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Chapter Text

Shuichi stood in front of his mirror, his hat still on his bed. The ten days were finally over, which meant that Monokuma could finally have his way again. Monodam had already stopped by to apologize, he was one of the nicer Monokubs. The detective wasn't really worried about Monokuma, the ten days locked in the academy gave him a chance to get closer to everyone. He was positive that no matter what Monokuma did, they would all be able to push through and escape.

“We'll be alright.” Shuichi told himself, and left his room. He didn't mind leaving his hat behind, he wanted to take Kaito and Kaede's advice to heart and face his fears. As Shuichi walked towards the dining hall, he noticed that no one was around the courtyard. And come to think of it, Monodam seemed too happy when he had said he wouldn't be leaving his room right away. A shiver went down his spine as he wondered what Monokuma was planning.

He went inside the dining hall, but no one was there. Alarms were going off in Shuichi's head. Everyone would meet there in the mornings, and they would all show up unless one of them slept in. While the detective tried to think of an explanation, he heard the door open. He turned around to see a terrified Monophaine. “G-good morning Saihara!” she said. “Ah, good morning Monophaine.” he replied.

“Where is everyone?” he asked. He noticed how nervous Monophaine looked. “Uh, well, everyone is in the gym. Daddy wanted me to get you. I, uh, heard he has a surprise for you!” Despite Monophaine's attempts to make it sound ok, Shuichi knew that anything coming from Monokuma wouldn't be nice. He did, however, follow Monophaine to the gym. He wasn't going to risk his life by disobeying Monokuma. When the two made it to the gym entrance, Monophaine took a deep breath. “I don't know what Daddy did, but I, uh, know he put a lot of time and effort into it!”

With that, Monophaine opened the doors and kept Shuichi in. As if it was rehearsed, the rest of the Monokubs jumped in front of him and yelled, “Rise and shine, Ursine!” Surprised by their sudden appearance, Shuichi stepped back only to calm down knowing that he'd be ok. Unless the Monokubs had their Exisals, he should be ok. “SORRY-FOR-SCARING-YOU-SHUICHI.” Monodam apologized. He was the only Monokub who befriended Shuichi, the other kubs not caring about the students. “Hell yeah!” Monokid exclaimed. “Now that Saihara's here, we can get this party started!”

“Shuichi's here!?”

Shuichi didn't notice due to the Monokubs appearance, but behind the kubs were the rest of the students. They were all sitting on the floor, staring at Shuichi intensely. Before the detective could respond, Monokuma popped up out of nowhere. “Upupupupu! Your ten days of paradise are officially over! I hope you're prepared for what comes next!”

Shocked, Shuichi glanced at his friends, their glares making him uncomfortable. “What… what did you do to them?” He knew Monokuma would do something when the ten days were over, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. “Don't worry about them!” Monokuma said. “You should probably start worrying about yourself.”

Monokuma laughed as he left the gym, his kubs following him. Shuichi stood there, not sure what to do. Should he say something? After no one showed intention to speak, Tsumugi spoke. “I think Monokuma was right, Shuichi doesn't look alright.” It took a bit for Shuichi to process that.

“Huh?” he said. He… didn't look alright? The detective was sure he made himself look presentable before leaving his room, but the looks on everyone's faces seemed to tell him otherwise. Kirumi got up from the floor and walked towards Shuichi, but Kaito beat her to him. He grabbed Shuichi by his arms and held him in place. “K-kaito? What are you-”

Looking closer at Kaito, Shuichi realized that the boy's eyes were now bright pink, similar to the color of blood. “Jeez,” Kaito said. “This is why I can't leave you alone for too long. You gotta take better care of yourself!” Shuichi brushed himself off as the astronaut let go of him. Blood eyes, everyone saying he's sick, what did Monokuma do to them? Next thing Shuichi knows, everyone is running up to him, saying things about how he looks sick. He noticed that everyone had those same pink eyes, but that was all he noticed because they were getting too close to him.

And he knows they're too close because he felt Miu grope him. Shuichi yelped and began pushing everyone away. “Miu!” Kaede yelled. “What?! I was making sure he was ok!” Miu replied. He watched the two girls fight, something that they would only do jokingly. Kiibo got in between the two girls when the fight started to escalate. “Please stop this!” he yelled. “You two are only making Shuichi scared.” Those words were what made Kaede stop. She turned to look at Shuichi, who was preparing to back away. “Hey, Shuichi…” she said, her face devoid of emotion.

“You aren't scared, right?”

He didn't answer, and instead chose to run out of the gym. He heard everyone call his name, but he kept going. The detective ran to his room and locked the door. This wasn't how he thought it would be. He needed to figure out what Monokuma did to them.

Luckily for him, Monokuma was sitting on his bed. Shuichi jumped when he saw him, and the bear grinned. “Having fun, Shuichi?” The boy shook his head, double checking the door to make sure it was locked. “I hope you're ready!” Monokuma said. “Cuz I'm gonna explain your situation in detail so that I can end the chapter!”

“Basically, your classmates have been giving a special type of disease called the Despair Disease. That, combined with the power of my flashback lights has made them fall in love with you! And yes, I'm aware you're bisexual, you don't do a good job at hiding it. Everyone believes that you're their “beloved” and I may have told them that you have amnesia so you don't remember who's actually your lover. And you wanna know what the best part is? This is permanent! The disease won't go away even if you and one other student survives! People really wanted this.”

After giving Shuichi the answer he craved for, Monokuma unlocked the door. “By the way, Chabashira, Yumeno, and Hoshi are the only people that aren't affected by the disease. Thought you might wanna know so you don't feel completely hopeless. Have fun!”

After Monokuma left, Shuichi locked the door again just to make sure no one tried to walk in. He needed to take it all in. There was no way that could be true…

---

Hidden away in her hiding place, Tsumugi took out her pink contacts. After giving everyone the disease, it was easy for her to blend in. She looked at her special Monopad, which had connection to the outside world. The reviews were looking great, and everyone loved the idea of being able to take part in the motive by using their surrogate. All she had to do was not die, and Danganronpa will surely go on forever.

Chapter Text

Still shaking, Shuichi used his Monopad to text the ones who were unaffected.

Shuichi Saihara has added Tenko Chabashira, Himiko Yumeno, and Ryoma Hoshi to Help

Shuichi: If it's true you guys aren't affected plz come to my room!

Shuichi: Make sure no one follows you

Himiko: Nyeh… Tenko and I will try and come.

Tenko: We sure will!

Tenko: Oh! We should use a password! Mine will be Himiko!

Himiko: …

Himiko: Mine will be magic.

Shuichi: Is Ryoma online?

Ryoma: I'm outside.

Sure enough, Shuichi heard a knock on his door. He opened it carefully to make sure it was Ryoma. The tennis player stood there with his Monopad. Thankfully, his eyes weren't pink. He let him in and the two waited for Tenko and Himiko to arrive. When the girls made it, Shuichi shoved them in when he saw Kokichi make a run for the door. “Hey! No fair!” the leader cried when the door slammed in his face. “How come they get to go in your room? They don't deserve too!” Ryoma shook his head. “Leave him alone. He'll get bored eventually.”

Himiko looked at the door nervously. “I hope your door is strong Shuichi, they could probably get Gonta to force it open.” “I hope it's strong too.” Shuichi thought.

The four sat on Shuichi's bed and waited for Kokichi to leave. When he left, they felt more comfortable discussing their situation. “How come you guys didn't get infected?” Shuichi asked. “I'm an aroace. Aromantic asexual.” Ryoma said. “Himiko and I are lesbians!” Tenko shouted. Shuichi couldn't help but smile. He was with Tenko when Himiko came out, it was the day before… this happened.

“Well, that explains it.” Shuichi said. “They didn't really care about us,” Himiko said. “They just want us out of the way.”

“But that doesn't mean we're gonna abandon you!” Tenko declared. “All of us have your backs!” “I can be a distraction if they catch you.” Ryoma said. When Shuichi was about to argue, Ryoma shot him down. “I'm fast, they won't catch me.” Tenko jumped on his bed. “I can teach you how to use neo-aikido! Those degenerate males won't be able to touch you!” Himiko nodded. “I can use my magic to help you escape if you get caught. I just need to make sure I'm not low on mana.”

Shuichi started to tear up. He didn’t think he would be able to  survive on his own. But if he had people by his side, he'd be ok. He was sure of it! He wrapped his arms around the group, startling everyone. Himiko and Ryoma awkwardly hugged back and Tenko flinched before returning the gesture.

They'd be alright. They had to be.

Chapter Text

The unaffected students spent the morning in Shuichi's room. They talked about everything ranging from their situation to how magic is definitely real. As time went on, Shuichi started to feel hungry. He was aware this would be an issue but he was still worried.

“I can go grab something to eat.” Ryoma offered. “I'll make a couple trips to the dining hall and back.” Shuichi shook his head. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, and would rather risk going by himself. Himiko put a protective spell on him and he was forced to let Tenko go with him.

“We'll be fine.” Tenko said. “You grab something for yourself and I'll take as much as I can for everyone.” Shuichi was uncertain, but he didn't want everyone to starve because of him. The two left the safety of his room and made their way to the dining hall. They took their time to get there, not wanting to anyone know they were out.

When they made it to the dining hall they were met with food piled up on the table. While Shuichi was nervous about taking the food, Tenko started grabbing as much as she could carry. “Hurry up Shuichi! We don't know if they're coming back.” She said. Shuichi listened to her and took an apple for himself and some stuff for Ryoma. When the two had gotten what they needed, the prepared to go.

They didn't get to leave however, because at the moment Kirumi walked in. She seemed shocked at first before going back to her usual stoic expression. Shuichi did note the glare she sent at Tenko. “Good afternoon, Shuichi.” She said. Shuichi waved and adjusted his arms so that nothing fell.

“Why don't you stay here and eat? An apple wouldn't be enough.” Kirumi suggested. Tenko spoke up. “Actually, we were going back to Shuichi's room so everyone can eat so-”

“No need for Shuichi to go back with you.” The maid said, taking the food out of Shuichi's hands. “He can stay here and eat.” Shuichi grabbed the apple from Kirumi and took a bite out of it. God, he just wanted to eat and he was sure the others were hungry. “I'm fine. I don't eat much anyways.”

Kirumi frowned. “I insist.” She said, gritting her teeth. “It would be much better if you stayed.” The room got tense as the girls glared at each other. Shuichi got worried, wondering what would happen if the two started a fight.

Then out of nowhere, something hit Kirumi in the back of her head. She turned around to see a tennis ball at her feet. Everyone looked up to see Ryoma with his tennis racket, holding another ball. He mouthed the words “go” and threw the ball at the maid. Shuichi and Tenko ran out of the dining hall, grabbing a couple snacks as they went. When they made it back, Shuichi slammed the door shut and locked it.

“You're back!” Himiko said, clearly worried about the two. “You guys gone for a while so Ryoma went to go find you.” Shuichi nodded and collapsed on the floor. He'd have to get better at running long distances. “Yeah, we saw him. We ran into Kirumi and he got us out.”

On cue, the detective could hear Ryoma on the other side of the door. He unlocked it and let Ryoma in, who lost his racket. “Geez, you are quick!” Tenko said. Ryoma smiled and took off his hat, which had a couple more snacks in it. “Thank you.” Himiko said and took one out. The students ate whatever they had managed to get as they heard Monokuma make an announcement.

“Upupupupu! Congratulations to Saihara for surviving his trip outside of his room! Let's hope he can keep it up!”

The boy groaned as the bear laughed at his misery. Himiko gave him a pat on the back. “Next time we should let Ryoma go.” “Well, it'll be better for Shuichi if he goes with me.” Ryoma said. “It would prepare him for when we can't go.”

“Guess I'm eating apples for a while.” Shuichi said as he threw the core into the trash. It was a routine he'd have to get used to.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure this will work?” Rantaro asked Angie, who was grinning ear to ear. “Atua is positive this will work, so I'm positive as well!”

While Rantaro believed he would've had a better chance working alone, Angie had begged him to help her out with her plan. He decided to help since they were both after the same person. He just needed to steal Shuichi away before Angie could get her hands on her.

The plan was simple, Angie made a deal with the Monokubs to get Shuichi out of his room. Monophaine was distracting Tenko and Himiko, Ryona was asleep, Monokid was distracting Monokuma, and Monodam was keeping an eye on Shuichi. Once Monotaro flooded the library…

“Uh, Angie? What's supposed to happen after we flood the library?”

Angie’s smile widened. “I don't know! I'm leaving that part to Atua. Now let’s begin!” Before Rantaro could say anything, Angie looked at the camera and gave Monotaro the signal. On cue, the hidden door opened and a gush of water came in. Monophaine waterproofed the room beforehand to make sure Monokuma didn't get mad at them. Rantaro groaned as his body was soaked in cold water. Angie didn't seem to mind, it looked like she was enjoying it.

“Angie, how the hell is this supposed to get Shuichi over here?!” Rantaro didn't lash out often, but his patience was wearing thin. Before he could yell at her more, the door opened and some of the water gushed out. Shuichi was holding Monodam in his arms, shivering as the cold water attacked him. “What's going on here?” he asked.

Rantaro’s anger left as quickly as it came. It actually worked. Shuichi's here! “Nyahaha! See, I told you it would work!” “I-HAD-NOTHING-TO-DO-WITH-THIS.” Monodam said as Monokuma came in on a small boat.

“Don't ask where I got the boat from!” Monokuma yelled. Rantaro barely heard him, he could only pay attention to Shuichi. He was just so pretty.

“Well, your kubs did their part of the deal. I shall fulfill my end of the bargain when the time comes.” Angie said. It took Shuichi a minute to realize what was going on. He dropped Monodam on the floor (Monokuma caught him, he couldn't let his precious kub die) and tried to run out. “Not so fast, Shuichi!” Monokuma yelled. “This was so they could get you and now they have you. You aren't leaving!”

Rantaro hated how terrified Shuichi looked when he heard what Monokuma said. Rantaro would never do anything terrible to Shuichi. Angie on the other hand…

One thing led to another and Angie and Rantaro were playing human tug-of-war with Shuichi.

Could that count as success?

Chapter Text

Gonta sighed as he sat alone in his Ultimate Lab. Shuichi had been feeling down and no one could cheer him up. Not even the annoying people he hung out with could help. Kokichi and Miu had broken Shuichi's door and Monokuma was forced to repair it. When he fixed it however, he couldn't be bothered to fix the lock, and Gonta remembered how terrified Shuichi was when he heard the news.

When Kirumi went to wake him up this morning he had propped everything in his room against the door in a futile attempt to keep it shut. Gonta couldn't understand why Shuichi was so scared, but he wanted to see Shuichi smile again. The entomologist thought about how to get Shuichi to smile. After thinking about it for a while, he had an idea.

He grabbed his bug box and opened up a container in his lab. It had three monarch butterflies in it, a gift from Monodam. “Shuichi must like bugs.” Gonta said as he carefully put two of them into his box. He made sure to be careful with the box as he walked to Shuichi's room.

When he made it to the detective's room, he knocked on the door gently. He heard a grunt on the other side of the door, and Gonta assumed that meant he could go in. He opened the door slowly and heard something creak. He opened it further to see that Shuichi had used his shelf to try and block the door.

Gonta closed the door behind him to see Shuichi in his bed, buried under multiple blankets. Thinking the boy was trapped under there, Gonta threw the blankets to see a disgruntled Shuichi. “Hey, give those-” Shuichi stopped talking when he realized Gonta was in the room. “Get out.” He said and took one of the blankets back.

“Eh? But Shuichi said Gonta could come in!” Gonta said. “I thought you were Ryoma.” Shuichi replied. “So, please, leave.” Gonta shook his head and pulled back the covers so that he could see Shuichi and his bedhead was adorable .

“Hey, what are you-” Shuichi stopped again when he saw the butterfly. “Where did you get that?” He asked. “Monodam gave it to Gonta! Gonta thought you would like it.” Shuichi reached out hesitantly and let the butterfly sit on his finger. The other butterfly in Gonta's box had flew out and was perched on Shuichi's head.

Gonta couldn't help but stare. Shuichi just looked so beautiful, and he noticed his smile. It was tiny and barely noticeable, but it was there.

He felt at peace.

It came to an end soon when Shuichi gave the butterflies back to Gonta. “Thank you.” He said. “Gonta have more bugs! Bugs are at Gonta's lab.” He noticed how Shuichi tensed at the thought of leaving his room. “Yeah, I guess I'll go see.them someday.”

He let Gonta hug him before the entomologist left him alone. He looked at his finger and thought about the butterfly. In a way, they were both trapped. “God, that sounds depressing.” Shuichi thought as he fixed the shelf. It didn't really do much, but it made him feel a bit safer.

And he hates to admit it, but Gonta did make him happy.

Chapter Text

Shuichi groaned as he opened his eyes. Every time he woke up, he thought the nightmare was over. And then he was reminded every time that it wasn't.

“Yay, you're finally up!”

Shuichi's eyes widened when he realized he wasn't alone. He jumped when he saw Kokichi sitting next to him. “Kokichi?! How did you get in here?” Shuichi was sure he locked the door before he fell asleep. Kokichi smiled. “I thought you knew by now that I'm an expert lock picker!” “You picked the lock?” “Are you paying attention?” Kokichi said, snapping his fingers. “Yes, I did pick the lock. It was surprisingly easy.”

Terrified, Shuichi pushed Kokichi off his chair. “Ow!” Kokichi screamed as he fell on the floor. “That's just rude, Shuichi!” The leader got back up and held Shuichi down. The detective tried to push him off, but the boy was stronger than he looked. “Get off me!” Shuichi yelled as he struggled.

“No!” Kokichi cried out as he clung onto Shuichi. He was acting like a whiny brat and tightened his hold on the boy. “If I let you go, then someone else will come and take you away from me.” “No one would do that.” Shuichi tried to reason.

Kokichi's eyes darkened, the color going from bright pink to a pinkish red. “That's a lie Shuichi. They would do anything to have you to themselves. That's why I can't leave you, someone would try and hurt you.”

Shuichi was shaking now. He hated it, the way they could change so quickly. Kokichi smiled at him and hugged.him. “Anyways, now that I'm here you don't have to do anything. As the Ultimate Supreme Leader, I command you to cuddle with me!” He buried his face in Shuichi's neck and the boy hated how his face got red.

“K-kokichi this isn't the best time…” “It's the perfect time! We can just sleep in.” The boy replied. Knowing that there was no way out, Shuichi closed his eyes and tried to pretend Kokichi wasn't there.

Chapter Text

Shuichi sighed as he stared at his door. It was locked, and he had propped his shelf against it. He was getting sick of the amount of times someone broke in to sleep with him. The last person was Angie and she was the last person he wanted to wake up and see. Well… actually she wasn't the worst.

Kiyo and Miu were definitely the last two people he wants to see in his room. Ever since they got the disease, they were a lot more… well, perverted seemed like a good word to call them. He would rather be with anyone else than with those two.

---

“So, the plan is to lock him in a room with both of us?” Miu asked. “Precisely.” Kiyo said. “I will need your cooperation in order for this to work.” Miu thought about it. “What's in it for me?” Kiyo chuckled. “Well, we both want Shuichi, yes? I will let you explore his beauty with me.” That got Miu's attention. “So I get to fuck him?”

