Chapter 1: This Could Be Anywhere in the World (Daily Life 5)
"Sora should be back from the minimall soon," Yuuto said as he swiped his handbook against his door to unlock it. His bedroom was identical to Junichi's room, but the major difference was it had a huge plastic drum in the middle of the room, along with metal pipes of various lengths and angles, and a toolkit. On his bed was a trash can lid.
"You have Sora to help you? How did you talk him into it?" Junichi asked as he went into Yuuto's bedroom.
"This right here," Yuuto said, lifting up his styrofoam box of food to the Ultimate Lucky Student. "I got both of us breakfast, it's why I didn't stay there to eat all of it." He explained. "I normally eat all of it, but Sora could use some fried chicken too."
"You have to bring the food to him?" Junichi asked, putting his hand in his pocket as Yuuto sat the food on his bed and took two pieces of metal sitting on the floor, taking a bolt and a washer to start sticking them together. "Why can't he get food himself?"
"Because I can't go in that room." came a voice from the doorway. Junichi turned to see Sora there, strangely holding several buckets stacked inside each other, along with a few different sized pot lids in under his other arm. "Is this enough buckets for you, Yuuto?"
"Yeah, that should be good," Yuuto said.
"You sure a drum set needs like 4-5 buckets and a plastic bin, and a trash can lid… and three pan lids and a trash can lid?" Sora asked, still unsure about this.
"Yeah, man. It's complicated but everything has different acoustics! We need to see which of those buckets match what I'd want in a drumkit. Now go get your chicken."
"Hey, I feel like we're moving away from my question; why can't Sora go into Izumi's diner?" Junichi asked as Sora grabbed the styrofoam box.
"Because Izumi's a weirdo, dude," Yuuto said.
"I wouldn't say that. We don't know that much about her." Junichi replied in defense of her.
"I know enough…" Sora said darkly. "She's a fangirl, and I hate it, to put it bluntly."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Junichi said. "You're kind of a celebrity, I kind of would expect people to be a fan of you."
"Do you know how it feels if someone came up to you and acted like they knew everything about you?" Sora asked. "Telling you all these things about you that you forgot, but you can tell they thought about for hours? Talking to you about themselves like you've known them for years?"
"Uh… no, I haven't." Junichi said, scratching the back of his head.
"She told me she had a body pillow of me. I didn't even know my record label SOLD body pillows of me." Sora said, shuddering, dipping a chicken strip into the ranch cup. He took a bite, grumbling as he chewed. "Damn it, why does she have to be a good cook? It isn't fair. Why can't weirdos just be worthless so I can ignore them?"
"I feel like you're exaggerating how bad Izumi is. She seems pretty normal, dude." Junichi said.
"Just you wait, Junichi. She's gonna be like all the rest of them. One day in this stupid hotel, she's gonna spot me and start clinging to my leg, begging to be my eternal servant or something. She's just like all the other lunatics I had to deal with." Sora said with a grim expression. "Anyway, I don't really wanna talk too much about myself. We gotta make a drumkit, right Yuuto?"
"That's the spirit!" Yuuto exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Let's get to it!"
"Uh… I don't know how to make a drum kit." Junichi admitted. "And my arm's in a sling."
"That's fine. I brought Sora in to do the legwork. You've got the easy job for later." Yuuto explained as he grabbed one of the buckets.
"How did you get all these buckets and lids anyway?" Junichi asked. "How many Monocoins did you have?"
"When you work out of a garage, you learn how to find cheaper alternatives. The big drum set in the Mini-Mall is, like, 100 coins or something. So, I had Sora buy me a few buckets. And I yanked the Mini-Mall's trash can and dumped the trash bag in the incinerator." Yuuto said. "But that's the plastic trash can, and I yoinked metal trash can lids from one of the janitor closets on each floor for some of the cymbals."
"A-ha! I knew someone was pilfering from the Mini-Mall! Caught you red-handed, Mr. Hagiwara!" Monokuma exclaimed as he appeared in one of the buckets, startling Sora and causing him to drop the bucket on the floor, making Monokuma sit on the floor with the bucket on his head. "And now your accomplice has dropped me!"
"It's a killing game, not a shoplifting game! What makes you think we need to pay for everything we take from the store?" Sora said in response. "You gonna punish us for shoplifting now? I didn't see it on the regulations."
