Chapter Text
The first thought he had when he awoke was—
...How boring.
A rather out of place thought considering what followed next was—
Fuck.
(Which, he considered, was a much more adequate response.)
That was the only conscious thought he had before every other sense was promptly deluged by an overwhelming heat.
Really, Hajime found that he had started getting a tad bit more used to life on the island (at least, as used as you can get when you're forced into a killing game by a sadistic, animatronic bear) so he would've preferred to wake up the same as he usually did: grumbling and gaining consciousness upon hearing that wretched morning announcement. He also would've preferred to not wake up absolutely drenched in sweat.
However, he was clearly not that fortunate.
Strange. Why was luck not on his side?
Blearily, he forced open his eyes, before promptly snapping them shut again when everything was just too overwhelming— god why did everything hurt so much why is it so bright it hurts—
"Fuck." He groaned, but his voice came out raspy and hoarse. Immediately, he regretted even trying to say something.
Okay. So seeing is off limits… talking is off limits… what can I even do that doesn't hurt?
He kept his eyes squeezed shut, tense after that harsh pang of pain he felt when he first opened them. The muscles in his arms twitched uncomfortably. His throat felt parched. Every part of his body was drenched in sweat and it was starting to feel almost like he was stuck in a sauna.
Not to mention, his head felt like it was actively getting split open, being cleaved into by an axe that just kept digging deeper and deeper, clawing directly at his brain—
…If there really was a God up there watching him, they must really hate his guts. To not only be forced into a killing game, to not only be the singular student here who can't even remember their own talent, but to then suffer even more on top of that?
Life is unfair.
He forced himself to inhale.
Pause.
Then exhale.
This… is clearly not normal.
He feels so hot; it's unbearable. Blindly, he lifts a hand up to his own forehead (surprising himself slightly in the process as the muscle actually responded) before swiftly recoiling upon feeling the sweltering heat.
I seem to have a fever of 39.2°C which would link to my symptom of having laboured breathing.
What?
Whatever. There are more important things he needs to focus on. For example, the morning meeting in the hotel restaurant.
I need to get up, he thought with a dreading sigh. He already felt so much more tired upon having that thought, but he didn't want to stay cramped in bed for the whole day. That would be boring.
So, he braced himself, before squinting open an eye. And — when his migraine only marginally increased — he began to crack both eyes open until he could see somewhat normally again.
Okay. He breathed a sigh of relief. I can do this.
And then, he proceeded to ignore every alarm ringing in his head before swinging his body up into a sitting position.
Nevermind.
For a moment, the world blured at the edges, and his vision became spotted.
...Note to self, don't rush things. I'll pass out if I try to stand up like that in my current state.
Through a stroke of genius, he decided to listen to this newly-discovered rational side of him and proceeded to try and get up, slowly.
…It was an understatement to say that he took a long time to manage to stand up, and even then, he had to lean against the wall for support.
But, he notes, this is definitely an improvement to how I was when I woke up.
Then, he began to trudge his way towards the hotel restaurant.
What time is it? There's no one around so I'd say it's around 8AM. But, that would mean I missed the morning announcement — the fever probably made me too tired. Everyone should already be gathered for breakfast, so I need to hurry.
The tropical climate really wasn't helping his abnormal temperature. So, when he stepped inside the hotel, he immediately felt much better once out of the sun. He almost felt at peace with how nice the atmosphere was. Honestly, he could probably fall asleep here — that sounds nice right now, albeit a bit boring to do.
However, that peace was shattered by sudden, unadulterated wailing from upstairs.
What's going on?
He climbed the stairs, finally arriving at the restaurant. And there, he was instantly greeted by an incessant clamouring.
"Wahh… I-I'm so scared—!"
"Ugh, just shut up already you peabrain! I'm sick of all your stupid crying!"
"You're right! I shall shut up immediately."
"U-uhm Mioda I— I don't think s-she was talking a-about you…"
"I see! Then I will not shut up."
