Part 3: Shots for Dots
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Aoi pulled Shuichi close to her and wrapped an arm around him and for a brief moment, he thought she'd kiss him again and surprised himself by realizing he actually sorta wanted that. She whispered to him: "Talk about whatever except for Miss Kirigiri. They're always listening,"
Shuichi nodded and pulled down the brim of his cap as they headed outside to the playground. Most of the area was covered in concrete, but the trampoline and jungle gym were above spongy material. There was not only a basketball court and a trampoline but also a faded jungle gym, a slide, an obstacle course, swings, a jump-roping area, a badminton court, and a few picnic tables spread out in front of a green shed. The shed read in huge hiragana characters: 'Games and Equipment. Please return what you take out!'
Actually, the posters inside were written in hiragana too, without any kanji. In the manga Shuichi read sometimes they'd always write in kanji with the hiragana written on the side for younger readers who may not have learned as much kanji yet. Here, though, it was all written in hiragana like a kindergarten class would have. Did that mean kindergartners were taken here too?
He shivered.
The whole playground had an insect theme, so the beaten equipment showed the bodies of grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, ladybugs, and grass and flowers. A tall chain-link fence surrounded the playground with two dusty cameras perched on top. The fence had a heavy brown tarp thrown over it with a forest painted on it, so Shuichi couldn't tell what lay just outside the building.
As for the playground, it was clear it was one of those 'experimental risk' playgrounds built in the seventies to encourage urban children to seek thrills, judging by the intensity of some of the ladders and swings. Yet the paint was chipped and the bugs had dead looks in their eyes that made the playground resemble more an abandoned carnival at night than anything for children to play on.
The girl bouncing on the trampoline spotted them and waved, her blue hair flying around her. "Aoi-chan! Who's that?" She jumped off the trampoline and landed daintily on the ground.
"Saihara Shuichi-san. New this morning," Aoi pushed him over to the girl, making him blush and bow gently.
"Hi! I'm Maizono Sayaka. Pleased to meet you!" She bowed back. She had spring-coloured eyes and a violet polo shirt with a sparkly brown plaid pleated skort on with violet sneakers and white thigh-highs. Her hair clips matched her colour scheme and her forehead gleamed with sweat and bug spray.
"Not pleased to be here, but pleased to meet you," Shuichi answered quickly, his own palms sweating. He felt the bugs starting to swarm around him.
"I'm from Nagoya on the coast. What about you?"
"Yamaguchi. It's pretty small, but we're-"
"You're famous for your noodle dish, right? Where you sprinkle lemon on top?"
He nodded.
"Ouma-san! Introduce yourself to the newcomer!" Aoi scolded, staring at the boy trying to shoot a basket.
"Kokichi is about to make or break his entire career with this one basket. If he makes it, he'll win the entire season. The teams are tied at four,"
"Ouma-kun has an active fantasy life!" Sayaka said happily. "In addition to talking a lot. You just learn to get used to it,"
"He shoots..." Kokichi threw the ball at the hoop and watched it slam on the back and fall back down. "Damn it..."
"Ouma-san!" Aoi tried again. Kokichi picked the ball up, tossed it a few times in his hands, then threw it again, watching the ball circle around the rim before falling back down.
"Awww, you lost," Sayaka teased as Kokichi finally came over.
He was short, shorter than anyone currently present, with messy purple hair and eyes. He wore black shorts and a black T-shirt with galaxy Converse he quite obviously painted himself. Suspenders fell from his shorts since he wasn't currently wearing them. "What's your name?"
"Saihara Shuichi,"
"And I'm Ouma Kokichi. You probably knew that from these girls though. They just can't keep their hands off me. Too bad for them, I say," He teased.
Aoi and Sayaka just stared at him blankly.
"If only they knew I'm not into that,"
"Where am I? Asahina-san said it was The Institute but I'm not sure what that even means," Shuichi asked shyly. Kokichi radiated confidence he decided he wasn't a fan of.
"They should call it Hope's Peak Academy because they always talk about how we're the hope for humanity," Sayaka said in an overly-preppy voice. She clasped her hands together. "Thanks to our beloved Headmistress, Mistress Enoshima,"
"Who is she?"
