Amami was first into the room. It was a small classroom, 16 desks, and with no other worthy-to-be-mentioned features to it. It was dark, hues of blue and greys and blacks, and the Ultimate Adventurer had no choice but to take a seat by the window and wait. The doors didn't open and the windows had no way to unlock, nor would they smash. So all he did was wait. Was this hell? It felt like hell.
When the doors opened, and Kaede Akamatsu walked in, Amami could say he did understand the situation a tiny bit better.
"A-Amami?!"
"Yo."
"Wh-What is this.. Is this...Eh?"
"Who knows. So did you possibly kill me, Akamatsu?"
Kaede paused, eyes wide before nodding slowly.
"So you were the Mastermind?" Amami continued and Kaede frowned.
"No… I thought you were… that's why I set the whole thing up…"
Amami paused for a moment.
"I see… So you didn't kill me."
"Wh- What? But Monokuma sai-"
"Monokuma can lie if no one knows the truth. You didn't kill me, because that shot put missed. If it had hit me, how would I know it was a shotput, because I'd have died instantly. See?" Amami answered, proving Kaede's innocence to the girl who just gaped confused.
"The shot put from above didn't kill me. Someone hit me from behind."
"Then- Then-"
"The True Mastermind."
Silence fell as Kaede took everything in. Amami let her, gave her the space and silence she needed to comprehend what had happened.
"It's likely they executed you to cover it up, they would have wanted me dead as soon as possible anyway from what I knew."
"Knew?"
"Well I didn't remember at the time… But that wasn't my first killing game."
"... I remember. You were in the 52nd season."
"Yes."
"This is messed up."
"Exactly, and what's more messed up is that we wanted it, Akamatsu."
When Ryoma Hoshi walked through the doors after what felt like a few days later, Amami could only sigh and Kaede looked concerned.
"Well this is odd."
"And the killing continues I can assume." Amami frowned. He wanted to prevent this. How had he failed so early on.
"I let her. She needed to get out… Or I thought she did at least."
"Her?"
"Kirumi."
It came as no shock when Kirumi Tojo burst through the doors later that 'day' (as there was a lacking concept of time to the room, and the students felt no need to sleep or eat or breathe… so it certainly was hell.)
She was quite composed about the whole thing, accepting the outcome of everything after remembering she had willingly signed up, and had met the end she had begged for in her audition. She was repulsed at who she had been, but kept her cool, and settled into a seat near the front of the class.
"If it means anything, I apologize for my actions. I believe the motive video was a strong factor behind the path I took."
"Don't worry."
When Angie and Tenko entered together Amami just dropped his head to the desk and let out a frustrated noise.
"Is this Heaven? Atua must have reunited us in this plain~!"
"Heaven? Atua?"
"This isn't heaven Angie, it looks like hell to me."
Tenko was slightly disheartened to learn Kiyo has behind her death, from Angie's explanation on what had occurred. On the other hand though, she was relieved. If she hadn't offered to take Yumeno's place… then the small magician would be dead instead of her. That was enough to keep Tenko sane.
When Kiyo came through the doors, he didn't apologize.
Nor was he forgiven.
But none the less, he took a seat near the back of the class, and sat in silence.
"Would it be wrong to guess who'll step through the doors next?"
"..."
"Yes, probably, considering it means you're guessing who dies next."
"Well it's not like there is much else to do here anyway."
"Fine."
So the group of teens decided to pass their time trapped in the room by predicting who would walk through those doors next.
Tenko spent most of her time silently praying it wouldn't be Himeko, after Kiyo had said the short redhead would be next because she was an easy target. Amami and Kaede refused to guess because they found it to be horrible.
Angie claimed Atua had informed her it would be Kiibo and Ryoma had quietly guessed it would be Maki. Kirumi simply decided on Iruma.
When Iruma Miu walked through the doors next, though she didn't show it, Kirumi felt a tiny bit of smugness, at guessing right.
"As if you guessed right."
"It was merely a random guess."
