One Final Call || Ryou MM Trial Post 3

They were right. Daisy was right. Ryou let go of Saki and kneeled on the floor before them. His eyes followed something no one else could see, as if he were reading something. Plans, ideas, words to call forth. He didn't look up at those so angry with him, he didn't look at the seemingly one person who would defend him. 

Did he hurt her? He genuinely loved Saki... But someone had called her stupid for not wanting to lose him. Her.. love, if she ever had it, had become desperation. Ryou couldn't blame her. He was in the same boat, wanting to change what he had done but everyone thinks of him as some cruel monster. They weren't wrong to think so. No one was wrong in thinking Ryou had done so many cruel things. But can people not see that want to change and believe it? 

His lips quivered as he struggled for the first time to find words that didn't sound like lies. Complete truth. Honest truth... right? His brother taught him that the truth is what will set you free. Honesty with overcome any darkness. Reality and Truth will become one. Shinjitsu. Ryou. Truth and fidelity. Wasn't that what he wanted to be? What happened to truly wanting a good wold for these people, only for it to be destroyed by his chaotic drive for anarchy? Holding out his hands, he slowly pulled off his gloves, and slid his jacket off. He sat on the floor of the trial room with open hands, rough from working hard for many years.

Ryou lost himself in the pursuit of power.. but what made him worthy of life? Shaking his head slowly, he had finally come to his senses enough to confess. 

Ryou sat back and raised his eyes to look into that darkness, into the camera. 

He looked up, and saw people voting, and felt his heart freeze up. They were going to kill him. He was going to die without saying sorry, without fixing what he's done.. Without stopping the riots. Without stopping everything and releasing them. This is fine. More than fine. He deserves it! 

Ryou thought to himself over and over again about the inevitability. Of how he had become a monster, and now it was time to be executed for his crimes. A smile crossed his face, a desperate one, desperate to smile in the faces of those who hated him. 

Ryou raised to his feet, newfound energy in himself. 

He nodded his head and crossed his arms. 

And finally, as Ryou accepted that his demise was coming soon, and coming fast, tears began to pour down his face. The anger had subsided only in the way of pain and guilt. It's not like they'd ever believe him, not like he could make up for what he did.

Sweet Sorrow || Ryou Mastermind Trial 2 || RE: Renee ATTN: Iwao, Akira

Ryou sighed and bowed his head. He was slowly getting done with this whole shebang. All this fighting, threatening. He even saw Saki leave his side. He watched Renee with a serious look. Daisy said what? Inhaling slowly, Ryou pulls his hair back and groans. Where was he even to begin? Looking up at the camera, he stares right at Daisy and Yoon-ji, wherever they are. 

"I never have assaulted anyone in my entire life. Daisy's wounds are hers. Of her own volition. She hurt herself. I never ever threatened her children, I never threatened her. The explosives are simply storage... honestly. A storage place for chaotic followers once this game is done."

He looked to Renee with a look of guilt and shame. 

"I don't even have anything to detonate them with. No matter what you choose, I'm letting you go, alive. I promise." 

Then, Ryou reached into his jacket, pulling out the envelope, holding it up in the darkness and staring at Renee. His heart froze as he considered giving it to her. He could not do that, he would not give a gun to someone who wants to murder him. He knows when not to feed the flame. 

"I want Iwao to have this. He'd do better with this, and as far as I know, isn't dead set on sending me to the grave. You on the other hand, you try to tell me that I would have the immoral strength to assault someone? To lay a hand on her? To lay a hand on anyone? She thought her children were dead based on assumption. She assumes everything, with no evidence. She thinks I'm some evil, unforgiving monster. Would I hurt innocent children-- let alone let them die-- just because she told someone why she was there?"

Ryou holds out his arms in defeat, moving closer to where Saki and Iwao are. He slowly hands the envelope to Iwao, nodding to him. And then he kneels to the floor where Saki sat, sobbing. In a hushed tone, he asks if she's okay before looking up and standing to his feet. Walking back to the center, he watches Renee with a serious look. 

"This is how it has to be, Renee. Understand me when I say this is out of my control. Believe me, please." Desperate anger flooded his heart, "Believe me, if I were in control by the time I said 'I don't want this', don't you think I would have stopped it? This is far more than a simple man doing terrible things. It's a movement. A wave of youth and adult alike falling before Reality's chaos and I can't STOP IT!!!" 

