Editor: RioA
Art: ShyJoker
It was a bright and sunny day as I awoke from my slumber. I groggily yawned, wiping my eyes and stretching. I felt like my limbs were going to be torn off from the amount of popping noises that came out. I didn't want to leave the comfort of my bed, but my body told me to get up or else it was going to shut down on me and never work again.
Usually I would enjoy sleeping in on a day like this, but today was a very special day indeed. It wasn't any other ordinary weekend, no...it was much more than that.
I sat up in my bed, blinking a few times until I got a good look of our room. To be honest, it wasn't anything special- it felt like every other teenager's room you might have seen before.
The ceiling was an off shade color of grey that made the room look more dull than it already was, my wallside of the room was a dark blue and my sister's side a dark red color, the floor was an ugly dark brown carpet, we both had our own bathroom to ourselves and shared it like twins would do, except we would take turns since we weren't identical twins of the same gender.
My side of the room was something every teenage boy would have- a TV with a DVD player was in the center of the room on top of a wooden drawer filled with our clothes. There was also a shelf filled with comic books, manga, and DVDs. I had a few posters on the wall of my favorite rock bands from Tomorrow's Sorrow to Crashing Phoenix, then one from my favorite TV show called '10 Reasons To Live A Lie', and one for a video game series I really, really loved called 'Fandanranpo'.
I shared a closet with my sister, which I didn't mind, but the clutter and stacks of clothing was a nightmare to sort out and fold. My side was filled with t shirts, pants, socks, sneakers, and other essentials all neatly cleaned and pressed. Meanwhile, my sister's side was slightly messy- some color clothing were mismatched, some shirts were crinkled, and it seemed one of her shoes was missing, probably at school or something.
Compared to my more nerdy and geeky side of the room, my sister had more of a creative taste in terms of decor. It was more expressive and had that artistic flair to it.
Her shelves had art books, paints, brushes, colored pencils, sketch books, and an endless amount of art supplies I can't remember off of the top of my head. She also had her fair share of posters on the wall of her favorite anime 'Kissed The Wrong Boy' and some video games from 'Mash Gandicate' to 'Aria Festival 10'. My sister preferred more sparkly and romantic types of stories compared to my more mellow and I guess cool preference, if you can call it that.
However, the one thing the two of us can say with full confidence, is that we have a common interest in the same thing. Which was mysteries- specifically murder mysteries to be precise. Well, I'm getting off topic right now- me and my silly rambling.
My name is Ekichirou Yoshirenku, but please call me Kichi all my friends do. I'm 16 years old going on 17 this year and I'm considered the Ultimate Lucky Student according to everyone else.
EKICHIROU YOSHIRENKU - ULTIMATE LUCKY STUDENT
It's a very silly title in my opinion. My talent is that I'm luckier than the average student, fortune is always in my favor and everything seems to go my way no matter what the circumstance. I like to call it both a curse and a blessing at the same time. I don't mind having it since it's saved me a couple of times in the past, but sometimes I feel like other people don't actually like me as a person per se. It's not that I have any bad qualities or anything, not that I'm aware of, but more so people want to be around me, only for my good luck alone and not because of my personality or efforts. Nope, they're just looking for a way to make their miserable lives better by being around me, thinking that if they spend time with me more often, then my luck will rub off on them.
Which is one of the reasons why I dislike my talent so much, I don't feel like a human in my own skin. I feel like...I was a mistake.
I'd like to believe I was cursed to have nothing but good things happen to me - like an evil spirit had put an enchantment on me while I was a baby, making it so that nothing could go wrong no matter how hard I tried. I gave up on that myth a long time ago, it seems the luck is going to haunt me like a shadow at night for as long as live.
I wanted to get out of bed, but the warmth coming from my poofy blanket beckoned me to stay a bit longer. It was tempting to sleep in, but not right now.
"I can't sleep like this," I thought in my head, "Today's the day…"
I glanced over to the nightstand in between our beds and looked at the acceptance letters that were resting there. The two pieces of paper both had all our Reverse Revival Project information, all filled out with a green check mark on each one to confirm we both got accepted at the same time.
I grabbed both papers and perused their contents fully. Mine had my picture near the top left, attached by a staple. Looking back on it now, it may not be the best ever.
My golden blond hair was styled in a way where it looked spiky but had a windblown look to it as if I had just come out of a car wash blow drying system, my skin was white but had the impression of a light tan as if I had been to the beach recently, I looked tall in the picture but maybe being around average height was normal for a guy like me.