“If you would like to think of it like that then yes.” Kiyo replied. The inventor's eyes lit up as she thought of all the things she could do. “Alright, I'm in!” She exclaimed. “How can I help?” Kiyo smirked under his mask. This was too easy. He didn't want to get Miu involved but she was the only one out of the two that Shuichi would tolerate. He could only hope Shuichi would forgive him.

He handed her a sleeping pill that he found in Shuichi's Ultimate Lab. "Make him something and put this inside it. After it kicks in, bring him to your room."

--

Shuichi nearly fell off his bed when he heard a knock on his door. He didn't really open the door unless it was his friends, and even then they would use a password to make Shuichi feel safer. “Hey, Pooichi!” he heard Miu say. He froze. Miu was the last person he'd let in his room but…

He wanted to believe that she wouldn't do anything. He still trusted everyone, regardless. So, he got up and slowly opened the door. Miu was holding a mug and had a smug look on her face. “There's my favorite person in the world!” Shuichi didn't move, curious by her sudden change in behavior. She went from forcing him to try one of her lewd machines (he escaped, thankfully) to now acting nice. “What do you want?” he asked.

“What? I can't say hi?” The inventor asked. She laughed and let herself into Shuichi's room. He froze as she closed the door and sat on his bed. Her posture changed and her smile faltered. “You know… I'm sorry about yesterday. When I was forcing you to try my machines. I mean, you would've loved them since they were made by me- a gorgeous girl genius- but I guess forcing you wasn't right.” She ran a finger through her hair as if she was nervous. “So, I uh, made you some tea. Figured you were stressed or something. A-and don't give me that look!”

Shuichi gave her a tiny yet reassuring smile. Given how Miu usually acts, it must've taken her some time to be able to give him an apology. The detective slowly took the mug from her hands. “Well, I accept your apology. You didn't have to make me tea though.” Miu grinned and went back to her usual self. “Well, I had to do something since you don't want my inventions! So, drink up! I made sure it was perfect for ya!” A bit thirsty, Shuichi put the mug to his lips and drank it. It wasn't until he put the mug down that he realized it had a weird aftertaste. His eyes widened when he realized what Miu did.

The inventor caught him the moment his legs gave out. “Hahahahaha! I've told ya before, this gorgeous girl genius always has a plan!” He tried to fight back, but whatever she used was kicking in and he could barely keep his eyes open.

When he awoke, the detective found himself in a different room. Judging by the random machines scattered on the floor, he was in Miu's room. He tried to sit up and realized that his hand was handcuffed to the bedpost and his legs were tied up with…

Oh god, that was Kiyo's rope.

He tried to untie his legs with his free hand, but the handcuffs prevented him from reaching his legs. He was so focused on trying to get out that he didn't hear Miu and Kiyo come in. “Hey, you can't leave yet! We're just getting started!”

He looked at the two in horror. It was like his worst nightmare came true. Kiyo cupped the boy's cheek as Miu grinned ear to ear. “I apologize about her, my plan wouldn't have worked if she wasn't here.” “And now I get to fuck him right?” she asked. Kiyo glared at her, and she turned back into a shrinking violet. “H-hey, I was only asking.”

“Please god, save me.” he thought as the two tried to compromise on what to do.

(God did save him though, as later on Kirumi had come by and gotten him.)

Chapter Text

Kaito stifled a yawn as he walked towards Shuichi's room. He was getting lonely sleeping by himself so he decided to go sleep with Shuichi. The lock was gone anyways so it wouldn't matter. And besides, Shuichi was his sidekick and he had to make sure he was safe.

Before Kaito could go inside, someone grabbed him by his shoulder and pushed him against the wall. He groaned as he looked at who was keeping him away from Shuichi attacked him.

“Gonta?” He asked. The entomologist glared at him, he wasn't messing around. “What Kaito doing near Shuichi's room?” Kaito shrugged. “Was gonna go cuddle with him. What, is that a crime?”

Gonta nodded. “Shuichi scared because lock is gone. If you go in, Shuichi would get scared.” The astronaut laughed. “Get scared? He's my sidekick, he wouldn't be scared of me.”

Gonta didn't let go. “Gonta have to protect Shuichi.” All of a sudden, Gonta tightened his grip.

“Gonta knows Shuichi doesn't like murder. But… Gonta will hurt you if you hurt Shuichi.”

Kaito laughed harder. “Oh man, that's hilarious!” He grit his teeth and tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder. Gonta could probably snap his arm off. “You'd never hurt a fly, let alone another human being.” “This is how I die.” Kaito thought as Gonta glared at him. God, Shuichi would hate Gonta if he killed him so that'll be one good thing that happens if he dies.

Before he could taunt Gonta more, the boy let go of him. The entomologist put a hand on Shuichi's door. “Shuichi?” He said in a quiet voice. Back still against the wall, Kaito tried to figure out why Gonta was so worried. Then he heard it.

Shuichi crying on the other side. It was faint, but he could hear the detective sniffling. He must've heard him and Gonta. “Just leave him.” Kaito said. “What? But-”

“Leave. Him.” Kaito left Gonta alone and went back to his room. The atmosphere was too depressing now, and he never liked seeing his sidekick cry.

Chapter Text

Shuichi took one last look before ducking into the kitchen. Monokuma gave him permission to enter during night hours since he couldn't really leave his room without the others trying to kidnap him. Even then, he didn't want to leave his room but he was getting thirsty and needed a drink. He grabbed a water bottle and nearly finished it in one gulp. He decided to take another bottle with him in case he couldn't leave his room tomorrow.

It was at that moment something stabbed him in the neck. He pulled it out and nearly dropped his water. It was a tranquilizer dart, and there was only one person in the academy who had a crossbow. Shuichi tried to run but someone held him back. The Ultimate Child Caretaker held him in place until he passed out. Well… no, they didn't have an Ultimate Caretaker anymore. Maki had revealed her true talent as the Ultimate Assassin shortly after the motive was introduced.

When he woke up, he found himself in Maki's bed. He groaned as he put a hand on his head, his headache was getting worse. Thankfully, the assassin didn't put restraints on him and his water bottle was on the table next to him. He grabbed the bottle and took a sip of it while he waited. The detective was already used to this weird routine that happened whenever he got kidnapped. After waiting for a bit, Maki came back in her room with an apple.

She shoved it into his hand. “Eat.” she said. Shuichi held it in his hand, hesitant to eat it. “I didn't poison it if that's what you're wondering.” He played around with it before taking a bite out of it. Yep, definitely not poisoned. As he ate he tried to ignore Maki's eyes staring intently at him. The minute he finished, Maki got up and threw the core away in one swift move.

“I know someone is just going to try and take you away from me.” The assassin said. “But until then, why are you so afraid of us?” The detective wanted to laugh but resisted. Now, someone wanted to know why he was afraid? “Guess.” He said. Maki thought about it for a while. “You don't like our preferred methods of keeping others away from you?”

“So, she was aware.” Shuichi thought. “If it makes you feel better, I kill when there's no witnesses.” She said as she got up. She must've thought that would make Shuichi feel better. “You leave this room and I'll kill one of the students you hang out with so much.” With that, she left Shuichi. The boy sighed as he lay outstretched on her bed. He wouldn't risk leaving, and he knew his friends would come, they'd just need more time to make a plan if it was Maki who kidnapped him.

He could only pray she doesn't kill them.

Chapter Text

Why can't we just kill them?

But Shuichi wouldn't like that!

Who cares? The motive was made for us .

Yeah but that means we have to play our cards right!

U-um… we could let Kiibo do it for us…

That idiot?

I mean, he was made to be like a player character. Our protagonist!

He was a dumb one too. Besides, we already decided we wanted to be in control. Kiibo doesn't exist.

But Shuichi liked him…

Then we'll just make him love us. Shuichi is so perfect and Team Danganronpa let us destroy their season for a chance to have him all to ourselves.

We can't let that go to waste.

You're the minority who doesn't want to hurt Shuichi. But, we'll have to hurt him in order for him to love us.

But uh…

Just shut up.

But…

He's right in front of you…

Kiibo felt someone touch his shoulder. He looked up with tears on his face. Shuichi was staring at him, he was always so caring. “I thought you didn't have tear ducts.”

The robot stifled a laugh. Even after going through all this, Shuichi still cared about everyone. “I'm fine.” he said. He only had a small window to speak to Shuichi before t h e y take control. “I had Miu install tear ducts the night before Monokuma told us everything.

Shuichi wasn't the only one suffering in the academy.

The detective hugged him. “I'll still be here for you, Kiibo.”

The robot knew that was a mistake on Shuichi's part.

Chapter Text

Miu laughed as she adjusted her computer. Monokuma had given her permission to put her own cameras around the school. She put them in places Shuichi would visit (which wasn't a lot anymore) and, of course, in his room. It was meant to be a secret thing for her since Shuichi wouldn't let her be near him. It was worth it, because for a while the cameras were seemingly invisible, and she could hear all the lies his “friends” would tell them.

“Fucking virgin.” She grumbled as she watched Tenko hug Shuichi before leaving his room. The inventor was glad Tenko left, because it seemed like Shuichi was always the cutest when no one was around. He looked so cute when he was tired, and would always hug one of his pillows when he fell asleep. Miu wished she could replace the pillow with, well herself, but she had seen how he reacted when someone's in his room uninvited. So, watching his adorable sleeping face from afar will have to do for now.

“What do you mean he's gone ?” Everyone yelled when Tsumugi told them the news. “Eek!” She screamed. “I-i don't know where he went! He just vanished…” “Hey! My sidekick wouldn't just leave me! Kaito argued. As everyone argued on what to do, Miu slipped away to her lab. Maybe her cameras got something. Everyone except his “friends” were in the gym, Miu assumes they're sleeping in. “Or they're doing something kinky to him and didn't invite me!” She thought as she checked the camera feed. As she scanned through it, she noticed something. Early in the morning, Shuichi had gone into Ryoma's room and has yet to come out. “He's keeping him hostage!” She thought as she ran out of her lab.

As she ran she bumped into Rantaro. “Move it!” She shouted. “Where are you going?” He asked. The inventor groaned as she dragged him along, she might need backup. “I have my own set of cameras around the school, and Shuichi went into Ryoma's room and never left!” “You put cameras everywhere ? Like, inside Shuichi's room?” “I don't need a damn lecture!”

When they made it, Shuichi had closed the door quietly, like he didn't want anyone to notice him. “Shuichi!” Rantaro yelled as he pulled the detective into a hug. “I was so worried. I thought something bad happened to you!”

“Don't look.” She thought as she watched the two (and how Shuichi tried pulling away). “H-how did you find me?” He asked. Miu took the opportunity to laugh. “Well! I- the gorgeous girl genius- had set up cameras in your room and around the school!” Don't pay attention to how scared he looks.

The two dropped him off at the gym, where everyone crowded around the him to see if he was ok. “You know,” Rantaro muttered. “The others wouldn't like it if they knew you were spying on him.” “What do you want?” She asked.

“I wanna use your cameras.” He said. The inventor groaned as she shook his hand.

Chapter Text

Shuichi sighed as downed a juice box. His friends were trapped in Gonta's lab, and he didn't really have the strength to break them out. Tenko said they would be fine, but Himiko's cries about bugs said otherwise. The detective barely ate and he felt weak. “They'll be fine.” he told himself. He forced himself to get up, he needed to eat something before Kirumi tried to force feed him again. He peeked outside to see if anyone was around and ran to the dining hall.

He almost made it safely, but then someone kicked him in the stomach.

He collapsed on the floor and looked up at who punched him.  “K-kokichi?”

The supreme leader kicked him in the stomach. “Why… ?”

Shuichi dodged another kick, but was caught off guard and was shoved to the ground. The detective tried to fight Kokichi, but the smaller boy took something small and sharp out of his pocket. Shuichi's eyes widened.

He let out a scream as he felt the metal sink into his skin.

Kokichi's face was devoid of emotion as he dug the knife into Shuichi's leg. Tears trailed down the detective's face as he saw blood seep out. Kokichi put the knife away and lifted Shuichi up. He dragged the boy to his room and locked the door. The leader carefully put the boy down and grabbed a roll of toilet paper. What he lacked in expression was shown in his eyes; he had gone insane. “Nishishi~ I forgot to get bandages but I think this will make a good substitute.”

He wrapped Shuichi's wound with the toilet paper, thankfully it'd just mean Shuichi would have to limp for a little while. “Why would you…?” Shuichi spoke. It hurt so much, it was probably deeper than he thought.

“They would hurt you.” Kokichi said. “They would do something like this sooner than later, only they'd take off your whole leg instead of this.”

“I love you Shuichi. I love you so much and the thought of you crying because someone else hurt you would make me sick.”

Kokichi handed him a glass of water, which the boy took gratefully. “It's getting worse.” Shuichi thought as he stared at his wound. “When can it end?”

Kokichi curled up next to him when he put the water down and held him tight.

“Atua save me.” he thought.

Chapter Text

“You got this, Shuichi.” Tenko said. Shuichi took a deep breath. He's been sparing with Tenko when no one was trying to chase him, and now he was going to test out his new skills on a person. “Now, your skills are a bit rusty so go after anyone who doesn't have that much physical strength.” She said. The two were hiding in Shuichi's room, waiting for someone to walk by. The plan was simple- wait for someone to walk by, act nice to them, and then Shuichi was going to toss them over his shoulder.

After waiting for a bit, Kokichi walked past his room. “You got this, Shuichi!” Tenko said as the boy walked up to Kokichi. A short conversation later, Shuichi threw the leader over his shoulder. That alone was a simple achievement, but the idea that he could now defend himself made him ecstatic. As he celebrated, he almost didn't hear Tenko warn him. He tried to dodge, but was too slow and was knocked out.

When he came to, the first thing that came to mind was “Well, at least I'm not in a bed.”

It was a slight change from how he was usually kidnapped, he was tied to a chair instead of being left on their bed. “Weird.” he thought as he waited for his kidnapper.

After waiting for a bit, Kirumi entered the room. She closed the door and bowed. “Good afternoon, Shuichi. I apologize for hitting you, it was a bit spur of the moment. “Oh, uh… it was fine.” he said awkwardly. Did he really just say it was ok she hit him?

“I will try not to do it again.” she said. The maid walked towards Shuichi and crouched down. She massaged the part of his head that she had hit, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You should be alright.” And then, almost quick as lightning, she kissed him on the cheek. The detective blushed at the thought of someone giving him that kind of affection, but shook that thought away. He must have been really touch starved if he thought it was nice.

Shuichi sighed as he leaned as far as he could in the chair, which wasn't a lot to begin with. He wondered if Tenko was going to risk coming to save him. The students that went affected by the disease must be tired having to save him so many times, it was why he wanted Tenko to teach him how to fight in the first place.

“I was amazed by how you took down Kokichi. I assume Tenko was teaching you?” Shuichi snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Kirumi speak. “Yeah, she was teaching me.” “You know, if you would like, I would love to teach you some of the stuff I know. I am quite experienced in combat .” she said.

Of course, Shuichi would never actually take her up on that offer (he wouldn't want to risk it when he's stuck in a school of about ten plus crazy students), but he smiled regardless. Maybe when she isn't affected by the disease he could take her up on that offer. “Well, maybe later. Can you uh, untie me please?” The maid nodded and loosened his restraints. At that moment, a tennis ball hit her in the back of her head. “Please excuse me, Shuichi.” she said through gritted teeth as she ran after Ryoma.

Shuichi took the opportunity to sprint out of her room, nodding to Ryoma so that he wouldn't get hurt. He just had to wait it out a little while longer. Soon, everyone should be back to normal.

Chapter Text

Shuichi put a hand to his mouth as he heard the door open. He was in Ryoma's closet, hidden away in a secret compartment. His friends had warned him to hide and when he asked why he was given a horrifying response.

“They're planning to cut off your leg. They got tired of you always running off.”

The detective knew that the disease Monokuma gave everyone would take effect quickly, but it seemed like it was happening too fast. Maki had already threatened the unaffected, telling them that if they tried to help Shuichi she would kill them. Not wanting that to happen, Shuichi ran, hoping that they'll give up on their search and forget what they were going to do to him.

“He has to be here!” Miu's voice said, muffled by the closed door. “My cameras showed him entering.”

“Gonta don't think this is a good idea.” The entomologist said. “Well, if we can't find him, then let's ask the person who would know.” A voice sounding like Maki said. Shuichi heard someone get pushed onto the floor.

“Listen carefully.” Maki said. The tone in her voice nearly made him want to reveal himself. “I'm going to ask you where Shuichi could be hiding. If you don't answer, I'll end your life right here. If you can hear me Shuichi, then I'm also giving you the chance to come out so we can get this over with. We all talked it out and decided that this would be the best course of action.”

“He's not here.”

“No…” Shuichi thought. That was Ryoma. Maki was threatening to kill Ryoma if he didn't reveal himself. “That's bullshit.” Maki replied. “Miu's cameras showed us that he came into this room and has yet to leave.”

“There has to be some sort of hidden area in here!” Miu shouted. “It's the only possible explanation.”

“Wait, what if we-”

“Gonta. We already discussed this.” Maki interrupted. “We don't want to hurt Shuichi, but we have to hurt him a little bit in order to ensure his safety. If he keeps running off like this, then we can't guarantee that he'll always be safe.”

Shuichi didn't know what Gonta did, but he can assume that he backed off. Before the detective could figure out what to do, Maki started a countdown.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

What was he supposed to do? Should he reveal himself? Was Ryoma going to do it for him? Did the others have a plan to save him? His mind was going wild and he almost started hyperventilating.

“Six, five, four…”

Tears were forming in his eyes. Why wasn't Ryoma speaking up? Was he willing to die for Shuichi?

“Three, two…”

The detective couldn't take it anymore and opened up the compartment, which resulted in a loud thud . The tears he was trying to hold back fell down his face as he barely registered Maki pulling him up. He looked over at Ryoma, who looked terrified. It was an expression that Shuichi had never seen before.

Shuichi was done for.

Maki cupped his cheek, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. “Don't worry.” She said. “You'll be alright.” It was then Shuichi remembered that everyone was ok with the fact they were cutting off his leg . Ryoma mouthed the words “I'm sorry.” to him before Maki grabbed Shuichi's arm and proceeded to drag him out of Ryoma's room.

Caught off guard, Shuichi fell onto the floor and was forced to be dragged by the assassin. He started wriggling around, thinking it would slow her down. Miu was busy keeping a close eye on Ryoma and Gonta seemed like he wouldn't speak up-

“Let Gonta carry Shuichi. It would be better that way.”

Maki nodded, and let Gonta pick up the detective. Shuichi screamed and cried as the entomologist did this and kept wriggling, hoping that Gonta would somehow loosen his grip. It only made Gonta hold him tighter, and Shuichi was forced to stop before he wouldn't be able to breathe.

“Just let me go, Gonta.” He said in between sobs. Gonta frowned and kept walking. “Gonta know this isn't how gentlemen act, but everyone tell Gonta this has to happen.”

“It doesn't have to happen! You could, I don't know, do anything other than this.” Shuichi said. “Where's Tenko? And Himiko?”

“Gonta locked them in Gonta's lab. Everyone decided that it would be better if they were locked up. Ryoma faster than Gonta so Gonta couldn't catch him.” He explained.

