Your New Life

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Another New Life

You wake up to the sound of surf, much, much closer than you've ever heard it unless you moseyed down to Puffin Pier back in the old days. What old days...? Why, the days when you had a body, of course. The memories are probably coming back by now, jumbled along with everything else you lost. What a wake-up call.

But at least the ocean is real, unlike your dubiously fragmented remembrances. This little island out in the middle of nowhere sports a crude sign reading DUCK DAMNED ISLAND that seems like it's really railing against whatever fate you've been left to. There are little seashells and sparkling fragments amongst the sand to the left of your face. If you look further, to the left and right, it seems you're not the only one who's woken up here; it's considerably less cushy than your last wakeup, but maybe that's not a bad thing.

Here, you're free, albeit... kind of incorporeal, as you'll soon find out. The island is covered in pretty little trees that don't quite form a forest, bowed over the really beautiful sandy beach that is way prettier than the one on the mainland. One, slightly rickety treehouse -- bare of anything, because incorporeal ghosts don't need furniture, of course -- peeks out from between the leaves. This is, apparently, your home away from home now.

Finally, there's a small bay-like area on the island that leads you to a strange-looking storm drain, marked with a symbol that's not-quite-an-apple. Stepping in will wash you alllllll the way back up to Puffin Pier, right where the sewers normally let out.

Oh, and once you step onto the mainland? You're now a duck. What kind of quacking afterlife is this.

((OOC: the tldr; about death is here!))

Main NavWeek Two

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[driftedaway]

Who's he? [ Because he doubts it's Harusawa, from what he's heard from him. ]

[aurevoirx2]

Hakuraku-sensei. Our art club supervisor.

[driftedaway]

[ ... ] I don't like that name very much. Even if he helped you feel better.

[aurevoirx2]

You can tell, just from the name? He told me exactly what I wanted to hear after my parents decided to move to Hokkaido.

Adela-san too, I guess, when we arrived.

[driftedaway]

Not really, I just don't. [ But that's not important to elaborate on right now. So he'll just sigh and continue on. ]

...Yeah, Adela said what I wanted to hear too. Part of her reminds me of MAMIYA. [ Hence why he was so easily enthralled when they first met. ] Were they something like that for you?

[aurevoirx2]

[ ... ]

She encouraged me to kill, even though I was scared about my memories.... I doubt she'd be willing to run herself through a knife I'm holding though, like him.

[driftedaway]

[ That sounds like an evil organization thing to do, all right... But even if he was prepared for it, he can't stop the sinking feeling in his stomach at hearing that. He really does like Adela a lot. And Otonashi's...well, he doesn't have something to gain by lying here. ]

Not many people would... I couldn't bear that searing hot pain.

[ He never wanted to remember how it pierced his stomach, bled him out. ]

[aurevoirx2]

And? What about you, then.

If you want to vent about it, anyway.

[driftedaway]

...I can tell you later. Right now, I want to hear you out first.

So what happened with your parents and Hakuraku?

[aurevoirx2]

... Didn't I already say...

[driftedaway]

Yes, but it looks like you have more to say about them. So...go ahead. I don't care about how you say it.

[aurevoirx2]

Like what? That I hate everything they did to me? Isn't that obvious already.

[driftedaway]

If that's what you want to talk more about, sure. There's no limit.

...I'm going to talk a lot about how adults and adulthood sucks after this, so it's only fair. Or as close to fair as we can get in this situation, I guess.

[aurevoirx2]

That really sums it up doesn't it.

Adults really, really suck.

[driftedaway]

I know I'm overgeneralizing, but yeah.

[ There are exceptions, but the overall conclusion isn't really changing right now. ]

Adults who can't protect the children around them are some of the worst.

[aurevoirx2]

And actively harming them. Always trying to look good for other people. Selfishly doing only what they want.

[ This is fine... They can just vent like this. ]

[driftedaway]

Taking your trust and using it against you when convenient for them. Forcing them into a lifestyle they don't want. Only giving a hand when they know it's too late.

[ He's still processing the anger he feels on behalf of himself and Ryou, so sure, let's go with this. ]

[aurevoirx2]

[ oh are they being specific? ]

Not even letting a child sit with them to eat. Taking out life insurance hoping you'd die. Telling you other people would throw you away if you told them.

[driftedaway]

[ apparently. ]

...Beating you up...drowning you...and telling you they'd stop only when you deny your best friend. And then having the gall to tell you to give up and grow up.

[ Maybe it's because of how much he was crying earlier, but his voice has less and less force in it the longer he talks. ]

[aurevoirx2]

Taking you away from your best friend, who's the only thing that means to you. Wanting you to make art of death for his own fantasies. Saying he's helping you and getting angry when you change your mind.

[ sora's going to die mad at this rate, again ]

[driftedaway]

...Yeah, that's the worst.

[ This time Keito doesn't respond with more. But he does slowly sit up from where he was lying down, pointedly ignoring the complaints from his muscles. Then with unsteady legs, he stands up, moves a few steps towards Otonashi, and plops himself right back down again.

He exhales. ]

...Hey, Otonashi?

[aurevoirx2]

... Hnm? [ They're not complaining anymore? ]

[driftedaway]

[ Nah, not right now. He has something else to say. Something he might have secretly wanted to say at least once. ]

Clench your teeth!

[ Because Keito's here to give him the absolutely most ridiculous hair-ruffling on the history of this island. Better hope he likes the Super Saiyan look. ]

[aurevoirx2]

?!?! [ Huh? What's happening right now?? What'd he even say. ]

Wh-what are you doing?!

[driftedaway]

Making your hair super spiky! [ That's totally an answer, right?! ]