"Guess? You fuckers guessed on who'd die next, and you picked me? I'll have you know I was mid murder plot..-" Iruma stopped, and then frowned.
"Woops."
"You were? Do share." Kiyo asked, sounding the slightest bit excited for some reason.
"Haa? Why should I fucking tell you my plans?"
"Because we're stuck in this room with no way out and it might pass the time?" Ryoma suggested.
In the end Iruma admitted she'd been about to kill Ouma before behind strangled from behind, dying witnessing Ouma's smug victorious face, because the fucker knew her plan all along.
"That little shit better die soon." Iruma added and Kaede shook her head in disapproval. She didn't want anyone else to die, but if people kept coming by themselves, it meant Saihara must be solving the trials, she hoped he was doing okay.
Gonta came through the doors next, and at the sight of them all, he burst into tears.
"Gonta is so happy to see everyone again."
And Gonta would not stop apologizing to Iruma, to the point she was forced to accept his apology.
"Will the game really continue to just two of them?"
"It has every other time."
"Saihara won't die. I'm sure."
"Yumeno won't die either! I have faith in her!" Tenko declared.
The doors creaked open once again, and Amami raised his head from his desk, and met the wide grin of Kokichi Ouma who stood in the doorway with a hand raised in greeting to the Adventurer.
"Nishishi, fancy seeing you guys here." Was all he said.
Iruma got up first, and slapped the shorter boy, before returning to her seat, feeling a lot better about herself, even if she had tried to kill him first.
"Hello to you too Iruma."
"Someone finally took the initiative to kill you?"
"They probably did it after learning what he did to Gonta and Iruma."
"Nope~! I had Momota-chan crush me."
"Wait- Had?"
"Yup~! I did. If everything goes right, then it should end the game."
"You gave your life to end the game?"
"Sure did."
And then Ouma bounced right over to Amami, sitting down on top of the boys desk with a smaller more genuine smile.
"You're an idiot Ouma." Amami deadpanned and Ouma gave a small nishishi .
"So are you." Ouma retorted and the two fell into quiet laughs.
When Kaito Momota walked through the doors, Ouma punched the wall. Pain wasn't something they could feel here, and injuries never occurred, so it did nothing at all, it was simply a way to vent his anger.
"Wha- What is this-"
"Momota-chan what happened?!" Ouma asked with a frown, wondering how his plan had failed.
"Shuuichi figured everything out, and then decided to lie at the last second saying I was you, but... I couldn't let him do it…"
Ouma just sighed as though he expected it.
"My Beloved Saihara-chan is just too smart."
Tsumugi Shirogane came next, and Kiibo followed her heels.
"So it's over?" Amami asked upon seeing her and she nodded.
"It's over."
"What's over, what do you mean?"
"Shirogane was the Mastermind." Amami admitted.
"What?"
Ouma's nose curled up in disgust. The Mastermind had been under his nose the entire time?
Kaede was gobsmacked too, she hadn't expected that whatsoever. Why had Ammai kept quiet.
"Did you know the entire time Amami?"
"Only after speaking to Kaede, she helped me clear up some memories... Shirogane was in the 52nd season too. She wasn't the true Mastermind, that would be Team Danganronpa, who crafted her memories to make her that way."
"It's true. I wasn't a willing Mastermind."
"Keeboy died too?" Ouma asked, and Kiibo nodded.
"It was the only way to destroy the place."
"What was?" Kirumi asked.
"Self destructing."
And Kiibo ignored the few pitying or shocked looks, Kiibo ignored Kaede's tears and Ouma's tauntings, and simply turned to the doors behind him.
"No one should come through those again."
"There's 16 seats though."
"Who knows."
Maki came what felt like shortly after, and blinked through tears on seeing Kaito once again.
"What happened?"
"Everything ended… but the world didn't want us back. I- I tried to protect them.. But I guess I died."
Yumeno came after that and Tenko cried, so much, refusing to let go of her. Yumeno cried a lot too though, and Angie shed some tears as well. It was sad to see that even after everything ended, they weren't welcome into the world as they had hopepd to be.