"Miss Owari, please calm down! There is still hope—"
"WAHHHHH… there is n-no hope! Coach is… Coach is going to die and it's all my fault!"
"Nidai is going to die?" Ibuki gasped, tears threatening to bead in her eyes.
"—No! No one's dying—!"
Akane continued to sob hysterically, followed by many voices of varying levels of stress, all attempting to calm her down.
"She's been fucking crying for ages now! We need to move her to the hospital and actually help her instead of standing around all useless." Fuyuhiko argued, although, his tone was definitely much nicer than the previous days. After Peko's death, his change was predictable. Even if the extent at which he showed his remorse was significantly higher, it was still expected.
"Ah, but we can't! Monokuma still hasn't explained what is happening. And Hinata has yet to arrive—"
"I'm here." He cut in with a monotone voice.
Suddenly, all the eyes in the room darted towards him. It was a predictable response considering he had come to their daily conference rather late. Especially since the motive has been introduced today.
"A-ah? H-Hinata… uhm, p-please forgive me!" Mikan stuttered out before abruptly approaching and reaching a hand up towards his forehead.
He didn't even have time to be annoyed about the force with which it collided with his head before she violently pulled away again with a squeal.
"Ahh! H-He's— I think he's sick as well!"
"You think you stupid pig barf? Either he's sick or he's not!"
"Eek! I-I'm sorry!"
Already bored of this foolish tirade, he affirmed their suspicions. "I indeed have a fever."
Why does my voice sound off?
In the next moment, someone else walked up to him, reaching up to feel his forehead. Hajime shifted his gaze, unblinking eyes locking with muted grey as Nagito hummed softly.
"You really are burning up. In fact, you might be hotter than both Miss Owari and Miss Mioda."
"My temperature is 39.2°C, although it may have further increased by 0.5°C after exerting myself by walking here in the heat." He leaned forward slightly. Nagito's hand was cool, it's chill a soothing balm against the heat raging in his body. He couldn't help but close his eyes slightly in reverie.
The few people paying attention to his words shot him confused looks. Meanwhile, Nagito seemed to take this new development in stride.
"Wow Hinata! Have you perhaps finally remembered your talent? Maybe it has something to do in the medical field like Miss Tsumiki! If so, then this disease may turn out to be a source of hope for—"
"BZZT! WRONG! It's actually quite the opposite!" Monokuma appeared, causing Kazuichi to scream in horror and Akane's wailing to subsequently increase. "Geez, I know I'm an amazing guy and all, but you don't have to scream in joy every time I turn up! Kids these days…"
Hajime frowned as the comforting cold was pulled away.
"What do you mean by the opposite?" Chiaki interjected, stopping the bear before he could continue his dull monologue. "Is this illness the next motive?"
"DING DING DING! That's right! As a prize, I'll tell you all some fun facts about this disease. Aw, aren't I just the best teacher?"
At that, the rest of the people in the restaurant paused their frantic panic; even Akane's sobs had reduced to quiet sniffling, most likely courtesy of Sonia who had somehow managed to calm her down.
Hajime couldn't be bothered. Even though his fever had seemed to get better whilst he was managing to get out of bed, the ache in his body had started to return now. Furthermore, the constant migraine instantly worsened at the bears appearance, yet he didn't know why.
"This is the Despair Disease!"
"…Despair Disease?" Hiyoko exclaimed in alarm.
Ah, it's as he thought.
Hajime tuned out the rest of the explanation, vaguely registering Monokuma explain about tiny insects and the disease being highly contagious with different side effects for each person. Well, that much was obvious anyway. This same disease was currently affecting Akane, Ibuki and himself very differently.
He took the time to lean slightly against the pillar he was stood beside as standing up straight was starting to tire him again. Chiaki shot him a worried glance before turning away again.
'Despair Disease' is quite an appropriate name if the symptoms are what he thinks they are.