Soon the two had made it to Miu's lab, where Kirumi, Kaede, and Kaito were waiting. “There's my sidekick!” Kaito exclaimed, the happy tone disappearing when he saw Shuichi's tears. “Hey, I thought we all agreed we wouldn't hurt him before or after this!”

Kirumi spoke up for Gonta. “I believe this would have been inevitable. Shuichi can be a very emotional person, so the news must have shocked him.”

Kaede nodded. “Let's just get this over with, I have everything we'll need right here!”

Before Shuichi could get a good look at what was being used, he was strapped down to one of the tables. The entire time he kicked and screamed and begged them not to do it but no one listened. After Kirumi made sure he couldn't break free, Kaede handed her a circular saw. When Shuichi saw it he thrashed around in a desperate attempt to break free.

“Don't come closer! Please! Let me go!” He screamed. How could Monokuma be ok with this? Was the mechanical bear aware this was happening?

Kaito put a hand over the detective's mouth, forcing Shuichi to calm down. The astronaut wiped the tears away from Shuichi's eyes as Kaede tied his mouth so that he would have something to bite down on. “You'll be ok.” Kaito told him. “Everything's going to be ok.

With Shuichi distracted, Kirumi turned on the saw and an ear piercing scream filled the room as it made contact with Shuichi's leg. The boy cried and cried as Kaito tried to soothe him. Kaede kept talking about how well he was doing but he couldn't hear her. It hurt so much.

Kirumi grit her teeth as she pressed harder. She was halfway through, so it would be best to finish quickly for Shuichi's sake. She regretted looking up to check on him because he looked like a mess. His eyes were red from all the tears he cried, and he was now biting down on his tongue, which resulted in lots of blood dripping down his mouth.

Thankfully, she managed to finish dismembering his right leg. At this point Shuichi was hyperventilating for real, trembling like a leaf. He wanted to throw up so badly.

Kaito kissed his forehead. “You see, I knew my sidekick could do it.” Kaede smiled and praised him too. “I'm so proud of you Shuichi.”

He didn't notice Kirumi grabbing a needle. He was only missing everything below the knee, but obviously the maid had to sew what was left of his leg before he bled to death. Shuichi didn't expect it however, so when he felt it, he let out another scream as Kaito covered his mouth again. After she finished, Kaede handed her some wraps and the maid applied it to the stump Shuichi would be forced to call a leg.

“All done.” She said. Kirumi let him go and slowly helped him sit up. The first thing Shuichi did was touch the stump. It didn't feel real. There was no way… no way this could be…

Shuichi hid his face with his hands as the tears came back again. Kaede pushed his hands aside so that she could clean his face with a wet towel. “You did such a good job, Shuichi.” She told him. “I'm sorry we had to hurt you, but now you won't be hurt ever again.”

He had blocked her out. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe that it was all a dream and that he would wake up soon. But then Gonta carried him back to his dorm room and Tenko and Himiko cried when they saw him and that made Shuichi realize that it was real.

His friends… they were all gone.

Chapter Text

Shuichi stopped talking that day.

Tenko and Himiko tried their best to get him to talk, but he had shut down completely. To make matters worse, they were then told that they couldn't be near him and no matter how much they protested, they couldn't change anyone's mind. None of the infected students could get a reaction out of him. They did everything they could, but he never spoke. Eventually (well, nearly a week to be precise), Kaede got sick of it.

“Why won't you talk!?” she yelled. “Everything we've done was for you, Shuichi! Yes, we hurt you but that was because we had to! We needed to make sure you'll always be safe.”

The pianist would've been happy that Shuichi reacted to that… but it felt wrong. Out of nowhere he started laughing uncontrollably, and she almost thought he would start choking. When he managed to control his laughter he looked at her with an expression that could be described as broken and insane.

“You had to hurt me? You were right next to me Kaede, so I'm assuming I wasn't screaming ‘stop’ loud enough? I was begging you guys to stop and did anyone stop it? No. No one helped me because you guys don't care about me. You guys never treated me like a person. You guys just see me as an object that you can win!”

Shocked by his words, Kaede shook her head. “No, Shuichi, we do care about you. We did what we did because-”

She was cut off. “What, because you love me? You cut off my leg without thinking about how I felt. Maki and Gonta dragged me to Miu's lab and then I was forced to be strapped to a table. None of you guys care about me so why can't you stop lying to yourselves?!”

At this point, Shuichi was screaming at Kaede, tears on the verge of falling from his eyes as well as hers. “Shuichi…” she reached out to him slowly, the final mistake anyone of them could do.

He smacked her hand away as tears fell down. “No! I don't want to hear whatever lies you have to say! Just admit it! You don't see me as a living person, just an object.”

Shuichi was breathing heavy, this was the first time he said something in a while and that used up all his energy. “Just… leave, Kaede.”

The pianist nodded her head solemnly and left his room. He waited until she was gone to hide under the safety of his blankets. It wasn't much but it calmed him down, even if it was only for a little while. He tried to ignore the fact that he was trying to move his right leg and held back tears. “Heh, I'm pathetic.” He thought.

Meanwhile, with all the chaos that was going on due what happened, Kiibo was freaking out. He had a good reason for freaking out because no one could tell him he couldn't . His inner voice was gone. He was finally back in control.

Kiibo wasn't sure what to do now that he had free will. His eyes were now back to normal too, which meant it would be best to stay away from the infected students. Naturally his first thought was to go tell Shuichi but he wasn't sure if the detective was mentally stable. Having his leg be forcefully removed from his body must be traumatizing for him and Kiibo didn't want to hurt him accidentally.

However, it has been a week since he lost his leg. Not enough for the boy to regain composure but he might be calm enough for Kiibo to inform him. His inner voice was awful, always talking about how they wanted to hurt Shuichi and make him theirs. They didn't treat Shuichi like a person and now Shuichi thought Kiibo saw him as an object.

It was most likely now or never because the robot overheard Kaede crying to Angie about how Shuichi hates her. This was the first time he spoke since what happened, so the robot would have to speak with him before anyone else could. He made his way to the detective's room and went inside before anyone saw him.

“Shuichi, I have wonderful news!” He said. Shuichi didn't bother looking at him, instead he kept his head under the blanket even though Kiibo could still hear the sarcasm in his voice. “Let me guess, you're going to fix my leg?”

“No, but what I can tell is that I can protect you.” Kiibo said. Shuichi scoffed, but he still removed the covers to look at Kiibo. “The only way you could ‘'protect’ me is if you-”

When Shuichi got a better look at Kiibo's eyes and how they were its normal color, his voice faltered. “You're… I…”

Kiibo walked closer and held out his arms. He let Shuichi hug him tightly, like he would disappear if Shuichi didn't hold on to him. Tears were falling as Shuichi repeated his name over and over. Kiibo was also hugging him tightly, there was no way he was letting go.

“I'm going to protect you, Shuichi.” Kiibo said. “This is getting out of hand and I'm going to put a stop to it. I promise you I'll make your pain go away somehow.”

Those words were all Shuichi wanted to hear. For once, there wasn't any hint of malice in his words, and for the first time in a while, he felt safe. He felt like there might be a chance.

---

“No, no, no!” Tsumugi thought as she tapped her Monopad furiously. For some reason, her only source of connection to the outside world was gone. This was bad news, really bad news. She knew Shuichi would get hurt eventually, but she couldn't have him lose hope so quickly! It would defeat the purpose of the motive if he gave up like that.

However, the last time she checked her Monopad the ratings didn't look that good. Before, there used to be a small amount of people who hated the motive and how people were controlling Kiibo. They were insignificant, Tsumugi would forget they existed sometimes. Now, their numbers were growing larger by the minute as the show kept going. She would have to act fast, because with what happened last week and the audience losing their surrogate, they were most likely extremely pissed.

“Keep it together.” Tsumugi told herself. “You said you were going to make this the best season ever, you can't give up!”

Chapter Text

Shuichi never realized how much he hated his room until now. Being trapped in it for almost three days allowed him to see everything he hated about it. The Mono-plushies that lined his shelf (a certain bear kept putting them back), the surplus of mystery books that he threw into a corner, even the softness of his bed was irritating him. He just wanted to get up, to move around and not be coped up in his room all day. Unfortunately, he could only get so far with one leg.

Sometime after the morning announcement, Gonta opened his door. Everyone took turns guarding his door after he tried to move and ended up falling. “Good morning Shuichi.” Gonta said. Despite everything, he could still act and sound sweet and innocent and Shuichi hated it. He ignored him, just like he ignored everyone else who would go into his room. Why should he have to talk to the people that hurt him? “Ryoma wanted to speak with you. Don't tell Kirumi Gonta did this.”

Shuichi perked up a little when he saw Ryoma slide in. Gonta closed the door silently, giving the two privacy. “Tenko told me they weren't going to let you guys see me.” Shuichi said.

“The rule was we wouldn't die as long as we stayed away from you.” Ryoma said. “I threatened Gonta to let me see you for a bit.”

Shuichi smiled, his eyes watering. “Thank you.” Ryoma shrugged and sat on his bed. “So,” he started. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty shitty.” the detective replied. Ryoma nodded, he wasn't that good at comforting people.

“Why?” Shuichi said out of the blue. “When Maki was threatening you, why didn't you tell her where I was? Why were you ok with dying to protect me?”

Ryoma didn't give an answer right away. At first, he was completely ok with dying if it meant there was a possibility Shuichi would be safe. However, in the heat of the moment, Ryoma realized he was scared of dying. Shuichi, Tenko, and Himiko were his friends and he felt bad knowing that he was going to have to leave them to fend for themselves.

“I was ok with it at first. But, I think you made me realize that I shouldn't give up just yet.”

Shuichi laughed. “Me, huh?”

“You're a good person, Shuichi. You tried your best but I think they're gone.”

Shuichi nodded. “Yeah… yeah I know. I'm glad you weren't ready to die. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died for me.” Ryoma hugged the detective. “I believe in you.” Ryoma said.

At that moment, Gonta opened the door. “Everyone almost done eating. Gonta thinks you should leave now.”

Ryoma nodded. “Yeah, I was about to leave.” He gave Shuichi a thumbs up and left the boy.

Shuichi sighed as Ryoma left. He did feel a little bit better, but that feeling was sure to disappear soon.

Chapter Text

Shuichi jumped when he felt something cold touch him. Before he could scream, something covered his mouth. It was late at night so he had some trouble seeing who it was, but the feeble attempt the person made to cover his mouth made him think of one person.

“Monodam?” he asked as he lowered the robot's arms. Monodam nodded sheepishly as he apologized. “I-HAVE-SOME-GOOD-NEWS-SHUICHI.” Monodam said.

“First of all, where have you been?” Shuichi asked as the robot gave him a hug. Monokuma and his kubs haven't been seen for a while and it spooked Shuichi. “FATHER-MADE-US-HIDE. HE-THOUGHT-THE-OTHERS-WOULD-KILL-US-IF-PROVOKED.” “It was that bad?” Shuichi thought. “WELL-IT-WAS-MORE-LIKE-HE-DIDN'T-THINK-WE-WERE-NEEDED-ANYMORE.”

“Anyways, what's the good news?” If Monodam woke Shuichi up this late than it better be good news. “FATHER-WANTS-TO-GIVE-YOU-A-FAKE-LEG.”

… What?

“Are you serious?” Shuichi asked. Monodam nodded his head. Why would Monokuma want to give him a fake leg? It made no sense, unless Monokuma wanted him to feel more despair by having that leg get chopped off. “HE-SAID-HE-WAS-GETTING-SICK-OF-ANGRY-VIEWERS.”

“Angry viewers?” The detective asked. Was his pain getting broadcasted to a bunch of sick and twisted people? “You can tell Monokuma that he can fuck himself.”

With that, Shuichi put the covers over his head and tried to go back to sleep. Sure, the leg would have been a big help and a big “fuck you” to the others, but could he really trust Monokuma? After all, that bear was the reason he was like this. “PLEASE-THINK-ABOUT-IT.” Monodam said. He left Shuichi alone to think and went to the girls’ bathroom. Not for weird reasons, but because that was where the hidden passageway to Tsumugi's hidden room was.

“There you are!” Monokuma yelled. “Jeez, what took you so long?” Tsumugi, who was sitting next to Monokuma sighed. She tapped at her Monopad and waved at Monodam. “I still can't believe you guys are ruining your own motive!”

“I-AM-GIVING-SHUICHI-TIME-TO-THINK.” Monodam replied. “Time to think? Time to think?! We are stuck in a school full of psychos and you gave blue Naegi time to think?!” Monokuma screeched. He couldn't handle being in that small room with his kubs anymore. He just wanted to do what he always did in killing games. “HE-ALSO-TOLD-YOU-TO-FUCK-YOURSELF.”

“Damn, Saihara got balls now!” Monokid laughed. “Well, I guess it's ok to give him time to think. He wouldn't blindly agree to anything you have to offer.” Tsumugi pointed out. Monokuma gasped. “Do I look that untrustworthy?” No one bothered to answer that. All they could do at this point is wait and hope that they could leave soon.

Chapter Text

Kokichi groaned as he rubbed his head. Confused, he looked around. He was in his room, but the boy was sure he had left earlier. Did he not remember coming back?

“Kaito, get off me!”

Hearing someone scream made Kokichi get up to see what was going on. Ignoring his splitting headache he opened his door to see… something. Kaito was trying to hold on to Shuichi as Maki was pulling the former off. At that moment, Kiibo came running in to see if Shuichi was alright. “Let me go!” Kaito yelled after the caregiver successfully pulled him off.

“You idiot. Why were you chasing him?” Maki asked. “Because! He's my sidekick, I deserve to be by his side.” the astronaut said. Maki glared at him and held him by his shirt. Was she always that strong? “ Deserve ? You think you deserve him just because you've encouraged him every now and then?”

Kokichi couldn't wrap his head around what was going on. Why were they all fighting over Shuichi? Did one of them figure out he liked him and now they were making fun of him? No, they couldn't have figured it out, he had made sure he hid it well. He walked out hesitatingly and put his facade back on.

“Heeey, guys! Who said you could have a party without me?” Maki glared when he spoke, it almost made him want to go back in his room. When did she become so scary? “This doesn't concern you.” she said. Maki grabbed Kaito by his arm and dragged him away.

“I apologize for not arriving sooner.” Kiibo said. “If you'd like, I can accompany you for a while so that you aren't disturbed.” Shuichi shook his head. “Ah, no, I'm fine Kiibo. I just, uh, want to be alone right now.”

The robot smiled. “In that case, I shall leave you alone. Take care, Shuichi!” The detective sighed when Kiibo left and turned to Kokichi. “I uh, want to say sorry for… doing that to you.” Confused, Kokichi chose to smile. “Say sorry for what? My head hurts, so I'm assuming you messed around with me and felt bad?” Shuichi blushed, and it made him want to get him even more flustered. “Are you apologizing because you took advantage of me? Wow, I didn't know you were so pervy Shuichi!”

“No, it's nothing like that!” Shuichi said. “I wanted to sorry for throwing you over my shoulder. Tenko took you back to your room and you didn't wake up for a while so I wanted to come check on you.”

He… threw him over his shoulder? It would explain the headache but it made Kokichi feel weird. It felt like he was forgetting something important. “Well, I guess that gave me some memory loss, so thanks! I'll just have to wait and see what comes back to me.” Shuichi apologized again before going into his room.

“I wonder what I forget?” the leader wondered. He still knows his name, his talent, the names and talents of everyone in the Academy… Everything was still there. So why did he feel different? He went to the courtyard to think, and was greeted by Angie and Kaede. “Hey, Kayaday!” he yelled. The pianist groaned and turned to face him. “It's Kaede. What do you want?”

Kokichi sniffled. “Why are you so mean? I only wanted to say hi.” All of a sudden, Angie got close to him. “You have it right?” she asked. “Have what?”

“Shuichi's underwear!” she exclaimed. Kaede shushed her as the artist kept going. “It was the deal. You give me his underwear and I'd give you the wax figure of Shuichi.” “But you said you would give the figure to me!” Kaede whined.

Ok, Kokichi was definitely missing something. Why would Angie need Shuichi's underwear? And why would he ask Angie for her wax figure, hell, he couldn't even remember whe  Angie made it! “Well, I don't have it. I think I forgot some things when Shuichi threw me over his shoulder but I guess I can go get it.”

Angie thanked him, and the leader decided to leave. “That was weird.” he said to no one. Come to think of it, he thought about Maki and Angie's eyes. They were bright pink, like they put blood in their eyes or something. He chalked it up to them probably being sick, but he felt like there was a different reason. Everyone was acting strange, and their thoughts seemed to center around Shuichi…

“Hey! Komaeda replacement! Get over here!” Kokichi grinned at Monokuma, who looked really pissed. “Who's Komaeda?” he asked. “Not important!” the bear yelled. “Listen up, Shirogane's pissed, I'm pissed, so meet me in the gym!” With that, Monokuma left, mumbling something he couldn't hear. Why would Monokuma care if Tsumugi's pissed or not? Still, Kokichi went to the gym to avoid punishment and found a pissed off Tsumugi holding a flashlight. “I told you the Blackout lights were off limits!” she whisper-yelled. “Ah, c'mon! This is interesting isn't it! I am so glad I remembered how to make them.”

“Tsumugi!” Kokichi said, noting that her eyes were… bright blue somehow?

With no explanation, she turned the light on, blinding Kokichi. Distracted by the new memories flooding his brain, she took a syringe out of a pocket in her skirt and stabbed him with it. He fell onto the floor as Tsumugi looked at Monokuma in disgust. “How could it wear off this quickly? You said they would last for a month at most!”

“I gave him a weak batch, so what?” Monokuma said. “If anything, you should be proud I gave it to him, it made this chapter sorta interesting!”

Tsumugi rolled her eyes as she lifted the boy up. Hopefully, the next time he wakes up in his bed, he'll just think he was dreaming. “I do wanna know what Kokichi wanted the wax figure for-”

“Shut up, Monokuma.”

Chapter Text

Kaede groaned as she stared at Monokuma's fountain. The Monokubs told her that she had to be there; and she listened, but only because they threatened to harm Shuichi. Soon all the infected students came, the common thing being the Monokubs and their threats.

Monokuma popped up shortly after Tsumugi made it. “Upupupupu! Looks like everyone's here!”

“But only twelve of us are here.” Kirumi pointed out. Monokuma paid no mind to her and revealed an elevator behind the fountain. Going down the elevator led the group to a massive trial room. “Wow!” Kokichi exclaimed. “This was here the whole time?!”

Monokuma laughed. “Yep, this room was made just for you guys.” Above the podiums was a throne, most likely for Monokuma, and five smaller podiums were the Monokubs were standing.

“Welcome to the trial room you little shits!”

“W-welcome!”

“Debate to your heart's content!”

“Yeah, what Monosuke said!”

“VIOLENCE-IS-NOT-ALLOWED.”

Kaede and the others went to their podiums and Monokuma got settled in his throne. A trial was starting, yet no one was murdered.

DEBATE START!

Monokuma: Alrighty then! Let's begin the class trial!

Monophanie: But, daddy, they don't know how to start the trial.

Monosuke: Did you forget Pops? This is a canon-divergence au. Heck, it's not even canon-divergence, it's just an au!

Monokuma: Shut up! I didn't forget!

Kaede: This is… not what I expected.

Tsumugi: Uh, if this is supposed to be a trial, them what are we debating about?