"A bitch," Kokichi answered easily. "You're going to meet her soon and do not give her sass. Nothing she hates more than being sassed. I learned that the hard way,"
"TP or TK?" Sayaka addressed Shuichi.
"TK...things move around me sometimes, but I have to be focusing on something else. It's not very strong though..." He trailed off.
"TK-positive? That's what they call kids like Ouma-san and I. We're not supposed to know that but we do," Aoi pouted.
"It basically means you can do it whenever you want to," Sayaka hurried over and picked the abandoned basketball up. "I can only do it if I'm super excited or startled or upset. I'm average. They call the average ones 'Shiro'. Since I'm a shiro, that means more tests. The other day I got the tank,"
"No shiro for this kid! I'm about as positive about my TK as you can get!" Kokichi cut in, grinning. "Just watch this!" All of the bugs swarming around him suddenly blew away as he stood there, like a huge wind had blown. A few seconds later, however, they all just flew back. "Only lasts for a few seconds though,"
"Could you have made that second shot go in?" Shuichi asked. Kokichi grinned at him.
"Maybe, if I concentrated reallllllly hard on it,"
Sayaka took to rubbing her arms suddenly, sitting down on a picnic table. "I wish a new kid would be a super powerful TK-positive and teleport us out or something,"
Aoi pulled Sayaka close.
"I wanna be an idol! I was on X-Factor Japan and placed second! I have the talent...no idol should look like this!" She revealed her arms in distress, showing off the multitude of coloured bandages on both. At that moment, she looked a lot older than her fifteen years. "Can you move stuff around on purpose?" She rubbed her eyes.
"...Not really," Shuichi answered lamely. He knew he did it and he was aware of it, but he had never really tried to do it purposefully. "My uncle knew I could do it but we kept it a secret. More for the public than us...he said people might freak,"
"When you really think about it, our powers are no big deal. Yet we're all here," Aoi trailed off.
"Can you start from the beginning? I'm still lost," Shuichi asked her, not hearing the footsteps stopping just behind him.
"This is the beginning, dude, but also probably the end,"
Shuichi spun around and shyly pulled his cap down, feeling intimidated by the new guy's presence. He was only fourteen but looked far older, with big muscles and a tall frame with striking violet eyes and a large brown hairstyle that seemed to be the only kept-up part of his appearance. He was wearing a black trenchcoat buttoned up over everything, grey shorts, black boots that were heavy, and fingerless leather gloves.
He kinda looks like a serial killer, Shuichi couldn't help thinking to himself. Maybe like Ted Bundy, or Charles Starkweather.
He also thought that the other three were trying to be lighthearted and make the most of their situation. This guy, Mondo Oowada, was not. He had a healing black eye and cuts on his cheeks and lips. Shuichi felt if any teacher inflicted those, they were likely to get fired.
"Saihara Shuichi," He bowed anyway to be polite, but Mondo had shuffled over to the equipment shed.
"You good at Monopoly, Saihara?"
"Oooh, may I play?" Sayaka asked eagerly, perking back up.
"Monopoly?" Shuichi asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I think it's an intense game. Got a problem with that?" Mondo threatened, setting the game out on an empty picnic table. "I swear, nobody around here knows how to play a good game of this anymore. The last person who gave me a run for my money...no pun intended, was Harukawa. But she's gone to Back Half now,"
"Where we shall see her no longer," Kokichi added.
"I'll play, but...where am I? Where is this place? What's going on?" Shuichi asked, sliding in the bench across from Mondo. Sayaka sat next to Mondo and watched with fascination as he started dolling out the money.
"The Institute. Somewhere near the mountains of Hokkaido. Not even a town, really. Hina managed to pick that up with the help of Kuzuryuu. He was a TP they took to Back Half. And they don't even bother with keepin' certain shit a secret because none of us are able to know. Only her and she can't go in super deep,"
Aoi shrugged. "I ace the Rhine cards on my best days. And I know the name of your grandmother if it's at the front of your mind, but that's it,"
Momoko.
"Momoko,"
Shuichi jumped.
