Chapter Text
Hajime's footsteps were slow as he trudged back to his cottage after the second class trial. He was finding that he'd probably feel like this after every trial, though.
He was sick of this. Sick of living there, having to watch his back at every waking moment. Living shouldn't be a privilege, but it was becoming so.
Even then, he found himself wanting to survive. He felt hopeless, but he wouldn't admit that. He couldn't let Monokuma win--he'd make sure that didn't happen by surviving this death game and never believing in despair.
The entire walk to his cottage was spent with thoughts of Fuyuhiko, would he really be alright? Hajime supposed he had to recover, because Monokuma would be breaking the school rules if he, who was not the blackened, died.
Finally arriving and falling into bed soon completely consumed Hajime's thoughts, taking his mind off of the despair filled near future, if only for a few hours.
---
The morning was noisy for a while, with students coming to the restaurant bit by bit. Had it not been for Hiyoko's eerie shrine for Mahiru, there wouldn't have been so many discrepancies.
It'd been only Hiyoko and Hajime in the restaurant for a bit, and she seemed immediately taken aback and bothered as soon as his presence arrived.
"Wa- Hajime?! You're already here?!" She cried, looking slightly angry yet also disturbed, as though he walked in on her doing something she didn't intend for him to see.
Hajime furrowed his brows with curiosity. "Ah, Hiyoko, you're the only one here...what are you acting so anxious about?"
He was slightly nervous as well. After all, this was a killing game. Someone seeming alarmed when another walked in on them typically wouldn't be a good sign.
Hiyoko didn't have seemed to have committed a murder, though. She was surely bothered, but still a bit too calm.
"I-I'm not acting anxious..." She stammered, looking to the side and avoiding eye contact. She seemed to have been searching for an excuse as she paused between sentences, "I-I just happened to be awake by coincidence, so...I just came here early."
"I see..." Hajime led. He couldn't ignore what she said, though, something was clearly strange--he even thought she might be trying to pull a dirty trick once again.
Hiyoko's coming silence and avoidance of Hajime told him something was going on, leading him to start investigating the area.
He glanced to the restaurant's right, finding nothing out of the ordinary. The left side, however, held something truly strange.
"Wh-What the heck is this?!" He couldn't help but yell. There were three rows of garden bedded flowers, skulls placed atop as well as a canvas with photos in the front middle. On either side of the canvas lied five lit candles.
The photos had been taken by Mahiru, he could tell. Because of them, this seemed like a shrine, although, those were supposed to be full of hope. So why was this so dreadful, so unsettling, so...full of despair?!
Hiyoko ignored his obvious disdain, walking up to gaze upon the shrine as well. "Wooooooow, what's this?! What an adooooooorable decoration!" She sang, smiling wider than Hajime expected her to following Mahiru's death.
Her drawn out words seemed planned, just like her wide eyes and surprised mouth. "I don't know who did it but they must've spent so much time and effort doing their best to make it!" She shined with glee.
"Mahiru's gonna be happy, too! I don't know who did this but we should be grateful to them! Riiiiiight?" Hiyoko laughed. She seemed joyous, though Hajime thought it didn't really look like something to be joyful about...
The question was directed at him, but Hajime didn't know what to say at first. "...Hey Hiyoko, did you--" He was interrupted by a meek voice.
"Oh...good morning. It's so rare to run into you two here," Mikan smiled, peering around the restaurants entry way, only to see Hajime and Hiyoko looking at something in front of them.
"Hm-hm, what are you looking at?" She began to come closer, looking over the two's shoulders. "...Huh."
She'd seen the shrine, but it took a few moments for her to actually realize what she was looking at. "OH MY GOODNESS...WHAT- What are these...these horrifying photos?!" She backed away in fear, her face contorted into shocked discomfort.
Hajime's lips flattened into a straight line; he'd imagined others would react that way.
Mikan's scream seemed to have brought others to the restaurant. Nekomaru and Akane rushed in, looking ready to fight as they sprang out remarks for a brawl. Kazuichi trailed after them, complaining about the noise so early.
"This...this is bad..!
P-Please...take a look at th-those photos!" Mikan squeaked, pointing to the shrine and inviting the three who'd just arrived over.
"Hm? Photos?" Kazuichi mumbled, making his way over. "Whoa! What the heck?!" He shouted, looking equally as disturbed as Mikan had.
"What kinda ominous crap is this...? Is this like something you use for...sorcery?!" Kazuichi growled, seeming to disapprove greatly.
Hiyoko watched with eyes growing dimmer in sadness as others began to voice their opinions as well.
"Grrrr..! This is clearly an insult against Mahiru..!" Nekomaru yelled, puffing out his chest and seeming to get more and more angry the longer he looked at the scene.