"Shuuichi is alone?"
Silence fell.
The detective was alone in the world.
Oddly though, the detective didn't step into the room for days upon days later. Maybe it was months? Maybe it was years? They had no way of telling, but Amami could confirm this was the longest they had waited by far.
Saihara did eventually come through the doors, but it wasn't the Saihara they knew, that much was evident.
"Shuuichi!"
"Saihara?"
"Sa...i..hara-cha..n?"
Saihara looked like shit, and was completely in denial that they were in front of them.
"This isn't real."
"This is real." Kaito countered, trying to move closer to the detective, who looked like the living dead which was punny since the detective had just died.
"No." Saihara shuffled back as far as he could, back against the door, sliding down against it, as far back as he could go from any of them.
"This isn't real."
Saihara assumed the smallest position he could, knees tucked under his head, facing down.
"I'm alone. You're not real."
"Shuuichi-"
Kaito was lost for words, all of them were. The strain of being alone had obviously not seated well with the detective. Kaede made a move from her seat, only to meet the arm of Ouma Kokichi who blocked her way, shaking his head at her attempts to move, before silently going over to the boy instead. Ouma said nothing, sliding down against the door too, taking a similar position, but resting his chin atop his knees instead.
"Saihara-chan. We're most definitely real." Ouma whispered.
"No-"
"Saihara-chan"
"No!"
"Shuuichi."
Saihara lifted his head, and his eyes turned to Ouma, sharp, focused, and a spark Ouma was trying to find in the lost soul before him.
"There you are Saihara-chan. I was beginning to think you were lost."
"Wh.. What did you call me?" Saihara whispered quietly.
"Hm? Saihara-chan?"
"N..No you said Shu-"
"Who knows what I said~ After all I am a liar." Ouma shrugged, standing back up, and returning to Amami's desk, which he had taken to sitting on, rather than taking a desk of his own.
Saihara's eyes stayed glued to Ouma, who had started talking quietly to Amami. The detective's eyes never left the back of the Supreme Leader, even after he was swarmed, by Maki, Himeko, Kaede and Kaito.
In the end, Saihara accepted he had died, and explained what had happened to Maki and Himeko.
"Shortly after we left, we were chased by a large group. Maki made us go ahead."
"Yeah Maki Roll told us that."
"Himeko and Me made it to some mountain pass, found some shelter there, but they jumped on us while it was dark. I was asleep, and Himeko was watching, but they found us and I couldn't do anything to stop them."
"After that, it was just me by myself, trying to stay ahead of them. I managed for a while too, seems the Ultimate Detective title wasn't just for crime solving, but crime committing. I broke into a lot of places to hide in, stole things.. It wasn't… It wasn't living. It wasn't the freedom we fought for. It was hell, and death seemed peaceful compared to living in hell… So... that's what happened."
It was silent as the detectives words sunk in.
Saihara hadn't been killed.
He'd killed himself.
"Saihara!"
Kaede had clung to him for who knows how long, crying onto his shoulder. Even Ouma and Kiyo had the decency to not speak. Hell, most of the class had clambered to comfort him.
In the end, the 16 of them settled once more, taking a desk each, wondering if now they were all reunited, they could leave this purgatory-like Room?
Oddly enough, as though them taking their seats was the key to the whole thing, the world around them began to glitch, walls juttering in awkward directions, desks fading in and out of view. Yumeno let out a shriek in shock, and even Kiyo lost his composure for a second. Tenko made a move to stand up, to go to the Magician, but Amaimi's voice kept her seated.
"Stop. We don't know what happens if we get back up."
So Tenko stayed put, as much as it pained her to do so, itching to get up from her seat.
And through all the chaos, the unexplained events surrounding the room, everything faded to black.
"Up you get, steady now, not too quickly."
Saihara blinked in shock, at first all he could see was white, his eyes trying desperately to seek something out, but it hurt, it hurt so much Saihara clamped them shut again. All he could feel was someone slowly helping him sit up, from where he lay… the ground beneath him felt like it was humming, cold metal against his back. Odd…
"Careful now, give your eyes time to adjust."
