “But you know, he doesn’t mean it badly.”

Right then, Kenshin knew that if he gave the tiniest acknowledgment, it would all stop. Hideyoshi was good to his word and if there was one person in the world whose good opinion Chirpy didn’t dare to jeopardize, it was him.

Gods, it was one of the most tempting offers Kenshin had ever heard in his life.

No more harassment. No more uncomfortable moments or awkwardness. He would be alone once more, in his own comfortable bubble of numbness that had allowed him to survive thus far.

But he wasn’t numb anymore, was he?

He did his job, weathered the pain in his heart, the nightmares and constant worries… but after that, when he returned to his unit, there were always two persistent tag-alongs waiting for him. He couldn’t say he appreciated most of Makoto’s and Hideyoshi’s chit chat or attempts to draw him into engaging with others. He honestly would prefer to have more peace and quiet in his days.

But at the same time…

“No, it’s alright. This unworthy one can handle it, that he can.”

...He was slowly starting to feel alive again.

It wasn’t a nice or an easy road, but Hideyoshi’s and Makoto’s pushy friendship was helping him.

And as awkward as it was, it was a bit flattering to have such a persistent admirer in Makoto. Not that he reciprocate the feeling, of course he didn’t. But, Makoto was… different. He was nothing like her, not in personality, looks, or mannerism, and nothing he did could threaten to tarnish the memories of her that Kenshin held dear. Not to mention that Makoto’s frequent touches, as annoying and awkward as they were, were helping Kenshin to learn how to handle closeness and touch again.

Maybe it was enough to hope that one day he wouldn’t freak out over such a simple thing anymore?

“Truly?” Hideyoshi gasped in surprise. “I… I wasn’t sure. I mean, Fujiwara did say that you were like that – but that talk about your wife…”

“You mean the rumor that this unworthy one prefers intimacy with men?” Kenshin couldn’t help but snort. “That came from a misunderstanding, that it did. This unworthy one didn’t know what mentoring meant and when Fujiwara-san asked if one was being mentored by our former superior, one admitted to it, when in truth all we ever shared was a few conversations about swordsmanship.”

“…oh.”

Hideyoshi looked so lost.

Kenshin huffed and the corners of his lips tugged upwards in a pale imitation of a smile. “Besides, Makoto would die if he couldn’t flirt, so he would. Better that he does it to someone who isn’t going to punch him in the face.”

“That’s so true it hurts.” Hideyoshi burst into guffaws. “Oh gods, you don’t even know how many fights I’ve seen Makoto get into because of that habit of his.”

Warm fondness spreading inside him, Kenshin smiled, this time for real. “Maybe we should go back and save Chirpy before he gets into another one, that is?”

“Chirpy, eh?” Hideyoshi raised his brow, but his gaze was soft. Genuine.

Kenshin blushed and looked aside. “Orr o, well, that’s what this unworthy one often calls Makoto-san in his head, that he does.”

“I like it. So, who am I?”

“Ah, well, um, this one…Oro! Steady,” Kenshin stammered, hiding his eyes behind his long bangs.

“…I see. Well, if Makoto is Chirpy and I am Steady, then you are definitely Odd.” Hideyoshi huffed, his ki warm with acceptance. And then, he straightened his tall frame and turned, motioning with his hand towards the doorway.

Kenshin took the hint and followed him back inside.

The inn’s second-floor corridors were empty, but he could feel a few presences towards the far end, in private rooms. The light of the oil lamps shone through the rice paper walls, faint voices came through, muffled by the distance. It seemed that the inn hosted more people than just the Satsuma samurai partying in the common room.

Or perhaps some people had gotten tired of the loud party and had sought solace on the upper floors?

Not a bad idea, given that the party downstairs had gotten even louder…

But as they stepped down the stairs, Kenshin realized that all his guesses were wrong – they were already too late, because Makoto’s ability to cause trouble had exceeded their wildest expectations.

Somehow, in the time that he and Hideyoshi had been gone, the cheerful party of twenty samurai had transformed into a honest-to-god drunken brawl.

Oh, dear…

It was an astonishing sight, truly.

Everyone in the room was grabbing, hitting, and wrestling anyone they could reach, shouting and laughing in mad euphoria. At least no one was dead. Well, Kenshin was pretty sure no one was dead – a few people were lying on the floor, unconscious, but there was no blood, nor any missing limbs.

It was dreadfully easy to cut off someone’s extended limb, if not on purpose, then by accident.

…Yet no one had drawn their blades.

Kenshin couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.

Makoto was right in the middle of the mess, wrestling with someone who looked suspiciously like their host, Tanaka-san. Oh, yes – it was Tanaka. Their host had quite a few pounds on the tall, lean Makoto, but they were both drunk off their asses and it seemed that Chirpy had decided he wasn’t going down quietly, because he was howling incoherently and throwing indiscriminate punches.

Hideyoshi shot Kenshin a grin, and charged right into the melee to help his friend.

Kenshin had no idea what to do.

Honestly, as far as fights went, it didn’t look that dangerous. More like an enthusiastic, if somewhat vicious, friendly tumble.

Without his say, his feet took a step into the room.