"Oowada-kun is our honorary bad boy!" Kokichi teased. "He's got the scars to prove he's really more brawn than brains. He makes such a hard time for the other staff members,"
The three children picked their pieces and set out their money, then started playing.
"You're kinda the elder here, Mondo-kun! Why don't you fill Shuichi-san in on everything?" Sayaka suggested nicely. "It's creepy to wake up in a room that looks just like your own room,"
Mondo sighed and leaned back in his seat. Shuichi briefly caught a glimpse of Aoi staring at him and thought if she ever kissed him, it wouldn't be just to pass on a case of strep throat.
"I'll tell ya what I know. It ain't a lot, but it'll do. The chicks can chime in where they see fit, and Ouma can keep his mouth shut if he feels a bullshit attack coming on," He glared at Kokichi, who gasped dramatically.
"I was going to let you drive my foreign Porsche!"
"Hina has been here the longest because of her strep throat. She says she's seen about twenty-five kids come through here. We all come from somewhere. She's from Fukushima, Sayaka-san is from Nagoya, Ouma is from Aomori,"
"A perfectly respectable place!" Kokichi felt the need to chime in.
"They tag us like we're fucking cattle," Mondo turned his head to reveal a medium-sized black piercing in his earlobe. "We're examined, tested, given shots for dots, then more exams and tests. Shiros get more tests and more shots. And if you're TK-positive like myself or the annoying shit over there, they make you do stupid pet tricks."
"They give you shots," Sayaka stared blankly at the Chance card she had. "Sometimes they hurt and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they do stuff to you and sometimes they don't. Once I spiked a terrible fever after one and for a second thought I had caught Aoi-chan's strep throat except it only lasted for a day. They keep giving you shots until you see the dots and hear the hum," She moved her piece and gave some money to Mondo after landing on his house.
"Yeah, we're kidnapped. Just because we have an inkling of physic power, and why? Who knows. And who even knows how they find us. This place is like a military base," He grumbled."With security and doctors and technicians and who knows what else. The next time you go to lunch, look out the window. You'll see mostly fields and mountains in the distance, but squint hard and you'll see a green-painted building like this one. That's Back Half, where we go once all the tests and shots are done,"
"What happens there?" Shuichi found himself asking, but Aoi shrugged.
"Nobody really knows..."
"They always tell us that everything will be alright," Sayaka pouted. "That's what they always say."
"And I'll say this back to them a million more times that I refuse to be kept down! Test me all they want, I don't give a shit! Beat me up, drag me to Back Half, and I'll fight you every single step of the way! Oowada Mondo doesn't take this shit!" He then looked over at Shuichi for probably the first time that day, really looked at him, and smiled. Shuichi wasn't sure if he was attracted to guys or not, it wasn't something he thought on often, but seeing that smile suddenly made him reconsider slightly. It was no wonder Sayaka and Aoi stared at Mondo like he was a member of a boy band. "And I'll say this to you, kid. They bring us here in the dead of night, they test us, shoot us full of God knows what, then more tests. Some kids get the tank. All kids get the weird eye test that makes you feel like passin' out. Our rooms look like our rooms at home so as not to upset our fragility or some crap like that,"
Shuichi nodded in understanding again.
"Good grub in the cafeteria if ya can believe it. Got a fancy menu and everything. Doors are never locked at night so you can go down and get a midnight snack if you want. They leave out stuff like fruit and cookies. Then there's the Kuma-Kuma Box with your tokens which you only get if you're good. That has snacks and sodas in it and some other stuff too like toys,"
"I got a really cool sticky hand the other day," Kokichi added with a grin. "I got it stuck right on the wall! I'm working on their paperwork next,"
"They also got alcohol and cigarettes in there if that's more your thing,"
"It's a joke how the signs plastered everywhere warn us to drink responsibly," That was Sayaka, pouting a bit. "Kids as young as ten can get buzzed,"
"Some kids here try to stay as buzzed as possible. Though most of them just try to veg out in front of the television. Those creep me out the most because their eyes just look dead..." Aoi trailed off. "I think I'd much rather be a maintenance drinker,"
"Ten-year-olds?!" Shuichi asked in disbelief.
