１.

[alouest]

Hello? Yes, yes, hello! ... Helloooo?

[ What time first spent in the video, about a minute short of two, was nothing but blackness with a hint of gold. With his crowing greetings and mumbling intelligible curiosity, the feed was relatively droll... until he finally removed the sticky note in front of the webcam. So, that's where the pesky little lens was! Silly him. ]

Hah! Here it is! Hello! [ The jolly man — silver-haired and gas masked — waved for the camera. It was hard to tell if he was physically smiling, but through his voice alone, it was kind of obvious. ] I was told that introducing myself would be a good idea on my pamphlet, so here I am! Ah, but where do I start? [ Humming, he swung his head this way and that, pondering his curious situation. ]

Weeell, my name is Clear! That is my name. [ He pointed to his face, his... masked... face. ] I am here to learn and to keep the school grounds nice~ and~ tidy~! [ With each enunciated word, his head swung side-to-side. ]

I would like to present an offering, and I heard that people here seem to enjoy oranges! [ It seemed Crazy Hand was certainly... giving this hapless kid the run-through. ] Therefore, I purchased many of them. I live in... ah... [ He scurried off-screen briefly before hurrying back, not having broken a single sweat. ] I live in the electrical storage! Please come and pick up your oranges! I would very much only like to give one per person, please!

[ With a quick bow did he start shuffling through his pockets, only to produce... a single orange. Then, he brought out another one. And another. And another. Quickly, that single orange became a huge pile of oranges. How he managed to get all of those, let alone fit them all in his lab coat pockets, was a mystery to behold. With a considerable mountain of oranges, perhaps enough to feed the student body five times over, he extended his hands toward the mighty citrus ascent with pride. ]

Ta-da~!

Comments

[raw_angel_power]

[Hey look! Pit recognizes that guy. He's learned by now that it's possible for old friends to forget everything about their time being there, so it's not such a tragic shock, just a bit disheartening. It's pretty clear he does not recall a single thing, since he's acting like he's new to the school. Even if he has to pretend like they just met, it's still nice to see someone from the past again.]

Welcome to the academy, Clear! I'm Pit, and I'm a sophomore. Hope we can be friends!

[alouest]

Ah! Hello, hello!

[ With a brisk and cheerful wave does Clear greet him. Alas, he hasn't a single memory of their past transgressions, ones that were technically not his own. Unfortunately, the same person from a different timeline may be similar, but they are not the exact same entity. Such is life in Final Destination's otherworldly hub. ]

Pit-san is... a sophomore? [ With both Japanese and American school life unknown to him, he tilts his head. ] May I ask, which grade level is that?

[pitticus]

It's level two out of four. Almost halfway there!

[Technically he should have been almost done, but... Pit wasn't the sharpest tack in the drawer.]

So then, what about you? Is this your first year? That would make you a freshman.

[alouest]

Two out of four... ah! So, I have three more years to come!

[ This is mathematics we're learning today with Clear. ]

A freshman, so that is before sophomore. Then, the other ones must have names, too! What are those? Does someone name the grades, Pit-san? It is like they are children.

[raw_angel_power]

Uh... I'm sure somebody does! I don't think it's the same thing as naming kids, though.

[Or is it? If this conversation keeps going down this path, Pit's going to leave it very confused.]

Anyway, the next two in order are junior and senior. Those two make sense to me. Freshman kind of makes sense, too. You're 'fresh' and 'new' to the school, and you're also a man! Except when you're not a man, but... you know. Sophomore is the only one I don't understand. What does it even mean? It sounds a bit like soft more. S'mores? ...Hey, you know what? That's an even better name than sophomore. I think from now on out, I'm gonna call the sophmores the s'mores! Or maybe the S-Mores! What do you think?

[alouest]

Is that so? [ Slowly, Clear absorbs the information. With the long and drawn-out pause on his video response, one would think he is contemplating something massive. Rather, he's just... letting it all soak in. Being inhuman, he can't be too careful about seeming normal.

This person, they aren't normal, though, are they? They have wings. Why do they have wings? ]

Well then, we should bring up this idea to Headmaster-san! If anyone can change it to the S-Mores, then he can. Oh, Crazy-san might do it, too!

[ He gives another pause. ]

... We could also change freshman to freshwoman for women, too. [ A brilliant idea, he thinks. ]

[pitticus]

Why stop there? We can have freshrobot, too! And freshalien! Freshghost!

[alouest]

... Freshrobot?

[ That persists in his mind and refuses to leave. Why would he bring that up? Why would he touch stone on that? Androids are different. They wouldn't be allowed to school or to be human. He's different. He can't be in league with these people, not like that, not in a privileged sense. He can't, he just CAN'T.

Clear visibly hesitates before speaking in a far meeker voice, careful and calculating. ]

Why is it that you think about robots? Do you... like them?

[raw_angel_power]

[Pit's eyes light up.]

Are you kidding? I love robots! Robots are awesome. I just thought about them because a lot of robots aren't men or women, so I wanted to include as many things as possible. But actually, I think that might just get exhausting, and I might forget about someone and they'll get mad about feeling left out.

[alouest]

... I see.

[ It is very intriguing. Admittedly, Clear is filled with a little hope. While his tone remains morose and hesitant, it is also very curious. ]

Then, do you think robots... can be like humans? Do you think that they deserve to be treated with respect? Even if they look different, do you think... that they can be considered equal?

[ He hopes so deeply that he'll say yes. ]

[raw_angel_power]

Definitely!

[There was no hesitation in his reply, and he blurted it out with conviction.]

Robots may not work the same way as humans, but that doesn't mean they should be treated like junk. I think people jump to the conclusion that a robots' feelings aren't real because they're just programmed in or something, but you know? So what? They're still feelings! And they should be respected.

[alouest]

Then... is that so?

[ Clear grew quiet. The cogs in his mind were reeling. This wasn't right. If he knew what he was, what his affiliation with Toue was, his opinions would surely change. That couldn't be. None of it could be. ]

I see. I'm glad, then. Pit-san is very kind. [ There was a small quiver to his voice, but it was just that: small. ]

[raw_angel_power]

[Pit gets a little bit embarrassed by the remark about his kindness.]

What? No, I think it's just common sense! A-anyway, why'd you zoom in about my robot comment? Got some robot friends or something?

[alouest]

I do.

[ He's quick to lie. It's a defense mechanism, really. He's not about to clue him in that he himself isn't human. ]

They... look very different from other people. They don't want to be different. They want very badly to be as other people are. They are still trying to find out how.

Do you know how? [ Hope brims in his eyes, faintly visible behind his mask. ] Do you know how to become a human?

[raw_angel_power]

[Pit stays silent for a moment, stricken by the emotion and urgency he can detect from Clear. It makes him want to give a good answer, but he knows he can't.]

No. I don't know how to become 100% human. But that doesn't mean there isn't a way.

[alouest]

Do you really think there is a way?

[ Clear is nearly pleading for some sort of resolution here. ] Do you believe that, one day, everyone who wants to become human... can become human? Do you think they deserve that?