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

[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...

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She's already hitting skip again by the time Varian speaks, the singer of the next one having a deeper more mature voice

"Today was again like one of those stories of fluttering away
I feel like I was left behind
That honest smile, that always gave itself over to its feelings,
is far away" ]

Umm... including me there's about... 10 of us. Though only 9 of us are idols. Yu-san is in the club but she's more of a... support role? She doesn't want to be an idol, but she loves them and she helps us with everything. She even comes along to practice.

[ And she's also going to compose music for you in season 2 probably. ]

...Honestly it's hard to imagine things without her around. I actually... wanted to back out of my concert, you know. The day before. But everyone came to talk me out of it and Yu-san especially said a lot of things that helped. She even stayed up late and helped me finish the Rina-chan Board.

[alchemistake]

[Rina wanted to back out...that doesn't surprise him, so he's glad to hear that her friends were able to help her like that. Ten girls all working together to make this idol group what it is...it's kindof ironic that someone so shy as Rina ended up with so many friends, he thinks.]

Well, if I ever get to meet these friends of yours, I'll have to thank them for helping you out so much.

And compliment them on their singing of course, because wow.

1/?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ "Since when could it have been?
My ideal self seems to be closing by
Yet your wish being the first is fine for me
I am really fine with this. It should be that way... but why?" ]

I'd really like it if you could meet them. I don't know how it could happen but... they're all really precious to me, heehee. When we're together it's like we make a beautiful rainbow.

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Though maybe it's best she doesn't think too much about the future. What would happen when they got out of here? Could they even stay together?

"My dearest
I can't push myself into your heart
But if you were to indulge me, just a little
Then hold me within your arms
The real me, who is weak until I fall apart" ]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Instead of thinking on it too much she turns her attention back to the song. ]

Um... this one is Karin-senpai. She's...

[samefacesyndrome]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ How........... do you even explain Karin..........

........ ]

done

[samefacesyndrome]

[ In a completely dead pan voice: ]

She's super hot.

[ RINA... ]

[alchemistake]

[R I N A]

H-h-

[Varian would have choked if he weren't just sitting there doing nothing, good lord.]

I mean...she- definitely sounds like it...

1/2

[samefacesyndrome]

[ LISTEN MAN THAT'S JUST HER CHARACTER. THE HOT ONE. ]

Mm. She's one of our oldest members of the club and a model... lots of girls like her.

[ Hence why Rina doesn't feel unsure about letting Varian hear her: she's hot but also like. Older and out of most people's league. And gay.

They've lingered on this one too long though so she presses skip and... the next one makes her pause. ]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ "If we don't talk, we'll always be strangers
If we don't talk, we'd be wasting a great chance
Tell me more about yourself
Tell me the food you like and tell me your type" ]

......

[ "I love it when you're laughing
And I don't mind you when you're mad
But if I had to choose, a smile is better
So I'll try joking around next to you" ]

...That's Ai-san.

[ You know. The same Ai-san she mentioned was her only friend until she started getting memories back. ]

[alchemistake]

[....oh.

Varian's smile fades just a little as he leans forward, his arms folded over his knees.]

Ai...

[...]

She sounds exactly like how I imagined she might, somehow.