Owari is always confident, outspoken, and headstrong, so making her cower away in fear and lose that confidence would be something despairful. Mioda is eccentric, hyper, and active in the sense that her opinions differ to others; considering how easily she listens to what's said, the disease must make her naive and credulous.
It wouldn't be too far fetched to say that Monokuma had managed to spread chemicals that alter personalities to something that would theoretically inflict despair upon the people it affects, especially considering all of the seemingly impossible feats that have happened so far.
Although, he has to wonder what chemicals Monokuma must've used. According to his knowledge, these symptoms don't match any current stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic known. But, he knows it must be affecting the neurotransmitters in the brain if it's able to change how they respond and feel this drastically. And he knows She isn't exactly against experimenting with drugs in order to inflict despair.
"—mean it is contagious?" Upon hearing Sonia's words, several people stepped away from the infected crowd. The only people remaining were Mikan and Nagito, who had both already interacted with the sick people.
"Puhuhu! Don't put your guard down just because you don't have the disease. It'd be awful if everyone got sick…"
"You are right! That would be awful!" Ibuki affirmed with a salute. She smiled, but her gaze was unnaturally glazed and distant.
"Miss Sonia, let's run! It'd be terrible if you caught the lowly disease of the common folks!"
Hiyoko backed away. "Ew! I don't wanna catch such a weird disease!"
Concerned looks were shared. Hajime merely sighed. This was the outcome he had expected. As soon as Monokuma appeared, he knew it was going to incite chaos in their group. How predictable.
He thinks it's unfair that all he really feels is bored. Especially when both Peko and Mahiru had just recently died, and Nekomaru was on the verge of dying too. This wasn't a time to be bored.
"Akane over there is afflicted with the Coward Disease… Ibuki has the Gullible Disease, I suppose? Puhuhu, this disease will cure all your soft hearts towards murder, so I'm sure you guys will go ham on the killing. Otherwise, there's no way to treat it."
"You bastard! You mean there's no cure for this bullshit?"
"It's— hic— all my f-fault!" Akane sobbed. "I'm s-sorry… I'm sorry for everything!"
With that, everyone began to panic again. With the discovery that the disease was contagious, no one really wanted to risk infection in order to comfort her. Mikan – as someone already contaminated – started frantically trying to help; however, her stuttering only seemed to make Akane cry harder.
Hiyoko was still visibly frightened of the situation, separating herself from the crowd. Gundham went off on a tangent about the 'devilish fiends which have infiltrated the mortal realm in order to claim the entire world'. Sonia was politely attempting to direct Ibuki, who had somehow managed to take what was said in the crowd as a command to try climbing over the railings. Kazuichi looked scared but also determined to help the princess in any way possible. Fuyuhiko was unsurprisingly trying to argue with the bear.
"What about Hinata's disease?" Nagito interrupted, his voice barely audible amidst the cacophony.
"Hm? Ah, well… he's a bit of a special case so I can't say much about that. But! It shouldn't take too much brainpower for you kids to figure it out. Although… that's enough information from me now! I can't wait to see how things develop."
Monokuma left in the same way he came, sudden and heralding despair.
It's hot. Fuck, my head hurts. He slumped a bit more against the pillar, vision swimming all the while. He didn't even notice when Chiaki got up from her seat and stood in front of him; she still kept her distance as she wasn't part of the 'contaminated' yet, but she was close enough to catch his attention.
"Hey, Hinata. Are you alright?"
He stared at her.
It felt like static was filling his ears.
…Chiaki?
He can't help but feel like something's wrong. Like the person standing in front of him isn't meant to be here. Like she's actually already dea—
"—umiki, please can you help him sit down?"
"Ah! O-of course! Uhm…" He vaguely registered the nurse moving in front of him – floundering for a brief moment – before gently tugging on his arm in an attempt to pull him towards a chair.
Black spots started to dance at the edges of his vision.
"…don't bother." He muttered before the world tilted sideways and faded to darkness.