Saihara frowned. He couldn't see but he knew that voice. He knew that voice… but it couldn't be them.
"Do you know who you are?"
Saihara paused. Who has he… Was he Saihara Shuuichi or was he the monster who'd eagerly signed up for his own death, for the chance to murder for fame and glory…?
"Saihara Shuuichi." Came the feeble voice. Saihara was shocked, he sounded awful, like he hadn't spoken for a while… what?
"Good. Right do you think you could try opening your eyes for me? Slowly, they need to adjust to the light."
Saihara gave a weak nod, arms clinging to the arm supporting him. He felt weak, like he hadn't used his body in so long. It took a bit, of squinting and blinking, before Saihara could make out vague shapes and colours, browns and blacks and greens.
He was right then.
"How… How much was the truth?"
"I think that conversation is better held with you all together."
"All… everyone is alive?"
"Yes."
That was enough for Saihara. He understood parts of the situation, could vaguely guess what had happened, but he needed confirmation.
But all he knew for sure, was he was alive. He was alive, and everyone was alive, and he would make sure things stayed that way.
…
Or that's what he had hoped.
For the first few days, Saihara wasn't allowed out of the room, he was kept under some monitoring, and attended to by some clumsy nurse, with a soft spoken voice, until his condition meant he could walk properly, and that they knew he was okay… or as okay as he could be.
It took about three days for Saihara to be able to stand on two feet, hands clutching onto the arm of his career. From what he'd been told, they'd all been assigned someone, and Saihara was grateful he was with someone as patient and considerate as the short brunette he knew to be Naegi Makoto.
"Do you think you could try a step?"
Saihara gave a nod. He had to try, he had to step onwards, Kaede had taught him as much.
And Saihara, by the end of the fourth day, could walk without assistance, Naegi staying by his side though, ready to catch the detective if needs be.
By the end of the week, Saihara finally got to see someone other than the nurse and Naegi.
That someone was the unexpected arrival of a boy who most certainly looked like Kiibo… except.
"Hello Saihara."
"Kiibo?"
"Yes. That's correct."
Except the Ultimate Robot… wasn't really living up to his talent…
"It appears I'm not actually a robot…" Kiibo mumbled, scratching the back of his head, bashfully.
A 100% a flesh and blood human.
"Wha.."
"I'm actually just a normal person… Odd isn't it."
He certainly looked like normal though, his facial features remained the same, hair still unruly as ever.
"Are you okay, Saihara?"
"Yeah… Are you?"
"Yes. I apparently recovered quickest, so I've been allowed to visit some of you."
"Some?"
Kiibo went silent for a second.
"Ah…"
Saihara couldn't help the unease in his stomach, to the extent he had to ask what the boy meant.
"What do you mean some?"
"Some people… don't remember."
"Remember what?"
"Anything after the game started… They basically don't remember anything except the… well… the monsters we were."
Saihara couldn't help but raise a hand to his mouth, which he knew was open in shock and horror.
He didn't really understand everything yet, it hadn't been explained, but he knew he'd always been Saihara Shuuichi, and that the monster who'd signed up for the game wasn't him, that was the fictional him. Saihara Shuuichi was not fictional, but #154 was..
"So… they think- they think they're.."
"Yes. Some one them believe themselves to be the monsters we were made to be."
"W-Who?"
Kiibo blinked.
"I can't answer."
"Kiibo please."
"I can't tell you, but I can tell you Kaede is okay." And then he turned to leave.
Two weeks after waking up, Saihara finally got an explanation, and was allowed to leave the room.
Essentially what had happened was that he, and his classmates, all of which genuinely were his classmate, and part of the rebuilt Hope's Peak, had been captured by some of the last parts of Despair, and forced into a simulation similar to what the 77th class had endured, except… they'd been led to believe their entire identities were fiction, with the creation of fake versions of themselves.
Essentially, the people they thought they were, and the sides of them they thought were fictional… were swapped. Their talents existed, their families and motives were correct, and the people who they'd been told they were, Danganronpa-crazed fans seeking glory in murder, were fictional.
