Rei Matsuo

## Appearance

Rei has medium long, green hair, that's usually a little messy. He's a little underweight for his age, with pale skin and freckles that are almost non-existant. His eyes are grey.

He oftens wears comfortable clothing. He used to wear a moon pin, but stopped after despair in Wonderland.

## Personality

In the past, Rei was quite energetic, really just going with the flow of what was happening. After Despair in Wonderland, he got more quiet and almost manipulative. Most of his decisions come from what he thinks will be the best for the stars, and he will even throw away the safety of himself and others just for the stars.

## Background

### Childhood

Rei's family was quite poor, leading to him living on the streets as a beggar most of the time, while his parents worked to earn money. He would get fascinated by the stars, and find them to be even more comforting than a warm home. While on the streets, he caught wind of some people who were worshipping the stars. He found them, and after a short while of hanging out with the people, he joined them.

### Being in The Stars cult

Rei was introduced and taught the way of the cult. They offered things to the stars, they prayed to them, they listened to them. After a while, Rei seemingly began hearing 2 voices talk to him. He talked back to them, and learned that their names were Rigel and Vera. Then, he found out that they were stars, and his place in the cult was hereby set in stone. He was a messenger, one who could hear the stars' voices, and Rei took it to heart to spread the word of the cult.

He began a business where he would talk to people, and read their horoscopes. However, some of what he said was pure lies. It was mostly a scam business for him to earn a little money. He stopped doing it, however, after the Stars expressed displeasure at horoscopes being used for such a selfish reason.

Being in the cult meant that he spent more time on the streets, where the cult was, than home with his parents. It lead to him being reported missing multiple times, but after the first few times, the police just regarded him as someone who sometimes just needs a little space away from home. He tried talking with his parents multiple times about the Stars, but they wouldn't listen. The Stars made him cut them off, saying that they weren't worth his time, but Rei refused. Then, his mother fell sick, to the point where she nearly died, and she only got better after he cut ties with her. That was the first time Rei had ever feared what the Stars could do to him, should he disobey.

### Despair in Wonderland

When Rei was 16 years old, he was kidnapped and forced to participate in a killing game known as "Despair in Wonderland". Unbeknownst to him, the entire thing was recorded and sent out live. In the game, he made 2 friends; Yasuha Coy, and Piero Sakana. After 2 killings and 2 executions, a motive which turned Rei old lead him to murdering Damien Graye, by stabbing him and leaving his body to burn. Rei was caught, specifically due to a moon pin he accidentally left at the crime scene, and he was executed by being burned by the sun.

For the rest of the game, Rei seemingly floated in an endless black space, where his only company were the two voices of Vera and Rigel. In the end, it turned out that Piero was one of the masterminds behind it all, and the whole game was fake. Some form of drug that causes hallucinations had been used. The black space Rei had been in was simply him coming down from the drug, but Rei did not know that. Instead, when he woke up, he believed the Stars had rescued and revived him again. And with their whispers, he began planning.

### Despair manor

When Rei finally became 17, he had devised a plan with the help of Rigel and Vera. While he was gone, his parents had actually managed to earn quite a lot of money. They gave Rei some of it, wanting to finally be able to give him money after years of poverty. Slowly, Rei got enough money (through his parents, stealing and other things) to buy a manor. This was where he would do his plan: He would create another killing game.

After realising that Piero, someone with an ultimate, had been the mastermind, Rei's mind twisted it into a form of "It was all ultimates' faults". After all, the entirety of Despair in Wonderland had been posted online, so why did no one help them? With those thoughts, Rei kidnapped people and forced them through a killing game, just like Piero had. Although this time, it was real.

What Rei had not anticipated was him getting genuine friendships with people, much to the Stars displeasures. He made enemies, friends, and even got a girlfriend. For the first time since Wonderland, Rei was genuinely happy and content. Of course, the Stars did not like this, and the constant reminder of what the Stars could do kept Rei from disobeying them. He raged chaos in the killing game, acted irrationally. Despite Rei wanting to stop the game, he knew he had to continue, unless he wanted the Stars to take away the people he had finally found and loved.

He was working together with someone else; someone called Chiyo. Initially, they were going to be his information gatherer, but they locked themselves into their room at the start. During chapter 5, he killed Chiyo and blamed it on the other murderer; Vixen.

Despite all, only few of his 'friends' remained at the end. He let them go, and was then ripped apart by the deceased of Despair Manor.

## Relationships

### Layla Nyx

In the beginning, Rei did not like Layla due to her constant 'jokes' about the deaths, his friends and The Stars. This lead to Rei physically punching her one day, which lead to them becoming almost enemies. They constantly verbally assaulted each other, and on one occasion, Layla nearly killed Rei. However, Rei believed that if he were to die, he'd just be revived by the Stars once again, meaning that he kept taunting her until he was saved by Nyx Czech.

However, Layla and him ended up talking, and he realised they were quite similar, leading to a small friendship between them. It spiralled down into Layla kissing him, and Rei was extremely confused about his feelings for her. The Stars were disapproving, but for the first time, Rei had the energy to refuse them. So, he turned away from the Stars and began a relationship with her. Only a short time afterwards, she was killed by Nyx, but Rei blamed himself for her death, due to thinking it was the Stars that had killed her, because he turned away from them. This lead to Rei going back to the Stars, ignoring the shattering grief he felt after her death.

### Piero Sakana

During Wonderland, Piero was the closest thing Rei had to a friend. Back then, the Stars were more new, meaning they weren't controlling most of his actions yet. He could be himself around Piero, and he regarded Piero as his best friend. He was devastated when he found out Piero was the mastermind, but that devastation quickly turned into anger and hatred. He promised to get revenge. Even if it was against all other ultimates, it all lead back to Piero. The reason Rei created a real killing game, was specifically because Piero's was fake. In Rei's mind, the new, real killing game was also Pieros fault. It wouldn't have happened had Piero not kidnapped Rei.

This anger and hatred festered right until Rei's last moment, where he finally let go of it and forgave Piero in his mind.

### Rigel and Vera

Rigel and Vera are the Stars that Rei get messages from. Even if they're manipulative and controls Rei, he still loves them, as they were his biggest comfort during the period where he was supposedly dead in Wonderland. They're like his protectors, but maybe a bit too overprotective of him. However, after Despair manor, they began being disappointed in Rei's choices, since he was actively engaging and conversing with the people that were going to die. In the end, when Rei was killed, they abandoned him, as they had no use for him anymore.

### Nathan Koa

Nathan was Rei's roommate and friend in despair manor. They were steady friends, and despite Rei being a little scared of being betrayed again, he let himself enjoy their friendship. Like with all other people from manor, the Stars did not approve of the friendship. When Rei became a little more manic due to the Stars, it was Nathan who was the victim of it. Despite that, Rei kept a fondness for him, which was also the reason why he allowed Nathan to keep his bugs at the end.

## Trivia

- He used to feed stray cats, and even gave them names. Aries, Virgo and Leo.

- He was born on a friday.

- He only got his fear of fire after Wonderland.

- He is a sagittarius.