❀ 4.4 - Perks of a Survivor ❀
❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀
I open my room door, watching as Rantaro looks back at me from where he's standing by the rails of the second story. My hair is still damp, although now it's because of a clean shower rather than getting doused by dirty fire-safe sprinklers. He steps back in wordlessly when I move out of the way, taking a seat on the bench chair in front of my vanity so I can face him where I sit at the foot of my bed.
Rantaro exhales heavily in a way that sounds a lot like disappointment to my ears.
"So while I was waiting outside for you to clean yourself up, Kokichi came by. Also soaking wet," Rantaro plainly puts out, eventually rubbing the side of his face in mild vexation. "It wouldn't be presumptuous to assume both of you happened to get into mischief then, right?"
I don't hesitate to make a face, scowling at him so he knows he's already headed in the wrong direction with that accusation. He seems bewildered by my reaction, up until a grimace coats his features when he senses what I'm implying. The teen closes his eyes for a moment out of what I could only assume is guilt.
"Sorry, I'm doing it again. Assuming you're up to funny business without knowing any details- just ignore what I was saying. I take it back," Rantaro apologizes. His words are enough to relax me, allowing the tension building up in my shoulders to drop gradually until I don't feel the familiar weight of pressure that Rantaro so loved to stack over me before.
"Thank you. Anyways, when I left you that note, I honestly meant what I wrote at the time. I was only planning to step out for maybe thirty minutes max, but one thing led to another- no thanks to Kokichi," I summarize off the bat, watching Rantaro reach out to take my hand with the kidwatch on it.
He presses the side button and looks at the time, only allowing me to pull my hand back to my lap quickly once he's given it a glance. There's a curious glint in his eyes when I do so, but he thankfully doesn't question it.
The idea of holding anyone's hand right now is a bit much for me after what Kokichi did.
"So walk me through it. Why'd you step out and what happened after you left the room?" Rantaro inquires curiously, folding his hands patiently.
I nod, watching him smile in mild relief. I guess he almost thought I'd be unwilling? I don't see why though. We've already agreed to trying to repair our friendship, which means we ought to be trusting one another. I don't want to undermine the agreement we made in the elevator before the class trial.
All I can do is hope that Rantaro also keeps his side of the agreement…
"I initially left to grab a bag I left behind in Hotel Kumasutra and was going to come back immediately after, but I had the idea to grab some books from the library that could help me understand the monokub blueprints I had," I explain, making Rantaro nod.
"Ah, those...I remember Maki brought it up after the gunshots we heard when you got back," Rantaro says, making my mind drift back to Kirumi with the battle axe from Maki's lab.
If Kirumi was able to rob Maki's lab at a time like this, Maki isn't in her lab. If Maki isn't in her lab, it's because she isn't guarding it anymore, right? I could be wrong about that guess, but I should ask Rantaro just to be sure.
"Um, can I ask something before I keep going? Has anyone besides the obvious seen Maki's lab during the time I was asleep?" I ask, keeping my response as vague as I can for Maki's protection.
Rantaro looks mildly confused by the query, but eventually shakes his head no.
"As far as I know, no one has but you and Maki herself...right?" Rantaro answers, surprising me when his gaze becomes mildly pointed in curiosity. Unfortunately, my reaction probably screams that he's right on the mark. He definitely knows I know what it looks like in there? "I suspected you've known for a while...I actually already know why you're keeping it a secret from the rest of us, but don't worry, you don't have to confirm or say it out loud. I know it's for Maki's sake."
I hesitate before nodding, watching as Rantaro rests his jaw on his hand.
"I also knew from the moment she suggested it that the gun didn't actually come from you," he admits to clear up the confusion, even though it still confuses me how he knows that. "Don't worry, you'll know how I know what she's hiding and why in a bit. I don't know her formal Ultimate title, but I have an idea it's related to weapons and...well, I'm not about to tell anyone her secret or anything. She hasn't caused us any concern up till now, and I don't think she will either."
"...I'm sorry. I'm the one that told her to tell you guys she confiscated the gun from me. I didn't want her to be ostracized from the group anymore than she already is," I admit sheepishly, the truth tumbling out before I can stop myself. "She's not the nicest person and I don't really like her, but...I don't think she should be alone even if that's what she wants. Ryoma was alone a lot, and look what happened to him."
My words make both Rantaro and myself uncomfortable, but when I look up at him, he seems to agree with the point I'm trying to make. Ryoma had killed before and hated his past. Maki has probably also killed people too, if I'm to believe what the documents underground said when they had "assassin" listed as one of the talents in the categories.
According to the plan though, she was going to be a survivor. That means without a proper motive, she has no drive to actually kill- which is a lot that could be said for someone that has the talent of a straight up Ultimate Assassin. And furthermore, that's on the basis of whether the paper was right and referring to Maki specifically. For all I know, even though I told Maki she wasn't on the list of planned murderers and victims, she could have been swapped in to take the place of an actual assassin, couldn't she? And maybe the room isn't even hers! Maybe it belongs to the removed Ultimate Assassin!
…
Then again, that's a far stretch to try and convince myself she isn't the Ultimate Assassin...considering she knows exactly how to use a gun when I definitely don't.
"Ryoma couldn't have been a bad person and I don't think Maki is far off that mark either, regardless of their history. Even if I do wanna smack her every now and then when she makes me mad," I admit, prompting Rantaro to smile a bit and laugh. "She just needs to talk to more of us and she'll be fine."
"...That's one of my favorite parts about you," Rantaro speaks up, making me blink up at him in mild confusion. He likes that I want to beat Maki up? I thought- "Even when you really get really angry at someone, you still have a glimmer of faith despite aspects of us telling you otherwise. Kaede tries to kill you, you tell her you forgive her. Tsumugi is executed, and you're still willing to help her despite your injuries."
Rantaro's smile falters into a worried look, making my heart throb slightly in sympathy.
"It's scary, but...that's what makes you, you. If I can't stop you, I guess I'll just have to watch your back for you so you're at least doing crazy things safely," Rantaro continues, prompting me to disregard my worries about physical contact, so I can scoot closer and hug his arm in comfort. Kokichi can chew on a dirty fork, I'm not going to let what he did get in the way of comforting my other friends.
Rantaro relaxes and glances at me to find me attached to his arm like a koala again, smiling warmly and patting the top of my head so I can't help but glow under the attention. He evidently waves off the topic with a sigh of resignation and motions for me to continue.
"Alright, so you went to the library. What then?" he inquires, to which I nod in confirmation
"Yep. I met up with Kiyo there and he helped me find some books I needed. He knows the library pretty well, so it was a big help...even if I ended up leaving them behind in the AV room...and they probably have water damage now," I huff, ignoring the twitch of disapproval in Rantaro's features that he tries to hide.