Monokuma: I'm glad you asked, Shirogane. Since you guys keep complaining about who gets Saihara, I'm allowing you guys to use the trial room to sort things out.

Kaede: So, we just have to sort this out with a debate?

Kokichi: Okay then, I'll make this easier for everyone! I'll take Shuichi off your hands, no need to thank me!

Kaito: Thank you? You're just kidnapping him!

Kaede: Didn't you try to kidnap Shuichi too, Kaito?

Kaito: What!? No, that's different, he's my sidekick.

Maki: It doesn't matter who you are to him, we all want him regardless.

Kaede: Yeah, but I'm his friend …

Gonta: But Gonta also Shuichi's friend .

Miu: No one cares about you, Gonta! It's pretty obvious I'm the only one who can satisfy Shuichi's needs .

Kirumi: His needs involve eating properly and getting a healthy amount of sleep. I doubt you can give him that.

Korekiyo: Kirumi is correct, someone like you is unable to know what Shuichi truly needs.

Kokichi: You see, Miu? Don't even bother debating! Keep your smelly breath in your dirty mouth.

Miu: W-what??

Kaede: And so, we debated for almost two hours. We refuted statements, agreed with each other and even had times when we were split down the middle. Stil…

Tsumugi: All this time, but it feels like we haven't gotten anywhere.

Rantaro: Well, we figured out who can't help him in certain ways. Maybe we can share him?

Angie: But aren't we debating because we don't want to share him?

Rantaro: I'm not sure how everyone else feels but sharing him might help his mental health.

Miu: What do you mean “his mental health”?

Maki: What he means is that Shuichi being in a school with people ready to murder each other isn't helping him at all.

Kirumi: Maki is correct. Staying in an environment like this will only make him worse.

Kaede: But… how can we share him?

Gonta: Maybe take turns? Gonta knows butterflies makes Shuichi happy!

Kiibo: I believe that might work. We could split up our time with him in order for him to stay calm.

Kaede: Yeah, but…

Maki: There's no reason for us to complain. If we work together we can compromise and he'll stay happy.

Rantaro: Our only problem is how to deal with the others.

Miu: The fuckers he allows to hang out with him? Let's just kill ‘em!

Kirumi: I believe we just said that killing them would only damage Shuichi.

Kokichi: You can't expect her to remember those things Kirumi! But, we could always lock them up and let them die of starvation.

Kaito: There's no way Shuichi would put up with that!

“Wanna turn it off, Shuichi?” Tenko asked.

Monodam had given them a Monopad that allowed them to see what was going on in the trial.

Shuichi nodded his head and turned off the tablet. He didn't want to watch his friends debate on how to kill each other.

“Some of that was pretty entertaining.” Ryoma said.

Shuichi nodded absentmindedly. He watched the trial up to the part and somehow… it felt familiar. He felt like he watched something like this before coming here.

“I'm probably imagining it.” he thought.

Chapter Text

Angie locked her lab door and took a deep breath. Ever since they decided to share Shuichi, she was stuck with him during the day. She could barely hang out with him because they didn't “trust her”. Well, this simply meant she had to put her talent to good use.

The artist looked at the whiteboard she took from Kokichi. It was filled to the brim with pictures of Shuichi, all from various angles. She looked at her favorite, one where he was asleep. His mouth was partially open and she could vividly remember his tiny snores. He was her muse; a gift sent to her by Atua. Angie loved him, every small detail about him was beautiful.

After getting inspired, she decided to get to work. Since everyone wants Shuichi, why not have multiple? She was great at making realistic wax figures, but the tricky part would be making them look as pretty as the real thing. Fortunately, all the pictures would come in handy perspective wise.

And besides, bribing the students so she could have more time with him was fine. It was Atua's will, and therefore her will.

--

“And stay out!” Shuichi cried as he shoved Angie out his room. He locked the door and collapsed on the floor. Despite everyone saying they were going to “share” him, (God that sounded wrong), it seemed like Angie was the only one hanging out with him for the most part. Not only that, she was getting a bit too touchy.

After waiting for her to leave, he quietly opened the door and ran off. He found a couple of good hiding spots around the school, including a small hole in Angie's lab that he could squeeze into. Sure, it was a bit uncomfortable but he couldn't complain. A hiding spot was a hiding spot.

He ignored the stuff covered by sheets and used a box to cover the hole. Stuffy, but he did fall asleep in there one time (and then had to bribe Kokichi to keep it a secret).

“Okie, just have a couple more to finish!”

Shuichi held his breath as he heard Angie walk in. The artist locked her door and stretched.

“At this point, I can have him for an entire week! Perfect.” The artist said as she took off the sheets, revealing multiple wax figures of the detective.

“Jeez.” He thought as he watched her get to work. There were so many, and it was clear she gave it her all to make them perfect. The only thing he didn't want to think about was what everyone used them for (clear your mind, Shuichi. Clear your mind.)

An hour or so later Angie left, presumably to get something to eat. A minute later Shuichi made a dash for the door, only for Angie to walk back in.

“Shuichi! How did you get into my lab?” She asked. Mentally cursing himself, Shuichi took little steps backwards as Angie inched closer and closer to him.

In an instant he had his back against the wall.

“Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Now that you're here I can make sure my figures are perfect, just like you!”

Compliment aside, he was relieved that Tenko came by and got him out, before Angie did… something. He wasn't sure what she'd do, but he knew she would do something.

Chapter Text

Shuichi sighed as he looked at everyone's profiles. He was sitting in his lab, waiting for one of the students to barge in. As he flipped through, he went back to Maki's.

“Birthday: February 2nd”

“That's today.” Shuichi thought. It was weird, knowing today was Maki's birthday. Maybe it was because she was infected with whatever Monokuma gave her and was now like nearly everyone else in the building.

Still, a part of Shuichi wanted to do something for her. At the very least she'd listen to him, so he could still set boundaries.

The boy shut off his Monopad and decided to find Maki (and pray that it wouldn't end badly). He was a little thankful that Monokuma had turned off the trackers so that no one would know where Shuichi was. After searching for a bit, he found the assassin in her lab. She had just finished building a crossbow and was now taking it apart again.

Shuichi knocked on the door hesitantly. Maki looked up, and it looked like her eyes softened a bit.

“Shuichi. It's nice to see you.” She gestured to the floor and the detective sat next to her as she went back to work. “I, uh, was looking at everyone's profiles and, uh-”

“Get to the point, Shuichi.” she said bluntly. Shuichi nodded, blushing slightly.

“I just wanted to tell you happy birthday!” Shuichi had said it so fast that Maki nearly missed it. He…

“Can you repeat that?” She asked. Shuichi said it again, and Maki resisted the urge to smile. “And because it's your birthday I thought I would spend the day with you.” He finished.

Giving in, Maki smiled and handed him the crossbow. “If you'd like, I can show you how to take it apart.”

The two spent the day in her lab, and though she'd never admit it, she had fun. An entire day with Shuichi, nothing could have been better.

Chapter Text

“Fuck you!” Shuichi yelled as he slammed the door shut. Of course today had to be the day Miu stole his clothes. She wasn't even subtle about it, the inventor had swooped in, grabbed the clothes from him and bolted. He later found out that she had stole all his other clothes while he was gone, so that was great. Monokuma gave him some clothes, muttering something about how they would fit a “blue Naegi”.

“This is great.” He muttered as he shrugged the jacket on. It felt weird being in someone else's clothes, so he was glad Miu didn't take his hat. He put it on and opened his door, hesitating slightly.

“Deep breaths.” He told himself. “There's nothing to be afraid of.”

And he was right, he had nothing to worry about. No one commented on the new outfit except for his friends and Miu.

“Hahaha! Damn, I was hoping you'd be forced to just wear the towel!” She laughed. Shuichi tried his best to ignore her remarks. At least Monokuma was nice enough to give him something.

However, the detective wasn't as safe as he thought. Silently spying on him was Kaito, who was trying to keep his composure. He had always heard people talk about how nice it was seeing their significant others in their clothes but he never realized how it truly felt. Sure, it wasn't exactly his clothes but that could change!

“I hope he knows what he's doing to me.” Kaito thought as he collapsed on his bed. He couldn't handle it, no matter how hard he resisted. Of course, he knew Shuichi wouldn't do something like that intentionally. His obliviousness to the situation he put Kaito in just made it worse.

Before he could do something about it, his doorbell rang. He opened the door and Maki barged in. She locked the door and sat on his bed.

“I didn't say come in.” He said.

“Shut up and listen to me.” She said. “I saw you following him, you looked like a lost puppy.”

“So? I wanted to make sure no one touched my sidekick.” He argued.

“So you can touch him.”

… well, he couldn't argue there. He couldn't remember when Maki became like this, but he wasn't complaining. After all, she offered to help, and he gladly accepted.

---

The next day, Shuichi was irritated. Miu wasn't giving him his clothes back and Monokuma wouldn't do anything about it. “Just get through the day.” He told himself. He managed to get through without any problems and sighed in relief when the day was over.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Hold on!” He yelled as someone kept ringing the doorbell impatiently. He opened the door to see Kaito and Maki. “Uh… hi?” he said. The detective had no idea why they were there, everyone was already asleep. Kaito gave him an enormous hug as Maki closed the door.

“There's my sidekick! You never said hi!” the astronaut said, still hugging him tightly. Shuichi started stepping backwards, trying to break free from his friend's grip. Eventually he ran out of space and the two fell onto his bed.

“K-kaito, you're squishing me.” Shuichi muttered as he kept trying to push him back. He could feel a shiver go down his spine when Kaito and Maki didn't say a word.

Click

The sound of the lock raised alarms in his head.

“I gotta say, you got some guts Shuichi.” Kaito said. “Didn't think you would be able to do this to me but, here we are.”

Shuichi's breath hitched when he felt Maki's hand brush against his leg.

“I had agreed to simply watch but…” Seeing Shuichi like that, defenseless… scared…

It was an emotion she never felt before. It would be logical for her to figure out what it was.

“The more the merrier, I guess. I don't really care.” the astronaut replied as he lifted himself off of the detective. He grinned as Shuichi looked at both of them confused.

Without hesitating, he grabbed Shuichi's wrists and kissed him hard. Shocked, Shuichi tried to kick him off, but Kaito's body and Maki now pinning him down made it hard to move. He started hyperventilating. No one ever acted this… bold.

He could barely register Kaito putting his hand over his mouth. “Fuck, you had no idea how long I've wanted to do this.”

Chapter Text

“Come on, help me out here!” Kaito yelled. Maki shrugged as she picked up a knife that wasn't in the right spot. “If you know him so well then why do you need help?”

“I do know him!” Kaito nearly screamed. “But it'd be more believable if you were with me.”

His plan was simple, just lure Shuichi out with the promise of training and hang out. Nothing weird, just something normal for the detective.

After thinking about it, Maki agreed to help. “Aw, thank you so much!”

“Touch me and I'll kill you.”

“Alright! Jeez…” Kaito said. “Meet us outside after nighttime announcements. You don't have to be there for long, but just be there.”

When nighttime came, Maki followed up on her promise and went to find them. The two were in the middle of the courtyard, sitting down.

“See, I told you she'd make it.” Kaito said, winking at Maki. “Uh, hey Maki.” Shuichi said, waving.

“Let's get this over with.” Maki said as she stretched.

The trio did what they always did before, and an hour later she stopped when Shuichi collapsed.

“Oh God.” He said, breathing heavy. “I forgot how much I hated this.”

“But we're bonding, aren't we?” Kaito asked as he took a seat next to the detective. Not wanting to be left out, Maki sat next to him.

“Yeah… yeah we are.” Shuichi said. His breathing slowly grew steady as he stared at the stars. “When I get out of here I'm gonna find a secluded area and just stare at the stars all night.”

Kaito nodded enthusiastically. “Hell yeah! And Maki and I will join you. We're a team after all.”

“A team…” Maki thought. They were a team, an unlikely group. Shuichi finally stood up, it was clear he was tired. “Well, I'm going to bed.”

When he wasn't looking, Kaito nodded at Maki. She sighed and held Shuichi down.

“Hey! What are you-”

Before he could scream, Maki knocked him out. “Jeez, I feel a bit bad now.” Kaito said.

“You're the one who wanted to do this.” Maki pointed out. “Yeah, you got me there.” Kaito said. “C'mon, my room's fine.”

Rolling her eyes when he didn't look, Maki picked up Shuichi and carried him to Kaito's room.

“Sorry Shuichi.” She muttered under her breath. “He's your problem now.”

Chapter Text

“Shuichi?” Kiyo asked, peeking into the boy's room. It's been a while since they cut off his leg and it was his turn to take care of him for a bit. He was worried when he didn't get a response, and he realized Shuichi wasn’t in bed.

“He can't get far with one leg.” he thought as he went further in. At the moment he heard the sound of… vomit?

“I'm in here.” a meek voice called from the bathroom, followed by what Kiyo believed was more vomit. He slowly opened the bathroom door to see Shuichi over the toilet, coughing and groaning. He slowly approached the boy, careful not to startle him. Shuichi had gotten more jumpy ever since what happened.

“Are you alright?” Kiyo asked. Shuichi looked up and scoffed. “Just peachy.”

Before Kiyo could try and lift him up Shuichi turned back to the toilet and groaned. The anthropologist rubbed circles on the detective's back while he waited. Once he was sure Shuichi had gotten everything out of his system he tried to lift him up. This resulted in some resistance but Shuichi was too weak to put up a fight.

“I'm fine.” he said, trying to walk, well more like limp, back to his bed.

“How did you even make it to the bathroom?” Kiyo asked, concerned. “Used the nightstand and made a weird jump for it.” Shuichi answered.

Kiyo put him back into bed gently and noticed the plate of food Kirumi had left for him. “You barely ate.” he pointed out.

“Why do you think I went to the bathroom in the first place?” Shuichi asked. Kiyo decided not to answer, and let Shuichi hide under the covers. “Well, Kirumi isn't going to be happy about it.”

He didn't get a snarky response from the detective, and was instead greeted to the sound of him crying. It wasn't full on crying but Shuichi was sniffling, which meant he'll be crying soon.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice soft. That seemed to be the trigger, because Shuichi got tired of hiding it and cried harder.

“I hate this.” a broken voice said through the covers. “I hate it so much.”

Hearing Shuichi sound so broken hurt Kiyo, but he couldn't do anything about it. The past was the past and what was done was done. All anyone could do was comfort him and he did exactly that, putting an arm around Shuichi in an attempt to soothe him.

Kiyo wasn't a fan of it either, but they made their choice and they couldn't change it.

Chapter Text

Kaede Akamatsu

“What is with you guys and chaining me to something?!” Shuichi yelled, tugging on the chain he was tied to.

“I never tied you up until today!” Kaede argued. “Besides, it's Valentine's Day and well, I want you to be my valentine.”

“I'm probably everyone's valentine.” Shuichi thought as he slouched next to the piano. Valentine's Day, the holiday he used to not care about. Now, he had good reason to be terrified.

Kaede ran a hand through his hair and took a seat. She stretched and put her hands on the piano keys. She started playing a tune Shuichi couldn't recognize. It was… calming. It helped relaxed him, epically after everything that's been happening.

It also started to make him very very sleepy.

“Good night.” he murmured as he closed his eyes. Kaede smiled as she watched him. He deserved a break, and she was glad to help him out.

Rantaro Amami

“You have to hold still.” Rantaro said as Shuichi snickered.

“I didn't think it would tickle.” Shuichi said, trying to stay still. “I'm almost done.” Rantaro said, concentrating.

After inspecting Shuichi's hand he decided he did a good job. “All done.”

Shuichi looked at his hands, amazed. Rantaro offered to paint his nails and he loved them. “Thank you.” He said.

Rantaro smiled sheepishly and put the bottle on his nightstand. “It's nothing, really.”

He was shocked when Shuichi gave him a hug, but he accepted it. “Maybe save the hugs for when your nails dry.” He said.

Shuichi nodded and smiled. “Thank you again.”

Kirumi Tojo

“You really didn't have to do this for me.” Shuichi said. With Tenko's permission, the two of them were allowed to have sparring lessons.

“I did promise you,” Kirumi said. “And I've seen how frequently you use your skills.”

The two got into position, Shuichi growing nervous. First of all, he already knew Kirumi was strong. Second of all, she was still going to fight in her dress and he wasn't sure if that would give her an advantage or a disadvantage.

Once the two started sparring Shuichi realized that Kirumi was going easy on him, using the same tactics Tenko used when they first sparred.

The detective decided to try throwing her over his shoulder. However, the minute he thought of it, Kirumi threw him over her shoulder.

“Don't let your guard down in a fight.” she said, pulling him back up. “Don't hesitate, simply trust your instincts.”

Shuichi nodded, rubbing his arm. “Yeah, yeah.” Kirumi nodded, and the two tried again.

Korekiyo Shinguji

Shuichi gazed at all the books in Kiyo's lab. “Is there anything that caught your interest?” Kiyo asked. Unsure what to pick, Shuichi closed his eyes and spun around in a circle. Doing that however, made him dizzy and he nearly fell over.

“I fail to see the point of you doing that.” Kiyo said, catching Shuichi before he could fall. Dazed, Shuichi pointed to a random book.

“That one.” he said, smiling weakly. He laughed as Kiyo sighed and grabbed the one he picked.

“Are you sure about this one?” Kiyo said, examining it. Shuichi nodded. “I'm really ok with anything, I just like hearing you talk about anthropology.”

“K-kiyo are you-”

“I'm fine.” Kiyo said, hiding the small blush that formed.

Angie Yonaga

“Hold still, Shuichi.” Angie said, looking away from her painting. “I'm trying!” Shuichi said, struggling. He wasn't used to standing still for so long. When was Angie going to finish?

The artist giggled. “It'd be rude to disobey Atua, you know? Cuz if you do, I'll have to punish you for him!”

Shuichi nodded and then quickly went back to being still. After a bit, Angie groaned and stood up. She parted Shuichi's hair to the side and put her finger on his nose. “I told you to stay still.”

“I am!” Shuichi refuted. Angie decided to get even closer to him, he could feel her breathing down his neck.

“I told you not to disobey Atua, correct?” She said, lowering her voice. Shuichi gulped, she was too close for comfort. In the blink of an eye she smiled and kissed his forehead, and then grabbed her painting.

“By the way I finished a while ago, I just wanted to stare at you.”

“Huh?!”

Miu Iruma

“Heh… what's the matter Shuichi? You're so stiff.” Miu said, inspecting his body. Shuichi tried to tune her out, regretting his “brilliant” idea of visiting Miu.

“Aw, are you scared?” She asked. She cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “Just stay still, and let me take care of the rest.”

---

Miu groaned as she rubbed her head. “Ow.” She looked up to realize that she was in her room. “Damn it, it was a dream.” She thought. And just when it was getting interesting!

“Well, I can always make that dream a reality!” She told herself as she left her room.

When she did she noticed Kaede and Shuichi, laughing and smiling. She contemplated going to say hi, but decided against it. No point in ruining Shuichi's happiness right now. She had time.

Gonta Gokuhara

“Shuichi look!” Gonta yelled as he led the detective into his lab. Inside were lots of butterflies, fluttering around. Shuichi looked around in awe.

“Gonta found them for you.” The entomologist said, grinning ear to ear.

