After playing through Danganronpa V3, I'm a little disappointed that Kokichi died. Personally, he's one of my favourite characters and I thought he would make it all the way to the end. He's also the most misunderstood character in the game. Even though he played the role of a villain, in the end, he had good intentions.
So, to make things interesting...After Kokichi died, he is transported back into the past. With a second chance and a second go in the killing game, how will he fare? Will he change? Will anything change at all? Will he have a harem? Will he land a girl? Or will he be hated by everyone? Time to find out.
"The reason why...I pretended to be the mastermind...was to end this boring killing game!"
Kokichi Oma could only sigh. He was going to get crushed to his death. All his continuous efforts into making him be the mastermind and ending this damn game...it was all over. The real mastermind made a move without him noticing. His lips quirked into a smirk. Well, with his plan, he was about to ruin this killing game and bring the true mastermind and everyone who's watching them true despair! Everyone who died will rest in piece knowing he had done his all and his life to end this game. Still, a part of him wished that he didn't have to die...Even now, he was lying to himself. He looked at his hand, it was shaking a bit. He really did want to live. Closing his eyes...
SPLAT!
Chapter 1- Back to the Starting Point
Everything was dark. Kokichi had no idea why, was this hell? For all the bad actions he did and all the manipulation he pulled? It couldn't be, the place was just pure darkness. Abruptly, he heard it. His breathing. It shouldn't be there, but he heard it. Was...he alive? No, there was no way he could possibly be alive. He was crushed to death by the hydraulic press and if it wasn't, the poison would've finished him off. Then what was this unease he was feeling in his heart? He tried to reach for his heart and the troubling fact was that he felt his body. Alarm reached his head, this shouldn't be right. Unconscious to him, he had opened his eyes and a small trail of light his eyes. So he tried to reach out for the light.
Bam!
Was something in front of him? Something preventing him from reaching the light? At this point, Kokichi was tired of it all. All the lies, all the betrayal, all the darkness. He wanted out. Now!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
All of a sudden, he was certain he fell. Hopefully, he wasn't falling into the darkness. Pain entered his front of the body, but it only hurt a bit. Only a bit. Tilting his head up, he froze. This place looked eerily familiar. Well, he wasn't exactly familiar with the room he was in, but he was certain he was in the academy. The academy!?
Standing up to his feet, only one thought occurred to him. Why? Why this again? Why did he have to relive everything!? "NO!"
However, something was off. Kokichi knew it the moment he heard her voice. The girl that died from the first class trial.
"How rude! Don't freak out at me like I'm some sort of monster!"
Yes, that's right. The voice that only belonged to Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist.
Quickly, Kokichi turned to her. There was an expression of unease and she seemed angry about his outburst, but there was something about her eyes. She didn't have that look. The look that Kokichi was all so familiar with, the utter loathing everyone had towards him. She was irritated and anxious, but she didn't hate him.
Yet. That's right, Kokichi knew he was going to stick through with his persona, but at the same time, he wanted to be true to himself. The lies were a mechanism of avoiding the harsh reality that occurred in this academy...and unfortunately, that was the same persona he's going to stick with. Still, he was going to think up a new plan. A plan where he can beat the mastermind behind this killing game and not die. Because if there was one thing he was sure of, dying hurt. A lot. He can still remember the pain when his body got crushed by the hydraulic press and how he felt dizzy when the poison was in effect. The poison had him thinking up was down and down was up, but one thought stuck through with him at that time. It was to end this killing game! That same thought was ringing in his head.
"Hey, are you okay? How long are you going to just stare at me?" Kaede asked, interrupting the thoughts of the supreme leader.
Kokichi blinked, he had zoned out and during that time, he tried to gather as much info he could think up of. It turned out he ignored Kaede, which was probably why she glared at him and had her hands on her hips. Was it just him or was Kaede a bit farther from him now?
"Oh sorry," the supreme leader smiled. "It's just that you looked so beautiful". Looking at Kaede's reaction, there was a slight blush. The small teen boy smirked, another push should be fun. "Perhaps it's love at first sight?"