I guess he's still not on good terms with Korekiyo...he's not that bad. He's a little strange, I'll give him that, but he's got a very interesting perspective for certain topics and I believe his insight is a valuable tool here- even if it can be a bit cold at times. I think Rantaro might like him if he'd just give him a chance. Even if Korekiyo is listed as a planned murderer on that paper I found. Still, that document shouldn't be a catch-all for who is definitely going to be a murderer and who isn't.
Kaede and Kirumi may have attempted it as per the document's planned predictions, but I won't let Korekiyo fall into that abyss either. He's either not thinking about it yet, or his bloodthirst is set to come out in regards to a motive. I can try stopping him from being exposed to any motives or I can try to change his mind entirely about murder, couldn't I?
Okay, that'll be the first plan of action then in this hell hole. Making sure I influence Kiyo enough to drive him away from any ideas of murdering someone. Even if Rantaro doesn't like it, I'm still going to do it.
"That's the point where everything got out of control. The last few minutes when I was with him, Kiyo gave me that blue ribbon I had tied around my neck when I got back. Kokichi must have seen us from the AV room and I guess sort of thought Kiyo was going to strangle me with it? I still don't really know, but he came barging in on us and broke one of the speakers in the AV room in the process," I explain, eyeing Rantaro's look of surprise.
"Really?" He asks, looking even more concerned than before. Sheesh, it's almost like he's trying to find a legitimate reason to justify his dislike of Korekiyo. "That's not very comforting to hear about Korekiyo, Prairie...are you sure it's safe to be around him?"
I puff up my cheeks, irritated at the blatant bias he has against poor Korekiyo.
"I would think it's safe, yes. The person I'm not so sure of is stupid Kokichi," I huff in distaste. "After what he did, I'd rather spend time with Kiyo than him, that's for sure."
Rantaro frowns at that, but allows me to continue on with my explanation.
"Kokichi chased Kiyo away by being appalling and rude. And then he dragged me to the AV room and forced me to watch scary movies with him," I spit out, pulling up my legs on the bed and hugging them to myself as a chill runs across my spine at the memory of those awful body-horror scenes from the first movie. "I hated it...I don't like horror. He even picked the worst movie for us to start with."
He blinks curiously at that, a sympathetic smile forming on his face at my obvious disdain of horror movies.
"What movie was it?"
"...'John Carpenter's The Thing'... I can't get the image of the defibrillator scene out of my head, it was so scary and gross…!" I complain, pulling my hair over my face in embarrassment when Rantaro starts to chuckle a little. "Don't laugh, I didn't like it."
"Sorry, sorry, it's just...you know it isn't real, right? It's just a movie," Rantaro says, making me look up furiously from my hair.
"I have another pillow back here to beat the incompetence out of you," I threaten him, watching as he holds up his hands and stands up to sit next to me on the bed where he can rub my back to console me. Although I want to jump away, I remind myself that Rantaro isn't Kokichi and relax myself under his friendly gesture.
"Alright, so what else happened?"
"...Kokichi started getting weird," I say clearly, feeling Rantaro stiffen up beside me. "At first he was just messing around, I think, but then he started getting a little too cozy. He was poking me and said it was a date, but I thought he was only kidding at first."
…
"He had his arm around my shoulders and every time I tried to leave, he'd convince me to keep watching movies with him even though I didn't want to. Maybe I should have listened to my gut, but I didn't. I wouldn't tell him, but I was having a good time. I didn't like the movie we were watching, but I liked his attention and I…kind of wanted more."
Rantaro grunts, making me look up at him where he's giving me a serious looking grimace.
"Please tell me this isn't going where I think it's going…" Rantaro pleads, a shadow cast over his features as he processes my statements.
"...He pretended to try kissing me and it turned out to be a trick just so he could handcuff me to the sofa and destroy the monokub blueprints," I state, watching as Rantaro immediately stands up. Before he can make a beeline for the door, I jump off the bed and snap my arms around his waist. Once I drop my weight to try and anchor him to the room, which I'm sure only works because of Rantaro's consideration rather than my featherweight body, he stops dead in his tracks. "No! Don't!"
"What? 'Don't'? Prairie, he did something pretty damn awful! You really intend on letting him get away with that?" Rantaro asks, visibly agitated by what he's heard and my refusal of his obvious intent to go talk to Kokichi...or maybe beat him up? I don't know, either way I'm sure it's not a good idea that he wants to suddenly get up and see Kokichi.
"No, of course not! But I didn't try to beat him up because you told me to work on my anger issues. Other than that though, I can fight my own battles, I don't need you to swoop in for me," I complain, watching as Rantaro unhooks my arms from around him and turns to face me. He crouches down to look up at me, clasping his hands around both of mine warmly. His hands completely engulf my petite hands, like mittens for my chilly palms due to the air conditioning...not that it's as bad as it was before the remodeling done by Monotaro and Monokid, but it can still get a bit cold every now and then.
"Prairie…" Rantaro starts, green eyes blazing as he meets my gaze unflinchingly with a darkness I've never actually seen before on his face. This man is literally begging me to take action. "I say this whole-heartedly and with total conviction. If you want to beat the shit out of Kokichi, I will not stop you."
"Rantaro!" I scold him this time, reaching over to start yanking a bit roughly on a lock of his hair in hopes of snapping him out of his blind- yet leveled- rage. He winces slightly, reaching up to try and unknot my hand from torturing his scalp with a persistent look of frustration. "I'm not gonna go beat him up and go back on my word by getting physically aggressive. And neither are you , for that matter. Also, in case you forgot-"
I finally release his hair and lift up my wrist, pointing at the kidwatch until Rantaro sighs in resignation. A little rage seems to leave him in that one breath, watered down to stray bubbles of irritation. I knew he'd be upset, but not to the point of trying to beat up Kokichi or giving me a pass on doing the leech-beating myself.
"Look, I'm not saying he's going to get away scot-free. I'm not gonna be nice to him and I won't be going with any of his requests from now on. Maybe if I get angry enough or he pushes my buttons, I'll find a way to get back at him, but right now isn't the time for that. He did something cruel and it is what it is, but we have other things to focus on- like what happened after he tried to leave me cuffed to the couch," I point out, watching Rantaro's expression twist as he swallows what I imagine to be a ball of rage that he's been holding on to.
"There's more…?" He asks, the fog of anger rising a bit more. I hold up a hand to calm him down, removing my hands from his and pulling him up so he's standing up again to his full height.
"Yeah, but to be fair it wasn't anything Kokichi did. Kirumi ended up being in the game room and Kokichi had to stall her from figuring out I was in the AV room. He didn't exactly give me anything to get myself uncuffed though, so I don't know whether he was hoping Kirumi would just go away on her own or not," I say, trying to get his clenched hands to relax when I notice how he's got them in closed fists. Eventually I manage to get them to open and ease up.
