↱ ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕖: 𝕊𝕠 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝 "𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕀 ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤?", 𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕧𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕪𝕖𝕤. 𝔹𝕦𝕦𝕦𝕥... 𝕀 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕠𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕒 𝕤𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕨 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘... ℍ𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥.
𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕪 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝔻ℝ 𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕔 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤𝕟'𝕥 𝕥𝕠𝕠 𝕓𝕒𝕕 𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣...
*𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤,
ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕜𝕚 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠. ↲
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❝ Unfortunately, you cannot return to the outside world—the reality.”
“But, I suggest you rather not,”
“As a reward for making it, you’ll be provided with a set up neighborhood to maintain your lives. Do as you wish. ❞
✧
✧
✧
...Were the first things they’ve heard subsequent to their survival.
They stood there, silent, astounded by the newly found world that appeared before them. The soft, dull greyish-brown colors and fancy infrastructure that filled their surroundings gave off a fantastical, Victorian vibe to the atmosphere, at least to Shuichi. He wasn’t quite sure how Maki felt about this, but her lips were slightly apart as she looked up and around the small area, analyzing it, which could only mean that even she had never expected anything like this.
It's been a couple of years since the trio survived the killing game. From then on they continued living their lives in a small town, within plain but suitable accommodations, and living “normal lives”, as they were told by their neighbors. Yes, Maki, Shuichi and Himiko went through easier times after the horrifying event, but they could never completely rid themselves of the lingering feeling of distrust towards the world that would often cross their minds.
“I hate how Himiko still isn’t here with us…” the assassin grumbled. Himiko’s disappearance had occurred often, yet the pair still hadn’t gotten used to it. It’d happen every time they’d start their lives over again, like it was some sort of game, and the smaller girl would frequently present her whereabouts later. They couldn’t help but worry over the small teen’s fate after the tragic incident:
As they were progressing through their so-called “normal lives”, Shuichi stood among the rooftops as he smiled upon Himiko’s attempts to successfully make her white dove vanish. It finally worked—for a second—before Shuichi realized that even the magician herself didn’t know where the little bird went. He quickly rushed downstairs to help the petite girl before finding himself already a couple of blocks apart from her.
“Himiko?!”
During this time of the day, it was a busy street. It wasn’t very hard for the sleuth to lose the young magician, but when he did find her, he stopped dead in his tracks.
She stood in the center of the road, with no vehicles nearby, and tried to catch the attention of the white dove. It didn’t take long until the magician speculated a rather interesting idea after spotting the detective running up to her.
“Himiko, what was that about?! Don’t just run away towards the middle of the street like that!”
“I’m curious, Shuichi.”
“Huh?”
The small magician stroked the even
smaller bird within her arms as she tried to articulate her idea to the detective.
“Nyeh… this is going to be a pain to explain… since, knowing you, will be questioning me a lot.”
Shuichi stood there, perplexed. He was now interested in what the small girl had to say, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that remark.
“Um… go on.”
As the pair walked back, the magician proceeded. “ what Tsumugi said? being fictional characters? About this entire universe that we apparently live in being a mere creation of imagination?”
“Of course…”
“You’re going to question my actions, but… what if we use that to our advantage?”
“What do you mean?” the detective asked disconcertedly. Now he desperately, with a sort of hunger, attempted to catch every word that slipped out of the girl’s lips. This was the first time since...well… forever since the magician’s words appeared so intellectual and serious. Dead serious.
“Nyeh...I don’t want to concern you and Maki, but I have my reasons for doing this.”
At this point, Shuichi was mentally prying even harder. But he held back the flood of questions that swirled in his mind.
“Shuichi...do you trust me? Would you put your faith in me?”
The question almost startled the detective. Hearing such a question would only bring horrid memories of the killing game flooding back…
‘ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴍᴇ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴍᴇ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴍᴇ?’
“Yes, of course I trust you. We made it all the way up to this point, didn’t we?”
