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The sun was rising again, and (in Kaito’s opinion) the worst trial had finished yesterday. Gonta was dead. Reduced to a pile of ash. Kaito felt distraught. The man didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He had goals he wanted to achieve, things he still wanted to do.
Kaito was wandering alone around the school grounds. He didn’t want to be near stupid Shuichi or stupid Kokichi. “Damn idiots,” he thought out loud, kicking a Panta bottle that the stupid gremlin probably littered in the corridor.
As much as he wanted to forget that it happened, the images from his execution were burned to his eyelids. It was almost like the whole event was a video on repeat in his mind.
Kaito continued to wander around the halls, heck- he must’ve done 80 laps around the whole school, when he heard a faint buzzing. He became curious and attempted to find where it was coming from, but when he found the source his gut sank. It was the ultimate entomologist’s research lab.
All of his bugs... were still there. The sheer amount of the intimidating little creatures wasn’t the only thing making him uncomfortable, it was the thought that the lab’s owner was gone.
Kaito walked further in. He knew the man loved bugs... but damn. Kaito found a table in the centre of the room, and peered down at it. There was unfinished research all over the place, with various insect samples and books littered with post-it notes. Kaito peeled a post-it off the table and examined it. The writing on it was illegible, as you’d expect from a wild child. But from what he could make out from the words were really... observant. He knew the guy didn’t think he was all the ticket when it came to knowledge but judging by what he had seen at that table, Gonta was quite capable minded.
Once again, buzzing caught his attention. Kaito put the post-it down, smoothing it down so that it would stick again, before looking behind him. Various breeds of insects sat in boxes similar to the one Gonta used to wear over his shoulder, probably waiting for their owner to feed them.
Kaito didn’t want to get too close to them, incase he... y’know accidentally knocked one over and let them out.
‘Not because I’m scared’ he told himself, despite knowing how false that statement was.
“Wait who is gonna feed them?” Kaito asked himself out loud, realising that if Kaito hadn’t come here they would’ve been forgotten about. Then, Kaito had an idea.
He sped down to the dining room, nearly toppling down the stairs in the process. When he got there he realised that everyone was seated there, gloomy from today’s events. Everyone except the bastard gremlin man. Perfect.
“Kaito why are you out of breath?” Maki asked in concerned, “You know you shouldn’t run! You might-“
Kaito cut her off, “-Yeah yeah, but guys!” Kaito rushed further in the room, “I just walked past Gonta’s lab,”
Just hearing his name made Himiko sniffle, “Yeah, and what?” She questioned shakily,
“Kaito, we know you miss him-“ Shuichi started before Kaito interrupted him,
“All of his bugs are still in there, and without anyone there for them they’ll die!”
“He might’ve had a good heart and all, but I don’t think the bugs dying is a bad thing,” Kiibo mentioned,
“But then that room will be filled with dead bugs and I think that’s worse than living ones,” Tsumugi piped up,
“A room filled with dead bugs? That sounds gross,” Himiko groaned,
“So what do you suggest we do, Kaito?” Maki questioned, “I suggest we free them all in Kokichi’s dorm,”
“We don’t really know how to take care of them like he did, after all he was the ultimate entomologist,” Shuichi added,
“I could with my magic,” Himiko protested, rubbing a few tears away from her eyes,
“He must have something written down somewhere,” Tsumugi suggested, “That’ll tell us how to take care of them!”
“Great!” Kaito put his two fists together, “So who wants to volunteer to feed them?”
The room was dead silent for a good few seconds, before the silence was broken by a loud sigh coming from Kaito, “Come on, at least one of you hafta be willing to!”
“Uhh you came up with the plan, I thought you’d be willing to feed them,” Shuichi commented,
“Hey guys I have a better idea!” Kiibo exclaimed. All attention turned to him, “What if we just free them outside? The nature isn’t fake, is it? So they’d have a good environment to live in. The bugs will most likely be able to sustain food and water for themselves, right?”
“Great idea, Kiibo!” Kaito bellowed, “We’ll eat, then we’ll go and release every bug that lives inside there!”
“Fine,” Maki agreed,
“Nyeh, if it’s what Gonta would’ve wanted,” Himiko sighed,
After breakfast the group (excluding Kokichi, who was nowhere to be seen) set off to Gonta’s lab. Each of them grabbed a couple of boxes and took them outside, before returning to grab more. A few trips later, the gardens of the academy were filled with boxes of bugs,
“I think we should open the bugs at different places,” Shuichi suggested, “That way all of the bugs will be scattered rather than clustered together, which makes it less scary for us as well as harder for carnivorous bugs to instantly kill the prey bugs,”
“That’s logical,” Kiibo responded,
“Alright gang, lets split up!” Kaito bellowed, scooping up a few boxes and sprinting off to the distance
Tsumugi cackled like the nerd she was, before taking a couple of boxes and walking in the opposite direction to Kaito.
The rest of the group proceeded to do the same except Kiibo who stayed put, planning to release the remaining boxes where they were sitting.
Kaito eventually came to a stop, holding on to a nearby wall and panting. He was outside Miu and Kiibo’s lab. Kaito didn’t really know how to feel about Miu’s death if he was honest, he knew it was sad but wasn’t it her fault in the first place? “She was kinda annoying,” Kaito thought out loud as he slid open a hatch on the first box. They were ladybirds, which weren’t really that bad. Most of them flew out on their own will, but Kaito tipped the box to its side so that the remaining bugs could crawl their way out before cracking open a box of ants, once again not a particularly nasty bug. He tipped the box to its side, watching the ants spill out and scurry into the nearby grass.
Many boxes later, Kaito heard Himiko yelling in the distance,
“NYEH! GUYS QUICK!” So he finished freeing the last of the insects he brought with him and rushed over there incase she was in danger,
“What’s the matter?” Kaito asked hurriedly, only to see the ‘mage’ kneeling down and peering into a bug cage, “Quick, come look!” Shuichi and Maki were already there, and Kiibo and Tsumugi were probably on their way. Kaito approached the box to see a bunch of small chrysalises with small butterflies beginning to escape them,
“Woah,” Shuichi was in awe,
“Caterpillars turn into butterflies through a process called metamorphosis,” Kiibo commented whilst approaching the group.
For a long while after Tsumugi had returned, the group were staring at these butterflies breaking free of their cocoons, until they were finally free and they flew away gracefully. But after that the sun had started to set,
“Wow,” Tsumugi piped up, “We must’ve been out here for a long time,”
“Nyeh, I’m hungry,” Himiko complained,
“Let’s go grab some dinner,” Shuichi suggested, the group agreeing. Kaito wasn’t paying much attention though, as he was watching the fluttering of all the new and exotic life flowing through the prison. This is what Gonta would’ve wanted to see. Kaito remembered him standing outside, bellowing in hope that at least one insect would approach him. It always inspired Kaito because no matter how many times Monokuma emphasised that there wasn’t any more life, Gonta didn’t stop trying to find any. He never gave up hope, and Kaito refused to believe that someone as low as Kokichi could make him fall into despair.
“Kaito, are you coming?” Maki asked. The rest of the group had dispersed to the dining room, but Maki stayed behind and waited for him,
“Oh, uh, yeah,” Kaito began to walk inside, Maki following him.
The rest of the evening was filled with meaningless chatter and laughter between the group as they ate dinner, and Maki, Shuichi and Kaito were amazed when they walked outside to do their usual training only to find fireflies lighting up the skies.
Maybe insects aren’t so bad.