hierophany | INBOX (noctium)

I suspect. Hmm.

I suspect that you feel unprepared because a true replication of the events you experienced would be so unthinkable. If something were to happen, it would by necessity be something unfamiliar. Something that you have no ability to prepare for. I suspect that it’s difficult to consider a repeat of your previous circumstances truly impossible because they seemed impossible before, as well, until they proceeded to very rudely happen.

And I suspect that you feel the need to be prepared more keenly at present because of the presence of your suit-considering username thief.

I've been encouraged to live normally here. To behave like a typical person my age. But you're correct; typical people my age don't think to plan for the sorts of things that happened to me. They would have no reason to even consider it a possibility.

But Fujisaki-san is not dangerous. I want to make that very clear.

You are standing in an empty classroom. Your physical condition is normal, but for the remnants of a headache that leave your head feeling clouded and thick. From somewhere in the distance you can hear the sound of discussion.

The only exit is to the south.

I develop an immediate and bone-deep resentment for whatever force is responsible for my options being so dramatically limited.

And go south.

Your RESENTMENT feels like the return of an old friend. Comfortable. Familiar. It does nothing to alleviate your headache but it leaves you feeling somewhat less alone than before.

You exit the classroom to the south. You find yourself standing in the middle of a schoo corridor. The hallway is dotted with the usual academic and extracurricular paraphernalia typical of such a setting.

The sounds of discussion are louder here and coming from the RIGHT.

Exits are to the left and to the right. You are also able to faintly hear the sound of footsteps.

I wear my RESENTMENT as armour.

I consider the possible people that the discussion could be between, and conclude that a discussion between people who are friendly or neutral toward me will have little information that I cannot retrieve later by asking and a discussion between people who are hostile toward me will give me unreliable information. Upon consideration, I decide that keeping potential hostile parties unaware of my whereabouts is more valuable than whatever information I would gain from participating.

I go left.

Equipping RESENTMENT increases your ability to absorb damage but decreases your ability to relate to others. You will experience penalties when trying to interact with other characters.

You proceed left. Your new path leads you through the school's academic corridors until eventually you arrive at the DORMITORY WING. The footsteps you previously heard are now silent. You are no longer able to hear the sound of discussion.

There are fifteen doors in this corridor. Each door appears to contain a PICTURE that serves as a NAMEPLATE.

I take a few moments to examine the NAMEPLATES and attempt to commit to memory which picture belongs to which door.

I try two doors at random, avoiding any door that seems like it might correspond to me.

Of the fifteen nameplates, seven belong to boys and eight to girls. They all appear to be for students of high school age.

None of the names are familiar. All of the doors are LOCKED.

I cannot find a door that corresponds to me. I feed this information to my RESENTMENT.

I return to the corridor to listen in on the conversation.

Mm. No, you've got that WRONG.

There is a door that corresponds to you. You avoided it when trying doors at random to determine whether they were locked or unlocked.

None of the names are familiar.

Continue investigating this area?

Oh. I misunderstood.

I open the menu and check the name of the active character.

[Now he's got it.]

There is no NAME listed for the active character.

I close the menu and try my own door.

You examine the door with the NAMEPLATE that resembles yourself. You are able to identify that this is your door based on appearances alone. From examining the nameplate, you also learn your own name.

Your NAME has been added to the menu.

A new ITEM has been added to your inventory: DOOR KEY.

Opening the DOOR with the DOOR KEY yields access to a DORM BEDROOM. Enter?

I enter the DORM BEDROOM and search it for useful items.

You enter and search the DORM BEDROOM. Your search is methodical, exacting, and thorough. It feels natural to examine your surroundings in this manner.

There is an in-suite bathroom with a door that locks. The main room contains a BED, a DESK and CHAIR, a WASTEBASKET, a TABLE, and SHELVES. The SHELVES are all EMPTY. There is a SECURITY CAMERA observing your movements in one corner. All external windows are SEALED with LARGE METAL PLATES.

Inside the drawer of the DESK is a SEWING KIT. The KIT is sealed in plastic and unopened.

There are no hairs on the bed, pillow, or carpet. The bedroom furniture appears entirely UNUSED.

I remove the plastic from the SEWING KIT and place it in the WASTE PAPER BASKET. I search the SEWING KIT for the following items and take them if they are present:

SCISSORS
SAFETY PINS
TAPE MEASURE

I leave the room and return to the corridor.

All of the following items are present in the SEWING KIT. They are also now present in your inventory.

You are standing in the DORMITORY WING.

Your RESENTMENT blunts damage from a wave of DISCOMFORT. No HP reduction.

I glare at my NAMEPLATE for a few seconds to refuel my RESENTMENT and steel myself against further DISCOMFORT-based dangers. I choose not to doubt its offering of my NAME to avoid further DISCOMFORT, but that does not mean I have to like it. It was rude of it to know my NAME before I did.

Armed with a NAME and an UNDERSTANDING THAT I MAY NOT BE THE ONLY ONE IN THIS SITUATION, I return to the starting area to investigate the DISCUSSION.

You retrace your steps to the CLASSROOM that was your original position. This time, you proceed to the RIGHT.

Thirteen high school students are assembled in the ENTRANCE HALL. Due to your previous investigations, you are able to put names to all of their faces. You are also able to determine that one is MISSING.

You are regarded with SUSPICION as you enter. Your RESENTMENT deflects damage; you do not care about their OPINIONS.

The following options are available:

A) Participate in the DISCUSSION
B) Wait silently for the BOY who will CHANGE YOUR LIFE

I check my inventory and find I have no INTENTION OF DISCUSSING ANYTHING WITH THESE PEOPLE.

I wait silently. While time passes, I take the SUSPICION that I have been offered and refine it into A VAGUE CONTEMPT.

Why did you take the sewing kit items?

You played the simulation successfully, by the way. That's almost precisely what really happened.

I took the scissors because I chose to leave the dorm room unlocked and wanted them accounted for.

The other items I took as props. I was hoping that I could overcome my penalty to human interactions by presenting myself as competent and prepared. The safety pins seemed a useful but non-threatening tool to have to hand in case of minor problems, which would allow me to quickly establish my usefulness. The tape measure seemed like a less immediately useful item, but one I could potentially use to establish my dedication to providing accurate information.

I see. Even playing as a different character, you were concerned with achieving a certain level of usefulness to others in the environment.

Regardless, it's unlikely that a circumstance like that would ever successfully repeat here. There are too many people who wouldn't allow me to forget my own name.

Or who would seek vengeance upon anyone who took it from me.

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