Chapter Text
A laptop sat on the desk in front of Shuichi, the bright screen shining bright against the otherwise dimly lit room. Team Danganronpa provided it to him preinstalled with Oma’s artificial intelligence program, so long as he stepped into their offices while he used it. A small price to pay if it meant seeing his friend again. The subtle clacks of the keyboard were all that could be heard as Shuichi typed the last few commands into the device.
“And… done. Oma-kun? Are you there?”
“Warning! Computer malfunction!”
Huh? Did he press the wrong button or something?
“Is it not working…?”
“Warning! Computer malfunction!”
Despite the error, Oma’s face still displayed across the screen just as all the others’ did before him, with his normal voice coming out of the speakers and everything.
“What the hell?”
“Nihihihihi!”
Ah, of course he would do something like this. It was still Oma after all…
“So you are there.”
“Duh! Are you slow or something Saihara-chan?”
Shuichi wasn’t even going to dignify that with a response. Instead, he stared at the screen as Oma cackled. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was talking to a ghost. A mere copy of the person he once knew inside the game. What usually felt like some sort of happy reunion with all his previous friends had now transformed into a pill he could barely swallow.
“Just so you know, it’s just the two of us in here. I made sure of it,” said Shuichi, leaning in closer to the screen. “No cameras or nothing.”
“Oh wow! Is my beloved Saihara-chan finally making the moves on me? How romantic!”
“No! You’ve got that all wrong!”
“Jeeeeez, it’s just a joke. I didn’t realize Saihara-chan was such a homophobe, maybe he should loosen up a little.”
How the hell can he still be so mischievous during all of this? Was his death just a joke to him? No, there’s no way, but then why… why would he toss out one liners like nothing ever happened? The more the two spoke, the more confusion set in for Shuichi.
“Well, your plan worked, Oma. The killing game has officially ended once and for all.”
“…what?”
“You heard me.”
Oma stared back at Shuichi in total disbelief, his cheeky grin wiped clean off his face. “So you’re alive then, in the real world?” he said, with one brow arched.
“Yup. Breathing real air and everything.”
“How do I know you aren’t just lying huh?”
“Why would I do that? Not everyone wants to be on your level!”
“Well some people have stooped to it on occasion…”
Faint laughter emits from the laptop’s speakers.
Well… he wasn’t exactly wrong. Shuichi did what he had to do to end the killing games, it wasn’t anything deeper than that. Still, Oma’s comments found their way under Shuichi’s skin yet again, just like they used to. Even the animosity in his tone rippled through the room the exact same way it did during their last trial together.
As much as Shuichi hated to admit it, it was almost impossible to deal with Oma without stooping to his level. He had this way of forcing people to weasel into his little box, or completely steam roll them at his first given opportunity. Was it because he’d grown too accustomed to the walls he built up for himself? Or was it because he loved wrapping Shuichi up in little games of cat and mouse? Shuichi would never be able to tell himself. Either way, he knew what he had to do next.
“Fine. I guess I’ll just leave then,” he said.
“Nihihihihi! Proving my point exactly Saihara-chaaaan.”
“I can find another way to back you into a corner if you prefer.”
“Now wouldn’t that be interesting.”
Another lull of silence hit the room.
“Your plan worked,” said Shuichi. “The hints and everything. You saved our lives, lots of lives actually.”
“Awe so you came to thank me?”
“Something like that.”
“Wow! Keep up the good work, I really can feel how grateful you are!”
Every last word he said was dripping in sarcasm, and it was driving Shuichi insane. For a second there, he thought Oma might turn over a new leaf, but no, things could have been that simple, couldn’t they?
“Why are you still doing this? I know it’s all just a part of your little game. We saw your room.”
“I don’t know, maybe old habits die hard? Pun definitely intended by the way,” Oma said with a chuckle. “Go ahead, keep on with the interrogation, great detective!”
“Well… does the name DICE mean anything to you?”
“You already know the answer to that, don’t you? A supreme leader can’t give away all his secrets just like that. All my lackeys lives could be at stake y’know.”
“Right. What about Junko Enoshima?”
“…huh?”
“She’s a character, a fictional one.”
“The name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Figured as much.”
None of his answers so far surprised Shuichi in any way. No one else from the killing game had any idea what Danganronpa even was, much less knew any of the original anime characters.
“Why didn’t you tell us about your plan?” said Shuichi, “We could have worked together.”
“Well let’s see, there was the part where you rejected me. Then there was the part where I got your best friend Gonta killed. Oh, and how could I forget, I had to worry about you or your friends murdering me!” Oma retorted, now with palpable amounts of venom laced into each and every word.