Rantaro still looks pissed off though, so I try to continue and get through the recounting of events quickly.
"I got myself out in the end, but Kirumi chased us to Kaede's old lab and we hid there till she left. If it wasn't for the tools I had, I would have been in the perfect position for Kirumi to kill me. I won't say Kokichi was totally useless since he did help me get away to the best of his abilities, but…I hate him. That's all I'll say on that," I state, finishing up with a shrug. "I ditched him and got back after climbing down the side of the school wall. It wasn't very difficult and I just wanted to get away from stupid Kokichi, so at least I managed that much."
Rantaro's jaw is tense, prompting me to reach up to lightly rest both palms on either side of his face. As I massage his mandible, he eventually seems to calm down a bit more to something that resembles more of his usual temperament of cool, calm, and collected.
"...You're handling this a lot better than I would have thought you would. I'm...glad," Rantaro says, looking momentarily embarrassed as he takes my wrists and pulls them away from his face with a smile that borders on something bittersweet. "I guess I really didn't have to worry about anything before, did I? All I did was sort of get in your way and entrap you…"
I shake my head, bouncing lightly on my heels.
"No. If we hadn't made an agreement in the elevator, Rantaro, I wouldn't have held back with Kokichi after that stunt he pulled. Whether I had the kidwatch or not, I probably would have beaten him up to the full extent of my abilities," I confess watching as Rantaro brightens up and laughs at the big smile I give him. He eyes me a moment and then reaches out to press a palm over my forehead, moving the back of his hand to my cheeks a second after.
"How do you feel after all that sleep? You're doing okay, right?" He asks as he pulls his hand back from me with a frown of concern. "That was pretty scary what happened. You were so unresponsive to whatever we did that...well, some of us thought the worst. Monokuma said there was no reason for why you'd be asleep for such a long period of time, and we thought the watch may have malfunctioned and dosed you. Monodam came and debunked that, but...he's not the most trustworthy of the bears, to be honest."
With a smile, I hug his arm in hopes of easing his worries even though I know I can't tell him the truth about my intuition, as much as I want to. "I'm sorry for scaring you...but I feel just fine and I'm not tired anymore, that's for sure."
"What about food? Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since you passed out…" Rantaro continues, fussing over me and pushing me away from his arm so he can see me better. I guess his "big brother" habits will never truly go away...not that all of them are so bad though. Some are very endearing and Rantaro-like, so I can't say I imagine he'd be the same if he wasn't such a worry wart like this.
"You'll be glad to know Kokichi managed to be useful for something else besides helping me escape Kirumi. He had snacks for me when we were watching movies, so I was able to get some nummies in my tummy," I state brightly in hopes of warding off suspicion since I definitely didn't eat as much as Rantaro would probably like. I'm hoping he doesn't ask exactly-
"What did you eat?" Rantaro asks, his green eyes critical as if he's noticed something off in my words. Well, can't say I didn't try. I do suck at lying to Kokichi and him, after all.
"A little beef jerky," I confess with a guilty sigh, only for Rantaro to pull away from me instead of berating me for trying to lie to him. It's surprising, but I don't say anything about it and just watch him instead as he walks around the bed.
...He looks really good in a tank top.
I banish that sudden thought out of my head as soon as it appears, trying not to fall victim to another situation similar to what I have with Kokichi. Rantaro is good looking, but I don't have a crush on him. Since my first crush is a total disaster, it's better I don't go developing any other crushes that will legitimately crush me like Kokichi did.
Rantaro crouches down by a bag on the other side of the night table by my bed, making me brighten up when I see it's actually the "Prairie Care Package" bag he's got. Unzipping the bag easily, Rantaro pulls out a few containers and then brings them back to me where I'm seated.
"It's not a cooked meal or anything, but it'll keep you full until morning hits," Rantaro says, setting them down in front of me where I'm already vulturing the containers curiously. What could it be? It probably isn't meat...or anything that perishes very quickly, for that matter. "I had it ready for you in case you woke up at night. I had different ones the other nights just in case, but I figured I'd swap them in the morning and eat what was in there as snacks so you'd have something fresh whenever you woke up..."
It's easy to notice the unspoken "if you woke up" in his words. Regardless, his actions say he wasn't going to give up on the possibility of me waking up, which is pretty surprising. How long would it take for someone to be convinced a sleeping person was comatose and wouldn't wake up again?
It's best not to think morbid thoughts like that. Just be happy he had faith you'd wake up and eat the food he gave you! Hungry! Hungry!
I sit down with him in front of my bed and open the first sealed container, brightening up when I see apple slices, grapes, and chopped strawberries, and banana slices.
"Fruit~!" I chirp, looking up to beam his way. "Thank you for the food!"
"Sorry I couldn't get a nectarine in there for you too. Sadly I only found one nectarine ticket in here which I used for the package Shuichi brought you in the hotel, and I haven't been able to snag any others," Rantaro says, watching with a pleasant smile as I start chowing down on his gracious offering.
Hmm...that must have been the spare ticket I got from Kiyo a while ago. That being said, a lot of people have gotten it despite the fact that it's such a "rare" item...not including Ryoma who had gotten it through paying an astronomical amount of coins for it at the casino. I wonder if the frequent drop of it is just luck, or if Monokid got it's rarity drop wrong?
"Tsumugi promised me a nectarine ticket a little after our initial fight if I wore one of her stupid cosplays. I wonder if it's just sitting there...all cold and alone in her dorm room with no one to cash it out…" I comment between bites, finishing up all the grapes, banana bites, and strawberries as Rantaro lets out a laugh at the way I speak.
"We could try and check, but...I think we may have to enlist his help for breaking in," Rantaro huffs, scowling just at the thought of Kokichi from the looks of it. I'm murmuring something rude about the nasty leech when it happens.
I stick my fork in the apple slice and suddenly it appears in my mind as I hear the sound of the silverware spear the fruit.
The dream where Rantaro was feeding me apple slices on the beach.
Feeling my face become engulfed in heat, I eat every apple slice as quickly as I can before Rantaro can look my way, setting down the container and fork just in time to cover my entire face with my hair as I struggle to chew and swallow the fruit.
"Uh...Prairie?" Rantaro asks, presumably noticing how I've gathered my hair up over my face. "Are you okay over there?"
"...Yep."
…
"Did something happen for you to suddenly go into hiding?" He asks next, amusement laced in his voice as I choose to shake my head "no" instead of answer. Clearly even a one-word response has clued him in on my sudden embarrassment from out of nowhere. "Oh. Okay then. In that case, come out whenever you feel up to it."
"...Don't make fun of me…" I huff, peeking over my hair at him when I see him chuckling under a hand he's brought up over his jaw to hide his smile. He looks happier than he did before, that's for sure. After telling him what Kokichi did, I almost thought Kokichi was done for.