The two stayed in the lab, Gonta ranting about different kinds of bugs while Shuichi stared at the butterflies. Some of them had decided that the detective's hair would be a good place to sleep.

When Gonta looked over, he saw Shuichi fast asleep, butterflies covering his body. Seeing Shuichi like that made Gonta happy. He let the boy sleep for a little before waking him up and putting the butterflies away.

Kaito Momota

“C'mon Shuichi!” Kaito yelled. Shuichi yelled in surprise as Kaito grabbed him by the arm and led him away. “Wait, where are we going?” Shuichi asked.

“My room! I gotta show you something.” The astronaut replied. When they arrived, Shuichi sat on his bed.

“So, what did you want to show me?”

“Hold on.” Kaito said. He turned off the lights and the room was illuminated by tiny stars plastered on the ceiling.

Shuichi giggled. “Is this what you wanted to show me?” He laid down on the bed, Kaito following him. “I wanted to show you the actual stars but I wasn't sure if you'd be asleep by then. This is a good alternative!”

“I don't think me sleeping used to be a problem.” Shuichi thought. He didn't mind though. It felt nice being next to Kaito, it reminded him of before.

Kokichi Ouma

“Shuichi!” Kokichi yelled, clinging onto the boy. “Happy Valentine's Day.”

Shuichi, still shocked from the sudden touch stared at him. “Hey! Don't give me that look!” Kokichi pouted, clinging onto him. “I wanna spend the day with you!”

“But that's what we do every day…” Shuichi pointed out. Kokichi shrugged. “But this time it'll be different! Come on!” He grabbed Shuichi and went to his room.

Shuichi was still on a daze with everything that was going on. He was busy thinking about, well, everything. He knew they were genuinely happy to be with him, but today some of the stuff felt forced. It was like they needed a distraction to avoid doing something.

He snapped out of it when he felt something on his mouth. Kokichi was holding a box of pocky, and had put one in the detective's mouth. Shuichi took the stick out of his mouth. “The pocky game?”

“Yeah! I mean, it's kinda romantic!” Kokichi said. Blushing slightly, Shuichi put it back in his mouth. “This isn't weird.” Shuichi told himself.

Of course, it took a couple of tries and Shuichi couldn't handle it halfway through.

“What's there to be scared of?” Kokichi said, smiling mischievously. “Are you worried you're gonna kiss me and realize you love me?”

Shuichi shook his head furiously as the leader laughed. “I wouldn't blame you though.” He said, still laughing. He threw the box onto his nightstand and trapped Shuichi in a hug.

“Well, you stayed with me so I can't be upset.”

Before Shuichi could respond, Kokichi kissed him. It was short and a little sweet, Shuichi could swear he saw Kokichi blush.

“Well, see you later!” Kokichi said, pushing Shuichi outside.

Tsumugi Shirogane

“I don't know why you'd still want to hang out with me, I'm so plain.” Tsumugi said. The two were in her Ultimate Lab, drinking from a bottle of Panta she hid from Kokichi.

“Well, everyone's came by to see me so I thought I'd change it up a bit.” He said. Truth is, he wanted to be with someone who was… less eccentric for a bit.

He seemed to have picked the wrong person, because suddenly Tsumugi got up in his face. “Hey! Why don't you try cosplay!? I know a character that's similar to you!”

Before he could respond Shuichi was unceremoniously shoved into a dressing room with Tsumugi, who was already holding a bunch of clothes.

---

“Come on, Shuichi. You look great!” Tsumugi said, holding a camera. The detective was hiding in the dressing room, embarrassed. “How about no?” He asked.

Tsumugi groaned. “No one's here Shuichi. You'll be fine.”

Taking a deep breath, Shuichi slowly stepped out. He had on a purple wig, dark purple jacket with a black skirt and knee high boots.

“See? You look adorable!” Tsumugi said, adjusting her camera and taking pictures. “Hey!” Shuichi yelled.

Tsumugi giggled. Shuichi in Kirigiri's outfit wasn't something she expected but hey, if the fans wanted it they wanted it. “Quality content in this Academy.” she thought as she tried to convince Shuichi to pose.

Maki Harukawa

“We already did this on my birthday.” Maki said. They were in her lab again, Shuichi putting together and taking apart her crossbow. “Yeah, but I've gotten better at it.”

“Are you planning to assassinate someone with it?” she had meant it as a joke, but realized that it was a possibility. “No, why would-” Shuichi started, but paused.

“No. I, I wouldn't be able to handle the guilt.” He finally said. Hoping to fix the mood, Maki grabbed the crossbow and picked up an arrow. “You know how to fix it, but not how to use it.”

She grabbed a random empty bottle and placed it on a shelf. “Here, I can show you.”

“You would do that for me?” Shuichi asked.

Maki nodded. “Only if you want to.”

Shuichi nodded and Maki spent a bit of her time teaching him. “He could be a good assassin.” She thought as he slowly got better.

Kiibo

“Shuichi!” Kiibo yelled when he saw the boy. “I haven't seen you at all today.”

Shuichi yawned, it was a bit late. “Everyone dragged me around today, I'm just tired.”

“Ah. Well, I hope you had.fun today. It's getting late so I suggest you go to sleep.” The robot said. Shuichi nodded. “That's the plan, Kiibo. I'll see you tomorrow.”

With that, Shuichi left Kiibo alone in the courtyard. The robot stayed outside for a bit, lost in thought. His inner voice was quiet today, and it made him nervous. What was it planning?

“Well, if it's not bothering me then I shouldn't worry about it.” He thought as he walked back to his dorm. Before he walked into his room he noticed that Shuichi didn't close his door. “Weird.” He thought.

Worried, he silently opened the door to see Shuichi passed out on his bed. Sighing in relief, the robot got a bit closer to double check.

Shuichi's pulse was normal, breathing was steady, he seemed ok. Kiibo freezed when the detective turned twitched, but he stayed asleep, turning over.

He's cute, right?

Kiibo jumped at the sudden voice, but it was one of the more rational and calmer ones. “I… guess? I mean, I'm attracted to Shuichi platonically but I'm not sure romantically.”

Well, that's ok. I think uh, that's a really good thing. Anyways, no one else is online for some reason so you might wanna leave before they do.

“I was just about to.” Kiibo said as he left Shuichi's room. That voice was the only one he could trust about what was happening outside the Academy. He trusted them with his life as well as Shuichi's.

Happy Valentine's Day, Kiibo.

Chapter Text

Rantaro paced back and forth in Miu's lab. The inventor groaned and forced him to sit down.

“Calm down before you pass out! How the hell are ya supposed to ask him out if you're sweating like crazy?” She said. “Look, I'm not a big of it but if he's happy around you then go off I guess.”

Rantaro fiddled with his hands. Despite how calm he usually acts, anything romantic makes him a nervous wreck. Maybe that's why he thought Miu would be able to help him out. “Please Miu, I'm begging you!”

“Well, maybe if you get on the floor and beg…” she started, already looking aroused.

“You know I can always tell Shuichi you sometimes spy on him when he takes a shower…” Rantaro said nonchalantly, thankful that him catching her would help out. In an instant, Miu backed off.

“Geez, I was joking! Look, just ask him out, plain and simple. He'll have a hard time saying no.”

Rantaro was a bit shocked that Miu actually said something useful, but he tried to not make it obvious. Being blunt was probably the best choice. He thanked Miu and went to go find Shuichi.

It took some time but he found the detective sitting outside, looking at the dome that kept them trapped.

“Alright Rantaro.” He thought. “Just play it cool. You're just asking someone out! A really cute, adorable someone…”

He mentally cursed as a small blush formed, but tried to ignore it and walked up to Shuichi.

“Uh, hey Shuichi.” Rantaro said, taking a seat next to the boy. “Oh uh, hey. What's up?” Shuichi said.

“Remember be blunt.” Rantaro told himself.

“Uh, well I was uh, hoping that you, uh…” he said, definitely doing the opposite of being blunt.

Shuichi looked at him confused. “I'm sorry, can you say it again?”

“Iwashopingyouwouldgooutwithme!” He said, speaking too fast Shuichi to hear.

Shuichi laughed. “Slower, please?”

“I was hoping you would go out with me…” Rantaro said slowly. He braced himself for rejection, but was met with laughter.

“H-hey! This isn't funny!” He whined. Shuichi held his sides as he kept laughing. “No, I just didn't think you would get so flustered over this!”

Once Shuichi calmed down, he looked Rantaro in the eyes. “Rantaro, I'm pretty sure if I say yes someone is going to stab you. But,” he looked around to make sure no one was near and whispered. “Ya know what? Name a time and place.”

Rantaro did his best to contain his excitement. He did it, he said yes!

“Fuck yeah!” Miu yelled when he told her the news. “So when are you gonna go at it?” She said, making a very lewd gesture.

“I'm not telling you!” Rantaro said, blushing at the thought. “You'd probably spy on us.”

“I probably would,” the inventor confessed. “But I'm proud of you, Avocado.”

Chapter Text

Shuichi didn't move from his bed, instead staring at the door. He hugged himself as he felt tears go down his face. He couldn't get Kaito and Maki's voices out of his head. He shuddered thinking about it.

Why couldn't they stop? Why wouldn't they stop? Why won't they listen?

Listen…

They don't listen, they would always do something drastic.

That gave Shuichi an idea. A very stupid idea. But hey, desperate times called for desperate measures. If they could do it, why couldn't he?

The next morning, Monokuma told everyone to meet in the gym. “Your buddy Saihara is already there, and he told me he has a surprise for you!” Monokuma said. This was sure to be fun.

Himiko nervously looked around the gym. Everyone stood around, waiting for Monokuma or Shuichi to do something. To say she was worried was an understatement.

Tenko put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Surely nothing bad could happen.

But, oh, how wrong they were.

The curtains on the stage were closed, preventing anyone from seeing the little podium they saw Monokuma use when they first entered the Academy. All of a sudden, the curtains were pulled back to reveal Shuichi, a bottle of poison in his hands.

“The moment a single drop enters my mouth I'll most likely hit the floor.” Shuichi said, opting to stare at the bottle instead of the crowd. They all stared at him, unmoving. Himiko looked at the detective in horror. He wouldn't… there was no way he would actually do it. How could Monokuma let him do this?!

Kirumi was the first person to try and talk to him. “Shuichi, I don't want you to do anything rash-”

“Rash?!” He lashed out, earning some concerned looks and terrified faces. He tightened his grip on the bottle, and Himiko realized the bottle was already opened. Anyone could move and he'd be able to down the contents in an instant.

The detective calmed down and forced himself to look at everyone. All eyes were on him. He got the spotlight, now he can say what he wanted.

“All you guys ever do is make rash decisions without realizing that you hurt me.” He said, making sure to stare at each and every one of the students. “So, since you guys won't listen to reason I figured something like this would get you to listen.”

“Now that I know I have your undivided attention,” Shuichi said. “I want you guys to consider what would happen if I had enough. Enough of the constant fighting, the threats, the things you guys can do without consent -”

He stopped when he realized his vision was getting blurry. He couldn't cry now. One more deep breath.

“I just want it all to stop. That's all I'm asking for, and I don't think it's a hard task. So… I'm going to ask just this once for you guys to leave me alone for three hours at least.”

With his speech out of the way, Shuichi looked at them to see if his words got through. They most certainly did. Content, he realized he must looked crazy. And if he could look in a mirror, he'd be able to see the look in his eyes and feel what everyone else felt.

Fear.

Shrugging, he listened to everyone scream as he downed what was in the bottle.

He let the bottle fall to the floor and laughed as they stared at him. Yep, he definitely needed sleep.

“I'm surprised none of you realized it wasn't poison.” He said, still laughing. “But know I always could've.”

As everyone tried to recover from what just happened, Shuichi got off the stage and left the gym. Monokuma laughed as he picked up the bottle the detective left behind.

“Upupupupu, you should've seen your faces! I don't regret helping him out with this stunt.”

Himiko fell on the floor. She looked at the spot where her friend stood not too long ago. She didn't know if she could sleep tonight.

Chapter Text

Kaede smiled as she snuggled closer to Shuichi. He had slept in, so she took the opportunity to sneak in. She felt bad doing it but…

Well, it's Shuichi! And besides, they're friends so it should be fine, right? Plus, he makes the cutest sounds when he's asleep. She knew he would forgive her.

The pianist had to resist the urge to squeal as Shuichi turned around and hugged her unconsciously. He probably assumed she was a pillow. She buried her face in his hair, taking in how good he smelled. He was probably the best thing that's happened since coming to the Academy. If he wasn't here she'd have probably killed someone.

The moment couldn't last forever though. Shuichi slowly opened his eyes, still tired from dealing with everyone yesterday. “Kaede?” He asked.

She shushed him and ran a hand through his hair. “Go back to sleep Shuichi.” She whispered. Too tired to argue, Shuichi listened and closed his eyes.

“I love you so much.” She whispered, hugging him tighter. “Sleep tight, I'll protect you.”

Chapter Text

“Shuichi!” Kiibo yelled as the detective meekly opened the door. The robot had asked him to visit him after the nighttime announcement but he didn't think he would come.

“Uh, hey, Kiibo.” Shuichi said. “You wanted to see me?”

Kiibo nodded. “Well, I understand you've been uncomfortable the past couple of days so I wanted to know why. That way, I can make sure you don't feel that way again.”

“Ah, you don't have to do that!” Shuichi said. Kiibo moved slightly so that Shuichi can sit next to him. “It's just, you know, Miu being Miu, Kaito and Kirumi are overprotective, and I can't really go anywhere wouldn't someone getting into my personal space.”

Kiibo nodded in agreement as he took mental notes. All of these things were technically out of his control; he couldn't control how everyone else acted.

Hey, he could totally control them! He's a fucking robot!

Kiibo tried to keep his composure as the voice invaded his mind. He never liked how quickly they appeared, and they liked to pop up at the worst moments.

I believe you forgot the fact that Shuichi hates the idea of his friends killing each other.

It's still a killing game though!

We have to play it safe. So, let us step in.

Before Kiibo could try and resist, he went numb. Whenever the voices decided to take matters into their own hands, they'd do it forcefully and the robot could watch them use his body.

“ I can understand what it's like to have someone up in your personal space. I mean, I understand it's maintenance but I think Miu could try and not get so close. ”

Shuichi nodded. “I just… it's so hard, seeing everyone like this. And with you, it feels like you're one of the few that actually listen to me.”

Kiibo watched Shuichi talk to this different version of him. He watched the detective laugh and smile and wondered if the voices were pleased. They must've been, because soon he was able to move his limbs. He wondered if that's what an out of body experience feels like.

“I should probably let you sleep.” Shuichi said, getting up. “I'll see you in the morning.”

Kiibo said goodnight and stared at the ceiling, listening to the voices.

See? We actually know what we're doing.

Yeah, yeah, keep talking.

He wondered how long it would be until they were gone.

Chapter Text

“Let me go, Kiyo.” Shuichi said as Kiyo picked him up by the waist and dragged him. “You've been cooped up in here long enough.”

“Can't get molested if I hide in the blanket.” Shuichi said, shuddering as he remembered the thankfully short time he was forced to spend with Miu. Kiyo let him go so that none of the students got the wrong idea, and they walked to Kiyo's lab. When they made it, Shuichi looked at the books that lined the shelfs. He wondered if he could read all of them, it certainly seemed like he'd have the time.

“Is there anything you're curious about?” Kiyo asked.

“Well, what's the difference between anthropology, history and archaeology? Aren't they all kind of similar?” Shuichi asked.

“People often confuse them so your question is reasonable. In a way, saying they are different is a possible answer.”

Upon seeing Shuichi's puzzled expression, Kiyo elaborated. “History is records, archaeology is buildings and relics and anthropology is folklore and customs. History studies events and changes in countries across time. Archaeology traces the course of humanity through physical remains and anthropology is a study that examines the thought behind traditions and customs.”

Shuichi listened to Kiyo give his answer, it was clear he was passionate, that's why he became an Ultimate in the first place.

“If you think of humanity at the core of anthropology, it should be clear. From people come feelings, and those feelings intersect and become tradition. At least, those are my thoughts on the matter.”

“The feelings intersect?” Shuichi asked. Kiyo nodded.

“Yes, customs and folktales can only occur in places where people can share them.”

Shuichi nodded slowly. He wasn't going to lie, it was a bit confusing, but Kiyo's explanation helped him understand it a little better. “I'm sorry, I'm not that familiar with these kinds of things…”

“I suppose that's why you aren't an anthropologist.” Kiyo said. Shuichi laughed. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

With some time to spare until someone else wanted to have a turn with Shuichi, the detective decided to ask another question. “So, you must know a lot of folktales and myths. Are there any that resonate with you?”

Kiyo thought about it for a bit, but before he could answer, Kokichi burst into his lab.

“Shuichi! There you are!” He yelled, clinging onto the detective. Kiyo's glare went unnoticed as he helped pry the leader off of Shuichi.

“I've been looking for you everywhere!” Kokichi said. “C'mon it's my turn! It's not fair Kiyo gets to have you for so long.”

“I suppose we can finish our discussion another time.” Kiyo said. Shuichi gave a quick goodbye before he was dragged off and the anthropologist stood in his lab. He glanced over to a certain book, one that he had hoped to use ever since Monokuma allowed them to debate.

… no. It would be cruel to do that to Shuichi. He wouldn't be able to justify it; Shuichi would still see it as murder. Perhaps another time.

Chapter Text

“Get off!” Shuichi groaned. Of course, no one listened.

Imagine this: you're tired and you just wanted to sleep when all of a sudden four of your friends decide to sleep on top of you. This is what Shuichi is experiencing right now. You can imagine how angry he is (and how sore he must be, he's been stuck in one position for a while).

He sighed before trying to move his arm. Kaede groaned. “C'mon Shuichi, give it a break.”

Kaede, Kaito, Kokichi and Miu thought it was a wonderful to go sneak into his room in the middle of the night. Not wanting to fight one another, they decided to share. Great for them, bad for Shuichi, who felt like every single bone he had broke.

He decided to take drastic measures. “TENKO! I NEED HELP!”

He watched all four of them run off, afraid to mess with her. He sighed in relief as Tenko ran in. “Do you still want me to take care of them?”

Shuichi nodded and heard her run off, yelling something about degenerate males.

Ever since they were infected, they got a lot more clingy. It was possible some of them were touch starved. But the weird thing about that was Tsumugi never acted like them. She was infected too, but she seemed to respect his boundaries. He liked it, but he was also curious.

Well, he had nothing better to do anyways. He decided to go find Tsumugi,which wasn't that hard because she was in her lab.

“Oh, Shuichi!” Tsumugi said, shutting off her Monopad. “Is something wrong?”

“Uh, I just had a question.” Shuichi said. He took a seat next to her as she clutched the Monopad in her hand.

“What's the question?” She asked.

“I was just wondering why you aren't as clingy as everyone. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind but I just found it odd.”

Tsumugi nearly broke character, but stopped herself. “Be calm. Act rational.” She told herself.

“Well, it's kinda obvious you don't like to be used as a body pillow. Plus, I thought it was basic knowledge.”

Shuichi laughed. “Yeah, thanks for uh, not using me as a body pillow.”

Tsumugi smiled, and the detective left her alone. She turned her Monopad back on and looked at the screen. She debated altering the disease a bit to see if the infected would tone down the clinginess but decided against it. Shuichi was smart, if she started changing things he might catch on somehow. Though now that of it, she couldn't help but wonder how it felt to use him as a pillow.

