Bridge, 03:10 PM
"It's been forced, then." Hajime remarked as he looked over the console, peering inside the circular hole that held a collection of frayed wires that seemingly had ended up like that after having what they were connected to torn away.
"It doesn't seem like the original is here, well, they'd probably throw it over the side of the ship. Unlike before, disposing of evidence is a simple matter." Nagito deduced from behind him. Hajime nodded, still not liking the connection to 'before' but it wasn't like it was untrue.
"Kazuichi, what can you say about the replacement?" Hajime asked the sharp toothed young man who was studying over the device meticulously. He kept his eyes glued to it and turned it over once or twice before scratching the back of his head and turning back to Hajime.
"Well uh, while the original displayed information provided from the scanners that fed it through the wires but this one isn't connected to anything and just displays whatever is programmed into it." Kazuichi explained slowly, eyeing Hajime carefully as he did so.
"What is it?" Hajime asked, noticing the mechanic's averting gaze and already guessing what was about to come out of Kazuichi's mouth.
"Well... ya know. The culprit is someone who knows how to build this kind of thing and can program it with specific naval stuff. It's pretty obvious who this is all pointing toward." he claimed.
Hajime took a deep sigh and felt a tinge of annoyance with Kazuichi as he opened his eyes and gave Kazuichi a stern, severe look.
"Kazuichi, you accusing me is getting repetitive. Think about it, I may have every talent known to Hope's Peak but does that mean I'm the only one who can do these things?" Hajime asked, receiving a blank look in response.
"Nekomaru, for example, is a great fighter but he isn't the Super High School Level Fighter. And our Byakuya isn't the Super High School Level Dietitian but he is exceptionally knowledgeable about the effects of food. Even if they don't have the title they can still be talented in a field. Can't you understand that?" he told Kazuichi forcibly.
"S-Still, you're the most suspicious one by far! You've been around the console every day." Kazuichi retorted, getting a little heated as he pointed a finger towards Hajime. Hajime's second personality taking particular exception to that.
"If that's the case then why would I set the fake navigation console? To trick myself?" Hajime argued back, his logical side getting slightly angered now as he took a step toward Kazuichi. The mechanic was admittedly taken back by that logic as he struggled to respond but, as was his normal way-
"Actually, Hajime. You could have done that to use for your defense." Nagito chimed in, cornering Hajime out of the blue. Seeing Hajime's frown, Nagito smiled "Come on, Hajime, refute my accusation and prove your innocence." he assured sickeningly.
Of course, this was a challenge. This was Nagito's way. There was no way around dealing with him so he just had to face it directly.
"I couldn't have prepared that fake because if my intention was to fool everyone, there wouldn't be any frayed wires. I have Kazuichi's talent as well and was around when he worked on everything. I'd be able to remove the wires seamlessly." Hajime countered, hoping it was enough to sate the luckster's curiosity.
"Hmmm..." Nagito placed a finger against his chin and wondered for a few seconds before smiling widely "Okay. Despite the fact you could also have predicted that line of questioning, but I'll accept your answer for now!" he announced happily though Hajime wasn't satisfied.
"You already said you don't think it was me. Why are you continuing to test me?" he asked, eyebrow crooked. Even if he didn't want to go through this investigation, he just wanted it over with and that wasn't going to happen quickly with Nagito's constant accusations.
"Is that a joke?" Nagito's expression went blank with confusion, his seemingly innocent ignorance merely causing Hajime's eyes to narrow suspiciously as the luckster went on.
"You are the Super High School Level Hope, the ultimate talent! You are destined to pave the way for hope, how could I not feel the urge to test you and allow you to shine?" Nagito asked with genuine mirth as he grinned expectantly. Hajime glared his way, it was sometimes easy to forget how Nagito really was.
"Anyway, aren't we done here?" the luckster finished, taking strides to exit the room with Kazuichi following afterwards. Hajime was going to follow but stopped himself when his eye caught on something.
"I guess I'll check what Miss Sonia is- whoa- hey!" Kazuichi let out as his arm was suddenly restrained, turning round to Hajime he saw the leader's eyes directly fixed upon one point of the counter.
