rakuen | Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

- I remember now. It's a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her.

The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess.

No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its waking passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere deeply tired. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

The tram pulls to a stop outside the academy station, and the students onboard are ushered off and directed to the front lobby of the school. They can't miss it; there are signs up pointing toward the main entrance, reading "New student orientation" in big, bright letters. If anyone should care to move off the path, try exploring somewhere else, a teacher will conveniently appear to shoo them back toward the lobby, assuring them that "all your questions will be answered inside".

The lobby is big and spacious, looking more like a university or perhaps a fancy international hotel than a high school. Stood around are any number of students in the uniform of the school. Some of them even look awake. There are several receptionists at the desk towards the back of the lobby, but for now they seem busy with paperwork.

[ Note: the round announcement will go up in a thread once you've all mingled. ♥ ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah. Already?"

Kuchinawa had to close the book he was reading. He stared at the screen. He blinked once. He blinked twice. His name was still there. He told himself he would rather not fight unless it was absolutely necessary. And now the game made it absolutely necessary that he did.

He sighed. There were other things that he would rather do. But now he had to find a weapon. Fortunately or unfortunately, El was not there to decide for him. Seeing as Yuki Yagizawa's name was on the board as well, it would probably be best if he didn't lose immediately.

"You as well?" Edgar inquired, glancing over at the young... man? It was tough to tell, honestly.

He wasn't sure what to make of this situation. He wasn't a poor fighter, but doing battle with people he had no quarrel with, and so many of them being so much younger than him...

He nodded. "Is it the same with you?" The man was definitely older than him, and better built. This man was most likely stronger than him physically. If that's the case then Kuchinawa was at a slight disadvantage.

So he decided that it would be best not to aggravate his potential opponents. Surely they could talk things out.

"Yes, it is." He nodded in return. "I suppose we don't have much choice if we want to regain our stolen memories, do we..."

There were probably other choices, he thought, but this must be the easiest one. After all, the school was made for this game.

"It could be worse. All of this could be real."

That was an odd thing to say. Edgar's eyes narrowed a bit. "Real, as opposed to...?"

He laughed. "As opposed to not real? I don't think you're supposed to survive tiger attacks."

"Hey." The greeting was short and curt as Tougyu skulked up to the other with his hands jammed into his pockets. Shoulders hunched in his perpetual bad posture, the SC member gave Kuchinawa something that was a cross between a sneer and a grimace.

"Looks like you got lucky this time."

Lucky? Is that how Tougyu would call it now? Kuchinawa smiled back. He always smiled back. Perhaps that was why Shoujou was so irked at him, but Tougyu didn't seem to respond the same way.

"Would you rather fight instead, Tougyu?"

"Better than sitting on the sidelines." Tougyu retorted, shifting his gaze upwards to stare at the screen with something similar to that of hostility. If hostility could be muted and tinged with apathy, anyway.

"You actually going to fight?" He asked next, eyes still wide and unblinking as he stared at the screens, giving no clue as to what his actual thought process was.

And he just stood there, watching Tougyu, waiting for him to stir. He waited and waited--

He wasn't as patient as most people gave him credit for.

He finally answered Tougyu's question with another. "I have to, don't I?"

It was hard to bait someone who seemed to be out of it almost all the time, Kuchinawa. No reason to feel bad.

"Nothing stopping you from finding out what's at the end of the dark road." Tougyu pointed out with a strange twist of his lips.

Ah, Tougyu, such twisted optimism.

"You arrived in this school long before I did. What happened during the last round?"

"Same thing, less people." Tougyu replied abruptly, perhaps a little too much so. For a moment his eyes flickered over to Kuchinawa before returning to the screen.

There were so many people! More people than there had been before, another train had come with lots of people and Romeo couldn't find anyone he knew, not that he knew many people, which was probably the problem. He watched the magic wall and read the names; he wasn't sure why he could read on the magic wall but not books. He recognised Miss Yuki's name but that was the only one.

There were so many adults and Romeo was doing his best to stay out of their way but it was difficult. All of a suddon he saw someone he knew, even if they were an adult Romeo had spoken to the man before and the man had been kind. "Hello Sir! Do you know anybody on the magic wall?"

Kuchinawa had to admit that he wasn't used to having people approach him so cheerfully. It was a refreshing change, to say the least. He greeted the boy with a nod of his head and a smile.

"I see a few familiar names. Yuki Yagizawa's and Haruka Kuchinawa's really stand out."

"You know miss Yuki too?" Well that would make sense; the man knew miss Sora and miss Yuki was one of her friends. He smiled but frowned a little at the second name, he didn't recognise that name.

"Haruka Kuchinawa? Is that one of your friends sir?"

"I've met her before. She's always by Himoto's side, isn't she?"

He put a finger on his cheek and stared at the board. He tilted his head at it. Yes, that name definitely wasn't changing any time soon. "Not really. Haruka Kuchinawa is my name."

Romeo nodded and watched as the man looked up at the screen again. "Really?" He said surprised when the man spoke, he had not learnt his name before. "That's your name? That means you’re a player for this round!" Romeo said this with confidence though he wasn't sure still what a player was. He just knew that they collected people to use as weapons.

It would help if he could read the rulebook.

"I think so." He was sure that Kuchinawa his name, at least. And he was sure that he was a player, which meant that he might get challenged to fights, win fights and collect weapons. He tried to remember back to when he was in his own world, about who he was partnered with and whether or not he fought, but everything was blurry. He should ask El to tell him this sometime. Right now what he needed was a weapon. It didn't matter how powerful, or how weak, he just needed to start.

"And you are? I'm afraid I didn't catch your name the last time we talked."

Romeo smiled again, he didn't understand all the rules but miss Sora had told him that the players needed to collect people for weapons and fight with them. That made little sense to Romeo, he wondered if all schools made their students fight like this.

"Oh! I am Romeo sir!"

Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

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