[action] arrival of super high school level good luck (bad luck?)

[rebut]

[ Good morning, Smash Academy! Today you might see a half shoeless young boy frantically running down the hallways after...a small and quick blur that looks suspiciously like a black cat. Yup, that's right. He will never get a cool entrance. Ever. He'll be doing his best to not run into anyone, but he can't say the same for the pursued, who's running every which way in order to avoid getting caught. Apparently he or she has really taken a liking to that shoe! Or just wants the boy to play tag. Who knows? He sure doesn't.

Maybe, just maybe though, he'll catch up to the cat and get his missing shoe back mostly intact. Or he can just give up on—hahaha, no, he won't. After all, he doesn't exactly have a spare available to use instead!

So what will you do? Help a dude in distress out? Laugh at him? Set traps for fun? ...Help the cat instead? Your choice! Either way, he can be found running about anywhere around the school while the looooooong chase is still on. Occasionally, you might hear him pleading for the cat to "Please give it back already!"

...Sorry beforehand for the ruckus? ]

Comments

[rebut]

[ That black cat? Definitely unlucky, considering what just happened... Naegi tried to stop it from happening. Really, he did! But after turning a corner in pursuit of the shoe-stealing cat, he couldn't stop himself from skidding towards the person who just so happened to walk by that moment. Before he could even yell out a warning to "please move", bam, he already collided with the person.

For a moment, he winced at the pain from the impact. Then he finally realizes just who he bumped into. ]

...Huh?

[ Naegi's eyes widened from shock, as if he saw a ghost (and for all he knew, he might not be wrong). Of course he knew the person in front of him. While his memories from those missing years haven't yet returned to him, that didn't mean he didn't know who exactly she is. At first glance, he thought he'd actually ran into Enoshima again (why here why now why), but once he actually saw her face and heard her speak, he realized who was standing—figuratively—right there. ]

It can't be...

[ No one told him about this. And he doubted any of the others knew either. Something like this isn't exactly the sort of thing for them to keep quiet about, that's for sure.

After a few seconds of silence, Naegi starts to speak again, surprise and confusion evident in his voice. ]

...Ikusaba-san? Is that...really you?

[ He really, really wasn't sure how to feel right now. The shock's still sending his mind barreling straight into turbulence. ]

[osusume]

[Mukuro Ikusaba's eyes were filled with hope as she sat up. She tried to keep herself together because Naegi remembered. Compared to everybody else from Hope's Peak who seemed to have forgotten who she was. Hope was irrational and perhaps (not even perhaps) Mukuro knew as much.

But that didn't stop her.

She noticed the cat in the corner of her eye, the one that had stolen Naegi's shoe. It had heard the collision and stopped to look. Mukuro's Super High School Level Soldier powers seemed to awaken in that moment in time as she quickly turned round, time slowing down to a crawl as she reached out and rather ungracefully snatch the shoe from the cat. Which meant that she skid on her butt just a little bit, but no matter.

Time seemed to flow normally again, and with a decidedly Mukuro half smile on her face she held out the shoe to Naegi as she stood up.]

You were looking for this?

[rebut]

[ Oh right, his missing shoe. He almost forgot the now startled cat still had it, what with being distracted by someone who, rationally, shouldn't be here in front of him. Why is this happening? How is this even possible? What sort of logic even makes this sort of thing possible? So many questions, but at the moment, the answers seemed so far away.

He kind of wished he could stop and ask Kirigiri for advice. She always had a plan no matter the eventuality, and he could really use that help right about now. ]

Um, yeah, sorry about that. Thank you...

[ Naegi didn't know what else to say, so he just smiled sheepishly and slowly took the held out shoe. He could buy himself a few seconds to think while he put it back on. Hopefully one of them could figure out what to talk about by then... ]

[osusume]

You're welcome.

[She looked around as Naegi put his shoe back on. There didn't seem to be anybody around for the moment, it seemed safe to talk normally. Mukuro felt at ease, because Naegi is alive. And well. And he remembers her. That's the most important bit.

And there's that muddled mess of feelings again. Mukuro blinks as she uses the few moments of silence to gather her thoughts. Her first question of course, was why was he here? She didn't send back a sign yet that the place was safe.]

Is there anything you want to know about being here?

[rebut]

Well...

[ "Everything" probably doesn't count as an answer, does it? But at least he calmed himself down now. (The trials at least taught him how to bounce back quickly even under pressure.) Naegi's thoughts are still a jumbled mess though, but hey, he's not panicking.