No, she couldn't do something like that right after he thanked her for not being like them. She could always just ask someone anyways.

Chapter Text

“The two of us should make a student council!” Angie said out of nowhere. Shuichi looked at her skeptically. “A student council?”

“Yes! Wouldn't it make you feel safer at night? Atua believes it's a wonderful idea but I want to know what my muse thinks.” She said, practically beaming. It was clear she really wanted to do it (and it also felt nice to feel like he had a say in something).

“Well, I don't see why we shouldn't.” He said. Angie cheered and hugged him tightly. “Perfect! I'm so glad you agree.”

She grabbed one of her sketchbooks and a pencil and started scribbling. “Before we can make the student council I need you to fully believe in Atua.”

“Wait, but-”

Shuichi was cut off by the artist tearing out the page. “Atua was the one who thought of the council, and he'll be the one protecting everyone in it! Believing in him is our only requirement!” She said.

She shushed Shuichi again and closed her eyes, concentrating. When she opened her eyes, she grabbed Shuichi's hand and sat him down. “Atua's telling me you don't want to be protected. But, even if he did give me you I know for a fact you're scared of being alone at night. So, by trusting Atua you'd be much safer!”

Shuichi tried to protest, but Angie forced him to the ground. “Angie, stop!”

“Atua is upset you won't listen to me, and since he can't give you a punishment I'll have to do it for him!” she said, smiling mischievously. Something told Shuichi this was her will and not Atua's.

Before Angie could do anything to him, something sharp dug into her neck, and she fell on top of him. He looked over and saw Maki holding her crossbow. She walked over to them and shoved Angie off him. “Don't worry, she's unconscious.” She said.

Shuichi thanked her, and for once, he saw her smile. “Someone's gotta make sure you're safe.” She said.

Chapter Text

“Yes!” Tsumugi cheered as her Monopad turned back on. She finally got it fixed, which meant she could see what people thought of Danganronpa . She prayed for good reviews as she logged back in. She skimmed through a couple of comments, it looked like losing Kiibo was only a small bump in the road.

As she kept scrolling, a few of them caught her attention.

“Now that I think about it, do we really need a mastermind?”

“It hurts seeing Shirogane pretend to love him, I mean it's painfully obvious!”

“Shirogane looks so fake among the actual infected, she could at least try.”

Tsumugi scoffed at the comments. It wasn't that obvious she was faking it, was it? If it was, she'd have to change that. Of course, she couldn't give herself the disease because if she did, it certainly wouldn't end well.

“I just have to see why everyone else likes him! Infected or not, their responses should help me put on a better act.” She thought. She decided talking to a few of them would help. She left her room and tried to find Kaede first. After all, she was supposed to be his love interest (at least in the beginning).

It was easy to find her, the pianist was in her lab absentmindedly playing the piano. “Kaede, can I talk to you?” She asked. Kaede looked at the cosplayer and stopped playing. “Sure, what's up?”

“Why are you in love with Shuichi?” She asked, preparing herself for an attack. Instead, Kaede laughed. “Isn't it obvious? I love him because, well he's Shuichi! Adorable bed head, a cute laugh, he's perfect!”

She looked at Tsumugi, confused. “I mean sure, at first he kinda looked like the humanized version of the full slow piano cover of Welcome To The Black Parade but still, you have to admit he's cute.”

Tsumugi nodded hesitantly. Kaede grinned. “If you ever want to gush about him I'll be here.” The cosplayer thanked her and left her to continue playing.

She realized there was a pattern as she asked people. For the most part, they loved him for who he was; sometimes they'd point out physical traits or recall something he did that they deemed cute. Listening to them carefully, she assumed that some of them actually developed crushes on him before the motive was introduced.

Turning the corner, she saw Shuichi on the floor with his Monopad. Whatever he was doing on it made him start laughing, and she quickly hid before he could see her. His laugh was… really adorable?

“Maybe I'm just tired.” Tsumugi said as she went to her room. All the things she was told about him would help her be a bit more believable. There was no way she was actually developing feelings on him. But then again, it was always possible. Maybe this is what she gets for being trapped here for so long.

Chapter Text

“Upupupupu! This is surprising!” Monokuma laughed. “Shut up!” Tsumugi said, hugging a body pillow.

“Where did you even get that?” Monokuma asked. “Did the staff give you that? Don't tell me, it's a body pillow of Shuichi, right?”

“No!” Tsumugi yelled, hiding her face in the covers. “It's not that, it's, uh, just a pillow.”

Monokuma laughed louder. This was probably the most exciting he's seen since yesterday, which was saying something. “Don't tell anyone.” She said.

---

“Ahh!” Shuichi yelled as he felt someone attempt to suffocate him. He kicked whoever was there, and was pretty sure he felt metal.

“Ow! What the fuck is your problem!?” Monokuma yelled as he jumped on to the bed.

“You attacked me!” Shuichi yelled. The bear groaned and tried to drag the detective, but it turns out Monokuma wasn't as strong as he thought.

“Is there a reason you're doing this?” Shuichi asked, holding back a laugh. Monokuma nodded. “We gotta do this quickly! Just head over to Shirogane's room! Trust me.”

With that, the bear left Shuichi's room. Concerned, he went to Tsumugi's room. He slowly opened the door to see her sleeping soundly, clutching a pillow. “I don't see anything wrong.” Shuichi thought. He was about to close the door when he heard Tsumugi mutter something.

“Shuichi…”

… well, shit.

“No, not her too!” Shuichi thought as he slowly walked up to her. He couldn't make out everything she was saying, but it didn't sound completely inappropriate. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Monokuma walk in. The bear pointed to the pillow.

“Ya ever make body pillows of your classmates?” He asked, lifting blanket so the detective could see. She was practically on top of it; and Monokuma laughed as Shuichi quickly turned around.

“I'm not going to speak of this.” Shuichi said, walking out.

“Hey, you should've expected this,” Monokuma said. “At the end of the day she's still madly in love with you and is totally up for killing your classmates if need be.”

Chapter Text

Kirumi Tojo

Shuichi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. It was probably the best sleep he had since forever, no one bothered him at all. He stretched his arms and noticed Kirumi waiting by the door. “Is it alright if I come in?” She asked.

Shuichi nodded and she stepped into his room. He then noticed the plate of food she held in her hands. “I've noticed how little you eat in the morning.” she said. “You don't have to eat all, but I thought you'd like it.”

He had almost forgotten about the fake self poisoning act he did; it was probably why she was being nice to him. “Thank you, Kirumi.” He said. She smiled and let him be, closing the door as she left.

After eating, he looked at the door. He wasn't sure how his friends would react, but he also didn't want to stay in his room all day. He walked out, avoiding the gaze of some of some of the students that were around.

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta walked up to the detective and gave him a hug. He didn't say anything at first, which weirded Shuichi out. “Gonta? Are you ok?” Ok, maybe that was a stupid thing to ask.

Before Shuichi could keep feeling like shit, Kokichi coughed loudly. “Hey, Gonta! I thought you were gonna show him the thing in your lab.”

That seemed to get Gonta out of his funk. He smiled and thanked Kokichi and led Shuichi to his lab. His grip wasn't as tight as before, Shuichi could easily slip out of his grasp if he wanted. But, Gonta looked happy so he went along with it.

Butterflies of many different colors were flying the lab, and Monodam was sitting in the center. Shuichi laughed at the one butterfly that was on top of the robot's head.

“YOU'RE-WELCOME.” Monodam said, shaking his head to get the butterfly to fly away. As Shuichi and Monodam were playing, Gonta sighed in relief. Out of everyone, he had a harder time understanding why Shuichi would do his self poisoning act. So when everyone decided they wanted to give the detective the best day of his life, Gonta wanted to help. If he can make Shuichi happy, then he'll never have to do something like that again!

Ryoma Hoshi

Of course, Shuichi left after a while to go see Ryoma. He felt bad knowing that his friends had to see him act like that. He found Ryoma in his lab, throwing tennis balls at the wall.

“Ryoma?” Shuichi asked hesitantly. When he didn't get a reply he turned around to leave, only to hear him speak up.

“Tenko hates you, ya know.”

Shuichi groaned. “I'm surprised you don't hate me. Or didn't hit me with a tennis ball.”

Ryoma shrugged. “You did what you thought was right. Given the circumstances it was probably a good idea.” He handed Shuichi a racket. “If you wanna take your mind off things, I can help.”

Shuichi smiled and took the racket.

Tenko Chabashira

“Shuichi!” was all the detective heard before he was pushed. He fell on the floor and looked up to see Tenko glaring at him.

“You idiot!” She yelled. “What were you thinking? You scared Himiko and I half to death.”

Before Shuichi could apologize, she trapped him in a hug.

“I thought I was going to lose a friend.” She said, voice wavering slightly.

“I'm sorry,” Shuichi said, hugging her back. “You're free to best me up, I deserve it.”

Tenko shook her head. “I'll forgive you this one time.”

Kaito Momota

After speaking with Tenko, Shuichi found himself in front of Kaito's room. He felt bad, because despite having to deal with the infected astronaut, he was still Shuichi's friend. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

The moment he put his hand down Kaito opened the door. “Oh, hey Shuichi!” He said, smiling. “Perfect timing, I was gonna do training a little early. You coming?”

Shuichi nodded, and walked with Kaito to the courtyard. A little exercise wouldn't hurt. As they trained, Kaito kept glancing at him nervously.

He had spent the whole night thinking about what Shuichi did, and he was confused. Did they do something wrong? He thought about everything they did but he couldn't understand. Shuichi was his sidekick, and he failed him by not noticing something was wrong.

He'd just have to change. He'll do better so that Shuichi won't do something like that again. Shuichi deserved that much.

Kokichi Ouma

Kokichi paced around his room, glancing at his whiteboard every now and then. The whiteboard was covered with pictures of everyone and notes written in marker.

Obviously, he didn't do anything wrong, which meant someone else did something that drove Shuichi to do that. The leader liked pranks, but this one went too far. Shuichi wouldn't care if someone died, right?

“No, of course he'd care.” He thought. “He always cares.”

He rearranged some of the pictures. It just didn't make sense. If it wasn't one person, then it was a group of them. That didn't help narrow down suspects, but Kokichi was determined to find someone to blame. Someone hurt Shuichi, and while everyone tried to make it up to him, Kokichi thought a more better apology was to just end whoever made him suffer.

That seemed fair.

Korekiyo Shinguji

“Medusa, huh?” Shuichi said. They were continuing a conversation they had a while ago, where Shuichi had asked Kiyo if he resonated with any of the folktales he knew. “She's the monster that turned people into stone if they looked at her, right?”

Kiyo laughed. “Yes, you may know as a monster, but she was originally a goddess of nature.”

The two ended up talking about Medusa and other folktales that Kiyo knew.

Miu Iruma and Angie Yonaga

Miu let out a scream as she tripped before picking herself back up. “Get back here, Shuichi!” This made the detective run faster. He could hear her yelling in the background as he ran into the courtyard.

Before he had time to recover from her surprise attack, he felt someone grab his arms and pin him to the ground.

“A-angie?!” He yelled as the artist laughed. “He's over here!” She said as Miu caught up to them.

“Shit, you're fast.” Miu said, panting. “No matter. This is what you get for running away!”

The next ten minutes were spent tickling him, and in Miu and Angie's opinion, those were ten minutes well spent.

Rantaro Amami

“Is it… I have no clue what it's supposed to be.” Rantaro said. Shuichi groaned, erasing what he drew and redrew it. He held up the notebook again. “It's you.”

Rantaro wasn't amused. “Shuichi, I'm pretty sure I don't look like an avocado.”

“It's a joke!” Shuichi said, laughing. Rantaro grabbed the notebook and scribbled on it. “There,” he said. “This is what you look like.”

“Hey, I'm not emo!”

Himiko Yumeno

“No, Shuichi. That's the wrong bottle.” Himiko said, swatting the bottle away. “Oh, sorry.” Shuichi said, putting the bottle back where he found it. He grabbed a different one and showed it to her. She gave him a thumbs up and took the bottle.

“Ok, once we empty out this one, it should be complete.” She said. Shuichi stared at the cauldron she had. “Is this safe?”

“We're about to find out.” She said, emptying the bottle.

One mini explosion later, they spent the next few minutes making a reversal spell before Shuichi's wings became permanent.

Kaede Akamatsu

“Shuichi, this is Der Flohwalzer , it shouldn't be this hard.” Kaede said, as Shuichi hit the wrong note.

“I'm a detective, not a pianist.” Shuichi said. “Can you show me again?”

Kaede nodded and played the piece. Shuichi took note of how she played, it was almost hypnotising. He didn't even notice she was done until she elbowed him.

“C'mon. Let me do it one more time, you just need to understand the rhythm.” She said.

Maki Harukawa and Kiibo

“I could easily take you apart.” Maki said, eyeing Kiibo. The robot huffed and crossed his arms. “I highly doubt it,” he said. “I can kill before you do.” He didn't want to say that, or do anything really, but his inner voice was forcing him.

“Is that a challenge?” Maki asked, glaring. Before Kiibo could speak, the door slammed open.

“Hey!” Shuichi yelled. “You guys have been arguing for the past ten minutes now and I'm trying to sleep. I can hear you guys from my room.”

Maki grabbed Shuichi's arm. “We can argue and you can sleep.”

“In the same room?” Kiibo asked. Maki nodded. “It isn't that bad.”

Shuichi shook his head. “I'd rather sleep in my own bed.” He grabbed Kiibo and Maki's hands and forced them to shake hands. “There.”

He never noticed the blushes that formed on their faces.

Tsumugi Shirogane

“Just… promise me you won't do that again!” Tsumugi said. Shuichi stopped walking and turned to look at her.

“Tsumugi… I can't really promise that.” He said, avoiding her eyes. “Promise.” She said.

Sighing, Shuichi looked at her. “I promise.” He lied.

Tsumugi sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

When Shuichi left, Monokuma walked in.

“So, what are you gonna do if he tries again?”

Tsumugi groaned. “I don't know! Maybe I'll just, I don't know, replace him with someone else. It's not like they'll notice.”

“You'll notice.” Monokuma said, laughing. Tsumugi tried to ignore him.

Chapter Text

Shuichi ran into his lab and locked the door. He grabbed the chair and propped it against the door to be safe. The adrenaline rush he had earlier was gone, and he collapsed onto the floor. Breathing hard, he didn't try to stop the tears from falling.

The Academy turned into a slaughterhouse. Everyone was fighting, and it only got bloodier when Monokuma decided to go rogue. Tenko found him in time, but all she could tell him was to run before pushing him aside and taking a hit for him. It happened so fast, too fast for Shuichi to process it. He could still hear people screaming, and it terrified him.

He brought his knees up to his chest and cried. He just wanted to go back home and be with his uncle. He wanted to go back home, where he'd be safe. But he knew too well that he couldn't, and that made it worse.

He couldn't remember when or how, but someone got into his lab. He hesitantly looked up, and saw a bloody Kokichi staring down at him. The leader looked like a mess, blood contrasting his white clothes and he wore a grin that made Shuichi feel sick.

“Well, I wasn't expecting an ending like this but… It kinda worked out.” Kokichi laughed. “After all, I get to have you all for myself now.”

He reached out for Shuichi, but the boy flinched and pushed him away. Kokichi cupped his face and forced him to look at him. “Hey, it's ok.” He whispered. “We can make this work. Just gotta bleach the entire place first but then it'll be good as new!”

Shuichi was too scared to respond. He didn't move, and Kokichi took it as an invitation to wrap his arms around the detective. The smell of blood was overwhelming now, who knows what it looked like outside of his lab.

It seemed like this was how Shuichi would spend the rest of his life- locked in a school with someone he thought was his friend.

Chapter Text

“Hush, little Shumai. Don't say a word.” Kokichi sang quietly. He forgot the rest of the words, so he decided to hum the rest. The only light in his room was from the tiny lamp on his nightstand, and it didn't even do much.

He looked at the doll in his hands. It was so small and tiny, it was like keeping a tiny Shuichi close to him. It even had a tiny hat on.

“And if they try to take you away…”

Again, he forgot the words and continued humming. He wished he could hug the real Shuichi and not a doll. But, he should have seen this coming. Shuichi hated him.

No… Shuichi couldn't hate him. They made Shuichi hate him. Filled his head with all sorts of filthy lies so that he couldn't see the truth.

Kokichi knew he had to save Shuichi. He hated liars, especially ones that thought they could twist the truth and make Shuichi so scared of him. It was wrong.

Kokichi let go of the doll, worried that he'd squeeze it too hard and it'd rip.

“And if they still try to feed you lies, Kichi's gonna save you and hide you away.”

He stared at the doll, it seemed like it was looking down at him. He picked it up and pat it's head. He just had to wait a little more.

Chapter Text

“Shhh… you can't yell so loud.” Rantaro said, covering Shuichi's mouth.

The detective tried to protest, but his back was against the wall and Rantaro was so close that it was impossible for him to move. “You know I'd never hurt you on purpose right?”

The detective nodded hesitantly. Rantaro sighed in relief. “I knew it… heh, they thought they could trick me.”

He cupped Shuichi's face with his hands. The detective didn't move a muscle, but Rantaro could still see the fear in his eyes.

“You wouldn't be afraid of me, right?” He whispered. Shuichi nodded again, a little too fast out of fear. It was late at night, if Rantaro decided to act on impulse then he was screwed.

He flinched when Rantaro kissed him, but at this point the unwanted affection was common. When they parted, Shuichi noticed the small blush Rantaro had. “I'm sorry,” the boy said. “This is out of line, I-”

Rantaro stopped himself and kissed Shuichi again. The detective was almost like a drug, once Rantaro got a taste he couldn't have enough. Just being near Shuichi was enough for him, but to touch him, to feel him… he'd lose composure.

Love, lust, no one in the Academy could tell the difference anymore. All they knew was that Shuichi was the key to happiness.

Chapter Text

Tsumugi sighed as she looked at the finished product. It wasn't cosplay, but a wedding dress. It was simple yet elegant, which made sense since it was only a beta. She'd have plenty of time to adjust it. “To think that I'd fall in love, and with Shuichi too!” She thought. “Maybe this could be a dream come true.”

No matter how many times she tried to trick herself into believing it was an act, she knew too well it wasn't.

After making sure no one would interrupt her, she quickly put it on. Looking in the mirror, Tsumugi felt like it was meant to be. Her and Shuichi, lovers who'll never be separated.

She twirled around in the dress, laughing as she thought about what life would be like if they were together. It'd be a wonderful domestic life, just the two of them.

All she could do was fantasize, but soon, maybe that won't be all she can do.

Chapter Text

Himiko coughed as she swatted away the smoke. Guess that potion was a dud. “Sorry Shuichi.” She said. Looking around, she realized the detective was nowhere to be found. She looked around frantically. “Shuichi?!”

“I'm here.” A small voice said. Himiko then realized she was looking at Shuichi. There was just one problem, he wasn't a teen anymore. Sitting criss cross on her lab floor was Shuichi as a child, clutching his clothes. “Why are you staring at me weird?” He asked.

She grabbed her Monopad and texted Tenko and Ryoma for help. She glanced at Shuichi, who was staring at her lab in awe. Tenko and Ryoma came faster than she expected, but she was grateful.