"Kazuichi, do you see that?" Hajime asked, directing his attention toward an odd mark on the corner of the counter. Kazuichi narrowed his eyes and looked closer, seeing what appeared to be a scuff, a sign of a grazing upon the corner. It was as if something had hit and scraped past it.
"It's a scrape or something, yeah, but is that important?" Kazuichi asked, Hajime seemed pensive. He hadn't noticed it before so it may have just been there from the beginning but what kind of impact would only hit the corner of the counter?
"What are you doing, Hajime? You know having more than one person confirm evidence means nothing anymore, right?" Nagito asked from down the steps from the bridge room. Hajime and Kazuichi both turned to the luckster with confused expressions.
"You called over Kazuichi because of an established process you're used to but- oh, don't you realize it?" Nagito continued with a definite sense in his tone that he was looking down upon the both of them.
As much as Hajime resented allowing himself to be played along in Nagito's mind games, he knew that Nagito was much smarter than he looked and in situations such as these it was a necessary burden listening to him. If only he was straightforward, he'd be a massive help.
"What do you mean? Naturally it's better to have more than one witness to it so it's more reliable." Hajime argued with one eye shut, his red, logical eye shining through but Nagito crooked his head to the side.
"Oh- well, if you don't understand then I won't say anything. I'll let you figure it out for yourself!" Nagito announced with a smile and wave, causing Hajime to glare in his direction. Though, this wasn't like before, Hajime closed his eye and began to think.
Nagito called issue with him bringing over Kazuichi to make his claim of seeing a piece of potential evidence. Nagito acted like this was abnormal. Why did Hajime do it? It was because it was common practice during the killing game? Why was it? Because if someone made up evidence, it served an accomplice no benefit to back it up as they would die if the case went awry.
What was different here? Hajime opened his eyes, having made the startling realization.
"It's useless to have someone back it up because accomplices could very well be used with this incident. There isn't an obligatory trial or single one 'blackened' system that would only allow for one victor." Hajime explained, causing Nagito to turn back around to them.
"Oh, well, as expected, I suppose. How wonderful! Yes, exactly that. Whilst we should continue like before, some of the integral rules have changed." Nagito surmised proudly with a smile. Hajime, however, wasn't as amused.
"Regardless, more than one person supporting a piece of evidence makes it more convincing in an argument-"
"And regardless of that, you could have fabricated that scrape any time in the last week. Either way, it's a risk in an investigation that will lead to convicting a culprit." Nagito fired back, his composure remaining light and almost mocking.
"We don't need to and can't know for sure. We just need to figure out why it happened, it could all be an accident. And in case you've forgotten, there's one major difference between this and what we've done before." Hajime stated, walking towards the stairs and looking down upon Nagito.
"Difference? What difference?" Nagito spoke confrontationally, taking several steps up and came almost face to face with Hajime.
"Because even if there is a culprit, we won't be killing them." Hajime stated absolutely, almost challenging Nagito to protest against that but Nagito's smile merely widened slightly before he came even closer, a breath's distance separating himself and Hajime.
"I wonder if that's the best decision." Nagito expressed simply and as soon as he had enclosed their distance, he turned around and headed down the metal steps ahead of him. Hajime stood there for a moment, watching the mysterious luckster go. He wondered if Nagito would again lead them into anarchy.
Medical Bay, 03:20 PM
"How is she doing?" Hajime asked, walking into the white and red decorated room. They'd had help from some of the Future Foundation to renovate one of the storage rooms into a fully functioning medical bay.
There, laying upon the clean white bedsheets, her face contorting in discomfort and small gasps audible from her mouth, was Mahiru. And aside her, sitting upon a chair with a difficult expression was Hiyoko. She turned toward Hajime as he entered and frowned.
"She's fine." she spoke curtly, turning back to the unconscious photographer with a small scowl. "She disappeared for a day then comes back and scares us all by bringing out some fake device that got us stranded and then doesn't explain anything!".
"She's been unconscious the whole time, then?" Hajime asked, the lack of an answer being everything he needed. He could, of course, infer from Hiyoko's attitude that she was angry with Mahiru but that didn't change the fact that Hiyoko had been staying by her side the whole time.