Ryou clung to his jacket as he tried desperately to tell the truth. He looks up into the darkness and waves a gloved hand. Hopefully someone is there to cut Daisy and Yoon-ji's mouth gags. He'll cooperate. 

"Honestly I'm sure all three of us are destined to die, if it makes you feel better. I know you want me to rot so let me rot in jail where I still have a chance to do the right thing! I know.. I know I've done terribly... But please... I want to do what's right. I want to fight for..." 

Ryou glanced at Akira, and lowered himself to his knees. 

"I want to fight for Justice rather than Chaos. I want to finally do the right thing, please. I'm handing you everything I own but the clothes on my back. Can't you see I am serious?!"

Ryou Shinjitsu wanted a chance. And maybe, maybe they could believe him. 

"Honestly, tell me the things-- terrible things-- you know I've done. I'll apologize, I'll make up for it. I'll work to make a better world MUCH better than the way I left it."

Let Me Tell You Something || Ryou Mastermind Post 1 || RE: Akira, Manabu

Ryou held onto Saki tightly, holding her against him. The terrified looks of Daisy and Yoon-ji above them giving a nice background to what was happening. With a deep inhale, Ryou prepared himself to answer more questions. Though, what he got was not questions, but statements, pleas... His eyes widen when he hears Akira's words... 

... because her family was at risk. Blackmail, hostages, I don’t k-know what you’d call it, but they were in danger right from the beginning...

He squeezed Saki's arm and pulled her gently around to face Akira. A look of anger swept over his face, furious blood pumping through his heart. She said that thing? Inhaling, he shakes his head and speaks up once more. 

He kisses Saki's head gently. 

His voice rose as he continued his onslaught.

Ryou's voice shook as tears poured down his face. 

Ryou saw Manabu as he wrote his note to Ryou. He saw those words on the paper, but it almost didn't make sense. Tensing up against Saki, he nods his head, then jerks it in the direction of the screen. 

Some TItle I'm tired | Sahar | RE: Ryou and Saki

Sahar had kept her eyes on Iwao throughout the entire rant, not wanting to miss anything of what Ryou had to say for himself. Through Iwao in a language he's not entirely fluent in may not be the best way to receive such important information but she did get the gist of it.

She gripped her podium tightly as she looked around the room, unsure of what exactly to do. Should she believe him? Had he really changed? She knew that Saki and Ryou were together, what would she want? Did she believe him? Really considering her relationship with him her feelings definitely were quite important.

She ended up getting her reply rather quickly, hesitating for a moment before nodding.

She hesitated for a moment.

With a shrug she just fell silent, not sure what else to say.

The Proposal

Clapping his hands together, Ryou Shinjitsu looks up in an odd direction, into the darkness. On the screens, Daisy and Yoon-ji's eyes widen in fear. What was he going to do to them? Those violet eyes stared right into the camera, terrifying the two hosts, along with any other viewer that may have found their way onto this channel. His lips were tight in a serious look, and his eyes moved down to gaze at everyone who still stood between emptied podiums.

He lowers his gaze and sighs. 

Ryou nods and stands straight, revealing himself for discrimination of all kinds. Ask him, probe him, hurt him all you want, he will allow it.

Ryou choked out a sob.

The brief pause that followed felt like hours.

The Explanation I Owe You

Ryou paced the center of the trial room, letting their angry gazes fall upon his face, which looked pale in this white light. Pale skin and a terrified apathy, half-hearted smile. Not quite the way the Mastermind wanted to look before his friends. Could he even call them friends? These people he had come to know, some he had come to love, as friends, lovers...  Did he deserve the cold and betrayed looks? Of course.

Reaching out a hand to Sahar, he pulled back, seeing that anger. Turning to Minnie, ah... She must hate him, too... Kiri, as well... He couldn't dare turn to look at Saki's look of betrayal, and Iwao's confused hurt. Poor young Kouta... Manabu too. Oh, Manabu... Akira seemed sure of the truth, so did Renee and Shigeo. Ryou had the obligation to tell them all of the truth. For Akari, Ryo, Jackie, Lola, Mia, Sora, Minoru... For Angel, Takumi, and Tsutomu... He took a breath, and closed his eyes.

His eyes open, scanning the entire room, looking for that look of anger to flare up again. 

His eyes began to glimmer with passion at that word. The word that meant much more than the denotation it served the others.

He sighed.