"Yeah, it was just the trash can. You weren't selling it, so it wasn't shoplifting." Yuuto said, rationalizing his rampant trash can theft.
"It was because I SUPPLIED you guys with trashcans. Why would I think any of you would want to buy them?" Monokuma asked, tossing the bucket off his head. "Why couldn't you use your own trashcan, eh?"
"Because I wouldn't have a trash can, then." Yuuto pointed out.
"Hnnnnnnnng…" Monokuma began to shake, smacking himself in the head. "FINE! New regulation! There will be no shoplifting in this hotel!" Monokuma announced.
"It wasn't shoplifting! I took a trash can and some lids!" Yuuto argued.
"Yeah, well… I don't want none of you criminals thinking you can get away with stealing from the Mini Mall while you're here!" Monokuma exclaimed, kicking over one of the buckets. "Now pick up that stolen bucket!"
"You're the one who kicked it over," Sora noted.
"DON'T YOU THINK I ALREADY KNOW THAT!?" Monokuma shouted, walking over and kicking every other bucket in the room. Then pulling a can of paint from Yuuto's closet, and kicking that over as well. "Pick up ALL THESE BUCKETS!" he shouted, storming off out Yuuto's front door.
"He's kind of a petty asshole for a mastermind running a whole hotel centered around murdering people," Sora commented, walking over and setting all the buckets back upside down. Yuuto then took a set of drumsticks and drummed across the bottom of each bucket in a row.
"What was that for?" Junichi asked, wondering why Yuuto just played across every bucket and can.
"Pitch. I need to figure out which one of these was a snare." Yuuto explained, doing another run of drumming.
"Why not use a pot or a pan instead of a bucket?" Junichi asked.
"Who do you think I am, Lars?" Yuuto said.
"...Lars?" Junichi asked.
"Lars Ulrich from Metallica," Sora explained.
"Oh yeah. Sorry, just never really got into metal." Junichi said.
"Yeah, you're too busy skanking, eh ska boy?" Yuuto said with a chuckle.
"Wait, how did you know I like ska?" Junichi asked.
"It's in your profile, dude," Yuuto said, pulling out his student handbook. He pulled up Junichi's profile, showing it to him.
Junichi Ando
Ultimate Lucky Student
Age: 16
Height: 5'3, Weight: 108 lbs
Blood Type: O, Chest: 26''
Date of Birth: 12/25
Likes: Ska, Fighting Games, Cooking
Dislikes: Melts apparently, formal wear, being told things he already knows
"Huh… so it is… wait, does that say melts? I don't hate melts, I hate people confusing grilled cheeses and melts." Junichi said.
"Hey dude, it's not my fault you don't have a personality!" Monokuma said while hopping on Yuuto's bed. This startled Junichi, who didn't even see him show up.
"Where did you come from?!" Junichi exclaimed.
"When I show up, I show up." Monokuma declared.
"Will you get out of here?" Sora asked.
"I made an announcement to you folks and you blew it off! You guys are the worst students ever!" Monokuma shouted. "You're stealing buckets when I've got perfectly good free DVD players for you! C'mon, they are ACTUALLY FREE and nobody's taking the offer!" Monokuma shouted.
"Why are you shouting about giving us free DVD players? If we don't need them, why would we get them? It's not like you're giving us DVDs too" Junichi said in response as Yuuto continued his work.
"Oh? Oh?! You think these things don't come with a complimentary DVD? The DVD is free and mandatory! I'm getting sick of everyone sitting around doing nothing. We're going into PLOT MODE! Get your DVDs from the Minimart or I'll set your beds on fire. And how can you sleep while your beds are burning?!"
"Hey, I got that re-" Sora started, before Monokuma kicked him in the shin with his stuffed paw.
"Do you think I care that you got my reference!?" Monokuma exclaimed as Sora grabbed his shin in pain. "Get your stupid DVD! I burned over all my favorite cop shows doing this!"
"I'll get it after I'm done with my drum set, alright?" Yuuto said, "Now get out of here, you're wrecking the mood."
"You have it halfway done already, holy shit," Sora said, noticing that Yuuto had already set up the frame, two of the cymbals, and the snare.
"Man, I spend months making this shit, I burned it into my head how to make it, it's why I was so specific on what parts I would need!" Yuuto said, playing a drum roll on the snare, and hitting a crash cymbal, literally a trashcan lid. "I don't have a place to sit beside my bed, though." He said, punctuating it with another snare hit. "I need… my throne of darkness!"
