Week Four

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, Gershwin High School Academy University saw its very first intentional murder! What a milestone! And right after Spongebob's No Murder party, too - that doesn't seem like it bodes very well for anybody's future.

You all wake up this morning with yet another new memory returned to you. You'll also find that the school's external doors have now unlocked. Congratulations! You're free! Unfortunately, you also seem to be entirely in the middle of nowhere. So maybe it's more of a symbolic victory.

Still, you should look around and do some investigation! Maybe you'll find a fun surprise.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regains and your AC for this week! Hester's office hours and the merch booth also remain available! ))

Comments

Regains

[alchemistake]

[Hi hello of course he heard that scream, he comes running so fast that he actually slips on the linoleum, briefly. He's still not used to floors that aren't just straight wood or cobblestone.]

Rina-chan! What's wrong!?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ The instant she sees Varian she's running over to him, as if trying to hide. ]

Th-There was a knife!! Another knife from the vending machine!

Someone's blood is on it...!!

[alchemistake]

Wh- hang on...I'll check it out.

[Is it like when Maya found...? He doesn't even want to think about it, but he'll gladly put himself in the hot seat over Rina as he steps over to where the knife is laying on the floor where it was left. He gingerly picks it up by the handle, careful not to touch the blade or let the blood from it.]

We should get this to Salieri. Or Maya. They'll know what to do with it.

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She whimpers. ]

Uuu… okay. Thank you Varian-kun… I’m sorry if I scared you.

[alchemistake]

No...it's okay. I'm just glad you're alright.

[Ugh, what to do about this knife though...he'll just...caaarefully slip it into an open spot on his tool belt for the time being. He'll pull it out when he needs to walk, he just doesn't want to keep standing there awkwardly holding it between them.]

Nothing else like that came out of there, right?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She shakes her head. ]

Mm-mm. Nothing like that I think.

[ That reminds her though— ]

Oh! But I did get something nice!

[ She pulls out the CD and shows him. ]

Look, look! It’s me and the rest of the idol club!

[alchemistake]

Huh...?

[Varian turns his attention to the CD, reaching out to carefully take it between his hands so he can get a closer look. And what do you know...that actually is Rina on the cover, along with the rest of her friends in the idol club.]

Woah! It- it's really you!

[Of course she might...have to explain what a CD is.]

[samefacesyndrome]

Uh huh! Look at how cute our costumes are! [ She’s excited to see such cute matching outfits she was under the impression that Nijigasaki would only ever do solo stuff. ]

It’s a CD too. We record music on these and with the right device you can playback the song as many times as you like. That means there’s definitely a song from me on there! Isn’t that amazing?

[alchemistake]

That is amazing...do we have any devices like that here?

[Because if so he'd really like to hear it.]

[samefacesyndrome]

Mmhm! In the dance studio there is.

Do you wanna listen to it together?

[alchemistake]

I'd love to. Let me offload some of the coins in my pockets real quick first, so I'm not carrying them around all day.

[That's part of why he'd been on his way to the cafeteria in the first place, he just. You know. Wasn't expecting to hear a scream.

He'll step forward to put a few in, some of the usual stuff coming out at first. Some rope, more tea, a Sprite he'll happily drink later-

...and then something that sort of...flops out, given the fact it's a uniform.]

...huh? Now what's this...

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Rina looks over and what came out and her eyes widen just a little. ]

That...

That's mine.

[alchemistake]

It's...yours? Really?

[Varian blinks, carefully pulling the uniform out before handing it over to Rina.]

Well that sure is a coincidence...

[samefacesyndrome]

[ As soon as it's passed to her she is... pretty much ripping off whatever costume shop sweater/hoodie she has on today (good thing her shirt is tucked in - no accidental bra slip for you Varian) and putting the one that just came out on immediately. She holds it tight around herself, suddenly feeling more comfortable than she has in weeks. ]

Thank you... My practice clothes were in there before too but... I really wasn't expecting my school uniform.