...Maybe he's actually dreaming? That might explain the oddness of this situation, but somehow, something in his mind's telling him that may not exactly be the case here. ]

Just...what's going on here? We got a tip that there might be something important we needed to know here, so everyone voted for me to check this place out...

[osusume]

[Mukuro looked around. This space was far too open to be discussing something this sensitive. Luckily, there was a janitor's closet nearby. Without much thought, she made a move to grab Naegi's wrist and to drag him into it with her. Never mind how compromising this looks, Mukuro didn't give it much second thought.]

[rebuts]

Wha— Eh?!

[ Yeah, he definitely didn't see that coming. But even if he did, running away from her wasn't exactly an option in the first place, so that's a moot point. Knowing that, there's not much else to do but allow himself to be dragged around without any fuss. Aside from his initial surprise, of course.

While they quickly moved elsewhere, Naegi realized in hindsight that hinting why he came here in a public place where he could be overheard wasn't such a good idea. If that's the reason for the sudden move, then, well, he can understand the need to speak somewhere different. ]

[iksb]

[She discarded her wig and in an instant, Mukuro was standing in front of Naegi rather than "Junko." She felt a lot like herself again, without the need to perform in the manner of her sister.]

I thought I told you I would send word when I ascertained this place was secure?

[Her tone isn't accusatory, but more of curiosity. Did something happen that necessitated people coming here before necessary?]

[rebut]

[ Even though he knew Ikusaba's actual appearance, the quick change still came as a surprise. Not that he has time to dwell on that, considering what she just said. ]

Huh? Wait...

[ Naegi slowly blinked as he processed her words through his head. Send word? What on earth was she talking about? ]

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean by that. The last time I saw you...

[ He trailed off at the end there, reluctant to continue that line of thought. So he decided to slowly and deliberately say something else. ]

I haven't talked to you for almost a month now.

[ Kinda hard to talk to her when she became her name's meaning after all... ]

[iksb]

[The gears were working in Mukuro's head. After what Naegi said, coupled with what Celes and Ishimaru and everyone else said...]

Naegi-kun, do you remember the Spears of Gungnir? Did I...

[Deep breath. It was a lot of effort to keep her voice level. Naegi saved her life, pushed her out of the way and got injured by one of the spears. In another world, she actually died from them. And perhaps...]

Did I die from them?

[rebut]

[ For a moment, Naegi looked down and stayed stock still. Then he let out a quiet breath, looked up, and slowly nodded. Perhaps it'd be better to actually say it out loud, but if possible, he'd rather not outright say the answer. ]

[iksb]

... Where I come from, nobody died.

[The story spilled from Mukuro's lips, as if she couldn't bear to hold it in anymore.]

You had found the Emergency Switch from the school store. You are "Super High School Level Good Luck" for a reason, after all.

[She allowed herself a small, bitter laugh and recounted the entire story. How Naegi regained his memories. How he had saved her from the Spears of Gungnir when Junko tried to kill her. How Junko tried to turn the rest of the class against them, how Mukuro woke up Genocider Syo to distract everyone while she tried to save a bleeding Naegi from going into shock. Mukuro recounted how Kirigiri and Fujisaki bolstered her story, how she ran the Graduation Exam and saved them all with some help from Oogami and Oowada. How people believed her, how everyone began hoping thanks to the combined efforts of her and Naegi. How Naegi really was the key to all of this and how she started to hope thanks to him.

She recounted the whole tale with an odd calmness in her voice, and finished it with...]

We left Hope's Peak. Left sis -- Junko, in there. We're the only one with our memories intact. Or rather...

[Her voice trailed away. Now it was just her.]

[rebuts]

[ Until Ikusaba finished her story, Naegi just sat there and listened intently, not even asking her to stop elaborate. Intuition told him at the beginning that he should first let her talk before asking any questions he had.

By the end of her exposition, however, he thought talking about he remembered happening is far more important than his questions. But before that... ]

...I'm sorry.

[ To think so many deaths could've been averted if he'd just been luckier or if he'd tried to push Ikusaba out of the way... Those thought alone made his mouth run dry and twisted his stomach. Logically, he knew what's done is done, but the guilt's still there lurking despite promising himself he'd move on for everyone's sake. ]

But I...I never got the Emergency Switch.