He snaps a finger and the screens that have appeared come to life, light flooding the corners of the trial room as two familiar faces invade the screen. No matter what's said, it cannot be heard, only video is being fed into the trial room. 

The two faces are of Daisy and Yoon-ji. He waves a hand to one of the screens as his speech continues.

With this, he pulled out a small envelope, yellow glowing in the light of the spotlight.

A Job Well Done

As the lights fell, silence spread throughout the trial room. The loudest sound, he faint murmurs of confusion, fear, and suspicion. A figure traveled through the darkness, screens lowered, and the lights blew back into life to reveal the grey clad man who was voted the Mastermind behind all this.

Ryou stood in the center, surrounded by the faces of those he had betrayed. Lifting his head to the lights, violet eyes sparkle, a smile catches the light. He had the chance to lift that burden from himself, after all this time. Hurt friends, dead acquaintances... It was finally time to make up for what he has finally done. Spreading arms out wide, he spins in the center below the lights as a voice rang out.

He lowered his hands and looked around at everyone. He saw those angry faces and his chest stung. Clutching the fabric of his dark sweater, he lowered his eyes to the floor beneath him. His shadow cast a darkness he had in his heart. How were he to begin? He promised all of them an explanation, and they deserve it.

Ryou looks to Saki and gives a half-hearted smile, shrugging in her direction. Guess she loved two Takumi's, huh?

Ryou waved his arms around the trial room.

He nodded.

What Do I Know? || Ryou MM Trial 2 || RE: Everything probably.

Ryou listened to everyone's words... Did Daisy truly say those things about him? Called him a sadist? A monster? He couldn't move, he was frozen in fear. Cogs turned in his head as he considered what he actually knew everything about. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, pulling off his gloves to reveal bandaged hands, burnt and cut by glass and fire, for reasons known to most of them here. He rested hands on Saki and looked down at her, his violet eyes filled with fear and worry. 

He brushed his thumb over her cheek as he looked up at the others. To see Saki, Iwao.. even Akira, in a way, not angry. No blindly wishing to destroy him before he could explain what he knew... Inhaling a breath once more, he begins to explain. 

"I will be honest, because I have lied enough for an eternity... But please believe me when I am sorry, and that I'm doing all in my power to stop what I helped start." 

He gripped Saki's shoulders and whispered to her. 'I'm scared...' He whispered, unsure how he would explain himself... Everyone already believed he was the Mastermind, there was no need to deny it. No need to hide from them any longer. 

"I do remember the bad things I helped... I helped fuel fire to riots all around Japan, but I don't know about any explosives. I wasn't completely aware of the motives, as Daisy was under my supervision. She came up with most of the motives, and she was the one who decided to hurt Hiromura-san... I broadcasted my messages as a fear of punishment... When you don't take care of a fire, it may grow to an intensity even the most skilled pyro cannot control. I do not want anyone to hurt anymore, and I'm not sure how I can fix things from the inside like this...." 

He gave a nod, calling out to the others. 

"Vote for me and I'll explain everything I know. Only if you can trust me that I want to help, now. I'm tired of helping push everyone to their deaths... Even the people I love the most." 

Ryou looked down at Saki, sadness in his eyes. He never wanted to hurt her. And now he doesn't want to hurt everyone here, either. No longer does he wish any ill will... He isn't even fully aware of what he used to be....

So Many Questions. So Much Discussion. || Ryou MM Trial 1 || RE: Manabu, Minerva

Ryou couldn’t believe what was going on. They called an MM Vote on the suspicion that he was the mastermind. Everyone was assuming it was him, even before he had a chance to explain himself. So much yelling, and cursing.. Saki was crying and Ryou wasn’t sure what he could do. His heart froze with fear as he heard things… Things he wasn’t even aware of. 

Ryou’s eyes were wide in fear as he turned to Iwao, seeing that he mentioned Manabu’s note. What explosives? Down where? In the basement? Ryou crossed his arms in worry as he struggled to find accurate words for him to respond with. 

Ryou straightened up and looked at everyone around him. 

When he heard Akira and Iwao’s words, he quieted, unsure of what else to say. He was in the dark nearly as much as the others, with no answers. No idea.. No memory. 