"Hey, so...about our talk. I know you were just looking out for me before when I'd get into trouble so often. I may have let it come off as something I entirely hated, but I do want to say I'm grateful that you wanted to look out for me so much in the first place. Even if it did end up becoming too much for me, I just-"
"Wait," Rantaro stops me, taking my hands in his again. This time it seems it's for a different reason than just to be friendly. He's obviously about to bring up a heavy topic. "Before you continue, I need to come clean about why I was doing that. I gave you some reasons for my actions, and while those were true, it wasn't the whole truth."
"The whole truth"? Well...I guess that's not surprising. He was secretive from the very start and I accepted that. I didn't think he had more reasons to be overprotective though. Wasn't it just because he cared about me and equated me to being like a little sister?
"Before the killing game, things happened in my life. Things I've been told weren't my own fault," Rantaro starts speaking, pausing to take a deep breath as he prepares himself to continue. I can already sense this must be something he doesn't normally talk about, so I don't interject. "Prairie, do you remember my step-sisters? The ones I mentioned before?"
I nod in response, watching as a small smile graces his features. It's not a nice smile. It's the smile you see on the face of someone that's experienced turmoil in their life and has given up fighting it. The smile he makes is a sad one that I don't like seeing on his face. I can only wonder where he's going with this…but I eventually get my answer.
"Well. In truth, I haven't seen any of my sisters in a very long time. All of them went missing during several of my trips outside Japan. I lost track of all of them, and as of now...all twelve have been missing for years," Rantaro explains, causing my heart to clench tightly in shock at the confession.
Rantaro swallows nervously, eyes flicking away from mine shamefully. I've never seen him like this- it feels like I'm speaking to a much different Rantaro than the one that would plaster a more convincing enough fake smile for everyone. It hurts me seeing him like this.
"I care about you, Prairie. I care about you a lot. I care more than I thought I would have, and knowing you could disappear at any moment like my sisters did...it's the scariest thing I can think about right now. Especially regarding the concept of this killing game we're trapped in," Rantaro explains, the expression on his face almost as if he's realizing that fact as he's saying it. "Maybe...I'd even care less for myself dying in here if you weren't-"
At the small sharp gasp of horror that involuntarily escapes me at the realization of what he's about to say, Rantaro seems to snap out of his spiraling thoughts. He looks back up at me and appears suddenly guilty by saying something so dark out loud, backpedaling from his statement with an embarrassed laugh to probably let it drift by without addressing it. Just like that, he has that plastic smile back on. A fake smile that's just a little easier to see beneath now that I've witnessed it come off for even a moment.
"Ah...forget that last part, please. I don't want you to worry about me or anything," Rantaro tries to brush it off, making me scoot closer so I can sit next to him on the carpet and defiantly hug him.
"Rantaro. Are we a team here?" I ask gently but pointedly, keeping my cheek pressed up against his arm as I hug him. The other containers I haven't opened are still on the floor, but at the moment I can't bring myself to keep eating even though I'm hungry.
"Well, ah-" I tilt my head up so I can stare at him and get a response faster. "Yes, I'd like to think we are…but, why do you-"
"Because. If I need to lean on you when I'm in trouble...then it's only fair you lean on me a little too when you're not doing so good either," I say, hugging him more as I process his words. "I get what you were trying to say. You were protective because you didn't want to feel the same loss you felt before."
I can feel my expression turn into something a bit somber as I redirect my gaze to the carpet floor in an attempt to recalibrate my emotions before I start tearing up.
"I'm sorry I didn't consider your feelings. Even if I hadn't heard about your past with your sisters, I'm sorry I disregarded your concerns towards my safety in general either. I guess I see why you would get so upset before," I say, feeling him reach over with his unrestrained hand to rub the top of my head lightly again. It's been a while since he's done that, so I crack a bit of a smile and ease into it until Rantaro chuckles a little. It's not to the level he usually would...he still seems very sad. Besides that though, I need to apologize for something else awful I said too."I'm sorry about what I said before."
He looks a little confused by that second comment, blinking down at me until I pull away from his hand shamefully. I still remember the awful thing I screamed at him back when he locked me in that classroom for losing my temper, even if he doesn't recall it.
"If you were my brother, I'd set myself on fire and jump in a vat of gasoline to put myself out of my misery!"
My face twists with regret at the memory, prompting me to shove my cheek against his arm again apologetically.
"I didn't mean what I said before when I was throwing desks and chairs at the classroom door you locked me in," I apologize, pressing my cheek against his arm as angry tears start to form at the corners of my eyes. I must have hurt him so much when I said that. "I said I'd set myself on fire if you were actually my brother, but that was a lie. I was just lashing out and trying to hurt you like you were hurting me, even though I knew it was wrong. What I said must have hurt you more than I considered, and-"
Rantaro actually laughs a little at the mention of that much to my surprise, making me look up at him until he notices the tears now rolling down my guilty face. He quickly loses the spark of amusement at the sight, his expression turning into something apologetic.
"No! No, don't cry, I- Prairie, it didn't hurt me, I promise. I actually thought it was kind of funny. It wasn't your fault, you didn't know any better and I never told you...come on, you're alright, okay? As long as you're sad, I'll be sad too," Rantaro tries to console me, wiping my tears with a sympathetic smile that soon becomes a pout that I evidently can't help but start laughing at through my tears. Rantaro is usually so serious, so to see a childish pout on his face like I usually make is kind of funny.
"T-That sort of reminds me of when we first met," I say through my giggles, wiping away the last of my tears with my hands so I'm not such a mess.
Rantaro looks mildly confused up until it seems to hit him.
"Oh. Right, I almost forgot about how my first time meeting you wasn't your first time meeting me. Actually, how did our first meeting happen?" Rantaro asks, leaning back against the foot of the bed with me as we relax into the calming atmosphere. We'll need this if we want to delve into more serious topics afterwards.
I look up at him with a much-too-bright grin.
"You fell out of the locker after me and turned me into a pancake because you're fat," I brightly state, watching Rantaro scowl before he reaches over to poke my sides in retaliation. I jump with a squeak and try to crawl away, making him pull me back to keep at the torture until I'm complaining.
"I'm not fat, you're just small," Rantaro defends himself with a smile, eventually just hugging me to him and pulling me to sit with my back to his chest. "So, what else happened?"
I relax now that I know he's not going to poke me anymore, feeling him brush through my hair with his fingers to organize my messy locks. Since he's so interested, I evidently move to pull my hairbrush off my vanity ahead and settle back down in front of him. When I move to pass the hairbrush over, he looks much happier than he did moments before when he was talking about his sisters. His behaviors and tendencies to treat me like a doll makes more sense now that I know what happened to them.
