[Hiyori left a sizable box for Bakugo as well as a letter. Here is what the letter says.]
To Baku-kun -
"If you're reading this, it means I've disappeared!"
^ That was how I began my last letter. A while back, I was talking with Loki-kun about leaving goodbye notes in case I ever become a statue. So I wrote a bunch, and I began them with, "If you're reading this, it means I've disappeared!"
I know that’s not how it works, though. My statue won’t really be “me,” just as Jun-kun’s statue wasn’t Jun-kun. Instead of disappearing, our souls simply leave the resort, right? I couldn’t believe it at first, but that was your theory all along. And since you’re a smart boy, you turned out to be right! That means you deserve a gold star, just like I used to give Till-kun!
[A gold star sticker is stuck to the letter.]
⭐️ Good job!
But anyway. Since I am leaving the resort, I do want to say a proper goodbye. I couldn’t figure out what to write, though, since I know you don’t like hearing sappy stuff. So, instead of writing you a heartfelt goodbye note, I thought: “Why not draw something instead?” Baku-kun likes drawing, and he’s a hero, which meant the perfect thing to draw for you was a “hero comic!” I’m not too familiar with those, but after digging, I was able to find some reference books in the library. So without any further ado, let me show you the hero comic I’ve been working on! Feast your eyes and enjoy!
[True to his word, Hiyori encloses a short comic.
The comic depicts two heroes. One of them is the Sunvenger Aristocrat, drawn to look like Hiyori, with a glowing aura full of sparkles. The other the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite, drawn to look like Bakugo. Hiyori did write out Bakugo's full hero name, despite all the times he previously messed it up. And he also remembered what Bakugo’s costume looked like, since he saw it when they traveled inside the painting of UA. He captures the grenade arms, the black and orange, and the “X” in the front with accuracy.
The comic shows the two heroes engaged in battle. Their first opponents are the four suits, each drawn as giant suit symbols with tiny arms and legs. Remember when Hiyori said he pictured Spades as a giant spade with a cartoon face? Well, it seems that visual persisted in his mind. The Sunvenger Aristocrat attacks the suits with a great blast of light ("Feel my sunbeam of justice!"), and then the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite finishes them off, before moving onto their last opponent: the Golden Peacock itself, represented as a giant bird.
"I'll blast you to hell!" the Murder God yells, striking an action pose. And just like that, the Peacock is consumed by a fiery explosion. There is no gore and no dismembered bird parts; just a big explosion cloud and some feathers floating through the air, just like the seagull lifeguards’ feathers floated on the day that Hiyori met Bakugo at the beach. That, too, was a visual that stuck in his memory.
The comic ends with the two characters posed heroically while the public cheers. The Peacock and the Suits have been deafeated and everyone is free to go home. Though the quality of Hiyori's artwork is middling at best, there's real effort put into the drawings.]
Well? What do you think? For a first-time comic artist, it’s not bad, right? I did my best to make us both look good!
I know such a happy ending might seem out of reach, but I earnestly believe that if anyone can win against the House, it’s you. You’re a hero whose determination is second to none, after all. I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard though, so don’t be afraid to rely on others, alright? This place may have its villains, but there are lots of kind, hardworking people you can count on.
And I also want you to have some fun after I leave, so you should remember to make time for that, too! Try to make some good memories. Then maybe when you find a memory you want to capture, you can use the Christmas gift I bought you. That’s the one wrapped in holiday paper, but you’re not allowed to open it until the 25th!
I think that covers most of what I meant to say. There's just one part left. It's going to sound sappy, but it's important, so you're not allowed to skip it. Ready? Here goes!
I had fun chatting with you, playing games with you, going out to eat with you, and visiting the arcade. We experienced lots of things together, from Halloween parties to painting worlds. Through it all, you always shined brightly, and you were always reliable. You dealt with that unpleasant doppelganger, you defended me from ghosts and cupid arrows, you gave me self-defense weapons, and you even got to know my birds in the end. I have nothing but gratitude.
That’s how I’ll always remember you, no matter what you said when your suit was acting up. As a strong, smart, reliable kid.
Sorry, that’s not quite right. Let me fix that.
A strong, smart, reliable man. You’ve grown a lot since we first met, and I know you’ll keep on growing, right into the hero you want to be. I’m absolutely sure of it.
Take care, alright?
— Hiyori Tomoe
[The letter ends there, but the box has other stuff in it. A bag of birdseed, for starters, with instructions to NOT just leave the bag open and let the birds dive in and eat like Kleken did. The birdseed is for the bird feeders! Then he includes some Christmas decorations that can be hung in the birds’ treehouse, including tinsel, red and green baubles, and Christmas-themed bird feeders. And then, finally, there's the gift Hiyori mentioned, wrapped neatly for Christmas. The gift is...
A digital camera! And a pretty nice one, too. Hiyori had some currency saved up, and since he's leaving the resort, there won't be any daily expenses left to spend it on. He could afford to do this for Bakugo. Accompanying the camera is another note:]
Well? Pretty nice, isn't it? Yep, I'm sure you're so impressed, you must be speechless!
I know we already have our watch cameras, but this one will take much better pictures. And as your former model, I expect you to do good things with it! Make lots of memories, alright?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Bakugo
To Baku-kun -
"If you're reading this, it means I've disappeared!"