"...Throne of… what?" Junichi asked.
"A drum throne, dude. Did you know they were called drum thrones? It's pretty much a spinny chair I can sit on and rotate as much as I want without hitting any other parts of the drum." Yuuto said, looking around the room. He walked over, picking up his trash bin and dumping out the contents onto Monokuma. "Eh, it's round enough to be a chair!"
"Hey! Don't dump your trash on me!" Monokuma shouted, dusting himself off.
"Why not? There's no rules that say we can't, just that we can't attack you. Are you going to call that paper I dumped on your head assault?" Yuuto said with a chuckle. "If I put Touki in a trash bin and rolled him down the stairs would that be a murder attempt?"
"I think it'd be assault if there's no intent to murder…" Sora said, holding his chin in his hand. "Why put Touki in the trash can?"
"He's got a build fit for putting in a trash can, if I put Junichi in it he's already injured and might get killed," Yuuto explained as he flipped over the bin. He carefully lowered himself into the bin, mindful of how much weight he put down on the bin. "Hrm… might hurt my ass after a while, but my bony ass fits on it just fine!"
"I guess being rail thin has some benefits, Yuuto," Sora said with a shrug.
"It's weird because I eat a lot, it's just I end up shitting a lot too and none of it stays as body mass," Yuuto said, looking away for a bit as he spun two drumsticks between his fingers.
"Do you always tell your friends how much you shit? That's gross, dude." Sora asked.
"Pah! Another new regulation! No dumping trash on me! Don't just… live in your own filth like some kind of broom-shaped pig. If something on the floor ain't used for a murder you better clean your damn rooms!" Monokuma raved, grumbling as he stormed out.
"Alright, he's out. Now, just need Junichi to paint the numbers on here," Yuuto said, grabbing the paint can as Sora jumped onto the bed and opened up the box of chicken strips in his hand.
"All while I eat chicken," Sora said, lightly dipping a strip in the ranch cup. Junichi walked over to Yuuto as Yuuto was taking a can opener to the can.
"So, what did you need the paint for?" Junichi asked.
"I need to paint numbers on my drum set so I can write music. I didn't do any formal music training, so I write music by memorizing the numbers on my drum kits," Yuuto explained. "I just hit the beat, memorize the numbers and then write it all out."
"And that works?" Sora asked as Yuuto flipped over the stolen trash pin, pulling out a paintbrush.
"I mean, I'm the Ultimate Drummer, so if I'd say it's been working so far," Yuuto said, tossing the paintbrush to Junichi. "Here, I'll tell you which numbers to paint where. I gotta do some pitch work on this kick drum."
"Alright…" Junichi said, Yuuto tapping on the small bucket once. Junichi shrugged and painted a black 1 onto the bucket. Yuuto followed with two taps of his drumstick against the medium bucket, Junichi painting a two onto the bucket. This pattern continued for 4-6, Yuuto testing the trash bin with a towel stuffed into it.
"There we go… that's the pitch!" Yuuto said, hitting each of the makeshift "drums" once "I mean, usually 1's the kick, but I can jam to this." Yuuto said as he began to practice. Junichi wanted to put a 7 on the bin, but Yuuto just kept drumming.
"YYYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!" Yuuto screeched loudly, Sora giving a few weak nods of his head.
"Any reason why he's acting like this!?" Junichi asked loudly, trying to be heard over the banging.
"I think he's been cooped up in this room for too long. It's like withdrawals, I guess!" Sora replied.
"Well, I need to get that DVD player before Monokuma complains to me again," Junichi said, heading out of the room. "You two have fun… jamming out, I guess!" he shouted, Sora giving a thumbs up.
On his way to the mini-mall, he heard a rattling coming from a nearby door in the hallway to the elevator. Junichi felt his body stiffen up as the door rattled again. Junichi slowly approached the door, hesitant to open it. Once he opened, he saw Monokuma standing in a broom closet, head sticking out of the mouth of a foam dinosaur head.
"What are you…?" Junichi asked, staring in befuddlement.
"Close this door and pretend you never saw me," Monokuma warned. Junichi looked like he was about to say something, mouth agape and feeling like he was struggling to make a noise to come out of his mouth. "You heard me."