"Some kids here are heavy smokers," Sayaka nodded again. "But Aoi-chan is correct, most kids just hang around the television after a while. They go to their tests, then afterwards it's right back to the TV,"
Shuichi could understand the over-reliance on the television; the alcohol and cigarettes, less so. It was true a lot of highschoolers were getting hooked on that stuff earlier and earlier to deal with school stress as well as just unwind and have a good time with their friends, but those were third-years and second-years. No way a kid as young as ten should be drinking. He supposed he could forgive the TV; after all, it was likely a comfort to have unlimited access to one when everything else was overwhelming and confusing and scary. Not to mention being locked-up. Heck, maybe after a few weeks Shuichi himself would be planted in front of the television and never move, completing his third playthrough of Persona 5.
"Doesn't that stuff interfere with their tests though?" He couldn't help asking. Even too much TV was linked to slower memory processing.
Kokichi shrugged. "We don't know what the tests are. All they really want from us is to hear the hum and see the dots,"
"What dots? What hum?"
"Oh, you'll find out," He smiled mischievously. "That part ain't bad at all. I just hate the shots,"
"Three weeks is how long they keep kids in Front Half, or so says Hina," Mondo continued. "Then we go to Back Half, then supposedly our memories are erased and we go back home like nothin' ever happened. Ain't that some shit,"
"Back to normal life except for a drinking habit! Or half your brain falling outta your ears because you played too many video games!" Kokichi laughed.
"Supposedly we'll get to see our parents again," Sayaka said quietly, staring down at her feet.
"Does that sound possible to you, kid?" Mondo addressed Shuichi, who shook his head.
"But they are alive, right? Our parents? Our families? They're not dead, right?"
The others just looked at him, and Shuichi realized that was all the answer he needed.
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Junko was up in her office again, eagerly watching the kids converse with each other on the playground. Ruruka had bounced into the room, all frills and candy. An orange Popsicle was her sweet of the day.
"Am I intruding? I could come back later," She asked curiously, curtsying. Junko shook her head.
"No, I'll give you some files later. But come over here and check this out! The kids are giving the new kid the story on this place. It's totes interesting," She turned her computer's volume up slightly and leaned in so she could hear their voices better.
Ruruka came over on the other side and leaned in too, recognizing the troublemaker Oowada who reminded her of an outdated biker guy, with Sayaka and Aoi, 'red-throat baby,' aka-aka nodo-chan', practically gushing over him.
"How many people work here?" The new boy was asking.
"Uh, fifty maybe? We've never really counted," Sayaka shrugged. "Doctors and caretakers and tech people and the people who cook for us..."
"Janitors and maids too. Usually we just need one of those chicks unless a ton of kids come in. Where the extras come from, I got no clue," Mondo said.
"Surely with that many people working, it'd be hard to keep such a place a secret, right? How do these people travel? Some of them might have cars, how do they park them?" Shuichi asked.
Junko chuckled. "Ooooh, this one's a smart boy! Nobody's ever asked that question before in the history of anything ever!" She turned the video feed off and revealed her computer's screensaver, a picture of herself and her twin sister in double-strollers when they were toddlers. That was back before Junko developed her boobs, ditzy speech, and interest in science. Back before Mukuro developed her smart mouth, freckles, and interest in weapons. Back when the two actually had a lot more in common. "Now, how'd the operation go? I know Big Sister was there so she totes fucked something up along the way, I just know it, but still tell me,"
Ruruka was silent for a second as she sucked on her Popsicle. "According to Ishimaru-kun, the operation was a success. Everyone back home thinks he flew the coop and murdered his uncle. His parents are in a frenzy trying to locate him," She pouted. "They'll never find out who did it though,"
"Of course not! I totes made sure this place was super secure and shit. Otherwise there'd be no point, you know?"
"Kirigiri-chan...anything from her?"
"What, are you tryna figure out if Oowada and Asahina are fucking yet or something? 'Cuz I'm actually super invested in that love story,"
Ruruka shook her head. She knew Junko knew what she really meant.