What could he do to end this madness?

Everyone here had a weapon. If he drew his blade, he would only antagonize them further, likely escalating the situation. He didn’t want to threaten them with his ki, either. It was such a rare skill, and what would happen if they found out he was Battousai?

But what else could he do?

He was five feet one, weighing a bit under ninety pounds. In that brawl, the other men would crush him.

Perhaps he should shout?

In this racket? With his voice?

Ugh, how about no.

Thankfully, Hideyoshi didn’t look like he needed much help with Makoto…

A presence flared on his immediate right and Kenshin turned, only to see a sake bottle flying right at his head. He barely managed to dodge it, only to fall into the brawl, spinning to escape the outreached fists and people and miscellaneous items coming towards him. There was no time to think, he could only react, trusting his deeply ingrained reflexes keep him out of harm’s way.

It was almost… fun?

Sure, there was a definite risk of injury, but this was much less dangerous than a sword fight. So he dodged, jumped, twisted, and danced, trying to make his way to Hideyoshi and Makoto. Both of them were in the heart of this mess, seemingly having the time of their lives – at least if their exhilarated grins were anything to go by. Oh boy. Chirpy was messed up, his lip split and bleeding, his right eye swelling shut. Not that it seemed to slow him down any…

“Pretty! There you are!” Makoto cheered.

“We should get out of here, that we should!” Kenshin shouted in answer, dodging yet another fist coming his way.

Makoto, the brazen idiot, just winked at him. “Sure, sure – lessee if we can manage that.”

“Less chit chat, more action!” Hideyoshi growled and wrestled down another Satsuma samurai. “Let’s just push through. You guys got everything with you?”

“Yes!” Kenshin yelped. “Just move already!”

Hideyoshi grinned and pushed into mass of men like a charging bull, clearing the way for the stumbling Makoto and Kenshin. They had almost gotten through, when a voice shouted from the staircase, “What the fuck is going on here?! You battle-loving idiots, stop it! I said STOP IT!!!”

And then, a wave of ki flared – so sudden and freezing cold, that even the most spiritually numb samurai could feel something. The effect was drastic.

“Oh shit…!”

“FUCK!”

“It’s Sakamoto!!!”

Everyone froze – the Satsuma samurai, Kenshin, Hideyoshi, and Makoto – everyone in the room stopped right in the middle of the fight and turned to stare at him.

The man flaring his ki was Sakamoto Ryoma-san, one of the of the most influential men in the whole capital. The same man who had brokered the peace between Choshuu and Satsuma. He was all red in the face, heaving for breath, his ki unleashed and flaring more intensely than anything Kenshin had felt since he left the mountain and Hiko.

Then Sakamoto took a deep, if ragged breath. “I don’t want to know what you were doing. I truly don’t. But when I leave, this fight – it’s over. Is that clear?”

The men stared, gobsmacked.

Seconds passed, the silence dragging on and on… and slowly people stood up straighter and relaxed their hold on their improvised weapons: pillows, sake jars, even a table that one big guy had grabbed. The few who were still holding their enemies in chokeholds and wrestling poses let go, too. No one said a thing, but the air was awkward.

Sakamoto-san had enough power and say among all the clans who fought for the rebels that disobeying a direct command from him would not only embarrass the perpetrators, but also their clan.

And worse, everyone here knew it.

“Good. Now, I will need someone to escort me back to my lodgings.” Sakamoto-san announced loudly and trailed his gaze across the disheveled crowd.

Men shied away from his stare, ashamed of their sorry state: most of them had bruises swelling on their faces, topknots mussed, their clothing stained with sweat, grime, and sake…

Kenshin too looked aside, but for an entirely different reason.

“Himura-san? What the hell is a Choshuu man doing here?”

Urgh! Kenshin groaned and looked up.

The people around him were staring at him like they had seen a ghost, the fastest of them already stepping backwards to make room.

“Ah, well…” Kenshin cringed. “This unworthy one…”

“No matter. You’ll do.” Sakamoto-san decided. “In fact, you are perfect. You look like you are mostly sober – I wager not a single one of these slouches here would be up to the task, anyway. I assume Kido-san won’t mind if I borrow your sword for a short errand, will he?”

“Orr o – well, no. Not really,” Kenshin stammered.

Around him, whispers sprung to life:

“…Himura?”

“Choshuu?”

“Red hair…?”

“Holy shit, that’s Battousai!”

His stomach twisting with dread, Kenshin turned to Hideyoshi. The tall youth shrugged uncomfortably, which was answer enough.

They both knew that Kenshin couldn’t refuse the command.

Even if he wasn’t in his best form, he was still in better shape than any other available option, and Sakamato-san was too important to go unescorted. After all, Sakamoto-san was among the Bakufu’s most hunted, even now that the fighting had mostly calmed down.

So Kenshin gritted his teeth, slipped his hand into his sleeve, fished out his hair tie, and let his long hair fall loose from the bun. With practiced motions he brushed his bangs away from his face and left cheek, then gathered his long tresses up into his customary high tail. Without looking back, he adjusted the paired swords on his waist and walked to the door.

One never knew when duty would call, and no matter how inconvenient, he was sworn to the cause.