Junichi then slowly closed the door before hurrying off for the mini-mall, mostly just confused more than anything, hitting the elevator and going down to the bottommost available floor, the surprisingly massive minimall with the exact same music playing over the speaker as the day before. "Attention shoppers, we have a sale on can openers! If you need to open a can… uhh... I guess you -can- help yourself to uh… some can openers." Monokuma joked, adding a flat laugh to it. "See what I did there? Can joke, aww yeah." Monokuma said over the loudspeakers. "I'm just firin' out those good jokes today, I just hope people are actually listening to these." Monokuma continued, seemingly talking to himself.
Junichi ignored Monokuma's inane rambling as he looked for the DVD players. He figured the electronics aisle was the best place to find them. He checked over the signs, soon finding the electronics aisle and making his way down. He saw Koba looking over a cardboard box. "Thinking about buying that box?" Junichi asked jokingly.
"Hm? Ah, hi Junichi," Koba said. "I was just reading the details on these DVD players. Sorry I haven't seen you since your recovery. I was shocked to hear you were back up within hours of being impaled."
"Yeah, I uh…" Junichi started, not wanting to hear the same joke everybody made the day before. "I lived."
"It must have avoided the subclavian artery and weaved between your shoulder and your ribs. Most of your damage would just be torn muscles, huh?" Koba asked.
"Er… yeah, that's what Kageri said anyway," Junichi said.
;
"Certainly proves you're worthy of your title of Ultimate Lucky-" Koba began before being interrupted by a prolonged groan. "W-what did I say?"
"Uggggggggggggggh." Junichi continued to groan. "This joke will never die, will it?! Can you all think of a joke besides Ultimate Lucky Student one?"
"...Right, I'll keep that in mind," Koba said. "Anyway, I was hoping to see you since this Killing Game started. You surprised me by jumping in to help Asana."
"Surprised at how stupid that was?" Junichi asked.
"I wouldn't say that. It was reckless, and I feel like you put yourself in unnecessary danger, but it's just the fact you actually threw yourself into danger to protect someone. It's not like you knew you'd be impaled for doing it," Koba said. "That's very admirable of you. I'll admit, I didn't think much of you when we first talked. Just that you were someone painfully average."
"Gee, thanks…" Junichi deadpanned.
"You have heart, Junichi, and I think that's important for someone to become a hero. You clearly care about other people you just meet, and I think you'll learn new things quickly. So, I'd like to have you as my assistant."
"Assistant?" Junichi asked. "You mean like how Izumi is with Saya?"
"Well, not exactly like that… Izumi is more Saya's lackey." Koba said. "I'm more wanting someone to bounce my observations off of and give their own insights. Someone who can bring a different perspective while I try to solve this whole mystery. In short, I want you to be my Watson," he suggested.
"Like… the Sherlock Holmes Watson? Doesn't he just follow Sherlock around the whole book?" Junichi asked.
"He does more than that. He contributes to the investigations just as much. Everyone assumes Watson is just some chubby doofus that follows Holmes around, but he's a skilled doctor and his medical knowledge brings a fresh perspective to each of Holmes' investigations." Koba argued.
"Yeah, but I'm not a doctor. Or a war veteran, or like... any of the things Watson was." Junichi pointed out. "Wouldn't someone like Touki or Saya be a better Watson for you?"
"No, you're not. But you have a different way of looking at things and you're not someone with a specific mindset to things. Touki would probably see things the way a journalist does. Saya, smart as she is, values my title as Ultimate Detective too much and accepts my interpretation with little to offer herself. I don't need someone to agree with me and pretend everything I say is correct, and others would be uncooperative or unhelpful. I don't need a kissass if you pardon my language," Koba explained. "And I don't need someone like Rokuro, who seems to be more focused on his muscles than his brain. Daichi is too abrasive to be of any help, even with his criminal perspective, Surumi is… what's the word?" he asked, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Off in space? ...Oh! Speaking of, I should probably buy something for Surumi. I, uh… I think she's still mad about breakfast."
"Oh right, Izumi told me you had a moment where you were screaming about grilled cheese sandwiches?" Koba inquired.
"Not a good look for me, yeah," Junichi said with a sigh. "Anyway, maybe after I get my DVD player and Monokuma's DVD, I'll find something Surumi might like."
"Sure," Koba said, leading Junichi to a small pile of DVD players, still in their packaging, with a stack of blank white DVD cases next to it. "You can take any player you want, but Monokuma has been very persistent in making sure everyone gets the DVD marked for them. Daichi tried to sneak away with Airi's DVD, but he was suddenly dropped by one of the Monoservants." Koba explained.