Kyoko Kirigiri was a maid and despite her apparent concern and love for the children, was a spy in the nicest way possible. Basically, Junko gave her some extra money on the side if Kyoko relayed to her the secrets of the children. No TPs had been able to figure out she was doing this because Kyoko was smart. Almost too smart in a way. She kept that hidden far below the surface of her mind. She knew certain places in The Institute had no audio-recording devices and thus took children there and tricked them into revealing their secrets. Most of the time, it was generic and useless stuff, but every so often something useful and interesting came out of it, like a boy one year who confessed he was thinking of suicide.
"So, nothing?" Junko asked in confirmation, and Ruruka shook her head again. "Thank you! You can go!" Ruruka curtsied and left the room, and Junko returned to her work.
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"Come on you two, let's finish this game up quick. I have a stupid eye test after lunch," Mondo grumbled as Sayaka finished going around the board with her piece for the fourth time. Shuichi felt he could hardly focus on the game, he had so many more questions for them, but knew he had to wait. He didn't want to overwhelm them nor seem suspicious. Aoi's words echoed in his mind; they were always watching and listening.
"But it's Monopoly! The famous game that never ends!" Sayaka laughed.
"The longest game of Monopoly went on for seventy straight days," Shuichi offered.
"Seriously? No shit?" Mondo asked in disbelief. "No way I could ever play anything for that long. Hell, even riding my motorcycle for that long would get boring,"
"You have a license?"
"Nah, not yet, but I'll get one. It's my big bro's dream for both of us to be in the same group together. The idea is outdated, sure, but...true friendship never ages!"
Sayaka forked over some money to Shuichi and smiled as she set down yet another hotel on a square that had two others already.
"Where'd you read about that anyway, kid?" Mondo asked.
Shuichi shrugged. "Just some world-record book I guess. I also read about a guy who has the biggest collection of airline sickness bags,"
"Ew ew ew! I don't wanna hear about that!" Sayaka covered her ears teasingly, laughing.
"They weren't used,"
"Well I should hope not! That'd be disgusting!"
"So you're probably a super smart guy, huh?" Mondo addressed Shuichi again, who just shrugged.
"I don't think I am...I've just read a lot. I'm just a hopelessly average person in most everything,"
"You're smarter than me. But ya don't seem to have a stick up your ass about it. That's good. Most smart guys have sticks up their asses,"
Just then, a cheerful-sounding bell dinged out over the playground, making Aoi perk up.
"That means it's time for lunch! About time too, I'm starving!" She smiled. "Loser puts the game away!"
"But none of us even lost!" Sayaka gasped, bouncing out of her seat and hurrying over to Aoi.
Mondo rolled his eyes and put the game away, while Shuichi followed after the two girls. Once he caught up, Kokichi suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him close. Shuichi blushed in surprise. Kokichi was clearly trying to be the troublemaking comic of the group, much like Mondo was the rebel. Even now, Kokichi was smiling, just further proving Shuichi's point.
"Takin' a liking to Oowada-kun, huh? I see! The girls love him and I like him too. Except he's kinda a bad guy. Worse than I am! Don't look up to him, 'kay? He won't see reality, which is that we're all stuck in here. You gotta decide which side you want to be on. Like when they ask you if you see the dots, say yes or no. Don't lie. They'll know," Kokichi was smiling as he relayed all that, and Shuichi wrestled his arm out of his grip.
"How can I believe that?" He demanded. Kokichi shrugged.
"You'll learn real quick in a place like this,"
"What are you guys talking about?" Mondo walked over to them.
"Saihara-chan asked me where babies came from and I was happily enlightening him on the subject!" Kokichi giggled, making Shuichi glare at him. "And then I told him you'd probably know way more than me!"
"Yeah, that's what he said," Shuichi agreed quickly, making Mondo roll his eyes.
"Great, another funny-man here. Just what we need," He punched Shuichi in the arm, making him wince and rub it. "Come on, let's go eat."
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The cafeteria was a small room with colourful tiles painted with primary circles and vending machines tucked into one corner. Shuichi wanted to take a closer look, but the four children walked too fast for him to keep up with, so he was forced to move along. He did see a poster saying to drink responsibly, though, so maybe they really weren't lying.
