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es wasn’t quite sure how they’d ended up here.
staring at all the clothes surrounding them in a store, they tried their best to remember the events leading up to now.
mahiru must have been the one that initiated the mall visit. es could hear her gushing over how pretty the clothes were from somewhere nearby. the rest of their memories were blurry.
seeking mahiru out was the only logical decision, it seemed. they listened closely for mahiru’s voice, eventually finding her examining a sundress with several more in her hands.
she noticed them immediately, perking up and waving.
“es-kuuuun!~ there you are!”
she ran towards es, hugging them as soon as she was close enough. they didn’t react, instead just freezing in the embrace.
“ah… mahiru…? what are we doing here?”
mahiru let go of es, but instead of showing concern, she just giggled.
“you’re so forgetful, es-kun~ we’re shopping together! i asked if you’d come with me and you agreed!”
“i did, huh…”
mahiru pulled her phone out of her pocket, oblivious to es’s confusion. she gasped upon seeing the time, almost dropping the dresses.
“oh no! if we don’t hurry, we’re gonna be late!”
“late?” es questioned, more puzzled than before. “late to where?”
“don’t worry about it! let’s go, es-kun!”
mahiru grabbed their wrist, attempting to run off before es stopped them by pulling against her grasp.
“mahiru! you can’t just run off with those dresses!”
“ah- i was just about to run off with those, silly me!”
mahiru walked to put the dresses back on their respective hangars, her cheerful demeanor still as prevelant as ever. es wondered how she didn’t find herself in trouble more often, but shook off the thought as she came jogging back.
“we’ve really got to hurry, es-kun!”
“right… just lead the way, mahiru.”
as the two practically ran throughout the mall, es was really beginning to wonder how they’d gotten here. there’s no way they didn’t have any memories prior to this mall expedition, right?
well, they had recognized mahiru and known her by name. there had to be something more. es wracked their brain for something, any sort of clue as to who they were.
after some reflection, only thing they could remember was… grey walls, and a sense of fear. vaguely, es remembered a group of ten people. that was weird. they didn’t know what the people had to do with the walls.
they were snapped out of their thoughts by mahiru calling out to them again.
“es-kun, es-kun! you don’t have to keep walking, we’re already here!”
es blinked, slowing their walk to a stop.
“oh. i’m sorry, mahiru.”
“no need to fuss over all that~ c’mon! he’s waiting for us inside!”
the two headed into what looked to be a small coffee shop. there weren’t many guests inside, and it was a cozy looking place for being tucked away so discreetly in an outlet mall. a guest on one of the couches looked up on his phone with a grin, waving at them.
“mappi! suu-kun! i’m glad you two could make it!”
his dopey smile was practically blinding as he made his way over. mahiru excitedly hugged him like she had hugged them earlier, beaming just as brightly. it was almost like there was two of them now.
“mikoto-kun! how are you?”
mikoto…? mikoto. the name rung a bell, but es just couldn’t place their finger on it. they knew they’d met him at some point before, but the memory was just out of their reach.
“mikoto, huh…”
es mumbled the name quietly under their breath, but mikoto perked up and looked towards them anyways.
“suu-kun, i’ve missed you, y’know!”
“yeah… i’ve missed you too, mikoto… i think.”
“ehhh? you think?!”
mikoto looked genuinely startled at the statement, and an out of place strand of hair on his head drooped along with his expression. mahiru giggled.
“mikoto-kun, don’t let them get you down! you know es-kun doesn’t mean it~”
“ahhhh… well, you’re right about that.”
es, honestly, had no idea if they had meant the statement or not. thankfully, mikoto glossed over the topic, jumping at the opportunity to start a new conversation.
“well, why don’t you two sit down? we can order something and relax, yeah?”
“ok! i’ve never been here before… do you have any recommendations, mikoto-kun?”
the two rambled back and forth to each other about coffee and various other topics while es retreated back into their thoughts again.
how did they know mikoto’s name before he introduced himself? es was sure they’d never met him before, but there was a sense of deja vu when it came to mikoto. it brought them back to the strange memory of the grey walls…
“es-kun! what would you like to order?”
es blinked a couple times, snapping back into it. mikoto and mahiru were both staring at them. es assumed the two were waiting for their order.
“oh. i’ll have… a black coffee, thanks.”
“ehhh?! suu-kun can drink that stuff?”
“mikoto-kun, maybe you just like your coffee too sweet~”
“hey, mappi! i don’t think you could drink straight black coffee either!”
the two went on with their friendly bickering until mahiru seemingly won, insisting that she could drink black coffee if given the opportunity. she clapped her hands in delight while mikoto hung his head.
“well, i guess i’ll go put our orders in, then!”
mikoto hummed, not losing energy for a minute as he went up to the cashier on duty.
“isn’t he sweet, es-kun?”
“do you think he is?”
“well, he always offers to order for me, so i think he’s a real gentleman!”
“right…”
mikoto walked back, taking his seat next to mahiru once again.
“placed our orders! now all we gotta do is wait.”
mahiru and mikoto were quick to engage in chatter again. this time, mahiru had pulled out what seemed to be a fashion magazine and was excitedly pointing at specific sections. he returned her energy, focusing and pitching in his suggestions.
es took a slow sip of their coffee. though they weren’t involved in the conversation the two were having, they felt a sense of warmth.
maybe, even if they didn’t have memories, it wouldn’t be that bad to stay like this. they closed their eyes, slowly feeling like they were drifting away…
es’s eyes shot open as they sat up, surveying the room around them. mikoto and mahiru were no longer there, and all that surrounded them were grey walls.
a voice rang from just outside, and es heard a loud thump against the door.
“oi, es? you awake?”
“i… yes, i am.”
es got up, opening the door. standing beneath them was a small rabbit with horns, dressed in a little coat and hat.
ah, yes. now everything was coming back to them. this was milgram, and they were the warden. the coffee outing with mikoto and mahiru must have been a dream, or something like that.
“hello? earth to es?”
jackalope tapped his paw against the ground impatiently, waiting for a response. “you’re completely out of it. what’s wrong with you?”
es cleared their throat.
“i… i had a weird dream, i guess. sorry.”
“it’s fine. as long as you’re able to perform your duties, you don’t have to worry.”
there was an awkward silence between the two of them. it took jackalope a minute to break it.
“well, i’m off. don’t forget to attend to your interrogation plans — you’ve still got a couple more before the first trial ends.”
before jackalope could walk away, es called out to them.
“ah… jackalope?”
“what?”
“what happens when the first trial ends?”
“…don’t worry about it. we’ll get there when we get there.”
jackalope hopped off, leaving es alone yet again.
“mikoto… mahiru…”
es mumbled the two names as they walked back into their room, sitting on their bed and staring at the walls. the same grey walls that had been so memorable in their dream.
though this was a prison, and es wasn’t supposed to feel bad for murderers, there was a small part of them that hoped everyone would be able to escape those walls someday.