“It didn’t have to get to that point you know.”
“Pffffft, then when should I have been buddy buddy with you then?”
“From the start! Obviously!”
“Do you seriously think I would have made it that long if I did?”
Oma’s words shot through Shuichi like a bullet. As much as he wanted to, there’s no way he could argue with Oma there. Not only did he manage to trick Tsumugi, but he managed to trick the whole world along with her. His plan was flawless, there was no other way to put it. If he hadn’t managed to walk that fine line day in and day out, somebody would have found him out eventually, and if they found him out… Well, there’s no telling what the mastermind would have done. With hindsight, Shuichi could see through the villainous persona Oma crafted for himself, and see him for who he truly was: a terrified kid like everyone else.
“I wanted to get everyone out alive too, you know,” said Oma, “Some of us just don’t believe in all that magic power of friendship bullshit like Kaito and Kaede. I did what I did because I had to survive. Nobody else was going to save everyone. Well, nobody except for the boy detective, obviously.”
“So it was all an act then?”
“Maybe so. Maybe not. Sometimes the truth is more complex than you could ever realize Saihara-chan.”
“Or maybe… when you spent so long living a lie, the truth was meaningless to begin with.”
“Ding ding ding! Three points for the ultimate detective! Is anybody keeping score?”
All Shuichi could do was sigh as Oma started to laugh again. For what it was worth, he was being honest for once in his life, at least as far as Shuichi could tell.
“So why are you here anyways?” Oma asked, “Don’t you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you. I used to, but… now I don’t know how to feel.”
“It seems you understand how complex the truth can be then, don’t you?”
“I suppose so…”
“Well, you still didn’t answer the question. Why are you here Saihara-chan?”
“I don’t understand,” said Shuichi, voice trembling, “We spent all that time together, did it really mean nothing to you? What about Gonta? Or Miu?”
“Wouldn’t it be boring if I said yes? The fact that Saihara-kun is still thinking about m-”
“Shut the fuck up! Seriously!”
The words flew out of Shuichi faster than he could process them, rendering the two boys speechless. He was never the type to curse, especially when other people got involved. In return, shock was written all over Oma’s face, then slowly twisted into one of anger and disappointment, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. Refusing to look Shuichi in the face, his gaze shifted down the keyboard. Shuichi could clearly remember the last time Kokichi would ever make such a face. It was the night of the fourth trial, moments after Gonta’s execution. At the time Kokichi insisted his tears were all a facade. Was that a part of his lies too?
“Of course I cared. Isn’t it obvious?” Oma mumbled, “Don’t waste my time with stupid questions.”
“I… understand why you did what you did. If you said something sooner we could have-”
“What? Made it out together? As if.”
“No. We could have understood each other, like you always wanted.”
“...you make a lot of big assumptions Saihara-chan.”
“And I’m usually right.”
Finally, Oma’s lips start to twist back up into a smile. Unlike his conniving grins from earlier, this one was much more soft, with a noticeable warmth to it. Still, tears kept sliding down his face one by one, clinging to his avatar’s pale skin. Was Shuichi going to acknowledge them? No, of course not. Still, it was reassuring to know Oma was starting to process what happened, rather than just bottling it up like he had already done time and time again.
“You think you’re so smug, don’t you?” said Oma.
“You always call me the great detective after all.”
The two boys shared a laugh, dissolving bits of the remaining tension in the room, and Shuichi’s frustration along with it.
“Look, I wouldn’t come here just to open old wounds,” Shuichi said.
“You’re not doing a very good job. I’m still dead y’know.”
“About that… Well uh, Team Danganronpa… they offered to change that”.
“What? How?”
“Someone ‘volunteered’ their body for you to have. Don’t ask me about the specifics, I didn’t care to find them out myself.”
For most of the previous killing game participants, technology was more than advanced to fix their injuries. Broken windpipes, organ replacements, you name it, Team Danganronpa could afford it. Oma’s situation was…unique, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t anything the team couldn’t handle. After the last trial had aired, they hosted an official Danganronpa branded look alike contest to find the perfect match for Oma. The guy who “won” said it would be his greatest life achievement to be a part of Danganronpa history in such a way. Just the thought made Shuichi’s blood curdle, but he had no room to judge. It’s not like he didn’t put his life on the line for the killing games at one point.
“Are they already… you know…?” Oma asked.
“Yup. They’d plant your memories in his brain, or keep him that way if you decline.”
