Chapter Text
Rantaro found the key on the ground. It was small and golden with a heart-shaped handle and red gemstone at the center. With detailing like that, it didn’t match any of the doors he had found so far. He turned it over in his hands and wondered why it was lying there on the ground.
He had the sinking feeling that it had to do with Monokuma.
After explaining the rules of the killing game, the bear had stated that he would provide them with no motives other than escape. He was positive that they would murder each other without any outside intervention. But what if he wasn’t as certain as he appeared? What if this key was part of an awful plan to make them--
"Rise and shine, ursine!"
Rantaro jumped, and all five of the Monokubs burst from the nearby bushes. They all hit the ground rolling and circled around him. It may have been intimidating if any of them were tall enough to reach his kneecaps.
"H-Hey, where did you get that key?" Monophanie asked. She was trying to sound assertive, but her whole body was shaking like a leaf.
"Youse had better put that back where you found it," Monosuke said.
"Why? I just found it on the ground here.”
“You...found it on the ground?” Monotaro asked.
“Yeah,” Rantaro said with a nod.
The Monokubs shot each other nervous glances.
“Um...um...emergency meeting!” Monotaro shouted.
They all went into a huddle. From their overlapping whispers, Rantaro picked up a few phrases like, “Daddy” and, “Your fault.”
After a full minute of intense whispering, the Monokubs turned back to Rantaro. “Congratulations!” Monotaro yelled. “You’ve found the Magical Key! It gives you, um…”
Monophanie butted in, yelling, “A special ability in the killing game!”
“Yeah! So don’t go sharing that you found it with anyone else!” Monokid shouted.
Monotaro nodded. “What they said!”
“What do you mean 'a special ability'?" Rantaro asked.
"Sorry! No time for questions!"
"Wait--"
“So long, bear well!”
As hectically as they had appeared, the Monokubs were gone. Rantaro was left by himself, the “Magical Key,” still clutched in one hand. It felt heavier now.
Rantaro swivelled his head, checking for witnesses. There was nobody. He slipped the key into his pocket.
It was unlikely that the Monokubs were telling the truth, but he would keep the key secret for now. People got desperate, and desperate people were eager to believe appealing lies. Whatever this key did, Rantaro hoped it would help him end this killing game before it had the chance to start.
Rantaro stepped into his room that night and found Monokuma sitting on the bed.
"Get out,” he said without hesitation.
Monokuma hopped off the bed and strolled over to Rantaro. "Now, now, is that any way to speak to your headmaster? I noticed that you have an interesting item with you. Where, oh where did you find such a thing?”
Rantaro’s left hand drifted to the pocket holding the key. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious, because no one should be able to get that key yet. It’s a seasonal item that’s not in season, so how did it end up in your pocket?”
“How do you know that I have it, but not how I got it?”
Monokuma growled; he looked moments away from tearing Rantaro into shreds. “I don’t have time for your insolent questions. Tell me where you got it and maybe I’ll reconsider your permanent expulsion from this academy.”
“I found it on the ground,” Rantaro said. “The Monokubs told me that it would give me an advantage in the killing game.”
“Did they now?” Monokuma lowered his head and muttered to himself, “My precious little cubs were trying to hide their screw up from me.”
“There, you have your answer. Now you can go bother them about it.” Deep in Rantaro’s bones, he felt the urge to pick up Monokuma and punt him into the hallway. It would get him killed in a matter of seconds, but he found that he didn’t care as much about that.
“You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily! I still need that key!”
Monokuma lunged forward and Rantaro easily sidestepped him. This happened a few more times. Monokuma quickly grew out of breath, and the key was still snugly in Rantaro's pocket.
“Tell me what the key does and maybe I’ll consider giving it back,” Rantaro said. He wanted to see how far he could push his luck.
A murderous glint flashed in Monokuma’s eyes, and Rantaro had his answer. No key was worth getting his face clawed off by Monokuma, and he began reaching for his pocket. That was when Monokuma shouted, “Fine! I’ll tell you what the stupid key does!”
Rantaro tried not to look too surprised, drawing his hand away from his pocket.