"Y-yes. It's troubling but her condition is stable at least!" spoke the timid voice of Mikan who made herself visible out from behind an infirmary curtain, carrying a freshly damp towel. "I'm just going to do my best to try and keep her comfortable." she announced chirpily as she passed Hajime and lent over the sleeping Mahiru.
Hajime smiled at the nurse as she carefully tended to her work. Anxious and complex-suffering as she usually was, seeing the young woman in her element really was a striking and wholly pleasant contrast. It was as if left her own self doubt aside as she deftly removed Mahiru's old towel without disturbing her.
"Oyah, oyah? Is everyone hanging out in here?" came the energetic curiosity only traceable to Ibuki as she rounded the corner, peering in with one hand over her eyes and her mouth forming an 'o'. Hajime was the only one to release a smile at her entrance, Hiyoko shaking her head and Mikan barely registering it.
"Hey, Ibuki. Mahiru's fine, we're just being careful at the minute. Though, if you don't mind, I wanted to ask you something."
"The ship suddenly changing course, do you think it's possible that you heard any signs of it at any point. Engines changing their whir, the winds blowing differently, anything like that?" Hajime asked, conscious of the girl's aptitude for hearing, befitting the Ultimate Musician. Even subtleties such as the ocean's ambiance would likely be noted by her talented ears.
"Hmmm... hold on... I can feel it commminggg!" Ibuki strained herself and put on a very pained expression as she put all her effort into recalling this memory, Hajime watching her intently before she finally turned back to him with a casual smile. "Nope! I can't remember anything like that at all." she concluded.
"Hahh..." Hajime sighed, feeling like his time had been wasted. "Okay, no problem. I suppose I'll try investigating elsewhere." Hajime then turned to bid Mahiru a final look, Ibuki also peering over past him as Mikan went in to check her pulse. Her fingers gently touching the unconscious girl's neck.
"-!" Ibuki's eyes grew slightly, unnaturally as Hajime turned back to her. She seemed to have been stricken by something, she stared dead ahead at the girls and she began to reverberate noticeably, her upper lip twitching rather manically as her hands rose up to her own neck. "H... how...?" she stuttered.
"Ibuki, are you okay?" Hajime asked as he moved towards his friend who had begun breathing heavily and started to walk backwards, hitting her back against the wall as her fingers began scratching at her own neck. Seeing her beginning to break the skin he immediately acted.
"Hey, hey, Ibuki, Ibuki!" Hajime spoke in alarm as he ran up to the musician and took her by the wrists, stopping her from hurting herself further. She continued to struggle in his grip as he fought to make eye contact with her. His instincts were telling him the best way to hold her to force her to look at him but right now he wasn't thinking at all like that.
"How... can you trust her?!" she screamed through gritted teeth, her facial expression hidden. A silence followed, she stopped writhing. Hajime turned back around and saw Mikan looking utterly horrified, stuttering quietly as she stood, unaware of what to do with herself. Hiyoko had a startled glare that was aimed directly at the musician.
"I'm... I'm sorry..." Ibuki spoke beneath her breath after a long silence. Her eyes hidden from view. Hajime kept hold of her but made sure to do it gently as, slowly, she spoke again. "It's... just... Mahiru... I don't want her to be right... Ibuki doesn't want there to be a traitor..." she sniffled near the end as Hajime closed his eyes in understanding.
"No one does. But even if someone did switch the radars, we can't say for sure what they were trying to do. Hey, maybe someone accidentally broke it and wanted to replace it so they didn't get caught. Maybe it's something as silly as that." Hajime told her, wanting to cheer her up somewhat. He heard a murmured chuckle.
"Maybe, maybe that could happen. Yep!" Ibuki lifted up her head and flashed a bright smile, tears still in the corners of her eyes. "Hajime is right, one hundred percent. Ibuki has no worries!" she announced confidently, but Hajime could see she was still a bit shaken up.
"Now! Commander, give your orders! What would you like me to check?" Ibuki stood in a salute, subtly shaking off Hajime's hands as she stood tall. She leaned over with an expectant expression and a newfound shimmer in her eyes as Hajime rose an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" he asked, not having expected any suggestion of the sort from Ibuki. She'd jokingly called him that before but wasn't ever one to ask to be bossed around, by him or anyone else.