[alchemistake]

[The speed with which she just immediately puts the uniform on is a little surprising, but...also understandable. He would have done the same thing if anything of his came out of the machine. He's been wearing his goggles literally since he saw Maya had gotten them, after all.]

You're welcome. I'm glad you were able to get them back.

Good timing too, since we're going to listen to your CD and all.

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Listen there's a lot of hoodies here but. This is Her hoodie. With the cozy fabric and smell she knows best. It's like finding a security blanket.

She nods. ] Mm.

[ And then reaches for his hand. ]

Let's go listen then.

[alchemistake]

[HANDHOLDING...

But with that, Varian will walk with Rina back to the dance room. Show him what you got, girl.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She leads him to the dance studio, reading the tracklist on the back as she does. When they get there she kneels in front of the CD player. ]

Um... it looks my song is the second to last one on here. All my friends sing before me... is that okay?

[ She could just skip through them all but. She misses them real bad... ]

[alchemistake]

Oh yeah, that's fine. I needed a break from my work for a while anyway.

[He says as he finds somewhere to sit nearby. It'll be nice to have a distraction that's a bit more...lighthearted, too. Something that doesn't involve him working himself to the bone.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She puts the CD in, gently setting aside the one already in there, and presses play. Once it’s loading, a very cheery song starts to play.

“Although I'm a small, small bud now
The day will come when I'll bloom
Into a big flower”

Even though the song isn’t one she remembers hearing before she recognizes that voice instantly. ]

Ah— that’s definitely Ayumu-san.

[ It’s weird - hearing the voice of someone she hasn’t seen in what feels like forever now. ]

[alchemistake]

[...oh wow, they all really do have voices like this, don't they? Not that he's saying they sound the same, far from it...he's pretty sure he could pick Rina out in a crowd, at this point. It's just...different?

But it's a good different. He likes it.]

This is a really happy sounding song.

[samefacesyndrome]

Mmm, it is isn't it? Ayumu-san is a lot like... a pretty fairy. Or a bunny. She's shy like me but in a different way? So it's nice to hear her sing a song like this.

[ "My days used to be boring and melancholic
But since then I've forgotten all about it
Now it's hectic but also fun
These new days will continue" ]

Actually, now that I think about it... if it weren't for Ayumu-san I might not have even heard about school idols. I heard about it for the first time when she and her friend Yu-san were looking for the club and asked me if I knew where it was.

[ "Although I still can't find the answer to it
Let's keep growing together
From now and forever" ]

[alchemistake]

Oh yeah? Guess you have her to thank for the way your life turned out then, huh?

[Like a fairy or a bunny...cute. He doubts he'll ever meet Ayumu, but he's thankful to her. She's given Rina a lot of good memories to fall back on, which she deserves to have.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She giggles. ] Hehee, yeah.

[ Though sorry Ayumu, she's pressing skip. She'll give this song a proper listen later. Afterwards an even more upbeat song starts to play.

"Yay! Yay! Let's go everyone!
Come on, Come on, Wonderland!
A happy Wonderland for everyone!" ]

...That's definitely Kasumi-san.

[ Yeah she's. Pressing skip. Immediately. SORRY KASUMI BUT YOU'RE TOO CUTE... YOU COULD BE COMPETITION. The other song afterwards is significantly more mellow and elegant.

"Even the Audrey I adore
Had to have felt so lonely
But with how radiant her gaze is
I can't begin to imagine it" ]

And that's Shizuku-san...

[ She'll let that one play... for now. ]

They're both in the same grade as me - Kasumi-san wants to be the cutest idol in the universe and Shizuku-san is also in the drama club and wants to become an actress.

I'd say the three of us get along pretty well... being the youngest members and all. Kasumi-san even calls us "Shizuko" and "Rinako".

[alchemistake]

[Varian notices the skipping, but he doesn't comment on it. He honestly just assumes she's trying to reach one of her own songs sooner while also giving him a little preview of everyne else's.]

You know, I don't think I ever asked you how many others are in your club...