“How did this happen?” Tenko asked, crouching down to look at Shuichi. “Magic.” Himiko said. Tenko would be amazed under normal circumstances, but she couldn't help but worry. “Do you remember anything?” Ryoma asked.

Shuichi nodded slightly. “I know your names, but I'm really confused.” He yawned.  “And tired.”

Himiko jumped after hearing someone knock on the door. Tenko opened it slightly to see Monotaro and Monophanie. Monophanie held up a bunch of clothes she was holding. “We thought these would help.” Not questioning it, Himiko gave Shuichi the clothes.

“Wow! Does this mean I'm a dad now?” Monotaro questioned. Monophanie shook her head. “No!”

Tenko picked up Shuichi and looked at Himiko. “Can't you do something to fix this? If anyone else learns about this he could get hurt.” Himiko shook her head. “Nyeh, I'll need some time but I can probably reverse it.”

“Upupupu! Need some help?” Monokuma said, appearing out of thin air. The unaffected nodded, none of them knew how to take care of a child. Monokuma sighed. “Just this once, I'll help you and get everyone into the gym. You guy will have to return the favor later.”

They watched Monokuma and his kubs leave, and an announcement played shortly afterwards, asking for everyone to meet in the gym. After making sure no one was around, Tenko and Ryoma took Shuichi to his room, leaving Himiko alone so she could try and reverse it. At some point Shuichi fell asleep, so when they made it to his room Tenko quietly tucked him into bed.

“I don't know how we're going to do this.” Tenko told Ryoma. “I mean, how are we supposed to take care of a kid? And what if they realize he turned into one? They might trick him.”

Ryoma shrugged. He wasn't sure what would happen, but there wasn't much they could at the moment. “Just let him sleep for now. When he wakes up we'll come up with a plan.”

---

Rantaro sighed as he looked through footage from Miu's cameras. He was quite bored, and now that he thought about it, it's been a while since he last saw Shuichi. Staring at the monitor, he noticed that Tenko and Ryoma walked into Shuichi's room holding something, and then left. No one went in or out of the room yet, and he waited a while so he decided to go check it out. He was already suspicious after Monokuma called them into the gym for no reason.

When he made it to the room, he opened the door to see Shuichi who somehow turned into a kid. He looked at the poor thing who was wrapped in the covers, a solemn expression on his face. He walked inside, and watched the detective flinch when he saw him.

“You're not supposed to be here.” Shuichi said, trying to use the blanket to hide his face. It reminded Rantaro of his sisters. He stood where he was and gave Shuichi a warm smile. “It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you. It must be boring staying in this room by yourself.”

Shuichi nodded, and took the blanket off his head to look at Rantaro. In a flash, Rantaro scooped Shuichi up and raised him in the air. “Hey! Put me down!” Shuichi yelled, laughing loudly.

“I think I'll just hold onto you forever.” Rantaro said. He smiled hearing Shuichi laugh.

“Hey, what's going on in here?”

Rantaro froze when he saw that most of the class was staring at him and Shuichi. He quickly put the detective down and watched him hide behind his legs.

“So… I guess Shuichi turned into a child?”

Chapter Text

Shuichi yawned as he walked to his room. He was tired of running and hiding and just wanted to go sleep. He opened the door, or tried to at least. No matter how hard he tried, his door wouldn't open. “C'mon!” He thought.

At that moment, Monokuma decided to make an appearance. “Upupupupu! Having a hard time opening it?” The bear asked. Shuichi sighed. “What do you want?” He asked.

“Please, you have nothing that I'd be interested in. No, I just came by to tell you that I locked you out of your room.” The bear said.

“Why would you do that?” Shuichi asked, trying to act normal. This wasn't good, considering the majority of his class was probably pissed at him for running away.

“Because I'm bored! You keep hiding in your room when things get exciting and it's not fun! So I locked you out of your room, and the rules state that you can't sleep anywhere else in the Academy. So, go bunk with someone.” Monokuma explained. “Oh, and ya can't sleep with any of the unaffected students.”

That's it, formalities were out the window. “But that's not fair!” Shuichi said. Monokuma laughed again. “If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at Sans_The_Dog!”

“Did you just say underscore?” Shuichi asked, but Monokuma walked away, proud of his tiny fourth wall break. The detective sighed. Guess he had no choice.

After a quick debate on who probably wouldn't assault him in his sleep he decided to go to Gonta. After all, he was the least likely to do anything (at least that's what Shuichi hoped). “Would he even be awake?” Shuichi thought as he knocked on the door. Turns out he was, because the door was almost slammed into his face.

“Shuichi?” Gonta asked. Quickly recovering from a near death experience, Shuichi smiled awkwardly. “Hey Gonta. Uh, I was locked out of my room so is it ok if I come in?” Gonta nodded and let Shuichi in.

It wasn't as bad as Shuichi thought; Gonta let him sleep on his bed and he didn't wake up to someone sleeping on top of him so that was good. Instead, Gonta had nudged him slightly when it was time to wake up.

He thanked Gonta for letting him stay and was relieved when he was able to go into his own room. Monokuma grinned when he saw Shuichi. “Gonta, huh? I should've made some more rules to make this more exciting. How do you feel about being forced to stay with Miu for a day?”

Despite being a murderous robot, it was amusing to see him shriek after being hit in the face with a pillow.

Chapter Text

“Listen up you fucking virgin!” Miu exclaimed. “I made something that's gonna blow your mind.”

“For the last time Miu, you didn't invent sex.” Rantaro said, flipping through his book. He didn't have to look up to know she was flustered. “It's something even better, while not better that that but it's still pretty great!” she said.

He lowered his book to look at her. “Ok, fine. What is it?”

“Using my awesome skills and some help from the Monokubs, I made a killing game simulator! The green one even gave me some tips on how to improve the graphics.” the inventor said proudly. Rantaro raised an eyebrow at her remark.

“A killing game simulator? What's the point of that?” He asked.

“Think about it! What better way for everyone to relax than to be in VR? Plus, you can't kill anyone in there. I removed everything harmful.’ Miu said.

“You're planning something.” Rantaro said. Miu shrugged. “We owe each other, so just keep out of my way and I'll spare you. Fair?”

“Fair.” The two shook on it, and Miu smiled wide. “Go tell the Monokubs I'm ready! They'll know what to do.” she said, shoving Rantaro out the door.

---

“I want to go back.” Maki said, looking at her new surroundings. Miu convinced everyone to try the killing game simulator, and an island wasn't what must of them were expecting. Tsumugi was the only one who was excited. “It looks amazing!” She praised.

Miu laughed. “Of course it's amazing, it was made by me. Gotta say, the graphics look much better now.”

Shuichi looked around, taking note of everything. The sun beaming down on everyone, the sound of waves crashing on to shore, it all felt too real. Guess that's why it's called virtual reality. Tenko was already knee-deep in the ocean, laughing. “The water feels so real! It's like we're finally out of the Academy!”

Rantaro, Ryoma, and Kokichi were the only ones skeptical of their so called paradise. One because he knew bits and pieces of the plan and the others because he felt something was wrong.

“I triple checked everything and there's absolutely nothing dangerous here. And you better thank me, because I had to remove most of the stuff from the store. Who the hell makes spears so expensive?” Miu said. “Well, what are ya waiting for? Go relax! Do something, there's cabins somewhere with swimsuits and such.”

With that, everyone ran off to explore, Shuichi included. He didn't expect the place to be so huge, and there were apparently more islands than the one they were on.When he made it to the park, he found at least five bridges chained up, preventing anyone from using them. He looked at a note that was taped to one of the bridges.

“I apologize, but the bridges are being repaired. Until then, bond with your classmates! Remember, this trip was made so everyone can get along!

Love, love~ Usami”

“Guess this is the only place we're allowed to be in.” Shuichi thought. He was kind of disappointed, it would have been nice to see the other islands. But, he felt better knowing that for the most part, everyone was in one area.

“Oi, Shuichi!”

He turned around to see Miu. “Oh, you found the bridges huh? I tried to make them accessible but if I did, the game would just crash.”

“Crash?” Shuichi asked. “Everything here is pretty old, and it's already trying to handle the updated graphics.” Miu responded. “Let's just head back to the others.”

As she said this, she put a hand on his shoulder. Shuichi didn't think anything of it, but then he tried to move. It was like he was frozen in place. Miu laughed, and quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching. Knowing she was in the clear, she took out a cellphone and opened it. “Miu Iruma.” She said, and vanished.

“Maybe it's a way for her to log out.” Shuichi thought. The inventor came back fairly quickly, muttering something the detective couldn't hear. She poked him, but he still couldn't move. “Perfect.” She said. Taking a deep breath, Miu shoved Shuichi towards the chains. He braced himself, only to fall on the floor.

It took Miu a second to appear, but she came and lifted him up. With the touch he realized he could move, and tried to run. “Hold still!” Miu yelled, keeping him in place. Her avatar was certainly stronger than the real Miu.

“What is this?” Shuichi asked. The room he was in was quite strange, with vibrant colors that made his eyes hurt and robotic parts in corners of the room. “It's a small room I made.” Miu responded. “Only objects can pass through. And yes, I know you're not an object. The program however, thinks our avatars are objects, and that's why we're here!”

She picked up a hammer that was lying around, the only dangerous object around. She stuck it through the wall, and it made a little gap. “Be good for me.” She said and walked out.

With her gone, Shuichi walked up to the wall and put his hand against it. It didn't do anything for him, which meant she changed the settings again. He tried picking up the parts scattered around but his hand would go through them, like they didn't exist. He didn't even know how to log out- that was information Miu was supposed to tell them.

“Don't do anything rash, Miu.”

Chapter Text

It's been a while since the Neo World Program was used. Shuichi didn't know any exact details, but apparently Ryoma saw what happened and confronted Miu about it. She let him go, and no one used the program since. That's why it was weird when Monokuma made an announcement. Everyone was waiting in the gym, and when Miu finally walked in, Monokuma explained why they were there.

“Now, I know your little virtual reality experience didn't go that well.” Monokuma said. “So, I decided that you all should have a second chance! I made some adjustments to Miu's work, and you guys now have a cruise!”

“Aw man, you guys are so lucky!” Monotaro groaned. Everyone was skeptical of the bear, and with good reason. Why would he give them another chance? On top of that, why would they even try something Miu made? Some of them were still mad about the stunt she tried to pull when they first tried the program.

“I see some of you guys are unsure. That's ok, you have good reason to.” Monokuma admitted. “But! I think you'll like this one.” He laughed and cleared his throat before speaking.

“Whoever makes it there first can spend the entire day there with Shuichi!”

And just like that, everyone ran.

“Why do I have to be a part of it?” Shuichi asked after everyone left. “They need some kind of motivation.” Monokuma argued.

---

Shuichi sighed as he stood on the deck. He had to admit, despite it being virtual reality, it was nice to be somewhere else other than the Academy. He felt Rantaro wrap his arms around him and pull him into a hug. “Maybe my real talent is Ultimate Luck.” Rantaro joked.

It could have been the case because out of everyone, it was a miracle Rantaro got there first. Shuichi didn't mind though, he found it easier to relax with Rantaro.

Lost in his own thoughts, Rantaro used that to his advantage and turned the detective around and planted a kiss on his forehead. “I know everyone keeps telling you this, but you're special. You know that right?”

Shuichi nodded, allowed himself to let Rantaro kiss him.

Chapter Text

Rantaro was someone who wouldn't let go of the past, especially when he knew he could do something about it. Being close to Miu, he was well aware of all the things she wanted to do. That also included all the things she'd to Shuichi, and none of them were great.

Maybe keeping those things bottled up was a bad idea, because he eventually found himself telling Kirumi everything he knew. Drugged tea, the Neo World Program, he confessed everything.

“I see.” Kirumi said, trying to process the information she was told. “Well, I do not think you should blame yourself. You did what you believed was best.”

Rantaro nodded. Kirumi got up, and whispered something into his ear. “If I were you, I would use this information to my advantage.”

“Use it to my advantage, huh?” he thought, already forming a plan in his mind.

---

Miu walked around the school with her head held high. Everything looked like it was going her way, and soon she'll get to have Shuichi all to herself. Caught up in her fantasies, she didn't see the glares that were being sent her way. It wasn't until Kirumi stopped her that she realized everyone was looking at her.

“I should've known you would stoop down to the level of these degenerate males!” Tenko yelled. Kirumi didn't say anything, but it was clear she was disappointed.

“Why the fuck are you all looking at me like that?” Miu asked. Kirumi sighed. “I have to say, I'm surprised you would do some of the things you've done. Drugging Shuichi, attempting to trap him in the Neo World Program, I believe the list can go on for quite a while.”

The maid proceeded to list a couple more things she knew, some of which had happened long ago. “How could she know this?” Miu thought, watching everyone get angrier.

“The hell is your problem, doing all that to Shuichi?!” Kaito yelled.

“Miu, how could you?” Tsumugi questioned.

One by one, everyone yelled at her, angry that she thought she could do those things to Shuichi. Towards the end of it, Rantaro walked in. “Hey, avocado! Help me out here, you know they're lying!”

Rantaro looked at her, and smiled. “You're the one who told me most of it, why would I lie?”

He walked away satisfied as everyone continued to yell at her.

Chapter Text

Rantaro walked into Miu's lab, quietly closing the door behind him. After enjoying getting revenge, he was shocked to get a note from her, asking for him to meet her in her lab. It could very well be a trap, but she mentioned Shuichi, so he decided to go just to see what she wanted to say. Just like her note said, she was sitting on a chair in her lab, sipping on a cup of tea.

“You wanted to see me?” Rantaro asked. Miu looked up and nodded. “I'm willing to pretend you didn't do what you did.” she pushed a second cup of tea towards him. Rantaro shook his head. “I don't want your drug tea.”

Miu shrugged and picked it up to drink it. She patted the seat next to her and Rantaro sat down. He noticed the mp3 player and earbuds that were on the desk. Miu got up and took the mp3 player. “This is actually what I wanted to show you.” she put the earbuds in Rantaro’s ears and pressed play.

The minute she pressed play she smiled at how red his face got. “Miu, what is this?” he asked. The inventor simply laughed.

He squirmed around in his seat, but Miu already knew he was flustered. When he tried to take out the earbuds she put her hands over his ears, pressing them in. “Aw c'mon, don't you love hearing it? Doesn't it feel like you're in control of Shuichi's every move?”

Rantaro shook his head. “I'm not like you.” He said, his voice quivering. “I don't just do what I want to him I try to wait-”

“But aren't you tired of just waiting?” Miu asked. She could tell he was breaking, debating on what to do- what he thought was right or what she knew he'd eventually do.

“I'm not like you.” He said again, trying to act like he was fine. Miu smiled and took out the earbuds. “Well, don't come crawling back to me when you want it again.”

She left him in there, and he stayed, not even attempting to move. He wanted to go find Shuichi, he could always make the pain stop. But after hearing that, he wasn't even sure if he'd be able to control himself. He was burning up, thinking about what Miu said.

Chapter Text

Shuichi collapsed on the floor, exhausted. Tenko bent down to look at him. “C'mon, Shuichi! We didn't even get started, that was just a warm up!” The detective didn't move, he was out of breath and extremely tired. “Break, please.” He asked.

Tenko nodded and sat down next to him. Himiko, who was watching the two practice, sat down with them. “Nyeh, all of this is a pain.” She said.

“I know! We might not even get out of here!” Tenko yelled. “Don't say that!” Himiko said. “Someone's going to get us out of here, right Shuichi?”

Shuichi, who remained silent, didn't say anything at first. They were all having doubts, but it was clear that help might not come to them. “All we can really do is hope.” He said.

“I miss when everyone didn't act so crazy. I liked performing for everyone.” Himiko said. “I know what you mean, it's Monokuma's fault we can't live in peace.” Tenko agreed.

Shuichi sighed. Monokuma got his wish in making Shuichi feel miserable, but it didn't look like the bear would give up anytime soon. “I just want to go back to when this never happened.” He couldn't help but miss being able to be with everyone. No murders, no betrayal, just everyone promising that they'll escape soon.

Now it seemed like he'll never leave. It wasn't until Himiko hugged him that he realized he was crying. “This is all just bullshit!” He cried. Tenko joined their hug, also on the verge of tears.

They all had moments that they wanted to go back to- training, sparring, bonding with friends, so many good memories that were being replaced with bad ones.

“I'm sorry.” He said in between sobs. No one said anything for bit, but it didn't matter. It was one more good memory for them, to be together.

Chapter Text

Tsumugi's day was, well, quite plain. She didn't do much, but she was perfectly fine with that, and was ready to go sleep. However, she felt that something was off. Her suspicion was correct when she opened the door.

On her bed was Shuichi, both hands and feet tied, attempting to push Monokuma off. She closed the door quietly and screamed “What are you doing?”

The bear stopped what he was doing to look at her. She then realized that the bear also gagged Shuichi. “Hey, Tsumugi!” Monokuma stepped away as Tsumugi ran to her bed to untie the detective.

“Aw, I thought you would enjoy that.” The bear said, laughing. Tsumugi's face turned red. “No!” She said, successfully untying him. She removed the gag and Monokuma ran off before she could give him a piece of her mind.

“... Thanks.”  Shuichi said, not looking her in the eye. “No problem! You should probably go back to your room.” Tsumugi said. He nodded, and left her alone.

“You idiot, you could've asked him to stay!” She thought, cursing herself for not realizing the opportunity she had.

Chapter Text

“What do you want? I'm a beary busy bear!” Monokuma yelled. His time was extremely precious, he could be doing nothing right now if it wasn't for Kokichi.

The supreme leader smiled at Monokuma, a sign that he wanted something. “Monokuma, I have a small problem that only you can help me with.”

“I'm all out of Man's Nuts.” Monokuma said, dismissing Kokichi and walking away. Kokichi ran in front of him, blocking his path. “No, not that. I was hoping- since I've been so patient- that you could give me someone special.”

“Cut to the chase, Kokichi.”

“I want you to do what you did for Tsumugi.” Kokichi said, grin never leaving his face. “Listen, I did that for her and she didn't even care about it. How do I know you won't do the same?” Monokuma asked.

“Trust me, I wouldn't act like Tsumugi.” Kokichi said. “I'd be very grateful if you would do it for me.”

Monokuma thought about it, but only for a minute, because he knew it'd be interesting to give Shuichi to that weird brat. “Ok, fine. I'll give you Shuichi. You better not make me regret it.”

“Oh don't worry, I won't.”

Chapter Text

“Again?!” Shuichi thought, attempting to get the rope that held him off. He assumed after Tsumugi he would be fine, but it turns out he was wrong. He kept struggling, waiting for someone to come. Eventually, he heard the door unlock. He turned around to see Kokichi, with a smile that made him uneasy.

“It's good to know he wasn't lying.” Kokichi said. “If he tried to then, well…” he never finished that train of thought. Instead, he opted to hug Shuichi. The detective tried to protest but Kokichi kept a tight grip.

“Aw, I hope you aren't thinking of leaving. It's always nice when you're here.” Kokichi said, taking in Shuichi's smell. Shuichi stopped squirming and tried to talk, but that's hard to do when you're gagged. Kokichi didn't seem to mind.

“It's ok if you don't wanna talk, ya'know? You deserve a break.” The leader smirked. That helped Shuichi confirm that Kokichi's aware and was just messing with him.