“Wow… uh… Technology sure hasn’t come a long way, hasn’t it?” he said, stopping for a bit, then adding: “I don’t know, why should I?”
“Everyone else already said yes. Believe it or not, they want to see you too.”
“Bullshit. You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
“It’s true. I don’t have any reason to lie about this.”
“Yeah right. Besides, I don’t have anything to go back to, do I? Or were our memories from the game actually real?”
What the hell? Just how much did Kokichi find out while he was in the game? Or were these just guesses on his part? Either way, it wasn’t like Shuichi’s face could hide the truth even if he wanted to. “You have us,” was all he could say.
“Ugh, you guys are a bunch of losers, pass.”
“There’s no way you really think that, I know it. Besides, it’s a second chance, all our slates have been wiped clean.”
“Some things just can’t be forgotten…”
“You know what I can’t forget? Our moments alone together. How much fun we had. The games you made me play. And then how you risked your life to save mine. If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn’t have wasted time with all the stupid drama.”
“And that’s why you want me back? To make things right?”
“I don’t even know what’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ anymore, but I do know that we could make more memories together. Don’t you want that too?”
“No, as if! I’m a monster! You shouldn’t like me anymore!”
“Kokichi-”
“I got Gonta killed! And Kaito! Does that really mean nothing to you!?!”
“Of course it does, but they’re alive now! Who cares?”
“Me! I care!”
Shuichi couldn't take Oma’s yelling personally. In fact, he knew all too well how Oma felt at that moment. The rage, the resentment, none of it was foreign to him. He felt the very same way after Kaede’s execution. None of his anger was directed at her, or even Monokuma, it was all directed exactly at himself. The guilt of knowing he caused Rantaro’s death consumed him. Sure, it wasn’t like he was the one that made the final blow, but that didn’t stop Shuichi from laying awake at night, spiraling into a myriad of “what if” scenarios. Now, he was certain Oma was doing the same thing right in front of him, just with even more guilt weighing on his conscience. None of his anger laid with Shuichi, just himself. But now, the two of them had each other, they could work through these feelings together, perhaps even move past them, and go back to living the normal lives they always wanted.
“Oma, all I want is to get to know the real you. I know that the real you wouldn’t have done that stuff.”
“…how can you be so sure?”
“Because you get to define the real you now,” said Shuichi, “The killing game is over, everyone knows it’s fiction, even you, so why not give it a chance? Miu and Gonta want to see you again, do you want to make things right or not?”
Oma finally looked Shuichi in the eyes, then said “…they do?”
“Yeah, they do.”
To say they wanted to see Oma was most definitely an understatement. Miu was practically begging on her hands and knees all morning just to see him. Gonta on the other hand, well… he still didn’t understand how the whole “ transferring consciousness via computer program ” thing worked, but he was practically glued to Shuichi’s hip when Shuichi told him he might get to see Oma again.
“Will I get a place to live?” Oma asked.
“Yeah, they have an apartment ready for you, we all live in the same building,” said Shuichi, “You could even take the money you made and buy a house if you want.”
“Is that what you did?”
“No, I like having friends nearby if I’m being honest.”
Oma sat in total silence for a moment, deep in thought, probably mulling over any pro’s and con’s he could think of. For a split second, Shuichi was worried he would still say no, but there’s no way he would have done that, right? God, the anxiety was eating away at him as he waited for Oma’s response.
“Fine, I’ll come back, but only under one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Only if you agree to marry me!”
“I- What?” Shuichi stammered out.
“You heard me!”
Wow, uh, that came out of nowhere. Did Oma really like him that much? Maybe Shuichi was really misreading their short friendship? Well… it’s not like Kokichi hadn’t been giving him a certain vibe to begin with. There’s only one real answer Shuichi could give at a time like this.
“Can we go on a date first?”
“Ha! So you ARE totally gay then! I knew it! Not that it wasn’t obvious enough already…”
Ah, of course it was set up, Shuichi should’ve known better than that. Once he again, he was sighing as Oma continued on with his witch cackle. At least that seemed to finally get him out of his depressed slump.
“So, what’s your decision then?” Shuichi said, brushing past Oma’s foolishness.
“Hmmmm… It'd be crazy to say no, wouldn’t it?” said Oma, still giggling like a total child. “Sure, why not? I have one more question though…”
“Shoot.”
“What am I supposed to do when I come back? If there’s still a bunch of cameras in my face I might kill myself all over again…”
Shuichi thought about it for just a moment, then said, “Why don’t you come to my place? We have a lot of catching up to do. It’s about time I met the real Kokichi Oma.”
“Sure, I’d like that.”