"Well you're still investigating, right? You can't do it all on your own, right? Also, if that creepy zombie guy suspects you, you need people other than yourself to back up your evidence, right?" Ibuki explained with a finger in the air, Hajime guessed that she meant Nagito by that.
"I.. suppose that's true.." Hajime looked to the side, thinking on Nagito's claims about how more than one person validating a claim was pointless but surely if enough people were of the same mind, it's not likely for half the group or more to be traitors. With this, he nodded.
"Okay, why don't you try asking those who frequent the recreation room for a start?" Hajime told her. "Anything out of the ordinary. Anything of note. It's not a live or die scenario like back then, though, so don't worry if you can't gather anything substantial." he instructed as Ibuki nodded along with her arms crossed, semi serious.
"Okay-okay. Will do, commander!" she saluted once more before spinning round one hundred eighty degrees and leaving the scene. Hajime watched her go, wondering if she was truly okay before giving a nod back to Mikan who smiled back, still confused but having calmed down enough to get back to it. Hiyoko's expression didn't change.
Main Deck, 03:30 PM
"There is no way of knowing exactly when the course changed unless we can specify how far we have veered from our intended path." Gundham mused, rapping his fingers against the railings across the outside of the ship, looking out towards the oceans with a stern, focused expression, trying to gather any visual hints.
"What, can't you ask your birds?" Kazuichi asked, his arms folded a step away from the other young man, impatient at having been dragged around by Gundham under the pretence of commencing their own important investigations. Of course his displeasure at the vague musings and endless inquiry was entirely contrasted by her.
"Mm! I agree! We simply cannot discern when the ship was turned to head us in a dangerous path." Sonia affirmed with a thoughtful expression, absorbing every word from Gundham without any filter, seemingly completely at ease with leaving the leadership in his hands. Gundham nodded before casting his eyes down to the sea.
"The original radar has been discarded to the waves, so that is not useful to us either. Thus, we should focus our efforts on casting light on the nature of the execution. The grim details of the culprit's actions. This should help dramatically in their identity's discovery." he spoke before turning round to the both of them in a swift motion, the ends of his coat flapping dramatically as he did so.
"So the radar was changed, that means it's just figuring out who could have made the switch?" Kazuichi asked with a troubled expression, still working on his efficiency with translating Gundham's needlessly confusing choices in speech. Gundham shook his head solemnly and looked between the two of them.
"On the contrary, it obscures it further. There are two ways my mind can conjure that would result in this peril. One, manipulate the navigation so the pilot themself unknowingly plunges the group into oblivion, or two, to change the navigation as well as the ship's course, the navigation making it seem the same as before." he gesticulated with his hands to indicate the potential realities.
"If they had gone with the first option, it would rely on Hajime to notice the change in navigation and alter the vessel's course. If they had gone with the second option, he shouldn't have had to do anything at all. I wonder which one the culprit took, if there is one?" Sonia looked to the side. "Kazuichi? Can you think of a device that could have messed with the navigation without being near the bridge?"
"O-Oo I can! Absolutely, Miss Sonia! At once, it's, um.." Kazuichi began with bright, star shaped eyes but his expression fell as soon as he realised he hadn't actually thought of an example and rested his chin upon his fist. "If they had something that could mess with the magnetic forces, maybe. No idea where they'd get one, though."
"We can hold that presumption in reserve until we find any indication of such a device aboard our vessel." Gundham interjected, clearly eager to get on with a realistic assessment of their situation. "If we act under the assumption that manipulation can be done either way, it's the question of whether the wheel was moved to match."
"Uh, well... I guess it must have been, Hajime woulda found it weird if the ship suddenly had to be adjusted, wouldn't he?" Kazuichi supposed, his hands upon his hip.
"Although, if they chose the second option, wouldn't they have had to sneak past Hajime to change the wheel?" came Sonia's return with a thoughtful frown, Gundham shutting his eyes for a few moments to think.