"I dunno who the hell did this crap...but they've got a lot of nerve..." Akane agreed, driving a fist into one hand.
Mikan squirmed uncomfortably. "Haaaaah...this is too much...to actually treat...Mahiru's photos like this..!"
It seemed most everyone had taken Hiyoko's action the wrong way. Her entire face turned dim now--searching those around her for any indication that they actually did like what she'd made. Though, she discovered none.
Hajime found himself feeling bad for the foul-mouthed girl. After all, he knew she didn't create this in the way that everyone else was implying. "Ah, everyone...I understand how you guys feel, but it's probably..." He spoke up, though getting interrupted.
A smiling blonde came through the entrance, looking pristine. "Good morning, everyone!" Sonia chimed, looking as bright as ever. Ibuki followed, expressing her own quirky energetic sayings as well.
This didn't last for long, as Ibuki began to notice the shrine. "Kyyaaaaaa! What's with those photos?! They're giving off a crazy huge ominous aura!" She yelled, shielding her eyes dramatically from the sight.
Sonia followed, her brows laced with concern. "There is no excuse...this is too terrible! How could someone be capable of such a heartless trick..!" She held her hands to her heart.
Hajime chuckled a little at how everyone was acting. "No, seriously...It's just..." He started, until getting cut off for the third time.
"...I know, right? Seriously, it's just the worst. Jeez, I wonder who the hell did it." Hiyoko suddenly switched sides, even though she had been the one who'd made it. Hajime whipped his head over to her in disbelief.
"...Huh?!" He groaned, seeing Hiyoko look just as angry as everyone else in the room all of a sudden.
"You're all right, there's no way Mahiru will be happy with this..." Maybe it was because Hajime knew the truth, but even through Hiyoko's lies, he could still read the sorrow written all over her.
Nekomaru continued, voicing that they need to catch the criminal behind this, but first, they should burn the shrine. Hajime was close to completely rejecting the idea, when a soft voice spoke up first.
"...You can't. Someone took their time to make this memorial so we can mourn for Mahiru. You can't burn it..." Chiaki appeared, looking determined.
She was met with many faces of confusion. "...Huh? Mourn Mahiru?" Mikan quizzed.
Kazuichi nearly rolled his eyes. "You sure it's not the other way around? I'm pretty sure whoever made this is totally disrespecting Mahiru."
Chiaki looked genuinely curious. "Really? I think it's just a little clumsy. Take a closer look at the intent rather than the appearance."
The group--despite their hesitance--laid eyes on the shrine again. "I'm sure whoever made this probably tried their very best. Don't you feel like you can sense their feelings? Mahiru will be with us...now and forever. So I definitely think...yep. It's a nice decoration." She gave a tired yet heartfelt smile.
Akane was quick to voice her agreement after hearing Chiaki's insight, but Kazuichi didn't seem to be convinced. "You sure are simple-minded." He steered his eyes away.
As soon as he'd said that, quiet sniffles started to grow more and more loud. Eventually, everyone had found the source in Hiyoko, who was teary-eyed with abnormally rosy cheeks.
Soon, she rang out in full sobs. "I don't really wanna burn it!"
All eyes were on her, the group working out the situation slowly.
"Huh..? U-Um...was the person who made this..?" Sonia led, having come to her conclusion. At first, Hiyoko only looked at her with a slightly angry--embarrassed--expression and red eyes.
"M-Mahiru...was really...really nice...she politely...taught me...how to tie my kimono..." Hiyoko still cried, her classmates now regretting what they'd said about her project.
Mikan smiled softly, trying to cheer her up. "She was...really good at taking care of others..."
Hiyoko ignored her. "Mahiru's...probably lonely by herself...so I wanted to tell her...that's she's not alone...even if she's in heaven..."
Nekomaru cried at her hopeful words, making a fist to hold his emotions. "Hiyoko...y-youu!"
She continued on. "I-I did...wanna make it look better...but...but unless I'm dancing...I'm so clumsy at whatever I do..!"
She sobbed loudly again, her shrieks being so loud that some had to cover their ears. Those around seemed regretful now for what they'd said.
As soon as her cries calmed, she was hit with apologies. "I-I am terribly sorry...I spoke out of turn without considering your feelings at all..!" Sonia comforted.
Others followed, telling Hiyoko how lovely and thoughtful the photos were.
"...So we're not gonna burn it?" She asked, wiping away her tears.
Nekomaru made negative remarks to which Akane teased him about. Throughout this entire conversation, Hajime couldn't help but think, "Really?"
Suddenly, Hiyoko seemed completely happy again. "Fine, then I'll forgive you all! Except Mikan, of course!" She celebrated the kind words aimed at her.
