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A capsule rolls along out of the machine, drops to the ground, and pops open…
and a hundred blank white puzzle pieces scatter to the floor.
…
I'm not cleaning that up. I hope Monokuma knows that I'm not cleaning that up.
I let out a deep sigh as I dump another half a dozen coins into the MonoMono Machine and let it rip. Thankfully, the capsule doesn't fly open this time as I check it to find an… entire hammock. Quite how the objects inside stay so small is a mystery I'm not thinking about today. As much as it'd be a welcome diversion, I don't need that right now.
I have more important things on my mind.
The next thing to accidentally pop out of a capsule is a magazine of some kind, and I'm really chancing it with something huge spilling out into the room, aren't I? I pick it up, and-
those, sure are, women, uh,
I'm gonna set that down away from me and just be grateful Chabashira isn't here to see that.
…
Mmm.
I put more coins in and hit the machine. I have all the time in the world in theory, but in practice I'm sort of on the clock. There are a lot of steps to getting this done, and finding an item that's actually good is pretty near the top of the list.
Oh, this is candy. This is good, Ouma might like this.
...Sorry, it's… sukiyaki flavored caramel?
Nevermind. No one would like this. I toss it in the pile with the rest.
I just need something he would like, is all. Candy might be nice, but it doesn't even have to be, just… something. I cringe at a robot mustache, pocket it to maybe give to Kiibo later to see if they like it, and move on to the next.
The thing is… I don't even like Ouma. It's not that I hate him, not really, he's… interesting, you know? He never fails to liven things up, for better, or worse, or perhaps even worse than you thought it could get at first worse. And I'd love so badly to understand him. With everything he says and does, I find myself searching for a motivation, a reason.
Is that an actual monkey's paw?
I bury it at the very, very bottom of the pile.
And maybe there isn't a reason, maybe Ouma's just the kind of person who likes to cause problems. Well, in that case… mmm. I don't know what to think, if that's the case. I'd really rather give him the benefit of the doubt, if I can, but even if I don't, I couldn't miss today.
No matter what Ouma's said or done, no matter how I feel about him, I couldn't miss today.
There! This looks almost actually decent. It's some kind of freeze dried cake slice. Ouma seems like the type to like cake. This'll probably go over just fine. I pocket the capsule and start working on putting my detective skills to work.
The thing about today, is… after everything that happened earlier, Ouma ended up skipping out on everything, all day. I don't know what he was doing, exactly. I have guesses, but I could always be wrong. Maybe he just needed space, unlikely as that seems.
No, he's not in Toujou's lab. Not that I expected him here with the Victorian mannequins, but you never know.
I hear my uncle's words in my head as I search, saying he'll be in the last place you look, which feels like useful advice until you realize it actually just means you stop looking once you find it.
...It took me three years of him saying it to realize that.
Not in Hoshi's lab. We should really put the tennis net back up at some point.
It's not like we need to do anything special, especially if Ouma doesn't want to. But I can't help but feel a pang of empathy for him. Being trapped in here for who knows how long under Monokuma, it's bad enough, but…
Ugh. It's probably childish. Probably nobody else cares about this. But I care. That's reason enough for me to do it.
Not in my lab. That's for the best, really. My lab isn't a place anyone gets up to anything good.
Maybe he'll be outside…
It bothers me a little, how the sky never changes. The sun rises and sets, but there are no clouds. The stars are different from what we know. It's just one more thing to add to everything else, but the longer we go, the more it grates on me.
...I really hope spending this day in here doesn't happen to anyone else. It happening to Ouma is bad enough. Nobody deserves this, not even him. ...No, that's not fair of me either, stop thinking like that. Ouma's a friend. He deserves out of here as much as anybody, even if he…
Oh, the boiler room. I haven't checked there, yet. I wonder…
Uh?
"Ouma-kun?" I say aloud, more shocked than I intend it. It's just… well, I wasn't expecting to… actually find him, I guess.
...That's pretty stupid, now that I'm thinking about it.
He's sitting near one of the boilers, staring up at me with a surprised expression, one that quickly schools into his typical nonchalance.
"Saihara-chan!" Ouma chirps, bringing his hands behind his head. "Here to be murdered? Or, oh…" his eyes widen in a fake gesture, "are you here to be the murderer? " A maniacal grin spreads across his face.