"That is so, and with a list of abilities as extensive as his, I cannot think it would be any easy feat. Leaving of course when he went to sleep, sealing the entrance in his wake... although a locked door shouldn't be a barrier for anyone with the utensils necessary to breach it." the breeder spoke, causing Kazuichi to scowl as he stepped up to him.
"Oi! You're obviously accusing me, there! Besides, Hajime doesn't stay in that room 24/7, remember? Anyone could have gone in during the day!" he argued with tightened fists. Sonia's eyes widened and she stepped forward out of reflex, anxious at the rising tension. Gundham's eyes shot open as they locked with the other boy's for a long few moments before he nodded.
"Hm. That is so. So this question of who could have infiltrated the bridge will not necessarily paint our perpetrator for us." he sighed, Kazuichi narrowing his eyes further but stepping away. Desperate to return some drive and positive atmosphere, Sonia put on a bright smile and positioned herself between her two friends and looked between them.
"Well, need we proceed fact by fact? Perhaps we could explore under the assumption that the switch took place at night as then would be when the culprit would be least likely to be seen. We may discover more concrete evidence later on." she presented the idea enthusiastically with two raised fists, hoping her words would land.
"Hm. If we're following along this path, we should minimize our investigation to those able to pick locks after all." Gundham put forward, placing a finger to his chin in thought as he perused through several suspects in his head. Between those who had the strength, and those who could possess the skill.
"You sure have been pointing the finger a lot." Kazuichi spoke with a frown, knowing that Gundham would inevitably interrogate him in front of Sonia, painting him as one of the suspects because of his talent and the nature of the crime. Perhaps Fuyuhiko would be first, then maybe Nagito but eventually it would fall to Kazuichi.
"Do you carry some issue with my attempts to remove the storm clouds of obscurity that threaten the souls of everyone on board?" Gundham targeted an agitated glare towards the beanie clad youth who was just further aggravated by the way he was being spoken to.
"To hell with that! The culprit's probably someone other than us, we aren't on that island anymore you know! It could have been set before we got this ship!" Kazuichi argued, thinking of all those agents working for the Future Foundation that could have interfered with the ship somehow. They'd just got off from decimating the foundation in battle after all.
"In what possible reality could any predict which ship we would take for ourselves? And if my memory hasn't been corroded, I recall your self casting dark assumptions upon your friend during our time spent in the simulation." Gundham mentioned, remembering the accusations against Hajime during their time in strawberry/grape house.
"You mean around the time you murdered Nekomaru and then nearly killed the rest of us?!" Kazuichi pointed at Gundham, getting heated as the emotions that he felt from back during his time on Jabberwock Island were rearing their ugly, vivid heads.
"Kazuichi!" Sonia scolded, shocked at the mechanic's words as she began to get angry. The two young men didn't pay her any heed, however, as Gundham fixed an unblinking flare upon Kazuichi, lifting up his scarf slightly, hiding his mouth as he spoke, a darkness more serious than any previous pretence evident in his tone.
"...I've been holding back a burning suspicion for quite some time now. Do you wish for me to remove its confines?" he threatened, Kazuichi narrowing his eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he spat back, feeling his anger surge as he was fully correct about Gundham suspecting him.
"...What I mean to refer to is the fact that there was a window of terrible opportunity present to whomever had the skill and time necessary to alter the ship's navigation systems to their malicious whim." Gundham continued, his choice of vocabulary not masking his meaning in the slightest to Kazuichi.
"...You really are saying I had something to do with it!" Kazuichi spat back, staring right back into Gundham's eyes with his own ferocity. It was just as he thought.
"You two... stop." Sonia tried again, and again her words were lost on the two of them as a dark aura filled the air. Neither man backed down.
"The possibility exists." Gundham uttered, lowering one arm downward towards the floor, what he planned to do with it a mystery but the gesture spoke loudly.
"Same to you! After all, you've already tried to once!" Kazuichi reached into his pocket that held a metallic wrench, gripping it tightly before-
"I command you both to be silent at once!" Sonia's shrill, commanding tone broke through to both of them as they turned in surprise to the princess that had her hand outstretched towards the two of them in her traditional authoritative stance, her steely blue eyes freezing them both on the spot.
"Now, you two are going to be friends and we are going to work together with everyone else! Or else you will both be beheaded!" she spoke with utmost conviction.