Several large white tables with long benches were set out, and a smaller table with red chairs encircling it was all set up for a meal. Shuichi shyly sat down, noticing they were the only five kids in the whole cafeteria. A woman dressed in a soft pink dress with her black hair up in pigtails silently filled up their water glasses. Her nametag proclaimed her name was Mikan.
"H-Hello there..." She greeted kindly, giving a nervous smile.
"Afternoon yourself, Miss Tsumiki! You feelin' fine today?" Kokichi answered right back with a large smile.
"As good as I can feel..."
"Don't have a key on you anywhere, do ya? To unlock us out of here?"
Mikan's features darkened and she quickly rushed out, going into the kitchen. Kokichi sighed dramatically.
"My best lines are wasted in a place like this, I'm telling you. Wasted!" He then picked up the five menus and handed them to everyone. Shuichi eyed his and noticed the current date written on the top.
There were two appetizers available; takoyaki and hiyashi ramen, two main courses; jingisukan barbecue and nikujaga, and two desserts; anpan and castella cake. There were also several soft drinks, teas, and juices listed.
"If you want it, you can also have milk," Aoi said. "They just don't put it on the menu because most kids just like it in cereal, or they're lactose-intolerant. Or both," She shrugged.
"Is the food here good?" Shuichi chose to ask instead. Clearly, a majority of what they served would be Hokkaido's own flair.
"Yes! I've actually gained some weight while here," Sayaka responded in slight embarrassment.
"They're just fattening us up for the kill. That's why the food is so fattening," Mondo grumbled.
"I was actually surprised when I learned they served food here. I was afraid at first because there's no way to make bento, and I couldn't see any stores to get food at. I felt better once I learned..." Sayaka added, and Shuichi stared at her for a while before remembering she was the oldest one there. She'd be a first-year in high-school already, right? They stopped serving you lunch at that point and you had to bring your own.
He suddenly wondered what could possibly be the point of grouping kids from so many different ages together like this. They had too many different experiences just going to school.
"Oh, and on the weekends, they have dessert buffets. Western and Japanese. With strawberry soda or milk. It's a lot of fun!" Aoi chimed in.
"Fattening us up," Mondo repeated, then looked up at the camera in a corner. "We're ready now, Miss Tsumiki,"
Mikan came in in an instant, making Shuichi flinch and feel even more disconnected from everything. But despite that, he still ate his food heartily; takoyaki and nikujaga. He was still worried about the fate of his uncle, terrified over what would happen to him as a result, and locked in a strange place, but he was still a twelve-year-old. A twelve-year-old growing boy.
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No sooner had Shuichi finished his final bite of his castella cake had a woman walked into the room, her hands folded politely in front of her, wearing a soft pink uniform with a giant hoopskirt trimmed with lace and matching lace going down the front of her uniform. Her curly black hair was pulled into a long sweeping ponytail and she wore a small silver tiara on her head. Her nametag said Celestia. "Saihara-chan? Could you please come with me?" She spoke in a heavy French accent.
Shuichi looked over at the other four children, but Aoi and Sayaka both refused to meet his eyes. Mondo was staring down at his plate, and Kokichi was the only one actually staring at him.
"Saihara-chan? Please?' She asked again, still polite. The look in Kokichi's eyes became more intense, and Shuichi was reminded of what he said to him on the playground.
"I'm coming. See you guys later," He offered a weak wave as he walked off with Celestia. Aoi mouthed 'shots for dots' at him, and that was the last thing he saw before the cafeteria doors shut.
Celestia was very petite and pale, done up prettily like a Victorian porcelain doll. Still, Shuichi felt uneasy around her, like she could easily knock him out with a simple pinch behind the neck or something. And even if she couldn't, she could call for reinforcements and they'd be there within a second. Still, Shuichi wasn't going to question any of her orders. He had been raised to respect his elders and be polite and never question any of their rules or orders. Even in a place like this, he wanted to remain respectful.
The two walked in silence down the corridors, soon coming to a silver pair of elevator doors.