Monokuma smoothed his ruffled fur, and when he spoke again his voice was calm. “That rare item is the Key of Love. It gives you access to Hotel Kumasutra.” He emphasized the name like he was showing off an impressive bit of wordplay.
Rantaro gave no reaction. Monokuma grumbled something under his breath about kids these days not understanding true genius before continuing.
"If you hold the key while you sleep, you'll wake up in one of the hotel rooms with one of your classmates. That catch is that only you are aware of the true location. The other person believes that they’re somewhere else entirely! Not only that, but they see you as their ideal."
A frown tugged on Rantaro's lips. "What do you mean they’ll see me as 'their ideal'?"
"Don't interrupt me! As I was about to say, their ‘ideal’ is their perfect person in the perfect scenario. Usually a romantic scenario that ends in steamy circumstances. Someone like you won’t have any need for that key, so you can just hand it over now.”
Rantaro slipped the key out of his pocket and lifted it up when Monokuma swiped at it. He held it up to the light and said, “I don’t know, from what you’ve said it sounds like it could be pretty valuable.”
Monokuma was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, he sounded disturbingly gleeful. "But you're not interested in romance or sex, so it can't be of any value to you, can it?"
Rantaro’s blood went cold. He lowered the key and stared back at Monokuma’s soulless eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Puhuhu, what kind of school doesn't know all about it's students' preferences?"
He wanted to answer back, "A normal one," but he couldn’t unclamp his jaw. Rantaro wasn’t secretive about being aroace, but the fact that Monokuma knew was more than chilling. How much else did he know?
“Normally I would let you keep the key,” Monokuma said, “but it wouldn’t be fair to the others if such a useful item went to someone who wasn’t going to use it. So how about we make a deal? If you decide to keep that key, you’ll have to use it every night. Meaning that each night you get to have a flaming hot visit with one of your classmates!”
He couldn’t let Monokuma get under his skin. “I have a few more questions before I agree to anything. The way you described the hotel makes it sound as though it’s a shared dream I’m having with the other person. Is that right?”
“Correctamundo!”
“Then will they remember it the next morning?”
Monokuma's permanent half-grin seemed to grow even more wicked. “Oh, I see, you want to know if you’ll get caught. Is sweet little Rantaro finally blossoming? Is that sex drive finally kicking in? You’ll be happy to know that they won’t remember a single thing come morning. You’re free to go hog wild!”
“It won’t have any effect on them?”
“Of course not!” Monokuma declared, before he lowered his head in a moment of contemplation. “But...it is a dream. Even if they don’t remember it, it may leave a mark on their subconscious.”
“That’s all,” Rantaro said, “I will accept your terms.”
“A deal’s a deal,” Monokuma replied, suspiciously quickly. “Let’s shake on it!”
Monokuma grabbed Rantaro’s hand, claws digging into the soft flesh of his palms, and shook it violently. “A pleasure doing business with you. Make sure to use protection! Oh, and one more thing…”
Rantaro knew that it would be something.
”Due to the unorthodox manner in which you obtained the key, I’ve decided to make a small adjustment to how it works. The other person won’t remember anything of the night you spend with them, unless you break the fantasy. In that case, they’ll wake up in the morning and remember everything.” He let go of Rantaro’s hand. “Ta-ta! Have fun!”
“Wait, that wasn’t--” Rantaro began to protest, but Monokuma was already gone. He and the Monokubas shared a penchant for suddenly appearing and disappearing.
Rantaro opened his other hand and looked down at the key. When Monokuma explained what it did, Rantaro had thought for a moment that he could use it to try and identify the mastermind. Monokuma would never have let him keep it if it could be used for that purpose.
He couldn’t find the mastermind, he couldn’t use the stupid clue that he had left for himself, and he couldn’t come up with any good way to prevent an inevitable killing game. There was nothing meaningful he could do for the others. He ran his thumb over the red gemstone engraved in the key.
At the very least, he could promise them pleasant dreams.
Rantaro got ready for bed like it was any other night. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, and went through the painstaking process of removing all of his jewelry. A silent prayer slipped past his lips for his sisters and their safety. Finally, he climbed under the covers of his bed.
With the Key of Love clutched in one hand, Rantaro closed his eyes and fell asleep.