Himiko nodded in approval. “I don’t want you to get scared when you see this. I think you and Maki would be better off following in my footsteps. I’m trusting that both of you trust me.”
So she spoke as a hopeful smile formed on her lips, the same smile Shuichi ed seeing towards the end of the killing game.
“Alright, Himiko.”
✧————————✧
Shuichi didn’t know what he could’ve done to stop it.
‘That was something very unlike Himiko to say…’ He recalled, feeling heavy tension building up as he looked down at the lifeless body.
“I can’t believe this…” The assassin winced. They’ve come this far surviving, the pair thought, just to lose another one of their classmates.
“I-I think…” Shuichi couldn’t help the little droplets forming for every word he spoke. “...she left this as a message for us.”
“Her death? A message? Are you trying to insinuate that she purposely killed herself?” Maki pulled on her typical death glare, as if that was the most absurd thing she ever heard. He couldn’t blame her. Even he found it unbelievable that Himiko would do such a thing, but then, why did she say that yesterday? He was certain that even Himiko would know to avoid being hit by a car, let alone accidentally killing herself.
“I think she wants us to do the same…”
Silence fell. It was a dreadful concept, but it was the only one that made sense to Shuichi. Himiko was neither ignorant nor suicidal. She did this with purpose. “She had a vague talk with me yesterday, and I think this was what she was trying to imply. I still don’t know why she’s making us do this-“
“Then let’s do what she wants us to do. I can’t afford to live with this agony anyways…”
Shuichi’s eyes widened at Maki’s sudden remark. Usually, she would keep her emotions concealed, and appear cold or indifferent. But now she sounded almost desperate, in a disquisitive sort of way, to end their lives right here.
Then again, Shuichi would be lying about trusting Himiko if he didn’t comply with Maki.
✧————————✧
“Do you think that Himiko’s later presence is a result of her dying before us?” The sleuth asked in reply to the assassin’s complain.
Maki took a second to ponder over his question. “I don’t know, but that may be good thought…”
Shuichi turned to look at Maki, who just happened to notice and eyed him back. She seemed to be surprised about something when she faced her companion, and it took a moment for Shuichi himself to realize what it was.
“Doesn’t that… feel weird?” Maki inquired. The assassin appeared... different. Her hair was a soft dark brown hue tied into thin twin-tails with delicately curled ends. Her eyes were a softer, yet deeper bloody-red color and her apparel consisted of a pastel grayish-brown frock highlighted with simple red and white designs. On top of that, she wore an exquisite soft white cardigan that fell with defined swirls down the sides of her frock. She also wore cream stockings and fancy chocolate colored boots, along with fluffy, white scrunchies and a small, thinly-shaped white crown. If there were any to describe her appearance, Shuichi would say that she looked lavish.
On the other hand, Shuichi’s design was quite the sight to see. What Maki had been eyeing for the past minute was located on his face: a fragile grey flower that occupied his left eye socket. “The fact that I know I have a plant replacing one of my eyes…..,” To Shuichi’s surprise, it didn’t bother him much, at least not for now. The sleuth was dressed in a long, beige coat with a lengthy, drooping collar and the bottom of the coat split and curved into spirals. It also happened to include pockets that had ivy leaking out from them. Underneath were grey pants and a warm white turtleneck, and additionally, wore a grey breton hat and simple dirty brown ankle boots.
The girl sighed. “It’ll take me a while to get used to this….”
The pair steadily strolled ahead, encountering what seemed to be an old fashioned mansion about the same size as the Ultimate Academy. Upon entering the first chamber, they came across a high throne decorated in a wonderful mix of gold and silver colors, richly carved with elegant designs. They looked up, squinting to catch a glimpse of who could possibly be occupying such an exclusive seat. It didn’t help much that the room was dimly lit and the ceiling seemed to be a black abyss.
“Nyahaha! What a wonderful surprise!” Said a very distinctive accent, belonging to the familiar small artist.
“How much more absurd can this world get? She probably rules this entire land.” Maki retorted.