Even if I went and said it wasn't his fault his sisters got lost, it doesn't seem like he would believe me going by how he started the conversation. Guaranteed that regardless of whether it was his fault or not, in the end it doesn't matter since he's grieving like it was either way. Poor Rantaro...
"Well, I cut my arm, so you ended up helping me patch up the wound...which is when I told you I wasn't good with talking to boys and you told me to pretend you were a girl so it would be easier for me. When I said your voice was too deep and that you didn't look like a girl, you said it offended your femininity."
Rantaro laughs at that, amused by the interaction he no longer remembers.
"I wish I remembered that myself. Knowing I've lost some memories of you makes me feel robbed in a way," Rantaro states, carefully running the brush through my damp locks before stopping with a sigh and setting it down.. "Anyways, there's more I want to tell you if we're going to be a true team here. I'm not sure how you'll take it, but I think…even if you hate me, I'll be fine."
I squeeze his free hand with mine.
"Don't get your hopes up, I've been lying when I've said 'I hate you' those past couple of times now," I say, making Rantaro lean around so he can meet my gaze with a slightly knowing grin. The way he angles his head down a bit makes his forest green eyes peer up through his lashes in an attractive manner that makes me want to throw a paper bag over his head.
"Just those past couple of times? Or all of them?" His words make me grunt in distaste and push him back so he's not leaning around where I can see him. I hear soft laughter emitting from the petulant green haired abomination, but I admit nothing else even with his prompting.
No, I at the very least still hate you for that dumb face you have, trust me...and those terrible long and voluminous eyelashes you definitely don't need and definitelyabuse with me.
"I'm gonna go grab what I need to show you. It's just on the night table," Rantaro says, getting up to walk over to my bedside.
My eyes follow him until he comes back, his monopad at hand and a perplexed expression he doesn't try to hide as he sits back down next to me on the plush carpet. I duck under his arm and lean in to look at the monopod screen in his hands, noting how he seems to hesitate for a moment. He turns his head in my direction, which I catch out of the corner of my eye and mimic the movement to look back up at him.
"This is something I thought about showing you before, but in the end I couldn't do it since...I'll be honest. It reflects badly on me. I thought that if I showed this to you, you wouldn't trust me anymore. Maybe that assumption was wrong of me to make in hindsight," Rantaro admits, before glancing back at the tablet. "I'm still nervous about it now though."
…
Rantaro presses the power button on the tablet, prompting the screen to flash on and read something in a digital font of different jostling sizes as they float on the screen. Almost instantly, my heart gives a painful jerk and my breath gets half caught up when I inhale the saliva in my mouth. I turn away to heavily cough into the bend of my arm, making Rantaro wince beside me as I eventually clear my throat and point to the tablet.
"Okay, I already knew what it was, but seeing it...is a whole lot different than just knowing it exists," I admit, noting Rantaro's mild surprise at my words. Just going by that reaction, that tells me Shuichi hasn't told him about what was on that pink kubzpad I received in place of a kubzpad. I'm not sure why he wouldn't tell him, but I guess either Rantaro never asked, or Shuichi didn't tell him because...he wanted me to tell him? I don't really know.
I sorta wish Shuichi told him...that way he'd have been less confused over what pushed me over the edge before.
The text reads "Survivor Perk", and in smaller letters beneath it I read, "Logged for the Ultimate Survivor, Rantaro Amami. File 1 of 2 survivor perks issued to the Ultimate Survivor."
I knew I'd eventually have to think about this again, but I really don't want to…
Rantaro moves a free hand to rub the back of my neck for a moment, quiet as he allows me to process just the dumb title screen of the monopad. It's relaxing, even if it makes me flinch at first from the sensitivity back there. Thankfully I don't have a fork at hand this time, or I would have flung it again at first.
"...When I learned that you were the Ultimate Survivor before, it drove me crazy. It made me think you were the mastermind for a little bit since you left behind a video to yourself," I speak up, rolling one of my locks around my fingers nervously as I explain. "It's what made me so upset I ended up throwing a can at Monokuma, but hurt Angie instead."
"Hm...so it was the video you saw with Shuichi then, huh? ...That explains why Shuichi has sort of been avoiding me. He said something about there being a reasonable explanation for the video, but when I asked, he would sort of avoid answering and just say he believes in me no matter what," Rantaro explains himself, sighing heavily. "I can't say I'm happy with Shuichi knowing about this Survivor Perk I have, but...well, he's better than one of the others. I guess it's my fault in the end, I made it pretty hard for you to approach me about it."
I frown up at him, making sure he sees my reaction to his words.
"If you don't stop that, I'm gonna bite you again," I huff pointedly in warning. "You're acting as if you're the only one to blame for our fight. Be realistic, Rantaro. It's both our faults. Me, impulsive and violent. You, overprotective and bossy. We were natural opposites that were eventually bound to snap at one another no matter how hard we tried to avoid it."
Rantaro makes a slight face at that, but doesn't combat my words verbally even though his expression says he disagrees. He really is a pessimist...great.
I respond by taking hold of his arm and opening my mouth noticeably. Noticing my intentions to bite, he yanks his arm up out of my grip and holds out a hand against my forehead when I move to try and bring his forearm closer again.
"No biting. Look, you see it differently than I do because you don't understand, and that's fine, but- Ow!" he yelps when my teeth find the part of his hand between his index finger knuckle and thumb to bite.
"You're doing it again. You're acting as if I'm younger and looking down on me again- you're not the adult here, Rantaro!" I complain, jumping up to my feet as my temper starts to flare up. "WE are not adults, we're both teenagers! I don't need you to shield me from concepts I don't yet understand, I don't need you to act as if you have everything under control so I don't freak out, and I don't need you to carry the whole weight of something that is partly my own fault. Yes, sometimes it can be a lot for me, and yes, maybe I don't understand a lot of things like you probably do, but how do you expect me to grow if you're constantly stifling my growth?"
I almost want to just march out of the room again and-
"You're right! I'm sorry, I-" Rantaro pauses to take a deep breath, exhaling heavily as he puts both hands together and presses his forehead and nose against them. "...I'm sorry. I'm working on that too. I need to step away from the mental image I made you out to be and rebuild my perspective. I'm sorry. I know that's not enough, but I'm sorry."
…
I sit back down beside him carefully and pull my knees up to my chest where I can hug them and get a hold of my rampaging emotions again. I'm exhausted already, and by the look on Rantaro's face, he's already exhausted too.
"Why do things like these have to be so hard?" I ask him, staring down at my feet to ground myself. "I hate emotions. I wish I could just brush off everything that makes me upset and go on with life. I hate fixating on things that make me feel bad."
Rantaro reaches over and brushes his hand through my hair to rub the back of my shoulder, where I notice an ache developing from the tension in my muscles. I'm sure he's much more tired than I am, considering he's staying up at this time to talk with me.