"Hojo?" Junichi asked.
"No, it was a servant with dark blue hair who immediately tackled Daichi to the floor and put him into an armbar until he gave up the disc," Koba said. "I would have helped but I just sort of watched it happen while feeling like I wasn't really there. It's not often you see a man in full servant's garb nearly break someone's arm over a DVD."
"Yeah, this whole place has been a bit weird," Junichi said, looking through the stack of DVDs to find his name scrawled onto the cover of one case in permanent marker. "Alright, here's mine. You got yours?"
"Mhm. Did Monokuma tell you anything about the purpose of these DVDs? I find it strange he was so… insistent on making us get these. I'm concerned it might have to do with the lack of hostility between most of us, barring Daichi." Koba asked.
"I mean, you've never gotten on Saya's bad side, have you?" Junichi pointed out.
"I think the yardstick is just to give people welts, not horribly murder them for misbehaving." Koba countered.
"It still hurts. Plus, she's completely iced Touki out." Junichi argued. "She's roped in Izumi to be an emissary so she doesn't need to speak to him," Junichi said, before crossing his arms. "And to answer your question, Monokuma just told me I sucked and to get a DVD player."
"I see… So… all he did was to insult you and tell you to watch this disc?" Koba inquired.
"Makes me think it's haunted or something, I don't even believe in the supernatural but well... I'm talking to a robot bear, most of the people I've met seem like they don't even exist in a realistic setting, or are some stereotype, and I got impaled yesterday and today I'm mostly fine barring a sling and some bandages." Junichi said, causing Koba to blink a few times before replying. "Everything's too absurd to distinguish anything from reality."
"...I mean I guess it can be a little weird, but now I just feel like you're having an existential crisis instead of talking about watching a DVD someone made for you." Koba observed.
"That's the nihilism I'm looking for, Good job, Junichi!" A voice called from behind the two of them. "I do love me some good hyper-normalization. Really makes ya wonder if everything is just some weird psychotic breakdown and nobody you speak to exists. Or if it's real, you're being lied to in some kind of massive government conspiracy!" Monokuma said with a grin. "Oh, oh! Another one. Maybe you're not real, Junichi! You're a Freudian figment of someone's daddy issues while they're in a coma!" Monokuma said, sitting Indian style on a small table that was for sale.
"You're not helping," Koba replied bluntly.
"I never help~ Puhuhu~" Monokuma said with his signature laugh. "All of this can be true! Everyone's a coma! I'm a metaphor! You're a lizard! This is purgatory!" Monokuma announced, bouncing his chubby bear body on the table in glee.
"...What are the side effects of these pain pills?" Junichi asked, pulling the bottle out to check.
"Let's just ignore his rambling for now and get to the point. Monokuma, what are these DVDs?" Koba asked.
"Hah! What do you think this is, stilted exposition?! Nay, I say, Nay!" Monokuma shouted. "These are DVD's y'all should probably watch by yourselves. Each one has something important you should know about your stay here." he explained.
"Is that all you're gonna tell us?" Junichi asked.
"Yup!" Monokuma said."Turn off the lights, grab some popcorn, and don't take off your pants while you watch these."
"Do you have to set up the DVD players anywhere? Do they come with a VGA cable?" Koba asked, which made Junichi stare at him.
"No, we do not have that form of outdated cables, you grandpa. They're portable players, they have a little screen that pops up to show you what's on it!" Monokuma exclaimed, holding up one of the DVD players, still in its box. "Read the description on the box, you fool! Does anyone read anymore? ANY of you weirdo teenagers!?"
"Ah… right. Well, that will be all, I guess." Koba said, hoping to dismiss Monokuma. "I read plenty, now… can you leave us alone?" he asked. Monokuma then hopped off the table and walked down the aisle, grumbling.
"I feel like… he wants us to see these alone to make us not trust each other. I might be wrong and he might want us to watch his home movies or something… but I have a feeling in my gut he wants us to feel insecure." Junichi said.
"...And you said you didn't make a good Watson," Koba said with a wry smile.
"That was just a gut feeling, dude. It doesn't mean anything if I'm wrong…" Junichi countered.
"Well, only one way to find out," Koba said.
