As The Fox
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Eleventh Hour 5/12]
[Parameters: "Last Round" & "Final Trials"]
Game Four
"Congratulations, Hasekitsu Nepuro," Kitaniji Megumi, the Reaper who always shows up at the end of the Game to announce the results, says. "You have earned the right to return to life."
It does not feel like a congratulations. It feels like a condemning. While they have not been successive, Nepuro has lived four weeks in the Under Ground, becoming more familiar with Shibuya's streets and the mechanics of the Reaper's Game. There are always seven days, just as there are always seven Missions—but the rotating Game Master keeps the experience fresh, new challenges and new routes to carry on. Further, Nepuro has gathered more Pins than he knows what to do with, has found an exhilaration in finding their synergy as he plows through tattoo shaped beasts, ramping the challenge ever higher.
Amano—a man in his late twenties who had just started going to culinary school before he got mugged on the way home from night classes and his current Partner—smacks Nepuro's back. "Hell yeah! You did it!" It's just the two of them left, the other Pact that made it to the seventh day having gone down in the fight against the Game Master. "You've been at this for ages, right? You can go home, Hasekitsu-kun!"
Home? What's that supposed to mean?
"As you have seen," Kitaniji says, "the Reaper's Game is an opportunity for growth, which you have at long last achieved." What? Just because he put some extra effort in to get Amano to the end, to learn more about his dreams? Nothing like that is going to make up for his Partner from the last Game never returning to the stage, for the Partner after that deciding they couldn't take it and disappearing into Erasure, and Nepuro knows it, but it had seemed like the least he could do for playing a death game for the kicks. "Your resilience will be rewarded. As soon as we have Amano Ren decide what he'll do from here, you can—"
"No." The word is resounding, echoing far more than the vastness of the wide, white space should even allow. P4N stares at Nepuro in shock; Kitaniji's lips purse towards the impression of a frown without needing to commit to the expression. "No. No. Nonono. Go back to life? Go back to that? I won't do it. I can't—"
The Game is—the Game is what he needs. It's perfect for someone like him, who wants all the risk and reward and is also willing to accept the consequences that come with it. When he realized he died missing his jump to the next building over, all he thought was Yeah, that's about right. He never sought death, but he figured it would come for him one of these days, and it did. To go back to the Real Ground, where the most exciting thing is parkour, and never get to use Psyches or fight Noise again?
"I don't wanna go back," Nepuro says, the words a rush. "Every other time—every other Game—it's been a choice, right? Let me play again. Please. You can send Amano-kun back instead."
"Hasekitsu-kun…"
"There can be no substitutions," Kitaniji says, and Nepuro grimaces. He should've expected it, but it still would have been nice. Amano's got way more going on for him in the RG. "You are quite the anomaly Hasekitsu Nepuro. Not many people wish to reenter the Game whenever they have escaped its clutches." Funny. Nepuro considers the Game an escape from everything else. "You have shown great skill throughout your Games. Can I not convince you to become a Reaper? I have a feeling you would accel at it."
"If you can't put me back in the Game, fine." Better the unknown than a known quantity, any day of the week. "But if you can put me back in the Game, I want that."
"Yours is an unprecedented situation. I am afraid I cannot give your request an answer just yet." But that's not a no. Kitaniji lets out a low hum of contemplation, returns to his usual calmness. "I shall see what we can do for you, Hasekitsu Nepuro. Now, Amano Ren what about you? Will you play again, join the Reapers, for face Erasure?"
"I'll play again," Amano says, though Nepuro knows it's not for the same reasons as him. P4N has every intention of opening a restaurant, and he's not backing down, not yet. Nepuro hopes he makes it, hopes maybe it gets a Reaper sigil slapped on the side so he can sit down and enjoy the udon between rounds of Noise. "I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I'll make it through this time, no matter what."
"Very well." Kitaniji raises his hand, the same gesture he makes at the end of every Game and signals the coming sensation of being put asleep and tucked away wherever Players go whenever they aren't running for their lives. "Now—sleep."
Whenever Nepuro next awakes on hard concrete with the absolute bustle of hundreds of people walking through the city, he knows his wish has been granted.
[Author's Notes]
Week Four, baby! It had to happen eventually - Nepuro grew enough to earn a resurrection! Of course, that's not an offer he's willing to take.
Thanks are going out to Chronic Guardian, and EeveeGen9988 for the reviews last week. I'm glad Game Three landed right, since even I feel like Nepuro's an enigma to me sometimes.
For these prompts, they're more of a subversion. This could be Nepuro's Last Round and Final Trials, but he's instead hopped back into the fire. As for why he was granted permission, do remember who the Composer is. We'll spend some time on that later on, though!
If you're observant on the prompts/have been looking at the [Twelve Shots of Summer] forum, you might notice that these are technically the Week Five prompts. That might have something to do with a certain someone (*cough* me *cough*) mixing up the prompt order for posting on the admin side and making a mess. Alas for me, I couldn't just swap the one shot order, so you can have week five this week and then week four next week! Maybe this chaos is a bit of much needed Nepuro spice, hm?
This week's T-Sauce recommendation is PunkTrashNoiz's "i won't let you choke (on the noose around your neck)" as they make their triumphant return to fanfiction writing! I got them into Bungō Stray Dogs, and I will not apologize.
Next week's prompts are "Last Supper" and "Final Act," which will go up on Saturday the 29th. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[23 June 2024]