Though, now it was Mikan's turn to become upset. "Wh-Why?! Why are you so strict with me?!"
Once again, she was ignored. "Maaaaaan, it's so unexpected! I really can't imagine Hiyoko being so diligent and earnest about something!" Ibuki laughed, getting a glare and pout from Hiyoko.
"Hiyoko has a very kind heart," Sonia added, smiling softly.
Hiyoko blushed and looked to the floor. "K-Kind, oh c'mon...it's not like that...geez, stop it already."
"You don't have to be embarrassed!" Akane smirked, leaning with a hand on her hip. The other classmates giggled along at Hiyoko's following reaction.
"Seriously, stop it! Don't tease me!" She gripped her hair, the playful teasing making her pout more.
Mikan laughed with an authentic smile again. "Awww, Hiyoko is so adorable when she's embarrassed!"
Apparently, that was Hiyoko's breaking point. Or, rather, she truly just didn't like Mikan. "Shut the fuck up you pig-faced troll!" She shouted, pointing right at Mikan's surprised expression.
The nurse seemed not only surprised, but also hurt. "Eek! Why only me?!"
Hiyoko continued belittling her as Hajime hoped he could finally step out of the conversation. "I hope this is finally settled now," He thought with a hand ran through his hair, lost in his own mind.
He and Chiaki moved on into a conversation about the event, ending with her deciding that the group of ultimates was certainly splendid, just before Gundham and Nagito had finally joined the get together.
"Hmph, I have arrived. Apologizes for the wai-" Gundham uncrossed his arms and stepped back in aggravated shock at the shrine. "What the..?! What is this object that is releasing such a foul aura?! We'll be sucked in if we look directly at it!"
Nagito clicked his tongue as he came behind the man who now held his four hamsters, as if protecting them. "...Wow, this is a...very hopeless object. It doesn't belong in a hopeful place like this at all...it's absolutely brimming with malice..."
He continued to look at it, though, somehow even more judgmentally. "Let's just hurry up and destroy it. I can't stand to look at it for even one more second."
Hiyoko was close to tears again, but Gundham really brought them out next. "Stand aside! I shall shatter this barabric, blasphemous false idol to pieces!" He shouted, urging everyone to back up as he looked as though he was preparing to do something astronomical.
Within seconds, Hiyoko's sobs had filled the space again. The others gathered around stared at the two men who'd arrived last in shock and disbelief.
Hajime sighed, thinking back to Chiaki's recent words about them all being splendid. It was just like Nagito to do this, he'd ruined what they'd already solved.
That man was so aggravating, so full of himself yet not at all at the same time, and so conflicting. Hajime often wondered what would have happened if Nagito hadn't tried to kill Byakuya and they didn't discover how odd he was early on.
No, not odd...insane? Maybe extreme, but he deserved it. Hajime had liked him at first, too. He might've been a bit down on himself, but who wasn't sometimes? Though, for Nagito, it was all times.
He could actually be fairly charming, and more useful in class trials than anyone would probably ever give him credit for. He was really good looking in a unique way too, and-
"Hajime!" Chiaki shook the boy by his shoulders. Hajime was broken out of his train of thought, his face becoming warm once he realized what he'd been thinking about.
"Uhhhh..." He trailed, clearly not knowing what was going on. Chiaki puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"I was calling for you, everyone's gone. You missed a lot of that, huh?" She spoke in her usual slow voice.
Hajime hesitantly shook his head with embarrassment.
"Well...let's see...we discussed Fuyuhiko...Nagito talked a bit about hope...and Monomi opened a new island for us...that should cover it, I think." She rattled off the events while counting on her fingers, displaying the three topics when finishing.
"A-Ah, I see...should we go see the new island?" Hajime stammered, still thinking about his previous thoughts.
Chiaki brushed some hair behind her ear while gazing to the side. "Sonia invited me to walk around with her...I think she wants to get closer. You might be on your own for this one."
"Alright...I'll see you, then." Hajime awkwardly remarked as Chiaki began stepping toward the exit. He'd really hoped they could go together--something to keep his mind off of things.
Before leaving, Chiaki paused. Her soft gaze landed back on Hajime. "Try not to run into that guy, okay? He confuses you, I can tell," She smiled before turning to finally leave him behind.
Her words shouldn't have been left alone, though. What was she talking about...was he really that obvious?! No, maybe she meant it in a friendly way. Wait, what was he talking about?! He's acting like he...likes...Nagito, or something. That's not even close to the truth!
Hajime groaned and decided to just collapse onto one of the restaurant chairs for a bit before exploring the island. He pulled on his hair a bit, hoping to knock some sense into himself.
"This walk better get me thinking straight..."