[ He took a deep breath and continued, voice steady as he spoke about everything that happened from the very beginning. How Monobear started giving them motives to kill each other. How Maizono broke down thanks to Monobear's video and switched rooms with Naegi so she could kill Kuwata, but got killed instead. How Monobear used the Spears of Gungnir to kill Ikusaba, who they thought was Enoshima. How the next motive from Monobear pushed Mondo in a state of mind that led him to kill Fujisaki, and how team douchebag Togami messed with the crime scene to make it appear like Fukawa (or rather Genocider Syo) did it. How Fujisaki built Alter Ego before dying. How Celes killed Yamada after convincing him to kill Ishimaru. How Oogami's honor led her to kill herself rather than kill one of them, but not before opening a locked door to help the investigation. How Monobear...no, Enoshima tried to kill Kirigiri using the school trials by using Ikusaba (since she failed to use Naegi as a victim) and almost killed him instead if it weren't for Alter Ego and Kirigiri's intervention. And lastly, how it all led to the final trial to reveal the school's mysteries and their subsequent escape from Hope's Peak Academy. ]

...This isn't the right time to say it, but I'm sorry Enoshima wouldn't even let the you I remember rest even after...that.

[ Even though it happened because Enoshima failed to kill him and this isn't the same Ikusaba in front of him, he felt obligated to say it anyway.

...And yes, there's a conspicuous lack of honorifics for a certain someone compared to everyone else. ]

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE ASS REPLY

[iksb]

[Mukuro listened, listened to Naegi's story. She was crestfallen when she heard his admission that he did not get the Emergency Switch. This meant that this Naegi, was not the one she knew. She wondered how different this Naegi was from hers and she pondered something.]

You still haven't regained your memories then.

[This admission caused a twang of despair in her chest. Because Mukuro Ikusaba felt more alone in this world than she ever felt before. And this time, she was on the verge of tears. Mukuro took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself, but all her training never prepared her for the crushing feeling in her chest. And her thoughts swirled back to Junko, how Junko was the source of all of this. Even if she wasn't here, she could still cause despair.

She bowed her head and covered her face, ashamed to face Naegi.]

THIS IS LATE TOO...

[rebut]

...Not yet. But it should still be possible in the future, according to what we've heard.

[ Suddenly a sequel hook. His amnesia dissonance felt even more frustrating now, especially with the knowledge that he could have remembered if he had been luckier with a vending machine. In fact, he still had some coins left unused before they all left the academy. Even if there's no way he could've known, he still has the urge to mentally scold himself for, out of all the things, not gambling more. ]

I'm sorry I didn't remember and let all that happen.

[ Read: I'm sorry for letting you, Maizono-san, Kuwata-kun, Fujisaki-san, Oowada-kun, Ishimaru-kun, Yamada-kun, Celes-san, Oogami-san and even Enoshima die when I could have stopped it.

...Speaking of Enoshima, upon seeing how Ikusaba is acting right now, he felt livid at her all over again. Maybe it's because Naegi has a little sister (who he hoped against hope still lives along with his parents), but he felt particularly enraged at how she could treat her own sister in such a horrible way... No, he can't understand her mindset at all.

Naegi closed his eyes for a moment after that train of thought and took a deep breath. Looking angry here will give Ikusaba the wrong idea so he better calm down first before speaking up again. ]

And... It's not your fault, Ikusaba-san.

[ It's totally the bear's fault. ]

[iksb]

[Naegi's words cut through her thoughts. She was thinking about if she knew more about Matsuda and his memory techniques, maybe she could do something about it.]

There's nothing for you to apologise for.

[No, no use thinking about that. She looked up at him.]

Please, call me Mukuro. It's a pleasure to meet you, I hope we can be friends.

1/2

[rebut]

[ For a moment, Naegi's eyes widen in surprise, unsure how to respond. Another introduction? Well, he supposed that made sense considering that she knew a different him (as strange as that sounds). Plus, he technically only remembered meeting her as Junko Enoshima. So he could at least partly respond in kind. ]

[rebut]

[ After going over what to say in his mind once or twice so he wouldn't mess it up (especially a certain part), Naegi smiled and said a half-introduction of his own. ]

Nice to meet you, Mukuro-san. I hope we can get along too.

[ ...Hmm, calling her by first name certainly felt rather strange. Until he got used to that, he will likely slip up a lot. But since she asked, he should make the effort to do so. After all, that's the least he can do, right? ]