"...Do you want to save looking at the tablet tomorrow?" He asks, making me pause to think about it. Whether I look at it tonight or tomorrow morning, it's not going anywhere and neither is Rantaro. Technically I can push it aside and deal with it later, but…
"No, I can still look. I just need to calm down a second," I say, feeling his hand massage my shoulder until it loosens enough for him to massage the other shoulder. It's kind of funny he's still pampering me even though I just yelled at him. I would have thought he'd want to leave me alone completely until I'd given the green light. "Y-You don't have to do that, you know?"
Rantaro hums in confusion before realizing I'm talking about the massage. He pauses for a moment, observing my reaction as he asks. "Do you not like it?"
I let out a short breath of laughter at the question, even if it's sort of pitiful and makes me feel guilty. Now I've got him second guessing everything he does. That's...not what I meant for him to start doing.
"No, I like it...I mean...isn't your hand gonna tire and cramp up though? You don't have to do that for me. It must not be comfortable trying to massage me in an awkward position like you're doing," I clarify, making Rantaro stare at me quietly for a moment.
"No, it won't. But you're okay with it then, right?" Rantaro pushes again curiously, prompting me to eventually just nod since he's not exactly focused on anything other than my answer. The confirmation on my part seems enough for him to give me a charming smile. "Then I'll keep doing it."
He's hopeless.
"Okay, let's get back to the Survival Perks. You only have two of them according to the title screen of the second monopod you have, which means there's nothing else missing so far," I say, taking charge in the conversation since Rantaro is busy enjoying himself with massaging my shoulders. He nods to let me know he's listening, even though he's reached over with his other hand to work properly and look at where he's massaging my back.
There's a moment I consider whacking him so he stops, even though I really do appreciate the favor, but I decidedly let it go and continue speaking.
"This is perk one, and the video I saw was more than likely perk two if I'm to go by the fact you stated the message was for yourself. If we trap Shuichi tomorrow somewhere alone with us, he'll be able to correct anything I may have missed or gotten confused with, and he can confirm anything I'll be saying now so you know I'm not lying about it. Alright?"
Rantaro actually glances up at that part, genuine surprise washing over his features before something seems to occur to him that makes him laugh a little. I can't help but cock my head slightly to the side in question when I see the look he's wearing. He seems to find it funny that I've brought up Shuichi as a back-up to confirm my statements…
"Oh, right. Okay," he answers pleasantly as if we're not about to talk about serious things right now. Yeah, no, I guess I can't have him massaging my shoulders like this if his head is gonna be up in the clouds.
"No more," I comment with puffed cheeks of mild annoyance, turning to wave his hands off of me. Once he pulls his hands back and I confirm he's not about to do anything else like try to brush my hair again and stuff, I focus back on the topic. "Your video was awful, I'll start with that. It was you trying to be edgy, mysterious, and enigmatic, as per usual, and if I could have reached through the screen to slap you in the past, I would have."
Rantaro shifts a little in visible embarrassment, his cheeks dusting with a rare red shade as he responds, "Ah…'edgy'? Is that really the impression I give off…?" He asks, making me sniff with an arbiter's air of eloquence.
"Yes. You're like a neon sign in a dark alley that says, 'I swear I'm not suspicious or out of place', which doesn't go to say you're a bad guy or anything. That being said, you definitely need to work on your delivery and self-awareness, because you're still a weird suspicious neon sign in a dark alley either way you slice it," I state, scooping up the tablet he's discarded and gently tapping the screen with my knuckles. "You mentioned this perk in your video, albeit vaguely and not explicitly. I just sort of assumed it had to be the second monopod you owned."
I set it back down, watching as Rantaro seems to eye me as I sort of disregard it for now. I guess he's still nervous about me seeing it, but I don't want to look at it until I've told him of the video. That way we can make connections about the information we've got and stay on the same page.
"The video starts off with you introducing yourself and explaining that the video is for you to watch once you've lost your memories. If I'm to go by the comments you made around 'participating' and that this was the 'killing game you wished for'...I lost it over the implications that you might have entered the killing game altogether by your own volition entirely," I explain, flicking my eyes up from where they've wandered down to his monopad perk. His expression says it all- he's very surprised by that comment.
"Which also means in the beginning when you met me, you knew exactly why you were there because unlike the rest of us, you signed up for it," I say with a mild grimace. Sadly, that Rantaro has come and gone- along with whatever imperative clues he could have given me regarding the killing game.
Maybe I should have tried harder to go against Monokuma even with his relentless threats, but...it's not like I knew he was bluffing back then. When he had one of the monokubs grab Gonta and Tenko with an Exisal, it felt all too real and I wasn't willing to risk it. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I still feel guilty over thinking that I could have done more than I had.
"...Well, that's not out of character for me unfortunately. For once, I wish I wasn't so secretive and cautious. You could have brought more information to me otherwise," Rantaro says, prompting me to sigh and shake my head.
"Don't bet on it. I actually have more information you gave me during the second reset that may be useful, but I can't tell you about it because of Monokuma turning them into rules," I state with a scowl as I pick up my hair brush and start running it through my hair to keep myself busy while thinking.
Rantaro looks to brighten up when he sees and reaches over to take the brush, but I hold my hand up and shoo his aside quickly with a small "no". Maybe when we finish the conversation I'll let him brush it a little more, but not right now.
"You also said in the video that you weren't allowed to share the information on it with anyone here. I guess since I was able to bring the kubzpad to Shuichi without any repercussions, that rule didn't apply to me, but it may apply to you still even if you haven't watched the video. In that case, we may have to keep it between the three of us," I say, noting how Rantaro seems to raise an eyebrow at that.
"Really? My monopad said I was able to share the information, but gives caution that I need to make sure I can really trust whoever I share it with. Why just one and not the other…?" Rantaro asks, trailing off in a manner that gives the appearance he's mostly asking himself that question rather than me. "Maybe Monokuma didn't want the others to know about my ultimate talent, hence the emphasis of the monopad's text stating to be cautious. I mean...when I had woken up and told everyone I had forgotten my talent, I really meant it. Contrary to what my monopod says, when I read 'Ultimate Survivor', it just doesn't feel right or fitting. I don't find this talent familiar compared to you telling me I was the Ultimate Adventurer. That one clicked in the right way."
I give the tablet by our legs a curious look at his comment. No, that's not it...Monokuma must have put regulations on the video for a different reason. A reason or a detail in the video that was not featured in the monopad which would warrant keeping only the information of the video perk solely private for Rantaro's eyes only...
"I'm gonna look at this really quick, I need to check what's on it if I'm on the right track with my thoughts," I say, scooping up the monopod beside him. Rantaro watches as I power the thing back on, swiping the screen until I see the introduction image move up.
"Wait...what?" I question out loud as I come across a map of the first floor of the building...and then the second and third floors. And the fourth floor, which I stop on to let my eyes scan the page vigilantly. "D-Did you guys open up new areas in the school?"
