steadycourse | recolle ic inbox

Ah, yeah, she did say that but... I think that's a little too much for me.

[ he takes one hand off his knee to rub the back of his neck sheepishly ]

Kyouko always gave me too much praise with this kind of stuff. I mean, being a little more optimistic and supportive than others isn't enough for a title like that.

[Didn't they just talk about talents not defining who they are now... but for something like Hope, it almost feels like they should try harder to reach something like that.]

That is a strange talent, I must admit! It's not really a skill you just obtain... but something you must work towards. [Come to think of it...]

Does it make you want to work harder to become the SHSL Hope? Especially since Good Luck is just something that happens without any effort of your own!

[Yep, he'll just throw some shade again.]

[ what is with this shade. why is it that he's always getting shade thrown at him even when he's trying to help... outrageous... ]

Of course. I'd love to live up to a title like that and be someone hopeful enough that I can be proud of but I guess I'm just... not sure if SHSL Hope is a real title. I don't remember reading it online in my memories and I feel like Kyouko just made that up.

[ granted, he didn't read about kirigiri's talent online either but she always seems to be a special case ]

Would she lie to you about something like this?

[He's not sure she would, but Ishimaru wasn't as close to her as Naegi or Byakuya. Maybe she has a hidden prankster side that he never knew about! Regardless, SHSL Hope doesn't sound any less fake than some of the other titles they know. Like Moral Compass--]

...

[For a moment, Ishimaru falls completely silent as a memory passes through him. He looks completely lost in thought and it takes a few seconds before he moves again, slowly blinking as he says two words without much context.]

Moral Compass.

[It comes out quietly, far lower than his normal volume.]

[ naegi was going to answer his question, say that it's probably not a lie but more of an exaggeration. she always praised him more than he thought he needed but he appreciated it. to see her faith in him, it was... nice. he obviously misses her but he hasn't said anything about it. no point in lingering about something that he can't change. ]

[ as he was about to open his mouth, he notices that ishimaru has completely gone frozen. wait, is he... going through a memory right now? he's seen this happen to a few people, including himself, so did this work? did they finally get back a memory back about ishimaru's talent? naegi patiently waits until ishimaru snaps out of it but when he does, naegi can only react with confusion. ]

Huh?

[He doesn't yet look at Naegi, still reeling from the memory. Nothing big actually happened in it, just him reading a letter of admission to Hope's Peak Academy, stating his name and SHSL talent. But... it's still a big revelation to him, not only because it's a memory that he actually wanted to remember, but because he's finally recalled his talent after all this time.

...But it's something he wasn't expecting at all.

Shouldn't he be happy? This was his goal and with Naegi's help, he reached it. And while a part of him is glad, another part of him just feels upset.]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru. [Ishimaru finally responds, but he's still subdued.] He-- my past self, is the Super High School Level Moral Compass. I just remembered.

[ naegi waits patiently for ishimaru to start talking, not wanting to push him until he feels comfortable. he stays silent until ishimaru begins and when he does hear from him, he puts on a thoughtful look. ]

"Moral Compass"...

[ naegi repeats, thinking to himself. yeah, that's definitely of the talents that he remembered and wrote in his phone but he was always confused by that one. some of the talents were pretty self-explanatory but this one was not so easy to figure out... ]

Do you remember what it means?

For achieving top honors in a famous high school and being dedicated to its public morals committee.

[So, an honors student that probably had a bright future ahead of him if the killing game didn't happen.]

It was vague other than that. [But either way, 'moral compass' is not an ability he's going to get. In fact, he's already past high school and while he did decently, it was nothing impressive. Not to mention, all he does is gamble, college hasn't been something he seriously considered.

And while he's proud of his gambling skills and he's been trying his hardest to prove that it's not just luck or filled with criminals, he would never argue that it's the most moral thing either.]

Ngh, I'm nothing like that.

[ being dedicated to the school's public morals committee... wow, that sure is specific and... also vague at the same time. naegi puts a hand to his chin as he thinks about this. when ishimaru says that he's nothing like his past talent, naegi looks up ]

... well, doesn't that also mean that you had a very strict moral code?

[ here comes your protag spew of positivity ]

That sounds a lot like you. Even when you're gambling, you always try to follow your moral code of never doing anything illegal or dishonest and you're always trying to make sure that others are the same. So... if we think of Moral Compass as someone who motivates and pushes people into being someone with good morals, I think that fits you a lot.

[As encouraging as Naegi is being, Ishimaru still doesn't fully agree with him. He rubs his arm, partly because of how sore it is and partly because of his uncertainty over all this.]

Maybe, but that doesn't make me the Super High School Level Moral Compass. There are plenty of other people that follow a strict moral code... and they don't gamble. They haven't caused other people to lose thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes.

Kiyotaka...

[ naegi stays silent a bit, just watching him and his movements ]

You can't put that on yourself. Remember what you said? We agree to the rules when we come to the table to play, including the consequences. You can't blame yourself for something like that.

I-I know...

[He definitely still believes in that philosophy, but it's hard to think of himself as the SHSL Moral Compass at the same time.]

It's just that someone with truly good morals, someone really worthy of that title, would be doing something else with his life. I feel like my past self would disapprove of me.

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