But the one thing that made the picture more unique was my red eyes, which upon first glance might make me look demonic, but it might be true, could be the devil's luck who knows.
My sister's own was slightly crinkled but had her information on it as well. I looked at her messy portrait, as it seemed she couldn't make out a smile in the picture.
Her messy dark brown hair reached her shoulders and had a few strands sticking out from the side and one on the top of her head. Her fair white skin and slightly rosy cheeks made her look cuter than she likes to think she is. She always had this disconcerted frown on her face but it was shaped in a way where she looked like she was trying to smile.
But the most notable thing about her, just like me, were her eyes- they were a sad light blue color. I like to think they compliment my red eyes since the two of us are siblings. Red and blue tend to go well with each other.
I still can't believe we both got accepted into this program. I was literally in awe as soon as we got the mail yesterday morning. Out of thousands of applicants, the two of us managed to get in which was a feat in of its own. I kind of expected myself to get in almost immediately, but my sister as well considering her talent? That was the surprising factor.
I put the papers down on the nightstand, sleepily looked at the bright morning light that was pouring out from our window, and yawned louder than before. The birds chirped merrily, cars passed by in a hurry- it was relatively quiet for a morning like this. It was almost as if this was a sign from God himself.
I turned to my left and stared at my sister, snuggled up inside her blanket, resting in her bed as she lay quietly like a lamb sleeping in a grass field. Her messy hair rested on her poofy purple pillow, her hair strewn across the ends. She tried her best to avoid the morning sunlight from entering her eyes and waking her up.
"Good morning sis," I chuckled, pulling the blankets off of her body, "Time to get up!"
"Ugh…" she moaned, turning her body away from the light, "Five more minutes…."
I laughed as I tossed her blanket to the side of her bed, watching her wriggle around for a bit.
"Cherry, it's time to get up," I told her sternly, "Today is the day!"
"Huh….already…" she sleepily yawned, turning over to face me, still laying on the bed.
"Yes, now get dressed. The limo is going to pick us up in an hour or two," I told her.
"Ok…" she meekly said, sitting up. Her eyes were still closed shut as she tried her best to get out of bed, "Please don't go too far...I don't want to fall again in the shower."
I nodded as she yawned some more, almost choking on some of her messy hair strands, as she began coughing out hair. She headed inside the bathroom to freshen up, after feeling the walls to see if she could reach the door with her eyes closed.
That's my little, twin sister, Cherika Yoshirenku. She was the same age as me, but I was born only a few minutes ahead of her, so technically, I was the eldest.
And she had a talent, much like me, but hers was…..something unpleasant to say the least.
She was deemed as the Ultimate Unlucky Student.
CHERIKA YOSHIRENKU - ULTIMATE UNLUCKY STUDENT
Now you might be wondering- what the hell, unlucky student? How is being unlucky considered a talent? And who in their right mind would give her such a demeaning title?
Well, to put it simply, unlike my situation, her talent was purely a curse in every sense of the word. Nothing ever goes her way. She always got into sticky situations because of her extremely bad luck. It seems like the world itself is almost out to get her.
It's as if some evil puppet master tied invisible strings to her body as a baby, controlling her every movement since she was able to walk. I didn't know if she was born with it- like I am with my luck- but I do know that she doesn't deserve this kind of treatment.
Whereas people want to be around me because of my good luck, my sister is the antithesis. Everyone practically shuns her to the point where they don't even acknowledge her existence. Sometimes when people did talk to her, it was only because they either knew I was her brother and used her to get to me, or they pitied her only to avoid her like the rest already do.
I always like to think that in order for my good luck to exist, she needed to have bad luck in order to counteract me or something. If that was the case, then it's the cruelest joke ever conceived, like an evil trickster had stolen all her lucky traits away from her in the middle of the night as she slept.
I started tidying our room whilst she was in the shower- getting ready, folding the clothes, tucking in the corners of our bed covers, dusting the shelves, laying out our clothes, and even letting some air into the room by opening up the window.
"Ow!" yelped a scream coming from the bathroom, "Not again.."
I rushed over to the bathroom door and knocked on it.
"Cherry are you alright!?" I worriedly panicked, "Did you slip again?"
"No Kichi….the water valve switched to hot again," she whimpered, "I got scalded is all...nothing new."
I sighed with relief. Good thing the water wasn't too hot. Even taking a simple shower is a chore for her, which is the sad thing about her situation- simple tasks are hard to do, so I end up having to take care of her all the time. Well, not that I mind.
As the running water in the bathroom stopped, Cherika came out into the bedroom. A dark red towel was wrapped around her skinny body from her chest downwards as she wiped her eyes from the water that blasted directly into her face.