Unable to fight back, he gave in, there was a high chance that this was all Kokichi wanted.

Chapter Text

“Why does Maki get a visit from him and I don't?” Kaede wondered. Angie, who was helping her throw a pity party, patted her back. “Atua believes he will come see you soon. You must be patient.”

“But I've been patient for so long!” Kaede groaned. Word that Shuichi spent time with Maki on her birthday spread like wildfire, and Kaede had hoped that he would see her too. She was starting to have doubts, maybe he wasn't as interested in her as she thought?

As she continued to wallow in self pity, an announcement played in her room.

“This is a special announcement for Kaede Akamatsu!” Monokuma cheered. The speaker cut off, only to come back on again with video feed of her lab. It showed Shuichi sitting at her piano, attempting to play one of her favorite songs. It kept jumping to different times, but it's message was still clear.

He was practicing for her.

Kaede almost teared up at the sight, and it changed back to Monokuma. “Upupupupu! Enjoy!”

Angie smiled at her. “What did I tell you? Be patient and Atua shall award those who wait.”

When it became nighttime, Kaede couldn't contain her excitement when Shuichi asked her to meet him in her lab.

Chapter Text

“Shuichi will be fine.” Kirumi said through gritted teeth. Himiko and Tenko were trying to make it clear that they wanted to be with him, but the maid refused to move. “He is not feeling well, and I doubt he would be ok with making you guys sick.” She said.

At the moment, Kirumi could spot Angie peeking around the corner, sign in hand. “Let them in! Trust me!” It said, and Kirumi sighed. Angie better have a good reason for this.

“On second thought, if you want to take care of him, be my guest.” She said, allowing the two to go in. Suspicious, Himiko and Tenko walked in, keeping their eyes on Kirumi. Only when they closed the door did Angie come out of her hiding spot.

“Was there a reason for this?” Kirumi asked. Angie nodded excitedly.

“Everyone is waiting in the gym, and we need you so we can start the ceremony.” Angie said, pulling the maid along. She was right, everyone was in the gym, except for Ryoma for reasons Kirumi didn't know.

“Can we start now?” Maki asked, holding a small knife in her hand. “Yes! We can begin!” Angie cheered.

“What are we doing exactly?” Kirumi asked.

“It's a special ceremony that we would do back home.” Angie explained. “We simply give up some of our blood as an offering to Atua. These sacrifices will allow Atua to give us His blessing. Then He will make sure we get whatever help we need. The knife is to get the blood of course, you just have to make a little cut on your finger.”

Kiyo, who was listening carefully to what Angie said, spoke up. “Since we are already sacrificing blood, why don't we make it an act of love?”

“How is that an act of love?” Tsumugi asked.

“It's quite simple. Angie's God will give us His blessing, correct? Well, I believe we all have the same blessing, to have Shuichi for our own. Thus, our sacrifices were done for love.” Kiyo explained.

“Oh, like a blood pact!” Tsumugi said.

“Nyahahaha! Excellent, we are all on the same page! Now, let us begin.” Angie said. One by one they used the knife to make tiny cuts in their skin, allowing drops of blood to fill up a cup Angie made for the occasion. Kiibo, who didn't have any blood to give, said a small prayer that Angie taught him.

Monokuma, who snuck in because he was bored, was practically foaming at the mouth. “How romantic…” he said. “What a beautiful act of love!” No one paid any attention to him. Angie was pleased with the results.

“Atua will be pleased!” She said happily. Everyone was hopeful, perhaps this was a good sign for the future.

Chapter Text

“Kiyo, stop!” Shuichi yelled. His cries went unheard as he realized Kiyo went into the deep end, meaning that he wasn't getting out of this. He tried to assert dominance and keep his feet on the floor, but Kiyo overpowered him and he was shoved onto the bed.

Shuichi squirmed around in a desperate attempt to get Kiyo off, but it didn't work. Kiyo held his arms tightly, making sure the detective couldn't run. Shuichi started hyperventilating, tears forming in his eyes.

Kiyo wiped a tear away and cupped Shuichi's face, trying to console him. “There is no need to panic.” Kiyo whispered. “Just relax.”

Before Shuichi could comprehend it, Kiyo was violently thrown off the bed. It was Maki's long hair that gave away who had done it. Kiyo tried to stand but Maki was faster, knocking him out cold.

She turned to Shuichi, and whispered “You're safe.”

Without thinking he hugged her tightly, allowing himself to cry. Maki awkwardly hugged him back, and smiled. “I'll protect you.” She said. That was her job now, her new meaning. All she needed to do to be happy was to make sure he was safe.

Chapter Text

Shit.

That pretty much described how Kokichi was feeling. It seemed like he had a habit for almost getting brain damage. He held his head, wincing as the pain became too much. He put his head back on his pillow, which softened the pain slightly.

He tried to recall what happened, but all he could remember was… screaming? Someone was screaming, but then they stopped. He cursed himself for being able to remember.

The door swung open, and without warning, Maki slapped him. The pain in his head was bad enough, but feeling the pain in his cheek made it worse. “What the hell?” He asked.

Maki glared at him. “You know what you did.” Her words were like venom, and Kokichi hoped he was calm enough to hide how scared he felt. “I don't know what you're talking about. I uh, kinda don't remember much.”

This only made Maki punch the wall, and she was very close to hitting him. “Your lies can't save you now.” She said.

“What were you thinking? Knowing Shuichi was already unstable and then trying to murder someone? Kirumi had to tie him down to stop him from acting rash!”

Kokichi racked his brain, but he couldn't figure out what she was talking about. It started to scare him. They were all supposed to be friends, right? Why would he try and kill them? What did she mean when she said Shuichi tried doing something rash?

All these questions going through his head made it hurt even more. Maki's eyes seemed to soften when she realized he was in pain. “Shit, you're hurt. My fault, most likely.”

She runs off and grabs an ice pack, which Kokichi takes without hesitation. “Maybe this'll make me numb enough to not feel anything.” Kokichi joked.

“I'm sorry, you probably didn't even understand why I was yelling at you.” She said. He noticed how quickly she changed, something didn't seem right. She left him alone afterwards, saying it would be best if he stayed in his room until he felt better.

He didn't trust her, so he got up shortly after she left. It was eerily quiet for a school that had sixteen students in it. He looked around, but couldn't find Maki or anyone else. When he made it to Shuichi's lab his mask was completely gone, the idea that something bad happened made it hard for him to pretend.

He slowly opened the door to see Shuichi on the floor, unconscious. He ran towards him, shaking him slightly. “Hey, this is just a prank right?” He asked. The detective still had a pulse, but why was he there in the first place?

Before he could figure out what to do next, someone jumped on him. He tried fighting back, but it became clear that he was stuck. It wasn't even someone he recognized, they wore all black and had on a Monokuma mask.

“Oh god, not again!” cried Tsumugi. “This always happens. He isn't becoming immune is he?”

The man in the mask didn't say anything at first, most likely thinking about it. Finally, he spoke. “He shouldn't be, the disease is supposed to last for a while. It might be due to him and his love for blunt force trauma, getting whacked with floorboards and getting punched seem to be his favorite things to do.”

Tsumugi held out a syringe. “This one should be successful, I'm not sure how he keeps getting ones that don't work. This shouldn't make his personality permanent, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll simply persuade the others to keep a close eye on him.”

She walked to Kokichi and crouched down. “Don't worry, you won't remember a thing.”

Chapter Text

“We're going home!” Tenko yelled, barging into Shuichi's room. Himiko and Ryoma followed her in, the latter trying to keep her quiet. “We don't know for sure yet.” He said.

Shuichi stared at the trio in confusion. “What do you mean, we're going home?”

“Kiibo apparently broke out of whatever Monokuma did to him. He said he could reach out for help.” Ryoma explained. Tenko shook Shuichi's shoulders, clearly excited.

“We can finally go home!” She said again. “We'll be free!”

It took a bit for Shuichi to process it. But if Kiibo could signal for help, then that means people knew they were missing! He could finally see his uncle, escape from this horrible nightmare. “We're free “ he said.

He said it again, laughing and matching Tenko's tone. The two jumped up and down laughing, even Ryoma chuckled. “How do we know we can trust Kiibo?” Himiko asked.

“I checked his eyes, he's normal.” Ryoma said. On cue, Kiibo opened the door. He looked nervous, like every movement he made would make someone realize he wasn't under someone's control.

“I found a group that could help us.” He said. He told them about how everything in the Academy was being broadcasted, which meant there were people that objected to Shuichi's torture. “There's a bunch of people with good connections that are willing to try and get us out. They managed to contact me and well, we're leaving tonight!”

Shuichi couldn't believe it. Finally, he wouldn't have to live in fear and paranoia. “Tonight? That's short notice.” Ryoma said. “It's the best they can do. They already contacted me so they have to act now or never.” The robot said.

They didn't really have anything they needed to take; Shuichi took his hat, Ryoma grabbed a racket and a couple of tennis balls and Himiko brought a small bottle that she claimed would give her strength (“It looks like orange juice.” Shuichi said).

When it officially became nightime, they were ready to leave. According to Kiibo they were sending a helicopter, so they would have to run as soon as they landed. “I'm so excited!” Tenko whispered (or tried to). “I wanna show you guys the best place to practice neo-aikido.”

“They're here.” Kiibo said, preparing to make a run for it. They could hear the blades, as well as Monokuma yelling.

“On three, we all run.” Tenko said.

“One… Two… Three!”

---

Shuichi tried to not open his eyes. He already knew he was awake, but he wanted to dream for just a little while longer. Just to believe he could've been freed.

Unfortunately, he already knew that it would be impossible to fall asleep again. He begrudgingly opened his eyes to see he wasn't back home, no matter how hard he wished he was.

Chapter Text

“What do we do? How long is he going to stay like this?” Kaede asked Tenko. Tenko, who held Shuichi in her arms, narrowed her eyes. “I told you! Himiko is working on a way to reverse it. He'll be back to normal in no time.”

“But he turned into a kid Tenko!”

The poor kid had no idea what was going on. All he did was take a nap and then everyone was yelling. Did he do something wrong?

“Can I go down now?” He asked. Tenko nodded and put him down. “Don't go far.” She said, sounding like his uncle.

There was so much to explore, he didn't know where to go. Shuichi pointed in a random direction and decided to go there. It was one of the dorm rooms, so he quietly slipped in so that everyone could argue.

When he closed the door, he turned around to be face to face with Monodam. Not remembering who the bear was, he sheepishly waved. “Hi…” he said.

Monodam waved back. “WHAT-ARE-YOU-DOING-IN-SHIROGANE'S-ROOM?”

“Shirogane?” he thought. “Oh, I went into someone else's room.”

“Sorry!” He said. “I'll, uh, I'll go back if you want. I didn't realize-”

He stopped when he realized Monodam wasn't responding. “YOU-ARE-SHUICHI-CORRECT?”

Shuichi nodded slowly. The bear smiled. “MY-NAME-IS-MONODAM. I-WAS-TRYING-TO-FIND-SHIROGANE.”

“Oh, she's outside I think. Everyone's yelling.” Shuichi answered. Monodam opened the door, only for the sound of everyone arguing to get louder. The noise made Shuichi cover his ears, and the bear closed the door.

Shuichi removed his hands, and watched the bear pick up a random book. “I-BELIEVE-YOU-WOULD-BE-ABLE-TO-UNDERSTAND-THIS-ONE. WOULD-YOU-LIKE-TO-READ-IT?”

Shuichi stared at Monodam, and then at the book. When he realized it was one of his favorites he nodded excitedly, and tried to get onto Tsumugi's bed. “That one's my favorite!”

Monodam followed him and started reading. Shuichi listened intently, briefly forgetting how scared he was before. When he started to get tired, Monodam stayed with him until he fell asleep.

The bear opened the door to shush everyone, who were still talking, but had toned down the volume. “SHUICHI-IS-IN-HERE.”

They all nodded and continued talking, almost reaching an agreement. Monodam decided to stay in the room, just to keep an eye on Shuichi for them.

Chapter Text

“Kaito, you're squishing me.” Shuichi groaned as he tried to push Kaito off. “You promised you would spend the day with me! That means you gotta listen me since it's my birthday.” the astronaut argued.

“Since when was that a rule?” The detective asked, reluctantly hugging him back. Kaito's face flushed. “Well, maybe I wanted to be with my sidekick on my birthday. You've been avoiding me for a bit, and you never explained why.”

“I wanna show you the stars.” Kaito continued. “I want to take you to space, and show you how pretty the stars are up close. If I can't do it with you, what's the point?”

“To be happy?” Shuichi asked. “I'm only happy around you.” Kaito answered.

Chapter Text

“Ah, Atua must have blessed me this morning!” Angie exclaimed. A box of art supplies was on her desk, carefully wrapped in wrapping paper. She already knew who it was from, it had to be her muse. She thanked Atua for giving her such a caring muse and unwrapped the box, her head already filled with ideas.

She was completely focused on her work, allowing Atua to be her guide. When she came to, all that could be heard was banging on her door. She opened it to see Monosuke. It was quite odd as she hasn't seen him in some time.

“Hello, Monosuke!” She greeted him. “Yeah, yeah, great to see you,” he said. “But listen, I have something very important to tell you.”

This piqued her interest. Before Monosuke could continue, Monokuma popped out. He put a paw over Monosuke's mouth.

“Hey! What did I tell you about spoiling the surprise?!” The bear yelled. The kub, shook by his sudden appearance, adjusted his glasses and huffed. “I wasn't going to spoil anything, I just wanted to inform her that she was getting a surprise.”

Angie waved her hand. “Excuse me? But I am quite curious about what you are referring to.”

Monokuma looked at her for a minute and then shrugged. “They should be done by now anyways. Let’s show her!” The bears ran off, prompting the artist to follow.

She could only laugh when she saw Shuichi covered head to toe in paint.

Chapter Text

“Hey, I'm supposed to be taking care of you.” Shuichi protested. No one should have to work on their birthday. It didn't seem fair.

“It is my job to serve.” Kirumi said. “And for my birthday, I would like to take care of you.”

They argued like that for a bit, neither wanting to back down. Eventually they came to a compromise, or rather they were forced to compromise because Monokid looked like he was ready to smack them.

“Get along somehow, birthday chapters aren't really that canon anyways!” the robot yelled.

Chapter Text

Himiko spent the entire day working on a way to turn Shuichi back. She wouldn't admit it but she secretly took a while so that Shuichi could be happy for once. The couple hours he spent as a child seemed to be the best moments of his life. He already befriended Monodam and the robot seemed to have become his mom in an odd, endearing way.

As she continued working she failed to notice someone opening the door. When the figure tapped her on the shoulder it was enough to startle her. “Nyeh!?”

She whipped around to see Gonta, who was ready to freak out after startling her. “Gonta sorry!” He said. Himiko let out a sigh. She was worried it was Kiyo or someone else. “You startled me. Is Shuichi alright?”

Gonta nodded, and curiously looked at what Himiko was doing. The mage had potions lined up on a table, all a disgusting murky color. “Will Shuichi turn back?” He asked.

Himiko shrugged. “It depends. The effects might be temporary, but if they're not then I'm working on a way to reverse it.”

She could tell something was on his mind, but she didn't know if it was her place to ask. Eventually, Gonta confessed. It was risky, considering she still didn't have a way to reverse it, but she couldn't think of anything bad that could come from it.

One explosion later and a cry for backup, Gonta was successfully turned into a child.

Tenko was the first to arrive, with Kirumi behind her. “Himiko! Are you ok?” Tenko cried. The girls stared in disbelief when they saw Gonta, who was still taller than Himiko even as a child.

“Nyeh… it was an accident.”

Gonta was confused when Kirumi led him away from the lab. He didn't do anything wrong did he? If he was a child like Shuichi, then surely they would get along. It didn't seem like anyone saw it his way.

He hid in his room as the others talked about what they should do. His door was slightly ajar, so their voices could barely be heard. The entomologist didn't know how long he was like that until he heard the door creak.

---

“Come on, they couldn't be that far!” Tsumugi cried out as she searched her room again. While everyone was busy talking, they failed to realize that Gonta and Shuichi both disappeared. They checked everywhere, but they couldn't find them. “Maybe they're playing a game.” Kokichi said. “There's nothing wrong with a quick game of hide-and-seek.”

“It is when you can't find them!” Kaito argued. They were getting restless. How could they not notice that Shuichi was gone?

Monokuma walked in on the fiasco, yelling at everyone. “Jesus, you guys are so loud! What is wrong with you all?!”

“We lost Shuichi.” Kirumi admitted. Monokuma snorted. “Ya didn't lose him! He was with Monodam, him and Gonta are sleeping like babies.”

It was true, Shuichi had found Gonta and managed to convince him, yes it was ok he was a child and no, he wasn't in trouble. Monodam had found the two playing with the blankets and pillows and decided to show them all the hidden places they could hide in. The two were sleeping soundly in Gonta's room, surrounded by blankets.

Chapter Text

"Upupupu~" Monokuma laughed as he peeked into Shuichi's room. The detective was passed out on his bed, and from far away he looked unconscious. An idea formed in the bear's mind. This would be good pay back and in all honesty, he knew their reactions would be priceless.

A couple hours later while everyone was asleep, an announcement played, waking everyone up as Monokuma's voice rang through everyone's heads.

"A body has been discovered! Everyone please make your way over to Shuichi's room!"

In an instant everyone ran to him, it was a miracle the detective didn't wake up. Monokuma joined the students while they were busy freaking out. The bear was proud of his quick work, the students were too distraught to notice that the blood surrounding Shuichi's head was fake (or that he did have a pulse).

Sadly, his fun came to an end as the noise woke Shuichi up. The poor boy seemed scared to death when the sight of his eyes slowly opening was enough for everyone to rush to his side. They bombarded him with questions he couldn't answer, as he was just as confused as they were and still adjusting to being awake.

Monokuma laughed loudly. Their reactions were priceless, he wished he could have recorded it. "I should have done this before, that was!" He couldn't even finish his sentence before he fell on the floor, rolling around and laughing uncontrollably. After being trapped in the Academy for so long it felt good to be able to laugh, even if no one else was able to appreciate his joke.

"What the fuck was your problem?!" Miu yelled, being restrained by Kirumi and Maki. "Learn to take a joke!" Monokuma argued.

Chapter Text

"Kaede, you meanie!" Kokichi yelled. "I just wanted to play with him."

Kaede was holding Shuichi in her arms, the poor kid confused. He was playing hide and seek with Kokichi when the pianist grabbed him. "You aren't fit to take care of him." Kaede told Kokichi.

The leader scoffed. "Oh, and you think you can do better?"

Kaede nodded. Kokichi smiled, an idea forming in his mind. "Then why don't we see for ourselves? Let's both take care of him for the day, and Shuichi can decide who was better."

"Deal." Kaede said, shaking Kokichi's hand. Shuichi spent the rest of the day practically glued to the two, who tried to prove they were capable of taking care of him.

He liked being with both of them. Kaede played the piano for him, and she gave him a lot of candy. On the other hand, Kokichi was funnier. He played games with him and let Shuichi prank people. In the end, he couldn't decide. 

"I liked being with you both!" He told them at the end of the day. "You guys are fun to be with. I wanna do this again!"

He looked so happy, they couldn't help but smile. They decided to call it even.