"Right, but lemme grab that gift for Surumi before we do," Junichi said, thinking on what to get her as the two traveled the mini-mart. As they searched, none of the aisles they traversed held anything that would befit the Ultimate Astronomer. It was all either basic supplies or stuff neither was sure she would like. There was one item that would be perfect for Surumi, even being listed as such on a plaque adorning the platform it rested on. It was a silver UFO attached to a beam underneath it. It was in its demonstration, where the UFO was raising and spinning slowly up and down, a second pivot arm allowing it to move around and tilt. It even had a control stick, that may or may not allow you to control it.
The green and yellow lights flashed in various patterns around the UFO, and it looked big enough for him to ride. The cost of buying the thing was an absurd 500 Monocoins, but it was 1 to ride it.
"This is the best you can for an astronomer?" Koba asked, not noticing Junichi drop a coin into the slot. "Junichi, what are you doing?"
"I'm nearly an adult, I'm way outside of the age range for these rides, I'm in a killing game, I'm seriously injured on my first day, an alien girl hates me, I'm having an existential crisis, and I have to watch a DVD that will probably ruin my life somehow," Junichi said, climbing into the seat of the UFO. "But you know what? Fuck it, I'M RIDING THE UFO KIDDIE RIDE! Because it's MY choice!" Junichi shouted at Koba.
"Junichi, this is both dangerous and incredibly childish," Koba said as the ride came to life.
"I don't care anymore!" Junichi shouted, the machine slowly lifting higher into the air as it powered on "I'm dumb and childish! Let me ride my fake-ass UFO in absolute silence for five minutes!" He said, the machine moving around painfully slow and making fake laser sounds.
"Ooooookay," Koba said, blinking a few times from just not really being sure how to handle this situation in a mature and sensible manner. "You know you can't afford this, right?"
"I'm gonna ride this until I feel better and you can't stop this from happening!" Junichi shouted, pointing a finger at Koba as generic 50's sci-fi music started to play from the machine.
After a few minutes of Junichi slowly going in a slow circle, the music slowed to a stop, the lights shut off and the UFO shuddered to a halt.
"...Are you done?" Koba asked, just kind of trying to process how Junichi's stress relief is supposed to work.
"I feel better, we can now continue with the task at hand," Junichi said, climbing out of the UFO ride.
"Those five minutes I'll be regretting losing for the rest of my life, but I'm glad we can move on," Koba said. "I don't think we'll have enough combined to purchase that ride and I doubt if Surumi is still angry with you that she'll you join for this…" Koba said, putting a hand to his chin.
"I gotta do something, man. I don't have enough for this but I want to show her I care. And not like a… 'I'm sorry, here's a cheap card covered in too much glitter' kind of way. I want to show her I pay attention to what she likes and not get her something stupid." Junichi said sincerely while standing in front of a children's UFO ride.
"Uhh… I'm just not going to comment on our surroundings right now." Koba said, leaning over Junichi's shoulder to gaze at what was behind him. "Would it be alright if we viewed these DVDs together after you get something for Surumi? I'll set it up in my bedroom while you figure out what to get her."
"Yeah, sure," Junichi said, doing another walk around the mini-mall, still finding nothing, until a flashing light, and a more fake than usual animatronic bear caught his peripheral.
"Mono-Mono… Is this a capsule machine?" Junichi asked aloud, leaning in to check, he got close enough to see the interface of the machine, it was one of those gachapon machines, but it had poorly rendered 3D models of various Monokumas, all beckoning about 'great prizes' and 'random chance'
"..Might as well," Junichi said as he fished a MonoCoin out of his pocket. He dropped the coin into the machine and turned the knob. The machine said on the side that the more coins you put in, the higher the chance at a rare prize. "This better not get me something like temporary tattoos or something for only putting one in…"
The machine blinked and shook slightly before dropping a small plastic capsule onto the floor. Junichi picked it up and opened it, finding a blue carabiner. "The hell is this? A keychain hook thingy? Damn it, what do they call that? I've seen it before…" he said, inspecting it and scratching his chin. "So much for getting something she wants… 'Here, Surumi. Have a stupid keychain thing I don't know the name of! Clearly, you'll use it for… the keychain you clearly have.' Ugh…"
He turned to walk away from the MonoMono Machine when a digitized voice called "LUCKY!" Junichi turning his head to see another capsule spit out. Junichi scrambled to pick it up off the floor, opening up the capsule with some difficulty thanks to having only one hand. Once it popped open, Junichi saw a roll of stickers. He unfurled some of the stickers, seeing they were shaped like stars and moons. "Yes! Perfect!" Junichi exclaimed, heading off with stickers in hand, tossing aside the carabiner.