"Your turn, Kichi.." she mumbled as she headed over to her bed to get ready.
"Thanks sis," I smiled, grabbing my clothes, heading inside the bathroom and closing the door behind me.
The bathroom wasn't as outstanding like our bedroom. The floor had white tiles with black lines over the pattern. The walls were a cemented grey color, and it was slightly cramped with how narrow it was. There was one toilet, the shower was very tiny, and the showerhead had thin holes in it caked with white soap suds. There was one big bathroom sink with a cupboard underneath that my sister and I shared.
I turned on the dim light, rested my clothes near the sink, took off my pajamas, and headed inside the shower, adjusting the valve so that it stays on the warmest setting.
"Aw man, another hole..." Cherika moaned from in the bedroom, "I really liked that top too…"
I brushed my hair back with warm water as I took off the shower. I grabbed my dark blue towel resting near the shower on a metal hanger, then taking a quick look at myself in the mirror. I was noticing small bags underneath, making my red eyes look even more sinister than they were before. My hair was pushed back as I began wiping it with my towel, eventually going back to its windswept look from before.
I sighed even more, not bothering to style it, dried off the rest of my body, and began putting on my clothes. My outfit was something I really liked, it was a look that I feel suited me.
It consisted of a green shirt with the kanji for 'lucky' written in gold lettering and a gold four leaf clover near the neckline. My jacket comprised of a sleeveless jean part that was on my torso with long grey sleeves. My jeans were a light green color that was originally dark blue, but somehow the colors got mixed up in the washing machine. My dark green converse sneakers with black lacing were tied into a perfect bow, and, to complete the look, I wore my signature dark blue newspaper boy hat.
This way, my hair didn't make me stand out and I could feel more comfortable walking in public without people staring to see if there was a chicken on my head or something.
From my overall look, you might think I was some skater boy wannabe or something- I wouldn't blame you.
"Ok, all set," I remarked, looking at myself in the mirror one last time, "You can do this Ekichirou...just smile and act like it's another regular day."
I exited the shower room and saw my sister struggling to put her outfit on. Her head was having a hard time getting through the hole in the top and her sleeves were put into the wrong armholes.
"Oh, Cherry," I shook my head, stifling some laughter, "Let me help you."
"T-Thanks.." she said, trying her best to wriggle out of her predicament.
I held the shirt in place as her head popped out from the top- like something from one of those whack a mole games- as her arms slipped into the sleeves with ease.
"Is that better?" I asked, ruffling her hair.
"Yep..thanks Kichi," she smiled nervously, her messy hair still slightly unkempt as usual.
As I stood back I took a good look at her outfit. It consisted of a bright red top with black butterflies near the lower part near her waist, dark blue jeans, dark red strap shoes with black straps connecting to the middle top part of her foot with red gems in the middle of each, a dark grey sweater jacket wrapped around her body like a blanket as the sleeves reached to her hands, a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant hanging from it and to finish her look off, she had a red and black butterfly hair pin on the front of her bangs near her forehead to prevent hair from going into her face.
"Looks good, Cherry," I gave her a thumbs up and smiled, "Although you might want to get rid of the bedhead."
"Oh shush Kichi…" she rolled her eyes, "Can you brush it for me please?"
"Of course," I smiled, grabbing a red hairbrush from the dresser, "Let's hope you don't have any knots or loose ends like last time."
She sat on her bed as I began combing it down and styling it so that her hair didn't look thin or stringy. I managed to get it to look slightly neater, but some strands still stood up on the top of her head and a few on the sides. Oh well.
"Welp that's the best I can do," I sighed, taking the hairbrush and setting it inside a dark grey duffle bag, "How does it look?"
She stared into the window by her bed, getting a little glimpse of her outfit and face.
"It's good...thank you, Kichi," she blushed and looked down at her feet, "Are you...sure about this?"
I looked at her with concern as she uttered similar words like the ones from last night. I understood how she could get cold feet….but this program….this is our chance. Our chance to escape from everything...a chance to restart our lives….and to start anew.
"Cherry," I stood on one knee looking at her, "I know you're scared, but look at it this way- once we finish this program, you won't have to worry about being called an Ultimate Unlucky student anymore."
She sighed deeply, closing her eyes and shaking her head, still not feeling sure about all of this.
"Ok...I..t-trust you," she looked me in the eye, almost wanting to cry.
"Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen," I hugged her to reassure her, "I promise."