“Now, now. Don’t think that highly of Angie. I only rule this entire mansion,” The artist retaliated.
Maki groaned as if forcing herself to keep quiet. “Very funny...”
That moment, an intriguing conclusion sprouted into Shuichi’s mind. “Considering the fact that things here seem to be of high nobility, and you claim to rule this mansion, are you implying that you’re the queen?”
“Let’s not think about such trivial ideas.” Maki sharply suggested.
“Yup! The one and only Angie as your beloved queen! I earned the right from Atua Himself!” Even though it wasn’t visible, Shuichi could sense her gleeful smile through the unilluminated room.
This universe, compared to a handful others they’ve gone through, appeared to be the most… unique. A land full of wonder and mystery, something Shuichi found great pleasure in. But the latter visitor, Maki, only seemed to find the mess irritating and complicated.
“So… what are your names, boy and girl?” Angie asked curiously.
The two exchanged glances, agreeing to the fact that once again, they’re classmates have forgotten them.
“Shuichi Saihara, and this is Maki.” The boy gestured.
“Maki Harukawa,” The brunette added.
“I see, I see. Well then, come in! Enjoy yourselves in this blessed haven, but to behave!” Angie concluded.
A sudden unnatural and uncomfortable silence followed.
Until Maki broke it, “Let’s just carry on…”
It wasn’t very long until they confronted a prodigious, royal door. This particular door appeared to be five times their size, decorated with the same golden designs that were imprinted on Angie’s throne.
Two faint figures appeared before the door. “Are they guards?” Shuichi whispered. Maki slowly nodded in agreement of the idea as that’s what the figures appeared to be. But these guards did not look like the typical guard. As they crept closer, both of the guards, a male and female, were wearing fancy clothing that were matching themes with Maki’s and Shuichi’s. The only problem was that they were wearing symbolic masks, preventing the pair from being able to recognize the two.
“Shuichi?” Asked a soft voice. She wore a familiar plum cat mask lined with lavender highlights, along with a long matching gown that fell delicately to her feet and a large plum bow attached to the rim of the gown’s breast. The girl took a moment before she removed the mask off with her gloved hands.
“Kaede?” Shuichi responded in bafflement. He wasn’t expecting to meet her so soon nor having her recall him.
The blonde girl gasped. “I haven’t been expecting you to come! It’s been so long since…”
Shuichi couldn’t grasp the idea Kaede seemed to imply. ‘It’s been so long since’ what? Have they met before, in this particular universe?
“Hmm? You know this weird lad?” The other guard asked. He still kept his mask on, but he wore an elegant white tuxedo with a signature checkered scarf tucked underneath.
“Oh, right! He’s an old friend of mine; known each other since age 5! Isn’t that right, Shuichi?” Asked the pianist as her soft purple pupils shone at the detective. She was clearly expecting an agreement.
And so it had been confirmed. He was supposed to be her childhood friend. “Y-yeah, right.” He complied, finding it quite the daze to say such a thing.
“Hmm…” The male finally removed his mask, showing much skepticism in his eyes. But it quickly vanished as a childish smile replaced the doubt.
“Okie-dokie! I’m Gay, nice to meet you!”
“What?” Shuichi asked. Kaede dragged out a sigh as she decided to properly restate his statement.
“His name is Kokichi Ouma...er, don’t mind him, he has a reputation for messing with people…”
“Yeah…” Replied the brunette, glaring at the small boy. A smaller girl popped out from behind, finally revealing herself.
“Hiya! Forgot to say that Angie is your tour guidance!” The artist looked intriguing for certain. She wore two pieces of white Indian garments that were traced with golden thread: a wrap top and a loose skirt that trickled down one leg but left much of the other exposed. She also wore a long white transparent scarf, appearing as light as air, that wrapped around parts of her exposed tan skin, including half of her lower face. Added to that, she had beige sandals and a silver ankle bracelet. Ultimately, what had dragged attention to her were the pounds of gold and colored jewelry she dressed in, and strangely, it fit perfectly into her overall aesthetic like the right key in a lock. Now it should’ve been obvious that she held a special position in this place.