"No, we haven't. Monokuma said he wanted to wait and see if you woke up so that this time you could participate in opening new areas unlike last time. The only reason you see it there is because the entire map of the school building is stored in there- including the areas we haven't opened yet and...some of the other ultimate labs.," Rantaro explains, prompting my gaze to drift up towards him mechanically in disbelief. He has a whole map of the entire school to himself as a perk! What in the-
I look back down at it and start scanning the visible rooms and mentally marking off which labs I see before facing Rantaro. I can see the rooms to Angie's lab on the fourth floor, Shuichi's and Tsumugi's lab on the fifth floor, Kaito's lab on the sixth and uppermost floor…
Scrolling back a few floors to check something, I hum in understanding when I see Maki's lab. There's an icon of a sniper and knife over the spot where her lab is, which is a huge hint related to her talent regardless of the fact it doesn't explicitly state her talent on it. Either way, it's the room Maki has been guarding since that area has been opened.
I guess he's known she's been giving a bogus talent from the very beginning. It's very considerate of him to keep it under wraps for her, especially for that long. He could have mentioned it the second the killing game started so people had the heads up that she was a potential threat, but he didn't.
There's still the question of how Kirumi got her hands on that giant axe from her lab if she's still presumably guarding her lab, so...maybe she broke in before while Maki was away and snatched it for her own use? Kokichi saw her coming back with it when he left me in the Ultimate Pianist's lab, but I know she didn't go up to the next floor when I consider how long I waited for Kokichi to appear again. She may have stored it somewhere else for later use...probably for use on me, at that.
"I can't really tell if the one on the fourth floor here is Kiyo's or Tenko's...it just has an archway like they do in those Japanese shrines and temples, so I think it could be either of theirs. And I can't tell who's lab is up beside the magnifying glass that is Shuichi's lab," I comment thoughtfully, "Just by counting though, we have three labs missing from inside the academy itself, discounting Miu's lab in the courtyard. I wonder why this thing doesn't also have a courtyard map. I mean...it even has the room behind the library's hidden bookcase logged."
"I don't really know either, but scroll down past the maps. There's something I apparently left for myself there too," Rantaro says, reaching over to gesture to a little bubble with an ellipse symbol at the bottom left corner of the page showing the basement floor. I swipe up as instructed and am greeted with pink text.
"Clue to end the killing game."
When I scroll further down, more text appears.
"Inside of this school, there is a mastermind hidden somewhere. The chance when you can find them is when they are going to make a spare Monokuma. At that time, the mastermind will definitely go to the hidden room in the library."
"In order to prove to you that this hint is true, let me tell you something beforehand. The first memory you'll remember will be of the Ultimate Hunt. Only share this information about the Ultimate hunt with those you trust. That assertion will lead you to life or death."
-Rantaro Amami
"...This was part of that beginning murder they planned then," I say, prompting Rantaro to nod in agreement as soon as it leaves my lips. Good to know he's noticed and that he agrees. "Tsumugi must have known about this message of yours, and since Shuichi shared his knowledge of stumbling across the bookcase with Kaede and the implications of it, it wasn't an 'accident' that you'd be killed like Tsumugi claimed. Moreso, it was a carefully calculated plan to get you out of here as fast as possible because of who you are. From what I'm reading though, I presume Tsumugi wouldn't have wanted to have the monopad here itself for the others to see. The permit is only for the information on the Ultimate Hunt, not the tablet itself. So technically...you're not supposed to be showing me this at all, actually. It's against the rules."
...
"Oh." Rantaro for once looks pretty sheepish about misunderstanding the information on the tablet, before he gives me an embarrassed smile and rubs the back of his head. "Whoops."
"Whoops"? "Whoops"!? What if he gets in trouble for this!? What if-
Rantaro coughs into the bend of his arm as if to compose himself from the slip-up, more or less unconcerned about the fact he just broke what I would consider to be an important killing game rule to a similar caliber of the Ugly Rules Monokuma has for me.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but also...why exactly would Tsumugi have wanted me specifically out of the killing game? Just because I may have previously signed up to be here? Is there something I'm missing from that video of me you saw?"
I set down the tablet once it allows no more scrolling, somewhat satisfied with the revelation of new information, but still incredibly concerned about the rule Rantaro just broke. Well, Monokuma isn't showing up yet, so maybe that means it's...okay for him to have shown me? If we're not getting punished for this, then I guess it's time to tell him the rest of what I know. Going by what content the monopad perk holds, it's said nothing about the most important information Rantaro stated in his video- which means that must be what Monokuma doesn't want the others to know.
The only thing I have to do is figure out a way to say it without causing him too much distress...considering his memory has been wiped, either willingly or forcibly, he wouldn't remember the previous killing game. If I was flipping out when I learned he could have killed someone, then I can only imagine how it may make him feel.
"Rantaro...you-"
In that moment, we hear the sound of my door swinging open and slamming against the wall in a single fluid motion. The second I let out a startled yelp at the loud noise, Rantaro is already whirling around ready to push himself up where he can face whoever's barged into my room. At first I suspect it to be Kokichi since he's the only one who can lockpick...but no.
"Puhuhu~! Sorry I'm late! You two just looked so cozy that...well, I couldn't just disturb the blossoming flowers of young love, now could I?" Monokuma laughs, rubbing his belly as he waltzes over to us. Presumably since this is Monokuma, Rantaro's body relaxes from it's fighting position and he simply shifts closer to my side despite the tension in the air.
"What are you doing here," Rantaro demands curtly, eyeing the bear suspiciously. "I'm pretty sure no one invited you here."
"Aw, this is technically my home, you know? These remodeled rooms are my method of being a hospitable host, but I still own the place. So I can go wherever I want and there's nothing either of you can really do about that. Anymore questions?" Monokuma chirps brightly, both Rantaro and I staring at him in distaste. The feeling is a lot like a clumsy fly landing in a bowl of soup and getting stuck in the flavored liquid. His presence just ruins the whole dish.
Besides that though...is he here because of Rantaro breaking a rule then?
"You better not be here to punish Rantaro...It's your guy's fault for not making the information clearer!" I object with an edge of irritation.
"No, no, that's fine! Since he's told you in particular, I'll let this instance slip! However, please refrain from doing the same with anyone else- either of you. And that goes for that video perk now that I see how mouthy the two of you are starting to get. As for one reason I'm here...since you destroyed your monopod, I'm here to give your watch an nifty upgrade!" Monokuma says, pulling a remote out from behind him and pressing a blue button that he aims in my direction. Rantaro immediately looks on edge, but Monokuma continues before he can say anything to ward the bear away from doing whatever he's trying to do. "Please hold out your hand, Miss Marble."
