[He staggers in place. His thought are a dizzy whirlwind; everything he's heard about the statues rambles in his head, thrown up against this new and shocking turn. People become statues because they went too long without sex, or their fate got "used up" according to Jin Mingming. Sometimes they wake up up from being one with or without their memories, and sometimes they disappear again after that and turn to stone all over again. But whether they wake up, no one ever disappears off the registry without becoming a statue. Right? Right??
Only that's not right. Senku, he remembers, thought his friend from home disappeared without becoming one. It happens to new arrivals, or so he's heard. Sometimes the new arrival doesn't remain at the resort; sometimes they get "thrown back" without ever being added to the registry or given a card assignment. Right? Which means people can leave without becoming a statue.
And Hua Cheng, why—Hua Cheng couldn't find his husband's statue. Even though he had a red string too, it didn't lead him to one. It was leading him outside the resort, he thought. And now Hiyori, who has the same type of string, isn't being led to any statue, either. He found Jun's statue, but the string isn't attached. It's supposed to lead him to Jun, no matter what, no matter how far apart they are, according to Hua Cheng, who gifted it to him. And it used to lead to Jun: he could see it and feel it binding them, just like the gold string they had during the Hearts game.
It all makes his head spin. Either Hua Cheng was wrong about the string always connecting them, or the resort interfered with it and made it stop working. ... or else...]
...!
[Hiyori sucks in a breath.
Just like that, Bakugo said it. He said what Hiyori's been hoping for. What he hasn't had the nerve to even think out loud yet. The statue looks like Jun, it's in a place Jun frequented, and it appeared at the same time Jun vanished from the resort. But the string isn't connected, even though it's always supposed to bind them. Which means what?
That the statue can't be Jun.
For a moment, Hiyori stares, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mind perfectly blank.]
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Date: 10/15/25 23:29 (UTC)Only that's not right. Senku, he remembers, thought his friend from home disappeared without becoming one. It happens to new arrivals, or so he's heard. Sometimes the new arrival doesn't remain at the resort; sometimes they get "thrown back" without ever being added to the registry or given a card assignment. Right? Which means people can leave without becoming a statue.
And Hua Cheng, why—Hua Cheng couldn't find his husband's statue. Even though he had a red string too, it didn't lead him to one. It was leading him outside the resort, he thought. And now Hiyori, who has the same type of string, isn't being led to any statue, either. He found Jun's statue, but the string isn't attached. It's supposed to lead him to Jun, no matter what, no matter how far apart they are, according to Hua Cheng, who gifted it to him. And it used to lead to Jun: he could see it and feel it binding them, just like the gold string they had during the Hearts game.
It all makes his head spin. Either Hua Cheng was wrong about the string always connecting them, or the resort interfered with it and made it stop working. ... or else...]
...!
[Hiyori sucks in a breath.
Just like that, Bakugo said it. He said what Hiyori's been hoping for. What he hasn't had the nerve to even think out loud yet. The statue looks like Jun, it's in a place Jun frequented, and it appeared at the same time Jun vanished from the resort. But the string isn't connected, even though it's always supposed to bind them. Which means what?
That the statue can't be Jun.
For a moment, Hiyori stares, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mind perfectly blank.]