“Ah, Angie. It’s good that you arrived,”
✧————————✧
Maki couldn’t take her eyes off of the ceiling decorations. “I have to it, even I find this stunning,” She murmured, not wanting anyone else to hear.
The pair, along with Kaede, Kokichi and Angie, ed through the dining room filled with small chattering and the sound of glasses clicking.
“I’m glad you’ve already come to find interest here, it really is a wonderful place!” The pianist interjected.
Maki pouted, “Don’t get your hopes up so suddenly...”
Now laughter and noises sprouted about the room.
Kokichi decided to break the silence among the group. “What’s with the strange flower in your eye? Can you not afford to have two eyes or something?” He giggled.
“Kokichi, that’s not very nice…” Kaede answered. “You know, I’m wondering when you’ll actually learn to be respectful towards our visitors.”
“Aw, don’t get so defensive just because he’s your long lost boyfriend.”
Maki sighed. Same Kokichi as always. She still wasn’t very fond of him.
“Kaede, it’s alright.” The sleuth reassured. Kaede only groaned in frustration. Shuichi continued to look around in astonishment, moderately noticing the group starting to depart. “Alright! I guess you all are good on your own now. Byeonara!” Angie exclaimed. She giddily skipped away to do her own business. Kokichi went his way to, what Shuichi assumed, bother Kiibo again. Maki kept engaged in her conversation with Kaede and Shuichi decided to explore a certain area that his eyes had been fixated on: the library. As he sprinted towards the giant bookshelves, he spotted Gonta, crisscrossed on the floor and studying a thick book on entomology.
“Good morn- uh…” Shuichi had absolutely no idea what time of the day it was, due to the lack of clocks within the building and no indication of light or darkness from the outside. Instead, he re-worded his greeting, “Hi, Gonta.”
The other jumped back in surprise, “You know Gonta’s name?”
Shuichi, who was now digging his fingernails into his palms, felt extremely retarded for forgetting about his classmates’ lost memories. He quickly tried to come up with an excuse. “U-um, you see... someone told me about you and that’s why I was able to recall your name,”
“Oh, Gonta understand now!”
Shuichi exhaled a sigh of relief and decided to spend some of his free time with the entomologist. He, surprisingly, was able to indulge himself into a peaceful conversation while being constantly intrigued by the exotic books that Gonta presented to him.
“See, Gonta keeps his little friends in here.” He said as he unleashed tiny glowing butterflies into the air surrounding them. “When they hungry, they search for sweet pollen,” Shuichi watched in fascination as he observed the book in Gonta’s hands. He wondered how it would feel being born as one these majestic creatures and living within the cracks of the book.
Gonta closed the book shut to conceal the insects under protection; all but one returned to their little habitat. “Wait, no! Come back!” He panicked.
With a blink of an eye, it vanished.
Shuichi agreed to help the boy search for his lost creature. When he finally located the tiny thing, he followed it into the dining hall, and immediately lost it to the crowd. Instead, he walked up to Maki to ask for her assistance, but as he did so, he caught a large, pointed hat crawling through the crowd of boisterous teens.
Shuichi, in a haste, pulled on Maki’s sleeve as he was trying to silently direct her attention towards something, or rather, someone. It appeared to be a puny physique of a witch: a round black hat accompanied by the thorns of crimson roses, along with crow-like ornaments hanging off its sides; a long-sleeved black blouse with a dangling crimson bow, paired with a poofy red velvet skirt and beige boots.
Maki’s mouth hung open in shock, her eyes widened with sudden recognition. “Is that…?“
No. It wasn’t even her presence that bewildered them. Not in the slightest bit. It was the fact that she never looked so guilty in her life...
↱𝕋𝕠 𝔹𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕦𝕖𝕕... ↲
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･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜Artist/Post ･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜
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OUMASAI STAN WOO