I wrinkle my nose, but eventually lift up my arm to hold my watch across agitated Rantaro. There's a moment of silence and then my watch lights up to show a download queue on the interface. We wait another few seconds before a checkmark appears and a new tab opens at the bottom of the watch.
"So! If you swipe that bottom tab up, all the current Ugly Rules are available for you to peruse in case you forget any! Also...there's a new rule that I believe you'll want to see before you continue this conversation with your friend here. And I really mean it- read it carefully ," Monokuma comments, the red light of his left eye glowing ominously as he stares at me. "That's all for now, you can continue where you left off. Oh, but uh, one more reminder before I go. No funny business is allowed here, alright? Make sure you leave playing 'hide the salami' for visits to our very own Hotel Kumasutra-"
"Get out of my room you disgusting incorrigible-!" I snap, standing and grabbing hold of my pillow to attempt hitting the bear until I feel Rantaro yank me down beside him where he can hold me back. Remembering where I am and that Rantaro is with me, I make an effort to calm down as he removes the pillow from my grip and tosses it back on the bed.
"We won't be doing anything like that," Rantaro snaps, equally as off-put by Monokuma's gross quip as I am. "If you've got nothing more to say, please leave."
Monokuma snickers to himself and skips out the door, closing it with a slam that only serves to make me flinch again despite myself. Thank god he's gone, but...something tells me this visit just threw a wrench in our conversation.
I focus my attention on the watch and swipe up to scroll through the rules. I recognize all the annoying old ones, but the one regarding mentioning the Ultimate Hunt has been turned to red text with a strikethrough that includes the subtext: "rule removed".
That's not what really irritates me about this so-called "upgrade" to my watch though. It's an upgrade to have the stupid rules again, but it's definitely a downgrade in how I can approach the killing game and helping Rantaro with his identity crisis.
"Disallowed from mentioning Rantaro Amami's involvement in a previous killing game to anyone but Shuichi. Shuichi has also been given this warning. (Rantaro has to receive the knowledge of his second perk through different means than a human cheat sheet, sorry not sorry!)"
Well, that explains why Shuichi never told Rantaro- Monokuma seems to have slapped this rule on him too...but what's this about Rantaro having to get his second perk through different means? I know he hasn't seen it, but does that mean he doesn't have access to it readily? Is it something he has to maybe look for? Like in his lab? If it's in his lab, then that means according to the list...we may have to wait until we open up the fifth floor of the academy. Hopefully that will be soon.
"...About that question you asked before Monokuma barged in…" I begin with a guilty lilt lacing my voice. Hearing this, Rantaro lets out a heavy breath as if he's already guessed what I'm about to say.
"Don't worry about it, I get it. That damn bear has...incredible timing," Rantaro says, though it's more in annoyance rather than in actual awe like his words may imply. "I have ideas, but I know you won't be able to confirm them either. Maybe I could get Shuichi to finally-"
"No, he's apparently under the same handicap according to the rule I was just graciously issued," I snort in vexation, looking back down at the monopad. "That's why he hasn't told you. I should have known Monokuma would stop him…"
Rantaro looks away thoughtfully for a moment quietly, playing with some of the curls of my hair as he thinks. In the meantime, I try to think of anything else I can tell him, other than the fact he's been in a previous killing game. He's clearly not aware of it and he probably won't know about it for a while. I wish I could be more useful to him, but sadly Monokuma seems to have gotten in the way of that...now it just feels like he gave me free information I didn't have to reciprocate with a similar gesture.
Distracted and not quite sure what else to bring up, I reach over to the other container I had left untouched, popping the lid open and looking in to see what else Rantaro left me.
This container has grain cereal in it, something in the shape of small "O"s with a plastic foldable spoon atop the snack. I pluck the spoon out and unfold it, beginning to gratefully chow down some more to pass the time. Hearing the sound of crunchy food, Rantaro redirects his attention to me and casts me a warm smile that replaces the frustrated air of thought that had been wafting off of him.
"I didn't think you'd actually eat that one willingly. You sort of strike me as the type that would prefer sugary stuff and junk food compared to healthy food," Rantaro comments without restraint much to my mild offense.
"What? Really? Even though I'm an athlete? I probably eat garbage like this every day," I state defensively, watching Rantaro chuckle in response to the sight of my ruffled feathers, so to speak.
"'Garbage'...just hearing that has me inclined to believe you don't stick to diets like that, athlete or not," Rantaro teases me, causing me to set aside my bowl mid chew to grab my pillow and shove it against his face.
"No one asked you, you klutzy skyscraper," I retort through his laughter, eventually letting the pillow drop to get another few bites of the cereal.
Rantaro, despite my assault on him, lets out a yawn as he pulls the pillow closer. I stop eating to glance his way and observe his state. After swallowing the food in my mouth I stand up with the container and reach down with my free hand to pull Rantaro up on his feet, which he follows in mild confusion only after also grabbing his monopad from the floor.
"What's up?" He asks, making me point at the bed quietly before I climb in and move over to my side with my container. "...Time to sleep?"
"Yep. You can get a head start and I'll join in after I finish this. I don't actually want to be asleep when tomorrow comes, that way I can say hi to everyone and we can get on with opening up the new areas Monokuma has deprived from you lot," I comment, patting his side until he eventually steps around the bed to get in from the side like a normal person.
Rantaro gets cozy, putting the pillow at hand back in its place under his head and releasing another sleepy yawn.
"...You asleep yet?" I ask curiously after a couple of seconds, prompting him to open a single eye and frown up at me in amusement.
"No. Sleep doesn't happen that fast, Prairie."
"Oh...? You should have seen yourself the other day then. You fell asleep the second you hit the mattress. I'll bet in your past life, you were a rock to have fallen asleep that fast," I state, only to regret my words when Rantaro reaches over to poke my side suddenly. I squeak and scoot away to the edge of my side of the bed, holding the container of cereal closer as I finish up the last bites.
"Be quiet and eat. I'm officially asleep now," Rantaro huffs, even though it's obvious he's not actually offended if I'm to go by the smile he's wearing.
...Well, I couldn't tell him everything, thanks to Monokuma, but things seem to be better between us than they were before. I don't want to keep him up too long into the night though. If we're gonna keep talking through things, it's better we do it when he's fully rested.
"Hey, can I ask something before I actually fall asleep?" Rantaro queries softly just as I turn out the lamp by my bedside. I glance over his way in the dark, or at least in the direction I last saw him. I can't really see him anymore with the light out, but I make a noise of confirmation as I shift to get under the blankets and cozy up for sleepy time.
Once I've bundled up and have established a good sleeping position, Rantaro Amami eventually gets this pressing question of his out.
A question of his that he just couldn't wait till morning to ask me.
"...Do you really think I have a sister-complex?"
❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀
❀ End of 4.4 - Perks of a Survivor ❀