Now, Kaede was blushing at this point. A small push was directed to the smiling boy. In a way, Kokichi was sure it would be fun to add the "I'm kidding" or "It's just a lie, how could you possibly believe that?" part, but seeing a flustered Kaede was more interesting than an irritated Kaede. Nah, it was more fun this way.
Unknowingly to Kokichi, this was just one of the dominos that had fallen. The first encounter between Kokichi and Kaede was just the beginning.
"Anyways," Kaede announced, avoiding eye contact with Kokichi. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you!"
Kokichi nodded, giving her a wink. "Oh, Ultimate Pianist. How interesting!" Then, bringing his hands up to his face and with an innocent expression plastered on his face, "Hey Kaede, can you play me a nice song on the piano sometime?"
His reaction must have been surprising to Kaede, because she replied fidgeting with her thumbs, "Um...no one calls me the Ultimate Pianist. Usually just Piano Freak". Based on her expression, it seemed like she wasn't used to being admired so much. "Ever since I was a child, I would play the piano whenever I got bored. There were even times I played the piano so much, that I would forget to eat and sleep. Eventually I won trophies from concerts and people started praising me. That's about it, what about you?"
Bringing his hands up behind his back, he replied, "Hmmm, mine? Well, I am Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Doesn't it make you cower in fear?"
A small laugh erupted from Kaede. Narrowing his eyes, Kokichi stared at her expression. If he had remembered correctly, she didn't react like this the first time he introduced himself. "Hey, what's so funny? I'm just the supreme leader of an evil secret organization, which has over 10,000 members"
Abruptly, Kaede stopped laughing. She was having trouble believing everything he said. "Supreme leader? Really?"
Putting his hands behind his back, he flashed a grin. "Who knows? I am a liar, after all"
With that reply, Kaede released a small sigh of relief. To her, it seemed like he played a joke on her, because she was certain that he didn't really have any bad intentions.
Kokichi was waiting for her reaction. However, this was not one reaction he had expected from her. Kaede flashed him a smile and ruffled his hair. Of course, she could easily ruffle his hair, she was about six or seven inches taller than him. Not that he cared that he was short. Nope, not at all. "What was that for Kaede?"
"I'm sorry, but there's no way you're evil. I'm not sure why, but it's just a gut feeling. Also, you look so cute! And your hair is so fluffy!"
Unknowingly to him, he blushed and felt a bit hot. Nobody had ever ruffled his hair-no, that was a lie. The last time he remembered his hair was ruffled was from his family. Not his true family, but the nine other pranksters that was in his group. D.I.C.E. Shaking his head, he looked up at Kaede. She was giving him a tender expression. There was also a scrunch of worry on her face that would've gone unnoticed by anyone, but he wasn't just anyone.
"Hey Kokichi, are you okay?"
Before he could reply-
"Rise and shine, ursine-!"
Kokichi blinked. Oh great, the Monokubs. Well, the game was about to start again. That was something he wasn't looking forward to.
After the Monokubs explained about their circumstance, both Kokichi and Kaede went to explore the school and search for his other classmates. During the exploration, Kokichi thought about everything that had transpired so far. He had managed to partner up with Kaede on his first encounter, rather than Kiibo. Hey, he wasn't complaining. He preferred Kaede over Kiibo's company. There's nothing harsh about that. Originally, Shuichi partnered up with Kaede and they had developed an instant friendship from the get go. Instead, it was him. Now that he thought about it, this timeline didn't match the same as the last timeline. Does this mean the Mastermind from his timeline different than the Mastermind in this timeline? Nah, it couldn't be. It's probably minor and subtle differences, so there was no need to suspect a different Mastermind unless there was major changes shown by Monokuma. The possible suspects are Kiibo, Shuichi, Maki, Tsumugi and Himiko. The irritating aspect was that since he had died, he truly had no idea which of the five is the mastermind and if his plan succeeded. Kaito was definitely not the mastermind, as he was too idiotic, was poisoned with him and the mastermind acted without Kaito and him noticing.
"Kokichi, are you okay? You seem lost in thought. Anything you want to share with?" the girl next to him asked, grabbing his shoulder.
