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Two burly men festooned in anti-Danganronpa merchandise approached. In the dingy alleyway, each quiet footstep might as well have been the explosion of a bomb. Tsumugi wasn’t frightened at first. Dressed inconspicuously in sweatpants and a hoodie, long blue hair pulled back into a messy bun under her hood, she didn’t think she was too recognizable. Unless someone was specifically searching her out, it would be easy to pass by without a second glance.
That was one of the perks of being plain, wasn’t it?
“You’re Shirogane, aren’t you?” one of the men grunted, pointing at her. “Don’t bother trying to deny it. I’d recognize your ugly face anywhere.”
“That’s me,” she ventured, realizing that simply ignoring them probably wasn’t an option. She straightened up to her full height, arms crossed, hoping she radiated even a fraction of the intimidation that she had as the mastermind. “What do you want? I’m on my way to an important meeting.”
“Planning your next round of murder, I’ll bet,” the other man said, leaning against the grimy exterior of one of the buildings lining the alley. “Where does a bitch like you get the nerve to show yourself in public after what you’ve done?” The first man was cracking his knuckles, looking at her in a hungry, desperate way that made her heart start to crawl up into her throat. She didn’t really have a meeting, but if they thought someone was waiting for her, maybe they’d be more hesitant to do anything more than jeer.
“If you have complaints about the show, why not talk to the higher ups? Whatever you think of me, I’m just an employee. Danganronpa existed long before I was even born.”
`The lounging man scoffed, a bitter smile splitting his face in two. The other reached towards his belt, and Tsumugi was confronted with the sudden knowledge that he might be going for a weapon, or worse.
“You think you can talk to us that way? Uppity bitches like you need to be taught a lesson.”
There was nowhere to go, she realized. If she tried to run, they’d surely catch her. She could try yelling for help, but at this hour, in an isolated area, would anyone hear her in time? Sure, she’d killed Rantaro, but a sneak attack wasn’t anywhere close to a two-on-one fight. Just as she was running those possibilities through her mind, beginning to brace herself for whatever violence was imminent, there was a blur of motion up ahead, behind her would-be assailants.
A lithe figure lunged at the man approaching her, dropping him to the pavement with a sharp kick to the knees. The figure deftly avoided his attempt to pull them to the ground as well, elbowing the other man in the stomach in the process. Tsumugi was frozen, powerless to do anything but watch the blur of motion. Several moments of the scuffle had passed before she recognized her savior as Harukawa Maki.
At some point, Maki had drawn a knife. Dark blood was soaking one man’s clothes, emanating from his abdomen and thigh. The other, sprawled on the ground, seemed to be in a semi-conscious state. Tsumugi thought she’d seen Maki slam his head against the asphalt.
“Be grateful I’m letting you live. Pick on someone your own size next time, you fucking assholes. I sure as hell don’t want someone like you speaking for me.” Only once she seemed confident that neither of them were about to make a move did she straighten up, wiping her blade off on the second man’s shirt. Turning to Tsumugi, face impassive, she said, “Let’s get out of here.”
“That was so cool,” Tsumugi breathed, heedless of the way her whole body was trembling. Adrenaline was still rushing through her veins, mingling with her undeniable attraction towards Maki. Maki, who, evidently seeing that she wasn’t about to start moving, grabbed her arm to rush her along.
Once they were a safe distance from the scene of the crime, in a well-lit area surrounded by shops and restaurants, Maki let go of her, taking a step back. Something approaching a sneer tugged at her lips—disgust and satisfaction.
“Can I assume you’ll get where you’re going alright?”
Oh, she was talking to her. Tsumugi nodded, adjusting her glasses. “Yes, I can get home on my own. But shouldn’t I treat you to a drink or something in thanks for saving me? It’s what friends do, after all.”
“We aren’t friends. I protected you because I saw a woman being ganged up on in a dark alley. Nothing more. I didn’t even know it was you until I was already doing it.”
“Still,” Tsumugi insisted, feeling a nagging desperation in her chest. Perhaps it was the desire to maintain a connection with one of her favorite creations, or perhaps it was just loneliness. “Let me repay you.”
Maki looked at her for a long while, stone-faced. Tsumugi watched the wiry muscles of her arms flex, unable to maintain eye contact for long.
“You have far more to repay me for than this,” she said eventually. But when she turned away, she pushed open the door of a cafe, stepping inside.