I'm already not sure I should've done this. Ouma's been… different, lately. But no. That's precisely the reason I should do this.
"Neither," I say, clearing my throat, "I was looking for you, actually, Ouma-kun."
"Well, you found me," Ouma says, tilting his head. "Good work, detective! Guess you didn't get that talent for nothing, huh?"
I know he doesn't know any better, but that thought stings a little.
Ouma's hands lower to his lap, his expression blank. "So what now?"
...Yeah, Shuichi. What now?
I chuckle a little, nervously, before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the capsule I kept. "Here," I say, walking over and presenting it to him.
Ouma wordlessly opens the capsule, letting a plate of cake drop into his lap, before looking back up at me. He looks… really, honestly confused.
Did he forget? If he did, should I even… say anything?
"You're out of events, Saihara-chan," Ouma says, sounding… tired, almost, in a way that makes me want to shudder. "I already stole your heart, remember?" He looks away, his expression… dark. "Not that that ever mattered, " he adds, quietly, bitterly.
What's… wrong with him?
Wait, maybe…
"I'm still your friend, Ouma-kun," I say, quietly, "and I still want us all to get out of here together." Ouma laughs at that, but I press on. "And… as your friend, I wanted to do something for your birthday."
That stops Ouma in his tracks. His eyes widen a little, and he reaches for his Monopad before presumably realizing he left it in his room, so I, or more likely Momota, couldn't find him.
" That's why you came out here?" Ouma asks, something straining in his voice. "Some stupid birthday? "
I shift in place a little, reaching to pull down a cap that isn't there. "I… celebrated a lot of birthdays alone, growing up. I know what it's like. And I don't think anyone deserves to go through that."
But I can't judge Ouma's reaction. What's he thinking?
He doesn't say anything for a long minute or so, just staring at the cake. It stuns me, eventually, when he interrupts the quiet with a word, barely audible. Just my name.
"Saihara."
No honorific, nothing. I glance down at him, hesitantly. "Yes?"
Ouma's eyes snap up at me, burning with intensity. "Leave."
H-huh?
What did I… do? I don't understand, Ouma.
"Why?" I ask, making my voice sound reasonably confident.
Ouma clicks his tongue. "Because I can't stand the sight of you anymore."
That's… another lie, right?
…
...Right?
"I'm staying," I say, taking another step forward.
Ouma's shoulders tighten, and his expression grows darker still. "If you don't leave, Saihara," he says, his voice flat, "I am going to kill you."
…
I've never seen Ouma like this. But that… it doesn't sound like a lie, not like anything else he's said.
Could it be something about his birthday? Does he really hate me that much? Or is it… Monokuma's motive?
"A… alright, Ouma-kun," I say, my voice more hesitant than I'd like, more timid. I slip towards the door, opening my mouth to deliver an apology as I go.
…
The manhole entrance… it's uncovered again. I hadn't realized.
…
I leave without a word, questions whirling through my mind. What's wrong with Ouma, really? He's always pushed people away, but… not like this.
Never like this.
I just want him to take my hand. Just once. Is that too much to ask?
I like these sorts of cakes, but right now, sitting here on the floor of this dirty boiler room, it tastes like ash in my mouth.
Unbelievable. Of all the ways for Saihara to be an annoying little thorn in my side, of all the times, it had to be here and now. And for my birthday, too, of all things. Could you get any more boring? Awful, terrible, just the worst. Just the worst! I hope Saihara dies a nasty horrible death tomorrow and everyone laughs.
…
I lost my composure back there. That was weak of me. To be that transparent about it, what kind of show am I running, here?
From here on in, no matter what happens, I can't let my mask down. After all of those deaths, after all the violence and bloodshed, and all of it… for what?
For what.
I laugh, long and loud, at the thought, and by the end of it tears are streaming down my face.
Fake, of course. I'm having the time of my life.
What else would I be doing? I'm Ouma Kokichi, Ultimate Supreme Leader, mastermind of this killing game. I love spreading misery and pain, watching people die for no-
Haha-
for no reason!! None!
My hand tightens around the keycard, so much it hurts, it aches, and I tighten it further still.
Ouma Kokichi, victim of this killing game, dies tonight, along with the pile of corpses buried at the true mastermind's feet.
Come tomorrow, I think I'm going to show these peons how a real entertainer does things.
Happy birthday to me.