Those words were like a pen of fate- they wrote a future that was unforetold. Uncertainty was a risk that everyone was willing to take if it meant getting what they wanted in the end. My sister and I...we knew of the risks that it would take to join this program, but we ultimately knew it was our only salvation from escaping our caged lives.
"Beep beep!" a horn from outside sounded. I looked out the window to see that our limo was here and right on time too.
"It's time…" I said to Cherika, "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes...my art supplies, my video games, my Ipod, my clothes, and other essentials," she nodded, showing me a black backpack and a dark red handbag filled with all the stuff she could carry on her person.
"Ok good," I pumped myself up, "Let's head down!"
I opened the door, letting Cherika head out first. I didn't hesitate, not taking a look back at our shared room and headed down the stairs with a stride in my step.
I noticed mom and dad's cars were missing which meant they were at work or some party or something. I noticed the dining table in the kitchen which had only three chairs available and a plate of breakfast resting on a dull brown placemat.
I scoffed at it as the two of us headed outside, waiting to greet the bright future ahead of us. The day that we've both been waiting for is coming true. Today we both embark on a journey to expunge our talents for good.
A black limo awaited the two of us. It's sleek shine almost blinded us as a middle aged man with dark black hair and silver eyes, also wearing a chauffeur's uniform, came out and greeted the both of us with a bow.
"Good morning, Ultimates," he politely said, "Thank you for choosing the Reverse Revival program. Please, allow me."
He opened the door for us, smiled a pearly white smile as Cherika entered first, with me following close behind. The driver closed the door as the two of us got comfortable inside, admiring what was inside.
The interior of the limo was something I thought I would never see in my entire life. The seats were made of a red velvet leather cushioning, the floor was a fuzzy black carpet, it was wide in length, it had a mini fridge with drinks and snacks at our convenience, a small LED TV hanging from the wall of the car, and a video game console resting on a built in shelf with two wireless gaming controllers at our disposal.
"Oh sweet, this looks so cool!" I gazed at the amenities in front of us, "This must have cost a lot."
"I suppose so…" Cherika sighed, resting her head on the leather seats and taking out a small pillow from her bag.
"Excuse me sir," I asked the driver, "How long will this drive take?"
The driver rolled down his tinted window, stopped the car and looked back at the both of us through the mirror.
"I would say maybe about 7 or 8 hours,give or take one due to traffic, so settle in," he tipped his hat as he rolled the window back up.
"Oh thank goodness…" Cherika yawned, resting her head and closing her eyes to sleep.
I didn't pay it much mind as he started the car and it began to move. Hopefully he doesn't drive too fast- Cherika gets motion sickness easily. I sat down resting my head on the seat as I turned on the TV, watching the news play as Cherika snored quietly, wanting to get a few more minutes of shut eye.
"And now in other news," said a news announcer that appeared on the screen, "It has been said that Kiichigo Yanagi, the founder of the Reverse Revival Project, will be attending his next talent removal session this week, as another new group of Ultimates plan to go through with this project."
I kept watching the TV, a bit intrigued with the broadcast. So it seemed the man himself was coming to greet us in person- that must mean this part of the project must be a special occasion for him or something.
I didn't do much research on Mr. Yanagi or his past work, but from what I've heard, his success rates with removing Ultimate talents is almost in the 90 percentile margin. I do sometimes wonder why he decided to start this program, but I shouldn't complain if it yields beneficial results.
"However, critics are still unsure of this project," she continued her spiel, "Saying, 'This project will only deter talent and produce nothing but more slackers', as one prolific critic put it. Most notably from Hope's Peak Academy, a prestigious school dedicated to fostering these so called Ultimate Talents, has spoken out against this project as well, claiming it to be one big scam."
I snorted at the claim. Of course the school would speak ill of this program. They only care about their money, not the actual students themselves. This project is basically their kryptonite, the more Ultimates that willingly choose to remove their talents, the more money and fame the school will seek to lose in the process.
I turned off the TV, not wanting to hear anymore of that slander. I grabbed a drink from the mini fridge, opened the top, and sipped it.
"Grape soda, my favorite," I smiled, sipping some more of the refreshing beverage, "This is good stuff, not like the cheap soda from the convenience stores."
As I sat in the car, waiting for something to happen, I started to feel slightly drowsy, noticing the limo was spinning around and that Cherika didn't make a single peep.
"I guess I'm more tired than I thought…" I sleepily yawned, my eyes too heavy to stay open as I felt a it tipsy.
I didn't know what came over my body in that instant, but I could tell something felt weird. Call it a pure gut instinct, but I had a feeling that something was going to happen to the two of us. For better or for worse, I knew that we had to stick with it, even if it meant we would forfeit our previous lives for new ones.
