lullabytes | fourth game; VIDEO. ACTION for Cianwood.

fourth game; VIDEO. ACTION for Cianwood.

[ The camera is shaking, mostly because Nanami can't seem to find an angle she wants. ...WELL, WHATEVER. It can just kinda be propped up on the coffee table in her room. There is an almost worrying amount of energy and soft drinks and candy around, for...some reason. Many of them are open. Apparently health got drop kicked out the window this month for...some reason...?

Look, maybe "staying awake" would have been better done by actually going to bed on time and eating healthy meals and that sort of thing, but apparently we just can't take that route so Nanami's going with "drink stuff that's supposed to wake you up and eat lots of sugar???? profit????????" She's apparently even got coffee, here.

Why the hell is she drinking coffee.

And she's definitely not sleepy - she thinks? she may crash pretty soon because THIS WAS A STUPID PLAN - and Nanami's moving around more than she usually does and looks at least somewhat more alert. Sort...of. She looks distracted, too. ]

...Got it! Ah, hello. This is Nanami. That is, this is Chiaki Nanami...pleased to meet you. If I don't know you, I'd like to talk to you...I think. Although that isn't to say that if I do know you I don't want to talk to you...But it wouldn't count, and I want the high score.

[ well gee thanks that clears up everything... ]

As many of you as I can who I haven't spoken to...please allow me to meet you! We can talk about anything you want. Like your favorite game...or perhaps your favorite series if that's too hard...or what sort of levels you like best... [ ...so when she says "anything" does she mean "about video games"? ] Mm, I'm pretty sure like this I won't fall asleep. So...let's start the battle! I won't lose!

[ While it's true her classmates seem to be falling into comas like flies, she is...probably not trying to avoid that by over-caffeinating. Probably. ]

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He wasn't talking to anyone but us.

[ ..............the actual original reason.

.................................it's just spiraled into stupid... ]

Not really...so, I said "make more friends" in a way he'd understand.

[ she is surprisingly getting good at this "make Kuzuryuu-kun do things" deal... ]

[This is... a bad thing? At least he's talking to the rest of the class. Baby steps.

But she supposes it's not a terrible way to get the young master to meet more people. The more people he has on his side, the more likely they will be to support him should he need it... for some reason. She guesses.]

So you made a competition as to whom can speak with the most strangers, where if you fall asleep, it does not count?

[She doubts how easily he'll be able to actually befriend said strangers, though...]

Did you give him a penalty as well?

He can't hang up or yell at them a lot.

[ SO YES, THEY BOTH HAVE STUPID PENALTIES of things that they are actually liable to do...............

They're...trying.

Sort of.

Trying is possibly in the process of happening here. ]

If I win, I want him to play video games with me for a while...

[ ......................and of course the end penalty is something completely predictable since it's Nanami. And relatively harmless, since...it's Nanami............ ]

[Incredible. Pekoyama... really doubts the young master can win. That's asking a lot. Especially if Nanami is caffeinating herself like this to get over her own 'penalty.']

And if he wins...?

[Playing video games for a whole month just seems like a way to make him lose his temper tbh, but alright, it's not a terrible penalty.

Even as she asks, Pekoyama doesn't exactly sound all that confident.]

[ NAEGI TOLD HER TO CUT BACK ON THE COFFEE...

and unfortunately she's gonna crash and burn soon, possibly with Pekoyama still in the room. ]

Um...he didn't say. Whoever wins just gets bragging rights and something else they want.

[ ??? She literally has no idea what he will ask for.

For her to stop using emoticons for a month? ]

[WHY DOES IT MATTER IF NAEGI SAID TO DO SOMETHING... forever out of the loop. It Pekoyama.]

I see.

[Well if nothing else, she can certainly expect that he'll brag about it. Look at that, won a friendliness competition with the SHSL Gamer. What a good yakuza heir he is.]

Please don't harm yourself trying to win. [YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO PUT THAT MUCH EFFORT IN. Pekoyama's just going to start gathering up the cans and bottles, empty or not. These are hers now. You cannot have them back.]

[ To be fair only the end-game kids know why it matters... ]

Harm myself...? I'm not harming myself, am I?

[ ...Oh, Pekoyama took her drinks..................

Confiscation................ :c ]

Excessive consumption of caffeine cannot be good for the body, no.

[Take it from the SHSL Swordsman. Don't do the thing.

She'll just take the drinks and move them to a corner before sitting cross-legged in front of them. Nope. Hers.]

You will do better if you were to get adequate sleep at night. It is peaceful enough here that it should not be too difficult.

...I guess. Sometimes it's a little hard to sleep...

[ because she PLAYS VIDEO GAMES AT NIGHT but uh ]

Sometimes I have nightmares.

[ There is also that. ]

[Night...mares... Pekoyama just closes her eyes and nods.]

I understand.

[No, she actually means it this time. She gets it. She's pretty sure, anyway.]

