"I never asked your name," Ai said, as they walked briskly.

"Daisuke," Daisuke replied.

"No last name? You want me to just call you Daisuke, just like that?"

"It's Saito, but nobody's sure if that's right, it's just what they gave me. I'm a... I'm a ward of the state."

"Oh," Ai's keeping up the boy act. It's actually creeping out Daisuke a little.

Then again, she wasn't all that feminine before she changed clothes, was she? Why did it bother him so much? Because he was afraid of being seen as too girly himself? That didn't bother him, not really. Maybe his small stature did. He was always so small, and kind of frail. He was never good at gym, other than gymnastics, and he was barely 160cm. Even Ai was taller than him.

Maybe it was creeping him out because it suited her so well, while he just never felt quite right in his own skin.

"You... make a pretty good guy," Daisuke finally articulated.

"I kind of always wished I was one. I never feel right in my skin. I hate skirts," she finally admitted. "But once I'm out of high school I can wear what I want, so I deal. I don't want the other half of being a guy, please and thanks," she added with a laugh. "If my school just let the girls choose if they wanted pants I think I'd be a lot happier. And warmer."

"What's your brother's name?"

"Mamoru."

Protector.

They both laughed.

"I'm not sure if that's fitting him or you more," Daisuke hissed as they entered the station.

"Sato Mamoru," she said briskly at the station desk. "Project V?"

"Papers and ID, please," the receptionist replied sweetly, which Ai quickly provided.

"Thank you, Mamoru-kun, second door on the left. And you?"

"Uhhh, Saito Daisuke, moral support," Daisuke supplied.

"No invitation?"

"No, ma'am, but I have ID," he said, passing her his state ward card and school ID. He didn't know what she'd need.

"You're... an orphan?" she asked.

Daisuke gulped, remembering his classmates from that morning. "I'm on scholarship!"

He almost sounded like he was pleading for his life.

"Oh gosh, no, don't be scared, I was just surprised! Go on, go cheer on your friend, okay?" She shooed both of them off towards the right room.

The receptionist added Daisuke's name on her list, and reached out to give the producer a buzz.

Daisuke kept his head down, ticking away at a sim game on his cell phone. In the actual interview rooms they weren't allowed, but out in the main waiting area he could still use it. It was taking the nerves off. He plopped another classroom down on the sim, before Ai got buzzed inside.

"Phones and recording devices please," the Danganronpa receptionist requested. Both handed over their phones and got a quick scan for any hidden devices. Ai kept her face blank. They'd find her out for sure, Daisuke assumed, but after a quick pat of their arms, legs, and backs, they were shooed inside.

"You two auditioning together?" a rep asked once they were behind the door.

The decor changed the minute they'd done so. Decked out in logos, Monokuma plushies, tons of merch. Plushies of some of the past casts. Daisuke smirked at the chibi boy with an eyepatch and pinstripe suit, chibi scowl on full display. That one must have been from one of the games- an ancient Sony handheld signed by the creator sat next to that one.

They're laying on the pomp real thick, he thought.

"Oh, yes, NDAs for the both of you," the rep added, shoving clipboards in their hands. "Read and sign, please and thank you."

"I'm, I'm just moral support," Daisuke pleaded.

"Oh," came the reply from the rep. He looked Daisuke up and down quickly, almost sizing him up. "You still need to sign an NDA, though. Read it. It's for family, too. No talking about anything you see here, no blog posting, no nada. Capiche?"

"Wasn't planning on it," Daisuke replied, reading though at lightning speed. Standard legalese. Nothing here was binding about forcing him on the show, and so he signed it off.

Ai was still staring at it intently.

"It's exactly what the guy said... M-mamoru-kun," Daisuke assured her. "They just don't want show secrets leaving the room."

"Oh-okay then," she said, scribbling her brother's name in the line.

"I know you were a bit jittery in your interview tape, why don't you have a glass of water and sit down? The producer should be here soon."

"Yeah, sure..."

The producer was an over-makeupped, very put together woman in heels six centimeters too tall to be comfortable.

"Hello, Mamoru-kun, why are you here?" She asked, so sweet the words turned sour. Daisuke's stomach churned a little.

"Well, I... I love Danganronpa!" Ai said brightly, enthusiastically. Whatever happened to sabotaging her brother's interview? "It's one of the few things I can... I can look forward to."

"Oh? And if you could have an Ultimate power, which would you want?"

"Id love to be a detective. I know there's been quite a few, but, but, none of them have ever been a killer! Ultimate Detective that actually commits a crime! What a turnaround!"

Daisuke smirked. That was one of the few things the show never messed with and he knew it. The detectives, if there was one, was never a culprit. They might not survive, sure, but they were ALWAYS a good guy or girl, without fail. Along with the Lucky Student, there wasn't ever a murderer Detective. The fact that even Daisuke knew this spoke volumes.

That's what her plan was.

Smart.

Having a Detective in the show gave someone for the audience to safely root for. If they died it was sad, but for those who always wanted to cheer on a good guy, the lucky character or Detective was always, always safe.

"Daisuke-kun, I know you said you didn't want to interview, but what do you think?"

"Me?" He'd never been put on the spot.

"I'unno. I don't watch the show at all. All I hear is my classmates talking about it."

"What do you know about Danganronpa, then?" The producer dropped the sweetness. She didn't sound mean, she sounded... genuine. Curious.

It was surprising that it wasn't even the slightest bit malicious, and it dropped Daisuke's guard.

"My parents died overdosing on drugs, as far as I know. I have no family, I'm not liked in school. I love to learn. I'm fluent in three languages and I've earned myself a full ride to not only high school, but I already have a sponsor for college. Any idiot who throws their life away for your stupid show... like my parents threw away mine, for the addiction and the thrill... it pisses me off. They didn't work for it. They're literally handed an amazing skill and then die with it. It's stupid."

"I... see..." the producer replied. "Even if your friend got on, then, you wouldn't watch?"

"I'll honor my friends choices while they're alive. The minute that show starts, they're already dead."

"That's unnecessarily harsh."

"It's also true."

"There's always at least two people who survive. That's a 1-in-8 chance. Or higher."

"Or I could have a 1 in some other higher chance by not being on it, maybe I'll get hit by a bus. But I'm not signing up for a death game."

"The mastermind always survives. If you wanted to be with your friend. We'd like to extend an offer to Mamoru... if SHE accepts."

Ai put her head in her hands, and cried.

Any guesses on who Daisuke is yet? (Ai might be obvious... or I might be throwing a curveball at you...) Leave a comment! Hopefully it's okay so far? Feed back appreciated.