Woah woah wait. || Ryou Trial 5.1 || RE: Min, Akira

Ryou could barely even focus on the case before he heard Minerva screaming at him. He furrowed his eyebrows in hurt and worry at her. Calling him such terrible things... She thinks he's the Mastermind? He looks at Saki, and at Iwao, then back to her. Then he heard Akira's voice ring out too. He couldn't help but grind his teeth as the words of accusation stung him and made his heart freeze. What was an Orator to do? 

He held his arms at his sides as he looked around, straight faced and determined. His violet eyes began to water as tears filled the corners. He inhaled and stayed calm, even though someone had called him 'the human manifestation of all human feces'.... He closed his eyes and asked aloud to everyone. 

Tears began to stain his cheeks. He just lost someone he loved, and now so many people were going against him? He didn't blame them, though... They all need to find the one behind this. 

He held up a gloved hand, holding it close to himself. He knew that he would be accused. He knew this for a long time... But please let him have a moment of peace in finding what happened to his friend and one of his closest loved ones.

NO. NO NO NO N- [intense screaming] || Ryou Body Reaction

Ryou didn't know what was going on. Was it another body? Where.. Where was Saki? Where was Takumi? Ryou was alone as he moved to the lobby. 

.... What he saw wasn't what he wanted. 

Ryou's eyes widen as he sees Saki leaning down at Takumi's body, her cries ringing through his ears. Everything began to move at half speed. ANGEL.... Takumi.... Tsutomu..... No... Why. Why is this? He didn't feel the tears as they began to flow down his cheeks. He drops to his knees. His eyes dart to the Unnie, then to Tsutomu, then finally rest down on Takumi. Did he deserve this? Did she deserve this? Them at all? No... 

Ryou was in despair, and there was nothing to stop him. Nothing to stop him from clawing the floor below him as he keels over and begins to sob, begging for this not to be true. Not to be real. These deaths, these people, every single one of them, meant so much to him.. They meant more to him than any loved one. It wasn't hard to hear Saki and Ryou's cries in unison, echoing throughout the lobby. Ryou's body shuddered with every sob. 

"Why? Why... Why this... Why him... them.... no..." He lets out a scream of pain and anger, unable to hold it within himself.

"THIS ISN'T FAIR! WHY THEM?! BRING THEM BACK TO ME!!" 

Ryou's in despair and he will never return. 

/Mhm/, Right. || Ryou Trial 4.4 || RE: BF, Iwao, Manabu

((in contrast to the silly sprite at the beginning, there is a suicide tw))

Humming is all that Takumi gets from Ryou after the kiss. Gently, he pats his shoulder and looks away. 

“… Yeeeah…” Ryou cranked his sarcasm knob to max with that one word, and he wasn’t going to deal with his boyfriend and their personal issues right in the trial room. That’s like washing your dirty laundry in the river.

Instead, Ryou looks to Iwao and nods. 

“Alright. Let’s focus on the actually important stuff. The things that actually matter. The evidence that actually deserves to be paid attention to.” Wow, Ryou. Salty much? Maybe even a little jealous of Daisy, hm? “Wakahisai-san and Hiromura-san both mentioned pills… These weren’t near the body, right? Could it be possible that Asa wasn’t using these to kill themselves? What was this bottle even from? I may have missed a detail we discussed about.”

He hums to himself and thinks for a moment before continuing, a smile on his face as he felt the hope of finding a new lead.

“Could it be possible that a murder was staged to look like a suicide? We are all aware of how we believed Sora’s death was suicide because of overdose, and then Asa’s shoes were at the broken projector window… A symbol of resignation. Though I do believe we should figure out if those pills did truly mean something. If Asa wanted to kill themselves, why would they have tried taking pills and then shortly after throw themselves from the projection room?”

.... || Ryou Trial 4.3 || RE: Takumi

Ryou just stares at Takumi as he speaks, then over to Daisy with a disgusted expression, the first time he's ever pulled that face. He tries mouthing the word 'Why?' but can't quite get it out of himself. Turning over to Takumi he bites his lip and speaks up, unfortunately too occupied to respond to Kiri or Iwao. 

What? || Ryou Trial 4.2 || Re: I don't know anymore

Ryou blinked as everyone began to snap at him. That wasn't the reaction he was completely prepared for. Frowning and furrowing his eyebrows worriedly, he shakes his head. 

"No, no... I am not angry at all, nor did I want a volunteer." 

He holds his heart and sighs. This was going to be more difficult than he had hoped. But then again, most everything he did was difficult to pull off. And so he began piece by piece, starting with Tsutomu. 