"Isn't it a lovely day out today?" Celestia asked sweetly. "I do so love sunny days like this. Perhaps I shall go out later with my parasol and soak up the rays,"
Shuichi said nothing and just let her talk, genuinely confused if she even wanted an answer or not.
"Oh, but I do so hate the pesky bugs. They are gross and unseemly. Getting bug bites is very improper for a lady. I shall have to wear bug-spray until at least July," She sighed dramatically.
"When the dragonflies hatch," Shuichi finally commented, and Celestia gave him a sweet smile.
"Indeed!"
"Where are we going?"
"Oh, but if I told you, it would ruin the surprise," She scolded softly, and the elevator doors opened with a ding. A woman stepped out in an outfit similar to Celestia's, except it had a clean white apron pulled over the hoopskirt and she wore a black headband in her hair. She had a nametag that read Kirumi. "Afternoon," Celestia greeted softly.
"Good day yourself. And good day to you too, Saihara-chan. Are you adjusting alright?" Kirumi asked nicely. Shuichi didn't look over at her, making her adjust her skirt. "Silent treatment...well, Saihara-chan, all I can tell you about a place like this is that as long as you work with us, we will give you whatever you want. That is our job,"
Shuichi remained silent.
"See you, Celestia-san," Kirumi walked off, and Celestia curtsied.
"You as well, Kirumi-san," She then led Shuichi into the elevator and pulled a silver card out of her skirt pocket, swiping it in front of the silver panel. It had no numbers or buttons. The elevator slowly descended for a few seconds before it stopped and revealed a lounge area with soft pop music playing, and people walking around with carts or baskets. All the doors were labeled with the kanji for 'two'.
If there was a second floor, then surely there was a third, fourth, fifth, sixth? And a first floor? A ground floor? How could they hide something as big as this from everyone especially when it seemed to rely purely on kidnapping children?
Celestia continued to lead him, and they passed a small break room with black vending machines and a few tables. A woman and man sat at one of the tables close to the door, dressed casually. The man was drinking something out of a mug, and Shuichi squinted a bit as he realized the black-haired woman looked familiar. At first he couldn't place it until he remembered what was said to him that night.
If you want.
The last thing he remembered before waking up at The Institute.
"It was you. You were the one who brought me here," He realized, staring straight at her. The woman made no indication that she had even heard him and stared blankly at something on the wall. Celestia came over and gently nudged him along.
"Just a few more steps, then you may go back to your room and relax. I understand that first days are always quite difficult. You are likely very exhausted," She smiled.
"That woman was the one who kidnapped me! She shoved a cloth into my face," Shuichi said, but Celestia just gave him a sweet smile. He glanced away, shivering. Something about her smile unnerved him.
They reached a door marked 2-3 and Celestia knocked politely on it and took a step back. "If you listen to us and be a good boy, you will get five tokens for the Kuma-Kuma Box. See? I have them," She slipped her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out a few coins that were silver and resembled regular yen coins, except these were stamped with a triangle.
The person who answered the door was named Nagito and dressed in a simple blue suit with wild white hair. If it wasn't for the messy hair and sickly eyes, Shuichi would've assumed he was quite handsome. Maybe he could be a secret villain in a mystery game.
"Ah, what a delightful surprise, Lady Ludenberg," Nagito laughed and gently kissed Celestia's gloved hand. "And hello there to you too, Shuichi-chan." He bowed, but Shuichi didn't bow back. Nagito just chuckled. "Come on in,"
Celestia gave Shuichi a gentle wave before the door was shut and he instantly paused upon walking into the room, finding a giant white chair in the middle that resembled one found at a dentist's office except it had thick black straps on it.
"Take a seat, young man,"
At least he isn't calling me 'sweetie'. He had no idea which he preferred.
Nagito walked over to the counter and skillfully tied his hair up, slipping on a pair of gloves before pulling out a black piercing gun.
"Are you going to tattoo me?" Shuichi instantly asked. It wasn't too out-of-the-question, tattooing was heavily frowned-upon but this place in general was breaking the law constantly. Maybe the tattoos were meant to make it harder to get employed or finish school...