For some of them though, after waking from the Sim, they'd forgotten their true selves, and believed in the fictional versions of themselves. Some of their history may be accurate, but that was all they could remember. No killing game. No having met any of them before… Nothing.
The Staff of the New Hope's Peak and Remnants of Future Foundation had found the class of Ultimates under Simulation, fairly quickly, and defeated the last of Despair, but couldn't wake the students up without risking their brains being fried. The only way it would end was with every single one of their deaths, which explained the room waiting for them, and why none of them had left for the extended period of time it took for Saihara to eventually 'die.'
With his new found freedom, Saihara made it his mission to seek out anyone… someone…
Kiibo had been busy with the Staff and Future Foundation, the Ultimate Robotics Student was assisting them in dismantling the Simulation, processing data, and attempting to reverse the memory wipes which had occurred when some students awoke. Saihara understood it was important, and Kiibo likely knew the most in the subject, but Saihara hadn't been able to speak to him since that one encounter.
When Saihara ended up walking the gardens of the huge area they were in currently, he found himself finally finding someone.
Namely Rantaro Amami.
"Yo, Saihara." Amami smiled, a small gentle smile, waving a hand before beckoning him to sit beside him, on the stone bench.
Saihara complied, taking a seat beside the Ultimate Adventurer.
"Hello Amami."
"Nice to see you're okay. Are you managing okay? Just let me know if not.. I've got an… impressive… person helping me out, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out if you need anything."
"Ah- It's okay Amami, I have someone rather pleasant myself."
Amami just let out a quiet laugh.
"Ah, if only the same could be said for Kaede. She told me she has the most odd and Chuunibyou-like person ever. Not a bad person, just odd."
"You've spoken to her?"
"Yeah. Our rooms are opposite one another. There's two rooms per floor.. So you should be with someone too… Have you noticed?"
"No…" Saihara admitted. He hadn't looked, but now that he thought about it… there was a room opposite… probably?
"If you want, I'll show you where abouts our rooms are?"
"Please."
While Saihara was on the 11th floor, Amami was only on the 2nd, and Saihara was grateful it wasn't a long walk.
The door read Kaede Akamatsu, and Saihara could vaguely recall his own might have said his name on it…? Maybe?
Amami stood beside him reassuringly, as Saihara raised a fist, to knock.
"It's open" Kaede's voice chimed, after Saihara knocked, and slowly but surely Saihara opened the door, filled with the same feeling of unease and fear he'd felt opening those Library doors to that god awful scene…
But Saihara swore opening the doors was the best sight he'd seen since he had woken up. Kaede looked positively radiant, a gentle smile on her lips, head swaying to the quiet sound of something classical that's playing through the speakers, a tune Saihara didn't know the name of.
"Saihara!"
As soon as Kaede saw him, she launched herself at him, accidentally tugging him onto the ground with her, Amami somehow ending up pulled down too.
The three paused for a second before breaking out into giggles.
"It's good to see you're okay Saihara."
"It's good to see you too! I was worried you'd.. Kiibo told me some of us… aren't us."
"What?"
Neither of the 2nd floor residents had heard this.
"Kiibo let slip that some of us woke up.. And didn't remember us.. Only the fictional us."
Kaede let out a gasp in shock, and Amami closed his eyes in horror.
"I don't know who, he wouldn't say… I don't think he was meant to tell me.. But I was worried… I still am."
Kaede's hand found Saihara's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm sure they're doing everything they can for whoever it is."
"I hope so."
The evening drew in, and eventually Saihara had to head back to his own floor, bidding farewell to Kaede and Amami who told him he was welcome to come by their floor anytime.
On his way back up, Saihara stopped outside the other door on his floor.
Ouma Kokichi.
Of all the people, Saihara was the least sure about Ouma. He was complex.. That was for sure. He wasn't 100% certain he was ready to face the Ultimate Supreme Leader just yet…
It's not like he could anyway, when two tall individuals left the room, one just slightly taller than the other.
