Rao Auberiou

### Family

Father (status unknown), Mother (deceased), Older Sibling (alive), The Missus (alive)

*"Rao...I'm Rao."*

*— Rao in the prologue.*

Rao Auberiou **(オーベリウ祐)** is a nineteen year old guest at the hotel at which the events of Despair Highschool Season 5 take place. As of chapter 5, an ambiguous "reveal" has forced them into hiding.

## History

### Early Life

When Rao was roughly nine years old, their mother was killed in front of them by a hitman hired by their estranged father, a powerful man who grew wrathful after finding out his ex-wife had sold off their first child in a black market deal after he left her. Rao's older sibling was the blood child of the two while Rao was a product of a later affair. Having received no info about another child, the hitman left Rao unharmed.

Rather than becoming traumatized by the event, Rao, having been born with a strangely acute sense of smell, found the smell of blood to be too overwhelming, and prioritized cleaning the mess up over contacting the authorities. Completely sanitizing the spot where their mother's corpse lied, they hid the body in the closet and the incident was only discovered when the landlord visited to inquire about unpaid bills.

Being a child, Rao was not old enough to be sent to jail, even if evidence turned up that proved they were the culprit, which was most likely not going to be the case. Despite this, a wealthy woman who had heard of this mysterious case was intrigued by it, and paid dirty money to hire someone to wipe all traces of Rao's "criminal" record. After paying another sum to have Rao brought to her door, she adopted them as her child and worker. It is likely that "Rao" is not their birth name, as Rao is often found switching to third person in order to remind themselves of the name they are meant to respond to.

"The Missus" is an aristocratic Francophile woman who legally renamed herself Auberiou in order to feel closer to French royalty, despite being a full-blooded Japanese woman. She trained Rao's sense of smell in order to turn them into a wildly successful perfumer, and also employed them as decoration, instructing them to stay silent and pretty at parties, meetings, and other social events. They were subject to an extremely precise and busy schedule everyday, which consisted of lots of luxurious beautifying processes, lessons, and carefully planned meals.

After being bought by the Missus, Rao had never left the manor grounds until the start of the events of the killing game. There is one instance of them playing in the fountain in the front courtyard with a maid who was promptly fired for endangering Rao as well as allowing them to stray from their schedule. After that, Rao was not allowed into the courtyard without a chaperone, and was only let out to take walks in the sun.

The Missus gifted a pipe nicknamed "Poppy," directly referencing the opium it holds, to Rao after a few years after they had been adopted. It was meant to control their personality and mute it to the point of exuding ethereal dreaminess. She at first instructed them to smoke the pipe whenever they felt agitated, but soon changed her mind and decided they needed to smoke when they felt the on-comings of any sort of emotion. The opium greatly limits their intellectual ability and fractions the speed at which they speak. At 19, Rao has become extremely dependent on the pipe, but in the game quits cold turkey due to an emotional breakdown.

Rao continues to have a distaste for the "smell of death," which has ingrained itself in their brain.

In addition, due to undetailed punishments they suffered at any instance of displeasing the Missus, sober Rao has an extreme distaste for speaking French, which they consider "*her* cursed tongue", but will not speak up if those around them speak it.

### The Game

Rao does not value themselves, but has come to, before the start, understand that they are a luxury few can afford. However, during the game they find themselves conflicted as to whether to treat others as beneath them, or give them the same high-class treatment as they have been taught to employ with high-ranking aristocrats. They describe themselves as a "pretty object" for others to gawk at, and seem to believe they lose their worth if they have too many independent thoughts.

They ponder extensively about philosophical concepts, but tend to stop themselves before delving into things that are too personal, as evident with the encounter in Lucien's room. They do not react very emotionally to murders and confessions, seeming not to take anything to heart. They also do not place any blame on any of the discovered killers, always wishing them well before their punishments.

After Lucien's supposed death, they became greatly irritable by everyone's reactions. Never able to turn against Lucien despite his reveal as a traitor, they requested his umbrella from Azumi for safekeeping, saying they would give it to Lucien when he eventually returned. It is possible they are prone to becoming lost in denial.

Rao, after being scratched by Meiko Omura in order to prove something, has been revealed to bleed golden blood. What this means...well...we'll find out.

## Talent

Rao is a perfumer who specializes in differentiating even the most subtle scents due to their sensitive nose. They seem to have a vague grasp of chemistry, but not as much as one would expect from someone of their talent.

## Appearance

Rao stands at a meek five feet and three inches, though they are given an extra two inches due to their thick-soled shoes. They have short, fluffy pink hair that is dyed dark brown in the back, and two longer strands that curl upwards in the front. Their grey eyes are permanently sad-looking. Rao dresses in a sort of gothic lolita / letterboy inspired fashion with traditional Japanese influence: a dark long-sleeved kimono jacket lined with pink fur, a collared shirt tucked into plaid shorts that end above the knee, a large bow with gold trim, a black obi sash, knee-length black socks with similar gold decor, and school uniform style shoes with clasps. They also have bright red tassel earrings. Rao almost always carries their pipe with them and tucks it away in their sash.

## Personality

Rao is a mild-mannered, gentle, almost ethereal presence. They speak softly and dreamily, and try not to bother others with their existence. With very little concept of self-worth, they carry on with everyday life as if living for others' benefits. Their personality is crafted to exude an air of luxury and perfection.

As the game progresses, the opium in their pipe becomes less effective, and a more raw, honest, and grounded personality emerges in response. They become capable of expressing their personal beliefs and experiencing negative emotions such as irritation and fear, though they desperately try to replicate their old demeanor through artificial means.

## Relationships

Rao tries to be on good terms with everyone they meet.

Currently, the people they hold in highest esteem are Lucien D'Amour and Kazuo Nishikawa, the latter for having offered to keep watch as they played in the indoor pool. They also enjoy Colin's presence, finding him an entertaining and interesting person to interact with.

Rao seems to see a bit of The Missus in Meiko Omura, and reverts to a more docile state when intoxicated around her.

They do not have any known enemies.

## Quotes

“Is that so...? The Missus would be delighted to hear that...”

“You will soon feel...such relief.”

“...Maybe I’m not everyone’s taste.”

"My comfort doesn't mean anything."

"Do you still want to talk to me...?"

## Trivia

* The kanji used for Rao's name has been changed for undisclosed purposes.
* They have naturally pink hair.
* Rao never introduces themselves as "Rao Auberiou," only "Rao".
* Their favorite fruits are mangoes and apples.
* They also like "forest cats," which is what Rao refers to strays as.
* They're in afterparty and super cute i think