Shaking his head, the Supreme Leader smiled. "I appreciate the concern, but it's basically baseless assumptions. There's nothing so far, but you'll be the first one I tell once I find out"
The pianist flashed him a weird look. She probably didn't understand what was coming from his mouth, but it was okay. At this point, Kokichi really needed to articulate his thoughts and deductions.
As Kokichi tried to gather his thoughts, Kaede quickly glanced to the person walking to her right. He must be thinking really hard. She wondered what he could possibly be thinking about? Additionally, the silence was unnerving. Spotting a blue hair girl in front of him, Kaede elbowed Kokichi.
"Ow! Kaede, you meanie! What's that for?"
The pianist smiled. "It's time we introduce ourselves to everyone"
The supreme leader sighed and tried to organize all the new info he got from his first encounters with the first four people. Tsumugi's first encounter was similar to that of an air-headed idiot. Interesting enough, they had met Kiibo and Shuichi in a classroom that looked familiar to Kokichi. So, it seemed like Shuichi and himself had switched roles. He really wondered how Shuichi would progress if he didn't have Kaede alongside him. That would be an interesting thing to find out. Kiibo was plain old Kiibo. After leaving the classroom, they had encountered Maki. Scary, cold and silent Maki. The type to strangle him to death. She even used the same bullshit that she was a child caregiver. Nothing about her screamed that she was good with children. So, Kokichi tried to hint that it was possible she was hiding her true Ultimate talent and he stated that she didn't even resemble a child caregiver. She answered with a typical cold, "Do you want to die?" Another surprising thing was Kaede had got in between them and tried to protect Kokichi from Maki. Then, Kaede pulled him away from the classroom and back into the hallway.
"Oh Kokichi, you shouldn't provoke people," Kaede reprimanded. "Who knows what she would've done to you?"
"Oh, but messing with people is just so much fun!" Kokichi flashed a grin and bringing a finger up to his lips he asked, "Do you really think she's a child caregiver? She could be lying? I mean, you think she resembles more of an assassin than a child caregiver? Right?"
Kaede froze in her tracks. "Um...I guess you're right. She does resemble more of an assassin than a child caregiver, but you didn't have to say that to her"
The small teen smirked. "You think so too. Man, the way she looks at us was just way too cold. Now, we know there's someone here we have to avoid"
The pianist looked down at her feet. She didn't seem like she want to blatantly avoid anyone. "I guess so"
Putting his hands behind his back, he flashed a grin. "Now, let's go find our other classmates"
The next person they met was Ryoma who was at the game room. As usual, he didn't have anything to live for. They introduced themselves and after the quick exchange, they met up a certain blonde teen in the hallway.
"Oh hey there. You guys get kidnapped too? Well, you both look alright. That's good. The situation could be better"
"Yeah...totally" Kaede replied.
Before the blonde boy could say anything, Kokichi blurted out, "What's your talent? Is it something cool?"
The pianist was astonished how direct Kokichi went about his question. Asking a question out of nowhere. Well, they did have to find out his talent eventually, but he went at it the first moment he got, which was way different from how he reacted to the other four and...herself. Perhaps, he was getting impatient, but he had asked for the blonde's talent in his first encounter over his name.
"To tell you the truth, I don't remember how I got here. I also forgot...my own talent. Phew, I'm in trouble. I know I must have been some kind of Ultimate, I just don't remember"
With a finger on his lips, Kokichi nodded. "Well, if you do find out, make sure to come tell us. Being an Ultimate with an unknown talent can be quite dangerous, especially here". Then, bringing his hands out, "I advise you to be extra careful"
"I appreciate the advice," the blonde boy smiled. Then, bringing a hand up, "Anyways, my name is Rantaro Amami"
Kokichi grabbed the hand immediately. "Kokichi Oma"
For some reason, Kaede felt like she was left out of the loop. Almost like there was something going on between Rantaro and Kokichi. Hopefully, she was wrong. "Oh, and my name's Kaede Akamatsu"
Kaede and himself then went to the dining hall and had encountered Tenko and Himiko. Tenko was sprouting about degenerate males such as himself and Himiko was talking about her magic. It was the usual types of conversation he expected from them. After their introduction, they went on their way and to the warehouse. Kokichi noticed a certain bimbo from the start. Miu Iruma. She was rummaging through a shelf with different chemicals. Before he could say anything to her, Kaede called out.