Have you tried sleeping with any of your Pokémon?

[ Who in their class doesn't have those, though...probably none of them, even the earliest draw point persons. ]

Kirby always sleeps with me...it's not all the time, anyway.

[ Just sometimes. ]

Do they ever go away, do you think?

[Pekoyama doesn't answer the question immediately, just exhaling quietly through her nose. Considering her role before Hope's Peak, she had thought herself to be no stranger to terrible things, but... it's been a whole month, and the not-infrequent nightmares hadn't ceased.]

I do not know, [she answers honestly, after several long seconds of silence. She really just doesn't know.] I think, in time, perhaps...

[But in her case, it's already been nearly a month to the day. Nanami's even longer. And they're still both having nightmares. Maybe they won't ever stop.]

...Would speaking about them help?

[ ...She's not sure. She's never actually mentioned what her nightmares are about. She assumes Hinata and Kuzuryuu probably can guess. Kuzuryuu...probably told Peko about her execution, she's not sure.

Nanami fiddles with a strand of hair, twirling it and then untwirling it around one finger, as she tries to think what to say. ]

...She died first. I tried to get us out, but...in the end, we couldn't leave that place. I dropped her hand when we sat there, waiting, and now...I wish I hadn't.

[ Usami. Usami-chan. ]

I keep seeing her die. Though, sometimes, it's the others who are sitting next to me while the blocks drop. But mostly it's her.

[Kuzuryuu did tell her about the others' executions, though most of them are still difficult for her to really imagine. One would think, after seeing Hanamura's, and the nature of her own, that it would be easier to fathom, but... it's really not.

And now Pekoyama kind of regrets asking. If she had never been able to comfort Kuzuryuu as a child, how on earth was she supposed to comfort Nanami? Asking if the other girl had wanted to talk about it seemed like the natural thing to ask, but what then...?]

It is... a loss of control, isn't it? [she says finally. The nightmare itself, yes, but the circumstances around their deaths as well. Her hands tighten into fists on her lap.] If there had been a way to truly fight back... it would be different. As for the nightmares, I mean. If there had been a way for us to regain control of the situation, we would be better off.

[Pekoyama we were talking about Nanami here. Not you. Jesus.]

[ They were, but now they seem to be talking about Pekoyama, and Pekoyama seems...sad.

There's really only one thing to do. At least, she thinks so. This is more Usami's jurisdiction than hers, but...Nanami goes over to Peko, where the other girl sat cross-legged in front of the energy drinks in the corner, getting off the couch to do so. The gamer girl sits down beside Peko, making no move towards the drinks, and then leans over to wrap her arms around Peko's shoulders.

That's it. Apparently she came over to hug the other girl. ]

You're in control here.

[She meant to talk about Nanami. Maybe she was even trying to make it seem like what Nanami felt was the same thing she did?? It is a mystery. She stiffens as Nanami approaches, ready to knock her hand away if she tried reaching for the energy drinks. Not that she really expected her to, not given what they were discussing, but--

What she's not expecting is a hug. Pekoyama doesn't even know what to do at first, just blinking a few times as her hands rest rather uselessly on her knees.

Then she relaxes, allowing the other girl to hold her. It's not until Nanami speaks again that it occurs to her to hug her back, both hands coming up in a somewhat-awkward, but no less fierce, attempt at a hug.]

As are you. There will be no need to fear additional nightmares, here. I will make sure of it.

[She doesn't know how, but god damn, she is going to try.]

[ ...Nanami's not really sure how Peko will stop nightmares, either, but...it's possible that the offer, and the idea of Peko standing off against them with her wooden sword, is enough of a guard against them.

Or at least it makes Nanami smile, picturing it. ]

...Thanks, Pekoyama-san.

Think nothing of it. It is no trouble.

[Look at that, she... managed to comfort someone?? Level up! Or something. Now if only she could do that with Kuzuryuu some time.

She loosens her grip soon after though, waiting for Nanami to pull away.]

[ Nanami doesn't pull away.

This is the second where the she crashes from being up too long with too much caffeine. Congratulations, Pekoyama, you now have a sleeping gamer. ]

[Oh no. Nanami. No. Why Pekoyama of all people. howcouldthishappentome.mp3

Peko's brow furrows, but she doesn't pull away. She just shifts to try to pull Nanami into a more comfortable position, but if she's still asleep after ten minutes, Peko's just going to try to pick her up as gently as possible to move her to bed.]

[ Nanami won't wake for the duration, including the move to her bed. APPARENTLY YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T BINGE ON A ROOM FULL OF ENERGY DRINKS...

who knew

literally everyone but Nanami. ]

[NANAMI PLS.

Peko at least tucks her in properly before ducking out to find a trash bag. She's as quiet as she can be about gathering them up to throw out, then she just turns out the light to let Nanami sleep. She can have her competition with the young master the whole rest of the month, for now, she clearly needs to rest.

Good night, gamer.]

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