A/N: Hey guys! This is a retail!AU danganronpa fic. The only true despair in this fic comes from working retail. In this au, the characters are varying ages with Souda/Sonia/Gundham being in their college years. I hope you enjoy it!

There was something satisfying about hearing the cash register slam shut in that moment. The jingle that erupted from the sale finalization, the black and white uniform that made him feel like a referee, the stuffed bears that eyed him from the tops of display cases; they would soon be just a distant memory.

Souda had worked for MonoBear Novelty for two years. It wasn't his first job, but it was definitely the one he stuck out the longest. When he first began his beaming career as a sales associate in the chain store, he thought the impending doom of being stuck in retail hell was a silly rumor. He found comfort in restocking the dwindling shelves with MonoBear alarm clocks, and folding MonoBear tee shirts to put out on the floor. Then, a year passed. Then, another six months passed. The mundane routine of maneuvering through the mall, clocking into work, and standing on his feet for nine hours a day began to wear him down to the point where the store's bear logo started to appear in his dreams. The young adult spent another six months searching high and low for a newer, better job, but his efforts were not reciprocated. He began to lose hope in escaping his retail position.

In a state of mania induced by yet another MonoBear dream, he came to a conclusion. At first, he had two options; he could stay working at the mall's store and dig himself into another layer of Inferno for the rest of his natural life, or he could find another job through countless hours of prayer. Then, a third option came to him.

He was going to quit.

Sure, he wouldn't have a consistent income without his job. Anything beat working one more day in that store, however, and he knew that he'd feel better if he put in his two weeks notice. Maybe he'd go back to the technical school he withdrew from. Maybe he'd get an office job, or even work with kids! Nothing could be worse than the battlefield that was MonoBear Novelty.

The day after his epiphany, Souda entered the store with a certain swagger. The scent of popcorn and floral perfume emitting from various kiosks in the mall gave the air a crisp feeling, and the lights within the store itself shone brighter than usual. He couldn't lie to himself, though. Souda was sweating under his uniform. His future was uncertain, and he didn't know how his ostentatious manager would react to his sudden departure. With his fingers flying through merchandise at the cash register, he kept reassuring himself about his decision. He was a simple retail sales associate. He was replaceable, and fortunately for him, his manager made him aware of a new coworker joining the team that day. Souda sneered at the thought of the new employee taking his place and being sucked into the hell he was able to escape. Part of him mourned for the naive idiot who took his place.

The rush of customers that met him at the register had died. He slammed the drawer shut one last time and sighed. In another few minutes, he was going to take his half hour break, and on that break he was going to tell his manager he was quitting. Without a crowd handing him cash, however, it was the perfect gap in time for Souda to meet the new MonoBear servant. The chilly but familiar aura that crept into his personal space breathed down his neck. Souda turned around with caution, but the sight that met him came as a surprise.

There he was; it was Gundham Tanaka, Supreme Ruler of Ice and Manager of Tokyo's third largest MonoBear Novelty Shop of six months. The combination of his height and styled monochrome hair made him tower over the sales associate. He wore the MonoBear jersey under his long coat, which violated the company's uniform policy. Souda had to admit that he wasn't the strangest person to walk through the doors, however. The man himself had hot pink hair, which also violated the dress code, but if the manager wasn't going to follow it then why should the other employees?

Then there was Gundham's strange quirks. Souda had never seen the man stressed out, or at least he didn't show it the way people tended to. He would mutter curses under his breath if a customer was giving him an attitude. He called the store his 'dominion'. Every once in a while, he called the employees his minions of Hell. He even kept a cage of hamsters in his office, but that was a well-kept secret among the rest of the crew.

The attention-grabber this time around, however, was the person standing next to Gundham. She was significantly shorter than him, and her shoulders were covered by her long, corn-silk hair. Her fidgeting hands were clasped to her chest. In that moment, Souda felt a sudden jolt in his chest. In his already spooked state, he thought his heart needed jumper cables, like the ones he used to work with back when he had a car. Unlike his car, though, Souda was able to pull himself together for a brief moment to meet his new coworker.

"Foolish mortal," the manager began, his arms crossed in front of him. "Move out of our way. I must train this new spawn of Hell to handle our currency with exceptional care."

Gundham didn't seem to hear the woman's sudden gasp, but Souda did. His odd speaking mannerism were something the new employees had to become adjusted to. The pink-haired worker had to admit that the rapid turnaround rate in the store made for an entertaining spectacle. Some new members cackled when they heard Gundham speak, while others had their anxiety painted on their faces. He could only wonder how long the beautiful woman in front of him would last in the store.

That's right, she was beautiful. Her eyes shone brighter than the sterling silver MonoBear necklaces that hung in the back of the store. The woman's presence alone made him feel uncomfortably giddy. She was like the first sun-ray of spring with the way she filled him with warmth.

Souda closed his unknowingly open mouth. He stuttered something incoherent, a soft blush rising in his cheeks. Before his manager could comment on it, he swiftly stepped aside and made room for the duo to reach the cash register.

"Take your leave, thirty minutes," Gundham mentioned with coolness. He turned to face the new employee after he tapped the screen a few times. "Miss Sonia, are you prepared to feed the greedy nature of consumers?"

"I sure am!" The young woman didn't sound as flabbergasted as she did moments before. There was a strange air of confidence to her demeanor. It was sudden, it was prideful, and if Souda had to be honest, it was kind of hot.

Sonia, Souda thought to himself. He mentally repeated the name a handful of times to let it sink in. The tune bounced in his mind as he made his way to the break room at the back of the store. He was caught in a daze, and it was such a whirlwind that he completely forgot about his initial plan until he checked the wall clock that hung above him.

That's right, I'm supposed to be quitting right now.

His nerves swam through his body as he prepared an impromptu list of excuses to quit; he worked with Gundham long enough to know he wouldn't accept a simple, "Because I want to." Souda rose out of the metal pull-out chair he had just plopped himself into, and poked his head out of the room and towards the front counter.

The two were still handling the register. He prayed they would be busy for another twenty minutes so he didn't have to confront his manager, but that unfortunately wasn't the case. Within minutes, Sonia was seen walking in front of the counter and in Souda's direction. He bashfully retired into the break room and sat back down in time for her to enter the area. She moved past him and immediately searched through the supply closet. Souda watched as she withdrew a purse and heaved it over her shoulder. Neither of them expected to lock eyes, so when they did they both noticeably jumped.

Sonia was the first to speak after the sudden thrill. She gave him a grin before introducing herself to him. She threw her hand out with enthusiasm, which Souda grabbed with his own sweaty palm.

"I'm Souda," he said with his cracking voice. "Is this your first day?"

She nodded. "My first day at my first job! I'm going on break now, so I'm afraid I need my hand back."

The man momentarily forgot about his hand, which was still gripping her's. Her skin was soft, and the tone held an angelic flush. His hand was calloused from massaging screwdrivers in his bedroom. He released his fingers and let his arm dangle at his side. Speechless, he could only smile back at her as a response. Sonia, to his disappointment, left the break room. His thoughts were spinning. Some of them were inappropriate, while others were reminding him of the impending doom he was about to face.

Gundham's booming laugh bounced through the store. Souda poked his head out of the door-frame and found him smirking at an exhausted customer at the counter. The familiar voice enunciated words like, "exchanges", and, "souls" while the man who owned it dramatically held up an unopened box of MonoBear playing cards.

Maybe Souda didn't have to quit just yet. Besides, he couldn't leave Sonia with a beast like Gundham.