1st Lie

[fictionalize]

Characters: Kumagawa and you!
Setting: Various parts of the tower
Format: Any
Summary: BIG HUGE LOSER exploring the tower
Warnings: Screws, random acts of violence, some gore?

[Dormitories]

[First order of business is, of course, putting on his uniform. He can't wear white! It really just doesn't suit him. Even if he's not on the student council anymore and should really wear the normal uniform. Of course, this didn't really look like Hakoniwa Academy...

Plus, the last thing he remembered was having just rescued Shiranui, so this was pretty mysterious. Had he been hit by some kind of style?

Well, whatever! He's going to look for someone to harass. No matter who you are or how busy you look, there's an annoyingly smiley face bothering you]

「Hi, do you have a few moments to fill out a survey for the latest issue of Shounen Jump?」

[Cafeteria]

[Kumagawa is just. Staring at the oatmeal.

Yeah, no. He doesn't want to eat this.

You, who were passing by, gets a tug on your sleeve or other grabbable piece of clothing]

「...I don't suppose I could get the shiyo ramen instead, can I?」

[Floor 75]

[The snowy of the ruins of the castle here look like they've been through a more recent battle: there's blood and ichor everywhere, the bodies of dead monsters all over the place, ranging from the more mundane and even completely harmless to a few that look like they'd be quite dangerous. The most striking feature of the scene is how they were apparently annihilated: everywhere, there are giant screws stuck into everything, drilling through their heads, their guts, armor, carapaces, pinning them to the ground, the trees, even into the walls of the castle.

Investigate?]

Comments

[fictionalize]

「I'm asking you to define that "core". Are you calling the memories my "core"? Or something else? I think ones characteristics make that up, but you're saying I should change those. What if my Minus is my core?」

[tohko_amano]

..I think your soul-your consciousness-would be your core here..but what's this Minus you're talking about? Is it an ability to make things worse?

[fictionalize]

「Soul - what a convenient and vague phrase! No wonder everyone loves it. And consciousness - do I stop being me when I'm unconscious? If I lose the memories that connect periods of being conscious, would I stop being the same person?」

「An ability... or maybe a disability? Well, it's not anything so wonderful a gift like an Abnormality or one of those things you'd see in Weekly Shounen Jump.」

[tohko_amano]

..It's not just a phrase here. It's an actual thing. The body you have here isn't your original one. Only your soul was pulled here. The liquid in your collar helps keep your soul from rejecting your body. And you don't stop being you when you're unconscious. After all, your mind is still working when you're asleep. Your subconscious never really stops.

..And I'm not a huge reader of comics, so I don't read Shounen Jump..but that still doesn't tell me what Minus is.

[fictionalize]

「An actual thing, huh? I'd like to see it sometime. If I cut you open, would it pop out? Haha, just kidding. I wouldn't do something like that just for fun. I'd cut myself open first.」

「Like I said... it's a curse, a despair, a misery... it's everything that's wrong with someone like me.」

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko sighed and looked..a little concerned and puzzled at this boy's remarks.]

I would rather that you didn't cut me or yourself open..but if you want to see it, look for a boy named John Egbert. He managed to get video footage of the whole extraction process. Maybe you'll be able to see it.

..And what do you mean by 'someone like you'?

[fictionalize]

「John Egbert, huh? I'll keep that name in mind.」

「The weak. The downtrodden. The unfortunates whom life just dealt an unfair hand. Well, it's okay if you don't understand. A Plus doesn't need to understand. That's just normal for us.」

[tohko_amano]

No, I understand..but there's nothing wrong with being weak, and if life has dealt you an unfair hand, then flip life's table. You can usually push forward, no matter how bad the odds or what your hand is. Plus, everyone has been dealt a bad hand at least one point in their lives. There shouldn't be any distinctions like Plus or Minus for that.

[fictionalize]

「See? That's a very Plus thing to say. A man once said that one's life is plus-minus zero. That it all evens out but... in the end, that man must have been a Plus. After all, how could he be so content and happy that he'd have the time and talent to philosophize something so good sounding? There isn't a single Minus that would be able to agree with you.」

[tohko_amano]

..There might be some people who wouldn't be able to agree with that..but most people don't have to live in sorrow and misery, even if a lot of bad things happen to them. And how do you know if any 'Minuses' wouldn't be able to agree with that? There might be one who does!

[fictionalize]

「If they did, they wouldn't be a Minus. Seeking happiness, optimism, hope... those are all things only a Plus can have.」

[tohko_amano]

..I don't think that's quite correct. There may be Oba Yozo's who have a hard time being happy or finding hope, but it's possible for everyone to find hope and happiness, even if things are bleak. I find hope here, even if this place is horrific.

[fictionalize]

「The fact that you believe is just proof you're not one of us. That's the kind of thinking that only a Plus could have.」

[tohko_amano]

I don't think so..after all, you could try to be a little more positive, if you wanted to! Unless, of course, you're an Oba Yozo.

[fictionalize]

「What's an oba yozo? Can I eat it?」

[tohko_amano]

No, you can't. Oba Yozo is the main character of No Longer Human. In the story, he can't feel or understand human emotions or empathy, even though he puts on a mask and pretends to.

[fictionalize]

「Ah, well that's definitely not us. We're not fictional for one thing! And of course, we probably know human emotion better than most anyway.」

[tohko_amano]

Knowing human emotion and actually feeling it are two different things. Even Oba Yozo could predict how people would act through observation after awhile..but that's my point. Since you're not Oba Yozo's you can change-hopefully, for the better.

[fictionalize]

「I don't think you can really say you know an emotion without ever having felt it.」

「There you go, saying Plus-like things that don't apply to people like me.」

[tohko_amano]

..Maybe not..but some people might be able to guess at what it's like, at the very least.

And why can't those things apply to you as well? Aren't you just pulling yourself down by throwing people into two groups and saying that they can't be both or change?

[fictionalize]

「I'm just telling you how it is. You're the one forcing your ideals on to me. That's discrimination, or something. You can't just assume everyone is like you. You Plus.」

[tohko_amano]

I'm not forcing anything onto you! I'm just making suggestions! It's up to you whether or not you agree with them or not. I'm not discriminating against you, and I haven't assumed that everyone is like me. And I'm not a 'Plus'. I mess up a lot and hurt people sometimes, but I do some good for others as well. Splitting people up into pluses and minuses ignores the fact that people can do both good and bad.

[fictionalize]

「It isn't about doing good or bad, or messing up. Your positive outlook is why you're a Plus. You aren't the kind of person that people would rather not deal with. Really, you should be happy you aren't a Minus.」

[tohko_amano]

But..I'm not hating the conversation we're having now. I wouldn't mind dealing with you. And if you want to change you're outlook, you can, if you try! At least, that's what I think.

[fictionalize]

「Is it really that fun? Trying to force me to stop being me?」