"B-But, we don't have anything that could-" Kazuichi began to question her threat but he was immediately cut off by-
"No questions!" she told them both, her words irrefutable. "Now, let us assume the culprit acted after nightfall and broke in. To confirm this, we should go check the door for any physical signs of it. Now come on you two." Sonia demanded before beginning to walk away, Kazuichi calling weakly after her.
"B-But couldn't we also cover some more ground by splitting-?" he began but a swift turn from Sonia was all that was needed to silence him as she responded.
"That sounds like a question." she tilted her head dangerously, making Kazuichi instantly swallow his words and zip his mouth shut. "Gundham?" she then looked over to the other teen.
"O-Of course. Let's burn forward, immediately! Don't you agree, my treasured comrade?" Gundham turned to Kazuichi with a shaken expression urging him to agree.
"Y-Yup! Let's get to it, pal!" Kazuichi nodded vigorously as he stood by the breeder he'd just been feuding with as Sonia released a warm smile and nodded appreciatively. Friends shouldn't fall out so easily.
Ryota's Cabin, 04:00 PM
Ryota sat alone, within his cabin, staring straight at the floor and doing whatever he could to ensure his mind wasn't overcome with the tremors he was feeling in his shaking legs. No matter how tightly he clutched at his trousers at the knee, tightening with the fabric in between, he couldn't help the anxiety.
The bright hope he'd felt upon coming aboard the ship with Hajime's assurance that he would live as their classmate and they would atone for what they've done as a group, had all but blown out suddenly like a candle, much quicker than he'd expected. It had been a momentary breach of the murky water, now it felt like he was being pulled back down by his ankles.
He supposed he'd seen them as this indomitable, indivisible force... to see them stretching at the seams was a horrible spectacle, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. What if whoever was behind this was doing it to try and kill him? The one that allowed for despair to take away all of their peaceful, happy lives, and the world they could have thrived within.
It would be natural, wouldn't it? For someone to want him to suffer for it... He winced as he thought of the bright image of them all walking in one by one and smiling at him, welcoming him without reservation. It had shaken him to his core and made him feel stirring within him of the possibility of hope and friendship again. And now it was in jeopardy.
*Knock Knock*
Ryota looked up in alarm, body jutting backwards as the sound rang out from the metallic door. His mind moved faster than his heart, thinking of the impending threat that could be just behind that door. Thoughts of one of the Ultimates having come to exact their back up plan.
He thought of all of them and deduced that any one of them could be capable of taking him out, even Saionji if she was angered enough. Looking around, for something, anything, he grabbed the first metallic item and held it up defensively towards the door, trying to fight the shaking in his hands, steeling his own nerve as he watched... and waited.
"Uh? Is he not gonna open? Should I kick it in?" came a familiar, casual tone as Ryota blinked in confusion, releasing the breath that he'd been holding. He moved to open the door, confident at least that the mastermind would probably not be Akane, choose Akane as an enforcer, and if they would, allow her to speak so openly.
"Absolutely not. You should try not to be so foolish at such times." came a stern, arrogant tone that instantly filled Ryota with assurance. As he laid his hand upon the metal handle and opened up the door, he smiled weakly at the visitors that comprised of Akane, 'Byakuya' and surprisingly Teruteru as well.
"Uh, h-hi, everyone. Is there something you need?" he greeted meekly, stepping outside to speak with them and closing the door behind as the Impostor sighed.
"What about you, Ryota? Shutting yourself off from everyone suddenly, it does no favours. We all have to be vigilant at times like this." he scolded, folding his bulky arms over each other.
"I'm... sorry. I just, I wanted some time to myself." Ryota spoke, fidgeting uncomfortably, the Impostor's working striking true as he cast his eyes down to his feet.
"Yo! It's all good, we were just worried about ya is all!" Akane spoke, giving him a punch to the shoulder that he guessed wasn't meant to hurt as much as it did as he winced with a nervous chuckle.
"Oui, if you were feeling hungry then we thought we might bring you to the kitchens to fix you up something that will make you and your little Ryota so excited you might burst- G'owww!" Teruteru stopped when a fist nonchalantly collided with the side of his face, Akane not having needed to turn to strike him at a moment's notice.