"Hey, what are you looking for?"
She turned around angrily, "Don't sneak up on me, bitch!"
Kokichi gave a small laugh. Luckily, it went unnoticed. The true bitch was Miu herself. "Hey, you shouldn't talk to Kaede like that!"
Turning her eyes toward the playful teen, she looked at Kokichi. "Hey crotchrot, you staring at my tits?"
With a scoff, Kokichi looked at his nails. "Who would ever look at you? I mean, Kaede here is wayyyy better"
His reply got Kaede blushing and Miu shrank back, "H-H-Her? What the fuck does she got that I don't? T-Tell the world you're sorry!"
The boy in question rolled his eyes. "Come on Kaede, let's go," he grabbed Kaede's arm. "I don't think there's anyone here we need to know"
The pianist looked at the boy, as he was grabbing her away. "Surely, this must be another one of your lies right?"
The supreme leader shook his head. "Your beauty is not something I can lie about, even though I do lie keke"
Kaede blushed. Kokichi was certain, a flustered Kaede sure was fun.
Miu must have seen the scene and she looked sheepish. "H-h-hey. Don't forget about m-me," she muttered. "I'm the great Miu Iruma! The Ultimate Inventor!"
"Kokichi Oma," he declared and went towards the exit, grabbing Kaede.
"Kaede Akamatsu," the girl being grabbed said, following the boy's response and action.
A few steps towards the exit, Kokichi flashed Miu a smirk and a wink. Luckily, Kaede did not notice and then they both left the warehouse, leaving a flabbergasted Miu.
As they left, Kaede couldn't stop thinking about the boy. Sure, he was mischievous, but she was certain that he wasn't evil. An hour ago, she was walking in front of him and he probably deliberately slowed down, so he was behind her. He had tapped her on his left shoulder and when the pianist turned to her left, he wasn't there. Kokichi immediately popped up on her right, grabbed her right arm, gave her an innocent smile and announced that he fooled her. He was just so playful and free, she was a bit jealous. All of a sudden, an idea popped up. She should try the trick that Kokichi had pulled on her. Noticing her shoelaces were untied, this was an opportunity to strike. "My shoelaces are untied. You can go up ahead, I can catch up to you"
"Hmm, I could just wait for you" he stopped in his tracks.
She shook her head. "No, I insist. I'll be done in a few seconds"
With a quick shrug, the boy nodded. "I'll walk really slow, so you can catch up, ya know?"
The pianist nodded. Then, she quickly tied her shoelaces and tapped on his left shoulder. Quickly maneuvering to her right, she was certain that Kokichi would've fallen for the same trick he had done on her, but she was wrong. Kokichi had turned to his right and spotted Kaede. "Oh Kaede, you're done. That's good". The same innocent expression was plastered on his face and she noticed the sparkle in his eyes. How?
"Oh cute Kaede, sometimes you got to expect the unexpected"
It didn't make sense. She could've been genuine and he would've looked to his right. Somehow, that made her a bit frustrated, though she wasn't going to display that frustration. Hands on her hips, she asked, "How did you know I would pull out your trick? And I could've been legitimately been on your left side"
She noticed how he grinned and put his arms behind his head. "Oh, I'm just lying~ya know, there was no way for me to know that you would pull out my trick. To be honest, I'm astonished that you would do such a thing"
Kaede couldn't believe it. Then how did he know? Or was he just lying and actually knew that this was what she intended from the start. Almost as if he could read her mind, he shook his head.
"Ah, don't worry about it. The only reason I knew is because this area is so bright and I noticed your shadow on the right. I mean, I do got some amazing eyes," he replied. Then he stuck out his tongue, "Better luck next time Kaede!"
The blonde stared at him. He had just bested her. "You're no fun," she replied with a pout and looked the other way, while a happy Kokichi laughed.