Sakamoto-san nodded at him respectfully, gave a final assessing glance to the crowd behind them, and followed Kenshin out into the night.

Thankfully Sakamoto-san’s hideout wasn’t too far away, only a few miles from the Satsuma rebel inn, within the Kawaramachi district. Apparently he was staying in a soy seller named Omiya’s storehouse. It was not the best place to stay, but it was drabby enough that the Bakufu likely wouldn’t look for him there. All the Bakufu’s most hunted needed to hide out in places like this, at least until the worst of the danger was over. The locations were always a secret, known only by a select few.

A friend named Nakaoka-san was waiting for Sakamoto-san at the storehouse.

“It was fortunate that I happened to come across you over there, Himura-san.” Sakamoto-san smiled to Kenshin knowingly. “It seemed that most of my Satsuma friends were a little under the weather.”

“It wasn’t a problem, so it wasn’t.” Honestly, after their walk, it seemed that Sakamoto himself might be under the weather, given the subtle coughs he’d let out throughout their walk – and no wonder, given the stress he was under. Katsura had also been a little worse for wear in the past few days.

“Well, thank you anyway. I appreciate your help.” Sakamoto-san said. “Though the Shogun has resigned, the rebellion is far from over. It’s going to be a difficult winter for us and I fear this conflict won’t be resolved bloodlessly, despite our best efforts. But I won’t keep you any longer.”

Recognizing a dismissal when he heard it, Kenshin nodded and turned to leave, only to glance once more over his left shoulder…

Sakamoto-san followed his friend in the storehouse.

Kenshin sighed, and left.

It was true what Sakamoto-san had said. No matter what he and many others had hoped, the Shogun’s formal resignation had yet to determine anything. The Tokugawa were still in power, with people who still listened to them and many stalwart supporters.

And the rebels… the rebels were still rebels, not the leaders of a new world.

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The next morning, the fifteenth day of the tenth month, Kenshin woke late, with his head aching and exhaustion pressing down on his shoulders.

It was like he hadn’t managed to sleep at all.

Worse, his stomach was protesting at the very thought of rising and moving around. He hadn’t drunk that much, had he? Yet he felt the familiar ache of a hangover, making him unsteady on his feet and thirsty as a horse.

Last night, he had gotten back to the inn just before dawn, where he had found Chirpy and Steady in the lobby of their inn. Both of them were roughed up from the brawl, drunk and all but dozing on their asses, but they had waited for him.

It had felt good.

Now though, Kenshin was wishing he had never even gone to the party. Why had he, anyway? Oh wait – it was because no one had given him the option to refuse.

Argh!

He should have just said no.

He really should have.

Anything would have been better than to suffer through this feeling…

A bland breakfast and lukewarm tea helped to ease his stomach a bit, but he had to force himself to eat. Blergh. He stared ahead numbly, trying hard to keep picking at his food.

“Good morning…” Makoto mumbled and yawned, before adding, “...Pretty.”

Kenshin looked up, blinking blearily.

Makoto’s face was a mess. The entire right side of his face was swollen and covered in purple bruises, and his split lip looked quite nasty. Okay, the Chirpy had woken up – so where was his other half?

...Oh. There.

Hideyoshi lumbered down the stairs, heading towards their table on unsteady feet. Wordlessly, he slumped and sat down with enough force to shake the tea saucers.

People were looking at them, not even bothering to be subtle about their interest.

Not that Kenshin blamed them. He, Makoto, and Hideyoshi were probably quite the sight, all three of them. Thankfully, even Chirpy was too tired to carry on a conversation on a morning like this.

Small blessings.

Kenshin was dozing in and out at the breakfast table, not really paying too much attention to the people around them, when a commotion broke out at the doorway. And then… Oh, hell, what was Nakamura doing here this early in the morning? The weasel was marching directly towards Kenshin, his smile wide, like he had won something.

“Himura!” he shouted.

Kenshin covered his ear with one hand and glowered at Nakamura. Seriously, what was the man’s issue? But he still had enough manners left that he straightened himself, sitting up properly, and faced his superior’s smirk.

“There are summons for you, Himura.” Nakamura announced loudly, for everyone in the common room to hear. “Kido, Saigo, and the rest of the Ishin Shishi leadership demand to hear your account of last night.”

Kenshin blinked. “...Oro?”

“Whatever for?” Makoto demanded to Kenshin’s left. “We didn’t do anything bad! It was just a brawl with some Satsuma fellows. No one even got hurt!”

“No one even got hurt.” Nakamura mimicked mockingly and then smirked at Kenshin. “Well, no one… except for Sakamoto Ryoma-san. He was assassinated last night. And guess what? According to Saigo-san, the last person to see him alive was you, Himura-san.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AN: Sorry that this is so late! I have been dreadfully busy at work - but I'll promise to make some time in my calendar during my summer vacation and rewrite the next chapter. (So hopefully, the next update wouldn't take quite as long).

As always, betaed by the wonderful @animaniacal in 16.7.2017.

#Rurouni Kenshin #Kenshin Himura #Samurai X #ruroken #This One #fic:ThisOne #Rahmakapala's fics

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