Saihara had seen both of them… through Tsumugi's talent in the Simulation. This was Hinata Hajime… but the name of the other escaped the detectives memory.
"Oh. Hello." Hinata spoke, quietly, surprised to see someone in the hallway. The light haired male to his side just gave a skeptical look before smiling, a small smile that didn't seem completely true. Actually it wreaked of the falseness that often masked Ouma's face too.
"You must be Saihara… your room is on this floor too?"
"Yes. I am... "
"Are you here to see Ouma?" Hinata asked.
Saihara paused for a second before shrugging. He had to face everything, there was no point running.
"Ah."
That was… unexpected.
"Ouma.. he's not really in a state for visitors." Hinata went on to explain, Saihara's eyes darting between Hinata and the other, for any traces of a lie.
"He.. remembers though… right?"
The other, shook his head.
"Nope. He doesn't remember much at all, he can give us his name and a bit of his history… and that's all."
Saihara's eyes widened.
"But how do you know that, hm?" The light haired one went on to continue.
"Nagito stop pressuring the poor guy." The other snapped and Komaeda rolled his eyes.
"Kiibo told me. Just.. not who."
"Aha… sneaky, he wasn't meant to~! But yeah, there's Ouma, and I believe the girl on the 6th floor, and the two on the floor above. Only four." Komaeda relayed and Hinata elbowed him.
"You're not meant to say."
"What? It's not like I gave that much away… Such a downer Hajime."
Saihara just backed away, into his own room, unnoticed by the two who ended up in petty bickering.
Ouma didn't remember?
Ouma… didn't remember…him.
To some, the boy had already been quite the monster, as his normal self… so what the hell was he like now? How much worse could he be?
Four days of sitting with his thoughts, Saihara had enough. He hadn't really left his room that much in that time, and he hadn't returned back to the 2nd floor. The only person he'd spoken to was was Naegi who brought him meals, after the detective refused to visit the dining hall for them.
"Naegi."
"Hm?"
"Can .. Can I see Ouma?"
Naegi looked taken aback for a second, opening his mouth to say what Saihara already knew.
"I know he doesn't.. He doesn't remember… but.. I just want to try… see if maybe us being around him jogs his memory?"
"You weren't supposed to know."
"Komaeda told me."
Naegi let out a weak curse, possibly a damn or a darnit, Saihara couldn't hear properly, but he knew the gentle boy wouldn't swear… especially since he was a headmaster after all, even if he was barely 23. He had to set a good example to the students he felt he'd failed.
"I.. could see if it would be possible."
"Really?"
Saihara wasn't sure why he sounded eager, but Naegi nodded.
"Yes. I'll let you know as soon as we reach a decision."
Two days later, Saihara finally found himself on the 2nd floor.
"Saihara, you okay? Expected you sooner." Amami spoke, leaning against his door frame.
"Kaede's down in the dining hall currently, with Yumeno and Angie, but you can wait in my room if you'd like."
Saihara took Amami up on that offer, the tall boy being nothing short of a life saver. Saihara wasn't sure how the boy could be so nice and positive after everything. Saihara still woke up screaming, and hated when the dark drew in, and the nightmares stalked his mind… but Amami seemed fine, and Saihara just couldn't understand that.
"So why'd you wait a while?" Amami asked, as Saihara took a seat on the chair by the desk in the corner of the room, Amami sitting on the edge of the desk.
"Ouma's on my floor."
"Oh. I wondered where he'd ended up, I wasn't allowed past floor 5 though. Have you spoken to him? Is he okay?"
"He.. I haven't spoken to him. He doesn't remember…"
Saihara let the words sink in, and watched Amami's usually positive and composed demeanor sink.
"He doesn't?" Was the feeble whisper Saihara managed to hear, giving a nod in confirmation. From the slowly returning pre-Sim memories, Saihara could recall the two were close, and that Amami had claimed the Supreme Leader as his brother (after all 12 sisters was lovely, but he'd longed for a little brother too, and well, Ouma calling him Nii-chan was just… perfect.)