As they went outside, they spotted a purple haired boy. Kaito. Truly, Kokichi really did feel for him. It was very unfortunate that he was going to die due to an illness, but he had to give it to him. The guy sure was persistent. A thought struck up. Unless he doesn't have the illness. Perhaps this Kaito doesn't have the illness, but someone else? Maybe he himself had the cure to whatever illness he had and he was the true mastermind. He shook his head, nah, Kaito was an idiot. There was no way he could even think up of a plan. In fact, he probably messed up Kokichi's plan somewhere along the road.
"Yo, I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut! How bout it? I'm an astronaut! Isn't that cool!?"
"Y-Yeah...I've never been to space, so I don't know much about it" Kaede replied.
With a thumbs up and a wink, he smiled. "Haha! Well, of course! Not just anyone can go up there! I may be an astronaut, but I'm actually still in training"
"Oh a trainee," Kokichi laughed. "How lame and here I thought, you were an actual Astronaut"
"Laugh all you want, because Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars will reach space one day! And it will be a blast!"
As the conversation continued, Kokichi sighed. Only four more people left that he had to introduce himself to. This was a bit boring and tiring.
They had finally met up the last four classmates. Kirumi introduced herself as a maid and how it was her duty to fulfill the desire of others. Hopefully, Kirumi lasts a lot longer than last time. He really did miss her cooking and thus she was definitely one of the most useful students here unlike some like Kiibo, Tenko and Himiko. Gonta was as nice as he last remembered him. Korekiyo was weird and scary, which was not surprising. Last, Angie talked about the worshipped Atua, which was obviously baloney.
Currently, Kaede and himself were walking in a park. It was nice, but he had something to do. Kaede hadn't looked back to him in quite a while, it could still be that she was salty about her failed little mischief. She had came up with another idea a few minutes ago, but he was the king of pranks. No way was he falling for such an easy idea. But still, this was also a golden opportunity. This was his chance to establish some relationships before the killing game actually occurs, which could be quite an advantage to have. For now, he only needs to avoid Kiibo, Shuichi, Himiko, Tsumugi and Maki, as they are the only suspects. A few classmates would be quite beneficial, such as Kaede, Miu, Kirumi and Rantaro. Especially Rantaro, since he was the only one here with an unknown talent and it's quite conceivable the mastermind would want him gone. With Kaede's back towards him and probably huffed cheeks, Kokichi took this as a perfect opportunity to find Miu, Kirumi or Rantaro for a private conversation.
"Hey dickwad, what the hell are you here for!?" Miu angrily asked.
"Hmm, is it possible someone here missed me? Jealous that he walked away with another girl?" Kokichi countered her with another question. "Relax, I'm only here for a nice conversation"
"I-I wasn't jealous. Who the hell would be jealous of you, ya shorty!"
Kokichi frowned. Another instance someone mentioned his height. Why did Kaede and Miu have to be six to seven inches taller than him? The fact that he had to look up to them was quite embarrassing and annoying. The embarrassing part was directed to Kaede, as she started to develop a habit of ruffling his hair and the annoying part was directed to Miu, as she would probably mention his short height anytime she could. Still, he had something to do and that comment shouldn't get in the way.
"Oh relax. Anyways, I have a certain proposition for you," he smiled. "I would like to propose an alliance?"
"Why the fuck should I be in an alliance with someone as shoddy as you?" Miu angrily asked. "Hell nah!"
Kokichi gave her a pout and it worked to some extent. Her expression relaxed a bit. "Anyways, I'm Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. If we team up, we can get out of here alive. With my brains and your inventions, we'll be out of here in no time. I need you and your inventions. Face it, I need you and you need me, if we are to survive here"
With his explanation, he eyed Miu and she was blushing and panting heavily. "N-need. You n-n-need me?"
Kokichi wanted to face-palm himself. Of course, this bimbo only got that part of his explanation. Well, whatever, as long as he could get her as an ally. Hopefully, she doesn't do anything drastic such as killing him. Maybe he could add in another condition? With a gleeful fake look, he grabbed Miu's hand. "Perhaps another condition? I swear I won't kill you, as long as you don't kill me?"
