Trash Squad Day 1 - GAME START

[chinhotta]

[ Maybe you were going about your business and blacked out, maybe you were dead. Either way, when you come to, you are in what looks like the entrance hall to a school, except for the very well secured front door. Before you can really get your bearings, a voice rings out on an the intercom. ]

Welcome, kiddos! —How does that sound? 'Kiddos'? Too daddy kink? Eh, let's go with it for now. Anyway, welcome to a once-in-a-lifetime chance at romance and passion, with fabulous prizes! Find love beyond the boundaries of time and space! Original concept, do not steal.

Pick up your tablets and get settled in! A little later today, we'll have our first heart-pounding get-to-know-you event!

—Oh, also, no violence allowed! I know some of you kids are into the murder thing, but that's not the kind of game we're running here.

[ In fact, there are several boxes of electronic tablets around the room. When you pick one up, it displays the gameplay and rules.]

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Game navigation

Comments

[truthstranger]

...That... was the criteria. In the end... three of us were alive by the time we managed to stop the game.

[liftoft]

--Huh? H-hey... did you just say "alive"?

[truthstranger]

...Yes.

[ another long pause as that sinks in ]

...Was... your version not a killing game?

[liftoft]

Killing game?! W-What the hell!

[ no, sorry, he's going to need to focus on that for a second ]

[truthstranger]

Ah...

[ Shuichi also needs a moment to figure out how he feels about that. Happy?? Maybe, for Kaito? But also his chest aches like there's a heavy weight sitting on it. ]

[liftoft]

[ After a moment to adjust to that he at least calms a little - he can at least recognize that there's not really... anything he can do about it, not from here, after it's already happened. ]

...Damn. That's fucked up. Sorry you went through that shit.

[truthstranger]

[ He almost feels bad piling more on top of that, but he also needs to tell Kaito the whole story. ]

...That's not all. After we escaped... I ended up here. For another killing game. We made it out of that one eventually too, but...

[liftoft]

...We're gonna get you out. For good this time. Leave to me, Shuichi.

[truthstranger]

[ That makes his heart thump heavily. It's been so long since he heard that... ]

Momota-kun...

[liftoft]

It's gonna be okay, Shuichi.

[ Reaches out to put his hand on Shuichi's shoulder and squeeze, gently ]

You did great, making it through everything else so far! I'm proud of you.

[truthstranger]

T-Thank you. Ah, but, there's more—

[ he hesitates ]

I actually... got out several months ago, from my perspective. I've been... in another world.

[liftoft]

Another world?

[ . . .

. . .

. . . ]

You went to space?!

[truthstranger]

[ Kaito please ]

Ah... n-no. It was more like... an alternate universe? But... more alternate than it is between you and me. A completely different Earth.

[liftoft]

Well... if the universe you came from had a killing game, then I don't blame you for wanting out of it.

[truthstranger]

Mm, but it wasn't just that.

...If... you all got out, then... did you see what the world was like?

[liftoft]

What it was like?

[truthstranger]

Was it like you remembered?

[liftoft]

...You're saying something happened to outside, too, in your crappy universe?

[truthstranger]

...No, I'm saying something happened to our memories.

[liftoft]

...Every time you say somethin' I get more and more glad that you're outta there...

[truthstranger]

So it wasn't like that for you...?

[liftoft]

I don't remember anything happening to my memories...

[ somehow, he doesn't catch that as it comes out of his mouth ]

All that happened was... we showed up in the gym, and then some weirdass bear came out and told us he'd decided we were all gonna play a dating game where we had to fall in love in order to 'graduate'.

[truthstranger]

Ah... if your memories were manipulated, it would have been before then. That is, more happened to us later on, but... it was a problem from the start.

[liftoft]

[ Alright, this conversation is serious and he doesn't want to downplay that here, but... ]

The only thing that happened to us later on is that we went on some dates, and in the end everyone got to graduate. I told you you saved everybody, right?

[truthstranger]

[ He had actually forgotten about that part, and the implications there thoroughly distract him from any existential crises for the moment. ]

...Um. Everyone...?