^ That was how I began my last letter. A while back, I was talking with Loki-kun about leaving goodbye notes in case I ever become a statue. So I wrote a bunch, and I began them with, "If you're reading this, it means I've disappeared!"
I know that’s not how it works, though. My statue won’t really be “me,” just as Jun-kun’s statue wasn’t Jun-kun. Instead of disappearing, our souls simply leave the resort, right? I couldn’t believe it at first, but that was your theory all along. And since you’re a smart boy, you turned out to be right! That means you deserve a gold star, just like I used to give Till-kun!
[A gold star sticker is stuck to the letter.]
⭐️ Good job!
But anyway. Since I am leaving the resort, I do want to say a proper goodbye. I couldn’t figure out what to write, though, since I know you don’t like hearing sappy stuff. So, instead of writing you a heartfelt goodbye note, I thought: “Why not draw something instead?” Baku-kun likes drawing, and he’s a hero, which meant the perfect thing to draw for you was a “hero comic!” I’m not too familiar with those, but after digging, I was able to find some reference books in the library. So without any further ado, let me show you the hero comic I’ve been working on! Feast your eyes and enjoy!
[True to his word, Hiyori encloses a short comic.
The comic depicts two heroes. One of them is the Sunvenger Aristocrat, drawn to look like Hiyori, with a glowing aura full of sparkles. The other the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite, drawn to look like Bakugo. Hiyori did write out Bakugo's full hero name, despite all the times he previously messed it up. And he also remembered what Bakugo’s costume looked like, since he saw it when they traveled inside the painting of UA. He captures the grenade arms, the black and orange, and the “X” in the front with accuracy.
The comic shows the two heroes engaged in battle. Their first opponents are the four suits, each drawn as giant suit symbols with tiny arms and legs. Remember when Hiyori said he pictured Spades as a giant spade with a cartoon face? Well, it seems that visual persisted in his mind. The Sunvenger Aristocrat attacks the suits with a great blast of light ("Feel my sunbeam of justice!"), and then the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite finishes them off, before moving onto their last opponent: the Golden Peacock itself, represented as a giant bird.
"I'll blast you to hell!" the Murder God yells, striking an action pose. And just like that, the Peacock is consumed by a fiery explosion. There is no gore and no dismembered bird parts; just a big explosion cloud and some feathers floating through the air, just like the seagull lifeguards’ feathers floated on the day that Hiyori met Bakugo at the beach. That, too, was a visual that stuck in his memory.
The comic ends with the two characters posed heroically while the public cheers. The Peacock and the Suits have been deafeated and everyone is free to go home. Though the quality of Hiyori's artwork is middling at best, there's real effort put into the drawings.]
Well? What do you think? For a first-time comic artist, it’s not bad, right? I did my best to make us both look good!
I know such a happy ending might seem out of reach, but I earnestly believe that if anyone can win against the House, it’s you. You’re a hero whose determination is second to none, after all. I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard though, so don’t be afraid to rely on others, alright? This place may have its villains, but there are lots of kind, hardworking people you can count on.
And I also want you to have some fun after I leave, so you should remember to make time for that, too! Try to make some good memories. Then maybe when you find a memory you want to capture, you can use the Christmas gift I bought you. That’s the one wrapped in holiday paper, but you’re not allowed to open it until the 25th!
I think that covers most of what I meant to say. There's just one part left. It's going to sound sappy, but it's important, so you're not allowed to skip it. Ready? Here goes!
I had fun chatting with you, playing games with you, going out to eat with you, and visiting the arcade. We experienced lots of things together, from Halloween parties to painting worlds. Through it all, you always shined brightly, and you were always reliable. You dealt with that unpleasant doppelganger, you defended me from ghosts and cupid arrows, you gave me self-defense weapons, and you even got to know my birds in the end. I have nothing but gratitude.
That’s how I’ll always remember you, no matter what you said when your suit was acting up. As a strong, smart, reliable kid.
Sorry, that’s not quite right. Let me fix that.
A strong, smart, reliable man. You’ve grown a lot since we first met, and I know you’ll keep on growing, right into the hero you want to be. I’m absolutely sure of it.
Take care, alright?
— Hiyori Tomoe
[The letter ends there, but the box has other stuff in it. A bag of birdseed, for starters, with instructions to NOT just leave the bag open and let the birds dive in and eat like Kleken did. The birdseed is for the bird feeders! Then he includes some Christmas decorations that can be hung in the birds’ treehouse, including tinsel, red and green baubles, and Christmas-themed bird feeders. And then, finally, there's the gift Hiyori mentioned, wrapped neatly for Christmas. The gift is...
A digital camera! And a pretty nice one, too. Hiyori had some currency saved up, and since he's leaving the resort, there won't be any daily expenses left to spend it on. He could afford to do this for Bakugo. Accompanying the camera is another note:]
Well? Pretty nice, isn't it? Yep, I'm sure you're so impressed, you must be speechless!
I know we already have our watch cameras, but this one will take much better pictures. And as your former model, I expect you to do good things with it! Make lots of memories, alright?
And of course, ~Merry Christmas~!