"That's…"
"I'm trying to get permission to see him, even if he doesn't remember, so I can try and spark some memories or something." Saihara went on to explain.
"Let me come too." Amami answered, instantly, with a confident and determined look in his eyes.
"We'll have to ask."
As it turned out, Amami had been assigned Togami Byakuya, and well… that guy could make anything happen. (Plus, not that anyone knew, but Togami also couldn't resist Naegi's puppy dog eyes that pleaded to let his patient into see the Supreme Leader.)
So Amami and Saihara stood outside the door of the Supreme Leader, unsure what to expect, accompanied by Komaeda, Hinata, Togami, Naegi and Kirigiri. It turned out that those without their memories were assigned two people, and Ouma had been assigned Komaeda and Hinata. Komaeda because they'd come across as similar to one another, and Hinata being the only one willing to work with Komaeda.
Kirigiri simply came along because she didn't trust Naegi to not be a dork, and because she felt like the only sane and normal one from the group of Staff that would be there.
"What was that Ouma like.. The one they made?"
Saihara knew what some of them had been crafted like, knew Kaito had been made into a sadistic and bloodthirsty competitor who had wanted to kill every one of them, Kaede had no faith in humanity, and he himself had eagerly planned his own execution, planning the gruesome murders of his friends. What had Ouma been?
"...Imagine the opposite from normal I guess."
"..."
Saihara just blinked. The opposite?
"What."
But the question wasn't answered, and Komaeda opened the door for them, without warning.
"Ouma?" Komaeda asked, bed empty. The small form of the Supreme Leader instead sat upon the thin window ledge, knees to his chin, staring out the window onto the vastness of greenery. Still donned in the same uniform he'd worn from his time as a student, the Supreme Leader sat, face slightly obscured by his trademark check scarf.
His head turned at the sound, eyes taking in the newest arrivals to the room.
"These guys wondered if they could spend some time with you, I promise you they're good people, is that okay?"
Ouma nodded, staying silent, not making an attempt to move.
"Would you like us to stay, or we can wait outside?"
Ouma didn't speak, but his eyes flitted between Amami and Saihara, before nodding towards the door.
"C'mon then." Komaeda ushered the four of them out, following himself, leaving just Ouma, Amami and Saihara in the room.
"Will they be okay?" Was all Saihara heard before the door shut, and silence fell.
Ouma went back to staring out of the window.
"Ouma…" Amami started, and the boy flinched at his voice, but turning to look none the less.
"Do I know you?" Ouma asked, voice shaky, and small, he sounded so… Gods. Saihara stood frozen. This was Ouma? This...
Amami nodded, Saihara was sure neither of them could find words right now. The detective wanted nothing more than to simply scoop this small boy up into his arms and make sure he knew he was okay, he was safe… because frankly, Ouma looked petrified at them being in the same room as them.
"I'm Rantaro Amami."
"And I'm Saihara."
The Ultimate Detective was the only one of the two to notice the smallest flash of recognition in Ouma's eyes, before he turned his face away, back to the window.
"Ouma." Was all he said, introducing himself when it really wasn't needed.
"Were you… in it to?"
Saihara and Amami looked at one another before both nodding.
"We were. Yes."
Ouma just clutched his hands under his thighs, pulling his knees even higher.
"Th-.. Then could you please leave?" Ouma spoke, hands trembling, face not turning to meet them anymore.
Neither of them expected that. It was like looking at a completely different person.
"P..Please." It was then, with Ouma's voice breaking slightly, that Saihara and Amami could tell he was crying.
"C'mon Amami." Saihara sighed, heading back towards the door. They didn't want to make the boys condition worse, and he was obviously distressed by their presence. He likely thought them to be.. Well people who'd signed up for the game, and summarily probably not the best people… But Ouma… his personality just didn't match what they'd all been made to be.
The two left, leaving behind Ouma who sat still, staring from his place by the window, raising a sleeve to wipe his damp eyes.
"Sorry, Shuuichi. "