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The bar was dark and loud, exactly what Maki needed after a long week. The noise helped block out her thoughts. She'd been thinking too much lately. The alcohol helped too, making what thoughts did sneak through softer and fuzzier, less sharp.
And it helped that people here knew better than to mess with her. They hadn't recognized her at first, not until some big guy she hadn't seen since had tried to grab her ass and she'd pulled a knife on him and asked if he'd wanted to die. His face had done some complicated things then, going through several emotions before landing on awe. She'd had to threaten to remove fingers of everyone who thought they could talk to her like they knew her then, but now she got quiet nods and was left to sit in her corner alone.
That suited her just fine. Most of the time, she hated to be known as Maki Harukawa from Danganronpa, but here it won her peace. She'd take what she could get.
She finished her drink, something deceptively strong because of how sweet and fruity it was that she hadn't paid attention to the name of, and before she could wave the bartender over for another, a glass was set in front of her. "From that nice young lady over there," she was told, and the woman gestured across the bar to a girl around Maki's age. From this distance and in the low light, it was hard to make out her face, but her hair was strawberry-blonde and tied up in pigtails. She smiled and waved, so Maki picked up the glass with a nod to the bartender, and went over to join her, feeling strange.
"I hope that's okay," she said when Maki sat down, gesturing to the drink in her hand. "I couldn't think of any other way someone like you would take notice of boring old me." This close, Maki could see her bright blue eyes behind her glasses.
"It's fine. I wanted to thank you." This kind of thing had happened before. Someone bought her a drink, and hoped that she would take notice of them. Usually, they wanted to take her home, or her number, or to meet in the bathroom. She never accepted.
But there was something about this one that looked and sounded familiar in a way that made her heart ache. It brought back memories of secret late night meetings in her research lab, sneaking around the hallways to get into the one belonging to the ultimate cosplayer, of sweet perfume and kisses and betrayal.
"I'm Mochizuki Keiko. And you are Harukawa Maki, right? I'd heard rumors that you like to come here. I'm a fan of Danganronpa, you see, and your season… Well, it was my favorite."
"Rumors?" That was annoying. If fans started coming here, Maki was going to have to find a new place to be, which was inconvenient. She took a sip of her drink and then said, "I don't usually—"
Keiko laughed, waving her off. "I know. You don't like to meet with fans. You're infamous for it, you know. But I've been dying to see you."
Maki's eyes narrowed at that line. She remembered Tsumugi's hand grabbing her wrist excitedly, pulling her behind the door after another trial. Maki had wanted to forget the death, and Tsumugi, she assumed now, had been celebrating. She said nothing, sipping her drink again.
Keiko sipped her own, smiling at her. It was a different face, but she swore she knew that smile. How was it possible, when she'd seen Tsumugi get crushed by that boulder? "I'm sure you know how this always goes, so I suppose I'll just get it out of the way then. Are you single?"
"Am I single." She said it flatly, not entirely sure how to answer. She hadn't dated since, having had far too much to handle to even think about bringing another person into it. No one else understood what they'd been through, and of the students from the 53rd killing game, Tsumugi had been the only one she was remotely interested in. Even if she hadn't been killed, she'd been the one orchestrating everyone's suffering, the one to erase all of their memories and play with them all like dolls in her little game. Even if she had still been around, would Maki have wanted to pursue anything serious with her?
The other girl just blinked those big, blue eyes, waiting. And for a moment, Maki could have sworn they looked teal. "I suppose it's not that big of a deal," she murmured, leaning toward Maki over the table, as if she was sharing a secret. "Plain old me doesn't mind a little sneaking around if you don't."
"Is that so?" Another sip of alcohol, and she was starting to feel extremely sure that she knew exactly who she was talking to. The fact that her face looked entirely different meant nothing; she'd always loved trying out new looks. And this one was suspiciously close to Tsumugi's idol, now that she was looking. "So if I said I have a girlfriend, you would still pursue me?"
"Do you?" Keiko's voice was innocent, thoughtful. "I was under the impression that other than the other people from Danganronpa, you hardly talk to anyone at all anymore… Unless you're referring to the one who didn't survive. That's another rumor that goes around."
Maki didn't answer that. She knew that was, in fact, not a rumor. She stood, downing the rest of her drink, and grabbed Tsumugi's hand. She jerked her roughly to her feet, scowling at her. "Why the hell did you wait so long to find me? Let's go."
"Oh, I love when you get all forceful~ Should I act all scared?" She followed without a fight, her eyes sparkling. "My place is just around the corner. I've been watching you for months."
"Shut up and walk." Maki put money down on the bar for a tip on her way out, her nails digging into Tsumugi's arm. "We'll talk tomorrow. Tonight, I'm sick of thinking."