The severity behind that statement got Miu to stop fantasizing. "Huh? You brat! Were you trying to kill me!? You think I was gonna kill ya? The great Miu Iruma stooping so low to kill a shorty like ya? Ya must have hit your head hard!"
With a shrug, Kokichi looked at her. "We're kidnapped, who knows what our kidnappers want us to do? I'm just telling you to trust me, I really do want to get out of here with everyone, but I need faithful allies and some help. That's where you come in with your wondrous inventions". On the inside, Kokichi felt like vomiting. The amount of compliments given to Miu was too much. Perhaps way too much, compared to his original timeline. Still, he couldn't deny that she was extremely useful. The Electrohammers and the remote to control the Exisals had given him a lot of power and control, something that should have made Monokuma panic. Miu had to be on his side, if he were to beat the true Mastermind. With a tilt of his head and his hand in front of her, he asked, "So you want to team up?". Another idea came up to his head, it was painful, but he had to solidify this partnership. "The amazing Miu"
The hand was immediately grabbed. "Ya got yourself an amazing ally in Miu Iruma! You should be grateful". Miu was blushing like a rose and she refused to look in his direction as she shook his hand.
Plastering on a fake smile, "Thank you amazing Miu Iruma"
Her cheeks reddened even more if it was possible. Well, the supreme leader didn't care. He finished his negotiation and hopefully Miu stuck to her word. Turning his back to the door, he was just about to leave, when a hand pulled him back.
"What about that bitch? The blonde bitch that was besides you?"
Kokichi smirked. "Jealous, are you?"
"N-n-no. If we're in an alliance, it's obvious she's excluded right!?"
Kokichi placed a hand on her shoulder. "She will be in our alliance. Oh, try not to worry. I need her guidance as my partner and your inventions as the amazing inventor"
"Y-y-you're plotting a harem!" Miu screamed.
Kokichi wondered. Would it be more fun to agree or deny that statement? Maybe an ambiguous answer would work much better. "Maybe, should I?"
Looking back, his answer clearly left Miu dumbfounded and she released her hold on his hand. Reaching for the door, he turned back. "Even though I need you, don't forget I'm the brains of the operation"
As he left the room, Miu was blushing like crazy and fantasized about the shorty known as Kokichi Oma.
Kaede had no idea how this happened. One minute, she was just walking ahead, clearly a tiny bit irritated at the short boy. Then, all of a sudden, he disappeared. Was it her? Did he not enjoy her company, so he left for greener pastures? Or was this another one of his pranks?
Looking around, she couldn't spot him. Where could he possibly be? She was so preoccupied with finding him, a certain someone crept up to her. Before she could notice what was going on, someone tackled her with a hug from behind.
"Kaede!"
She didn't even need to turn around in order to find out who that was. Kokichi. She was glad he was safe, but he nearly gave her a heart attack!
"Kokichi, where have you been?" she asked, irritation seeping through her question. She clearly did not enjoy getting a near heart attack or spending the past few minutes searching for him.
"I got lost during the way. Luckily, I found you!"
Kaede had been with him for a while. He could definitely have been lying, but one fact was certain. He was genuinely glad that he found her, which means he didn't hate her. He didn't leave her, because he was bored of her. No, Kokichi wouldn't do that to her. His innocent and happy expression was probably contagious, because she flashed a smile back to him.
Bing Bong!
A monitor of the Monokubs came up.
"Hiiii! Thanks for bear-ing with us!"
"Kept you bastards waiting, huh?"
"Everyone, make your way to the gym please"
"The opening ceremony can finally begin!"
"Phew. We finally finished our preparations!"
"You do realize you just read your lines backwards, don't you?"
"So long! Bear-well!"
The monitor closed.
"Let's head to the gym," Kaede said. She was curious of what was waiting for them all in the gym.
Kokichi nodded.
As they walked to the gym, Kokichi kept thinking about his whole circumstance. No way was the mastermind and Monokuma going to win this game. He was sure of it. He'll end this game with his own two hands.
Well that's chapter 1. I hope you guys like it! Review, as any feedback would be encouraging! Any thoughts/opinions?