"Mm, I'd devised that tactic to try and discourage that kind of frivolous talk, especially in times of crisis. Job well done, Akane." the Impostor commended with a nod as Akane merely smiled widely in response, Teruteru massaging his battered cheek with a sore expression as Ryota looked between them with a polite smile but shook his head.
"Well I'm, I'm fine. Really, just, well, a lot on my mind is all." he waved off their concerns, trying to sound like he wasn't too troubled by it despite the creases in his trousers and beads of sweat upon his forehead telling an entirely different story. "Th-thanks for checking up on me, but I think I might just want to be on my own for a bit."
"Hmm? Well, uh, okay, if you're fine." Akane placed her hands upon her hips with an unremarkable expression, however the Impostor didn't seem at all swayed.
"Are you sure about that? It's impossible to withstand our foe if we don't do it together. You understand that, don't you?" he asked with a stern look within his borrowed eyes.
"Y-Yeah... I'll come out soon and come get some carbohydrates and protein, like you'd want. I just, I want to collect myself a bit. I want to be composed and not make decisions or judgements based on stress, like before?" Ryota returned, the Impostor immediately understanding, noting Ryota's previous impulses that nearly spread his hope brainwashing across the world.
"Mm, all right then. I understand, but don't tarry too long. This is a time of tension, people may start to suspect things." the Impostor advised with a pointed finger.
"Oh yes, a young man in his room for hours upon end. All the things they'll think you could be up to like tugging- Gabhwhaaaa!" once again Teruteru was cut off by Akane who retracted a steaming fist with a grin.
"T-Thank you. I'll talk to you guys later then." Ryota nodded thankfully towards the three of them as they acknowledged it, before stepping back inside his room. The Impostor stared after him, wondering just how much his friend was carrying beneath the surface as Teruteru and Akane bickered comically whilst leaving. He lingered a while before deciding, too, to give Ryota his space.
Back inside, Ryota released his breath, leaning back against the closed door and staring vacantly up at the ceiling. His nerves had settled somewhat but the feeling of impending disaster struck just as loudly along with his pumping heartbeat. However he knew now, that the best option for his own safety and sanity, was to ensure he was surrounded by good friends he trusted... He wished he could say that meant everybody.
*Knock Knock*
"Hm?" Ryota was broken from his musings as the sounds vibrated out upon the door he rested against. He'd thought they'd all already left, though perhaps the Impostor held back to talk privately. Without much thought he put his hand upon the handle once more and stepped out. "Did you forget-" his words caught in his throat.
"Hm? Did I forget something?" Nagito asked, staring at him with an innocent, befuddled expression. "Hmm, well, I can't say that I have... but knowing me I probably have just forgotten a lot of things and then forgot that I forgot them!" he spoke in a light tone as he raised a finger to his mouth. Ryota stared back wildly as he fought for words.
"Na-Nagito. Erm, sorry, I thought- well, I didn't know it was, well, uh. Is there something you need?" Ryota stuttered out, to the uneducated eye Nagito's disposition may have seemed friendly and casual, joking around, but the hairs sticking up on the back of Ryota's neck were indicative of the chills even his mere presence brought.
"Oh now that I haven't forgotten!" Nagito laughed before going into his coat pocket, seemingly fishing around for something. Ryota watched him with confusion before Nagito brought the pistol out and aimed it straight for his chest. "Would you mind stepping back inside, Ryota?" he asked politely with a sly grin.
"Na-?! What is- what are you-?!" Ryota choked out, face turning blue as the mortal peril came so unexpectedly, Nagito's eyes sharpening somewhat as he stepped closer, the cold metal touching Ryota's chest, causing the sweat beads upon his forehead to triple as Nagito took another step forward, encouraging Ryota to open the door behind him.
"I'm sorry to have to do this and make you spend more time with someone like me than you'd probably like." Nagito apologised as he ushered Ryota inside with a despairing sigh. "This really is the worst kind of situation, isn't it?" he asked before pulling the door closed behind him, it closing with a dull metallic thud.
Sorry for the wait on this, hope it is enjoyable and that you are interested in the mystery!