"What? Of course not! I'm just going to put a small tag in your ear. Ever get your ear pierced? It's just like that," Nagito finally spun around and noticed Shuichi was still nowhere near the seat. "It's customary for all our guests,"
"I'm not a guest, and I'm not sitting down," Shuichi said in a rare moment of bravery.
"But don't you want your tokens? They can be used for whatever you want. Lady Ludenberg will give you a lot if you're good. But if you're bad...you get the piercing but no tokens,"
"No."
Nagito just sighed. "How sad...I was hoping you'd be a good person," He stepped over to where Shuichi was. "Are you sure you're not going to cooperate?"
"Yes."
Shuichi's ears started to ring from the open-handed slap he received, making him reel. He wasn't sure he had ever been slapped before, not even by his parents despite all the other rough treatments they gave him. He blinked in surprise, clutching his cheek.
"Will you be good now?"
Shuichi nodded quickly and sat down in the chair. "I-I don't need the straps!" He quickly answered as Nagito walked over, terrified of the idea. The piercing was over and done with quickly, and it felt more like a pinch than anything else.
Afterwards, Nagito walked over to a counter and pulled out a small needle, walking back over.
"What's in that?" Shuichi tensed up suddenly.
"Awww, are you going to be bad again?"
"...No." Kokichi's words rang through his head and he forced himself to relax.
Nagito smiled and rolled Shuichi's sleeve up, pushing the needle inside. It stung greatly and made his arm feel limp and hot for a few seconds before returning to normal. Nagito slipped a blue bandage on the prick wound, then swiveled the chair around so Shuichi was facing the blank white wall.
"Now listen. Listen real close. You can hear it, can't you? You can hear it...close your eyes,"
Shuichi closed his eyes. He didn't hear anything.
"Now open them. See anything?"
Shuichi focused hard on the wall for several seconds, nearly squinting, but that was all he could see.
"I just see the wall,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Nagito grinned widely and helped Shuichi off the chair. "Have a good rest of your day, and don't worry. I'll get you some ice for your ear,"
[][][][][]
Shuichi met back up with Celestia, who smiled sweetly at Nagito. "How was he?"
"A wonderfully good boy,"
"That is wonderful!" She nearly sung. "I am so happy to hear that!"
Shuichi awkwardly held the blue pack of ice up to his ear, which throbbed. His arm felt limp and stung, yet the cooling slap on his cheek hurt worse than both of them.
She led him back to his room and folded her hands up in front of her demurely. "It is time for you to relax now!" She smiled. "Did you get a shot?"
Shuichi nodded.
"Ah. If you feel faint or your arm hurts, tell one of the other caretakers, alright?"
Another nod, then he turned to head back to his room before Celestia suddenly grabbed onto his arm and leaned forward close to his face. Her red eyes glittered dangerously.
"That mark on your face tells me everything I need to know," Her smile was gone. "Let me give you some advice, Saihara-chan. You are here because you have an important purpose to serve. You are necessary. However, things will still happen to you regardless of how you personally feel. That is why I am suggesting you adapt to your circumstance and grow accustomed to everything. You can either adapt, and thus be good and get tokens, or continue to fight everything and get no tokens. Things will happen to you anyway, so I highly recommend you get used to this place and cooperate,"
And just like that, her smile was back and she folded her hands up under her chin. "It is just for the summer anyway. You will likely remember none of this, or assume it was all just a dream. A fairytale," She motioned him into his room. "I think you should rest for the remainder of the night. You have been through a lot. Have you seen the dots?"
"No." Shuichi said.
"You will," Then Celestia shut his door, and Shuichi was stuck in the room that looked like his room but wasn't really his room. He crawled into the bed that wasn't his bed and stared up at the ceiling. No window, and no dots either, whatever they were. He had a sudden memory of his uncle and felt tears starting to flow.
I miss him so much...oh God do I miss him...
The ice pack fell from his hands and he covered up his eyes, burying his face in his pillow. He finally began to cry, sobbing hard into his pillow. He briefly remembered they were likely still watching him, listening, but found he couldn't care. Let them.
He cried himself to sleep that first night.