"Otsuka-san, I never expressed how badly I supposedly wanted a sacrifice, nor did you come to mind. You're a brave person, but your bravery is misdirected, I fear. I do not want you, who has been through so much, to throw away their life when it's not even necessary." 

He sighs, the burden of being wrong weighing down on him. 

"I had said in the unfortunate circumstance if we cannot find another way out, then someone willing to sacrifice themselves would be better than leaving it to chance. Isn't it better to have a martyr willing to keep everyone alive, than to send a friend to their death randomly?" 

He turned his sorrowful gaze at Minerva. 

"Do I really seem that angry? I am not. I am simply afraid of what we may be dealing with here, and I wanted something to give ourselves the greatest peace of mind." He looked at Renee, nodding to himself. "I would rather send myself to death than have anyone deserving endangered. Not Otsuka-san, not you, nor absolutely anyone else here deserves such things." 

He crosses his arms and looks back up at everyone around him. They all seemed so innocent... He didn't want anyone hurt. No one but himself, whom he could argue was deserving. Probably not death, but more deserving to be punished in the face of the others. 

"I want this to have another ending. For us to find a culprit, for us to find the person who would have had the gall to make it look like Asa killed themselves. Do you understand my train of thought? In the most desperate situation, we may call for a sacrifice. And if it must, I can be me." He nodded with determination. 

"Who said I wanted a volunteer 'so badly', hm? I never said such things. I want to find a solution where no one gets hurt. But is that even possible? Who knows? I wish it to be true, and if not, I'd rather die myself than let anyone innocent be killed!" 

He spoke out of desperation, himself. Someone hurt and misinterpreted. He did not want anyone sacrificing themselves for his idea. That was foolish! Gripping his hands on the podium he spoke once more. 

Cracks Knuckles || Ryou Trial 4.1 || RE: Manabu, Akira, P much everything.

((Suicide TW! ))

Ryou spoke loudly, hoping to get everyone’s attention as he began to speak. His eyes were glimmering with unbridled passion. Another person whom he never met had died and he was busy moping around to do something about it. What happened to his passionate words? The way he fought for everyone’s justice? This was his time to finally make a stand. 

He opened his eyes, looking all around him. How would they react to his decision? Would they support him? Would they shun him? He stood up straight and began to speak up. 

He nodded, crossing his arms and holding himself. What are you trying to insinuate…

Come On, Get Down with the Sickness || Ryou || Closed (Manabu)

Ryou wasn't taking this whole Despair Fever situation too seriously. Though it was definitely putting him on edge. Everyone seemed to be on edge as well. It was putting him off. Instead of his friendly exterior shining through, he was deadpan and serious, determined not to get sick, even refusing to sleep in the same room as those who had come in contact with the sick. It wasn't long before he found himself back in the projection room where the motive was first announced, pacing and whispering things to himself. 

"As long as we keep an eye on everyone, or maybe we could possibly isolate those who have advanced stages of the illness..." 

He also happened to be running a film. Easy Rider was on the projection for Theater number 1, a calming film to distract himself as he wrote his speech in his head. He was sure that this motive could be approached with a logical mind, but he was having trouble thinking of the exact words. Was he too sick? He sure hopes not. He'd rather burn his clothes at this very moment than get sick as well. 

"We will have... shifts... shifts of two who will bring water, food, and much other needed supplies to the sick, a shift every three hours seems appropriate...." He needed to propose the idea to everyone immediately. He felt disaster on the horizon.

Moral Dilemma | SJB + Takumi + Ryou | Chapter 3 Thread 1

Trial was done. A day went by. It was the second day now and SJB still felt like some loose ends hadn't been tied up yet. Things felt a little more empty with five people already dead. This game was cruel and had hurt them more than once, but now wasn't a time for inner pain to manifest itself once again. Earlier, in that trial, the hero had finally gotten the sense to examine the roster.

That first day? The hero wasn't feeling ready. Now though, on the second day, they were ready. One particular problem had to be confronted. SJB wasn't calm about it and they weren't even happy about it either. A single question rested in their mind.

(Where is he? Where is Takumi Oshiro?)

A tall, costumed person was searching around the cinema, trying to find him. Theater, arcade, film storage...nothing at first. Only when SJB had entered the diner did they find Takumi. He was just...sitting there, eating something.

They spoke while approaching the Art Forger, serious words coming out of their mask.