As the limo drove to who knows where, I felt my body getting weaker and weaker as I couldn't move a muscle no matter how hard I tried. I eventually gave into the overwhelming drowsiness and fell asleep.
Like they always say..tempting fate is one of the the worst things you could ever do in life.
The Reverse Revival Project thanks you for joining us…..
A/N: Hello hello hello, it's so nice to see you all again after so long of not updating for a bit.
Today is my birthday! Yep, I grow one year older on this day and await the sweet release of death with each breath I take, JK. I decided why not post this chapter to thank you guys for sticking by my stories and giving me so much love and encouragement. I love you all so much, thank you for reading my stories and not cringing all the way! :3
First of all I just wanted to say thank you all so much for submitting some wonderful OC to my little passion project. I really appreciate it and it warms my heart to know you all actually like my writing as cringy as it is XD. Maybe it's the unique theme of the story, but who knows ;3
Secondly, over 50 OC...just wow. It wasn't easy choosing ones from the long list, but somehow I did it. I'm sorry to the creators whose OC didn't make it into the cast, I loved all the submissions, but I had to choose 22, they were so good I had to end up making two more spots and there was no way I'm making it 24 X3.
Thirdly, to the creators whose OC made it onto the list, congratulations! YAY!
I hope I do your characters justice, you sure gave me a lot of detail to each one and it's going to be a bit hard having to kill one of them off in the first chapter, :3….send help...JK.
Fourthly, thank you all so much again for bearing with me on this long three month submissions process. I know it was time consuming and arduous and I had a lot of time to mull it over, but hopefully this roster of OC looks good to you all. I had fun reading the forms and seeing how your OC wanted to get rid of their talents.
Lastly, sorry for the infrequent uploads and jumping to the top of FF so much, a guy's got to do what a guy's got to do XD. Also I've been pretty busy with other stuff as well IRL, driving, learning my bearings and other personal stuff. My mental health has been slightly all over the place, but I'm feeling much better now and I can't wait to get this project off the ground.
As of right now, I'm not sure how to manage three stories all at once, but I do know that I will try to make a chapter for at least one of each story, if I can, so that each one can get close to finishing faster, and I can get a head start on working on my other stories X3. Oh, my silly overactive imagination.
But enough of me rambling, here's the official Laughable Rejects Cast and I will see you guys in the future, whenever I decide to upload next, they might be sporadic at worst, but just remember I prefer quality over quantity, so I hope that's ok.
Meet the cast of LR and it's time to venture on their journey into the Reverse Revival Project. We hope you enjoy your stay Ultimates….it might be your last.
ACCEPTED STUDENTS FOR LAUGHABLE REJECTS:
MALES:
Ekichirou Yoshirenku – Ultimate Lucky Student (Me!)
Christopher O'Donnell - Ultimate Tragic Knight (Swordsman795)
Nashi Akira - Ultimate Soothsayer (R3dLuv3Singin)
Banri Gingka – Ultimate ? (ShyJoker)
Gabriel Mudd – Ultimate Garbologist (PainX65)
Asahi Fujioka - Ultimate Tea Brewer (RioA)
Itsuki Ogasawara - Ultimate EMT (SanityRequiem)
Daiko Hakazi - Ultimate Defense Attorney (Ziggymia123)
Norio Kuromiya - Ultimate Vigilante (Autis2418)
Genki Ohno - Ultimate Risk Analyst (Crimson Spider Lily)
Hibiki Miyamoto - Ultimate J-Pop Idol (AnonChan1)
FEMALES:
Cherika Yoshirenku – Ultimate Unlucky Student (Me also)
Tsukae Shinzou - Ultimate Charmer (mayurie)
Shiho Mukai – Ultimate Survivalist (DancingCactuar)
Shion Ninomiya – Ultimate Songwriter (Lupus Overkill)
Hotaru Ikeru - Ultimate Arsonist (zephryr)
Ayano Akatsuka - Ultimate E-Sports Pro (Sparkquill)
Chihaya Sato - Ultimate Clown (PoisonBanana)
Aki Sasaki - Ultimate Research Scientist (Abitat Eco)
Galiana Al Earnestine - Ultimate Prosecutor (Wolffang1795)
Jun Nousagi - Ultimate Digital Artist (irwegwert)
Shannon Akahoshi - Ultimate Runner (TheRoseShadow21)
Happy reading my fellow readers, authors, otaku and all of the above alike, I hope you all have a wonderful day, night or whatever holiday you might be celebrating at this moment. Bye bye!