Junichi checked his student handbook as he headed for the elevator, looking for Surumi on the map. He soon found her on the 20th floor as he stepped through the elevator doors. The elevator trip was only three floors, but it felt longer as the guilt he was feeling began to pull at him. He could ignore it before when he was distracted by working on the drumkit with Yuuto, talking with Koba and Monokuma's antics. But now, holding the star stickers in his good hand, the guilt began latching onto his heart and adding more weight. The door finally opened, Junichi heading down the hall to find Surumi's lab.
Junichi took a deep breath, trying to think out what exactly to say as he knocked on the door. "Surumi? You in there? It's Junichi." he began, feeling the heel of his right foot drift away from the door. He couldn't run thanks to the wound in his chest, but the elevator wasn't that far from the lab, so he could still make a break for it in the silence that followed. He'd see her later if she wasn't in the mood to talk to him. It'd be hard to avoid each other when there were five floors and one of them was pretty much blocked off.
I can just come back later. He thought, trying to rehearse everything out in his head before the door opened. Surumi stood in the door frame, her usual whimsical smile spread across her face.
"Hello, Junichi," she said, her voice disarmingly serene. It seemed that bowing out and leaving her alone was off the table, so Junichi had to scramble for how to start this apology off. Thankfully, Surumi gave him a hook by asking "What brings you here?"
"Ah… er… well, I wanted to apologize for what happened at breakfast. I lost my head there and I made a big idiot out of myself," Junichi began, Surumi letting out a small sigh.
"Yes, but I will admit my attitude in return was petty. It really was stupid of us to get so worked up over sandwiches." Surumi said, shaking her head.
"Hey now, I'm the one who got worked up. I was the one who yelled, you just nerve pinched me," Junichi said.
"And I refused to speak to you after that. It really wasn't fair to you as you were guilty about your," Surumi said, tilting her head back slightly in thought. "What did Izumi call it again? A meltdown?" she asked, Junichi suddenly snickering a bit.
"Pfft! Okay, that was pretty good…" Junichi said. He wondered just how much of that was actually the joke being funny and how much was just him trying to get his mind off his guilt still. Surumi looked at him with a puzzled expression before bursting into laughter.
"Oooooh, I get it! A melt-down! Hahahaha~" Surumi said as she laughed her rhythmic laugh, though this time it sounded a lot more natural and melodic than when Junichi first heard it. And he oddly liked the sound of it. Well, she's happy now, so that's gotta count for something, right? Junichi thought as he joined her in laughing at Izumi's joke.
The two shared a good laugh at the pun before Junichi remembered the stickers in his hand. "Anyway, I wanted to make it up to you and since I couldn't get you that UFO ride in the mini-mall, I got these for you," he said, handing the roll of stickers to her. Surumi unrolled the stickers, her tawny eyes lighting up in delight.
"Ahhh~ They're wonderful, Junichi! Are they glow in the dark?" Surumi asked as stretched the roll to the width of her arms.
"Whoa, I didn't even think of that when I got them," Junichi said. "I was just thinking you could decorate your room with them, but hey if they glow in the dark too, that'd be awesome."
Surumi re-rolled the star stickers with a giddy smile. "I think I have an even better use for them. I'm gonna use them to decorate my lab! Thank you so much, Junichi!" Surumi exclaimed, suddenly wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Ack! Ow! Surumi! Watch the arm!" Junichi exclaimed, feeling relief at how well the stickers worked, flustered over Surumi hugging him out of nowhere and sharp pain at her squeezing her body against his injured shoulder. After the most painful hug that Junichi ever felt in his life, Surumi pulled back.
"Ah! Sorry, Junichi, I got caught up in the moment there…" Surumi said, hands resting on his shoulder blades. Junichi just sighed and shrugged it off.
"It's alright… look, I gotta go meet with Koba, but I can't wait to see your lab once you're done decorating," Junichi said as Surumi let go of him, giving her three-fingered salute.
"Have a good evening, Junichi!" she said, Junichi trying to match her salute, hoping he doesn't accidentally offend her and get booted from Intergalactic Federation. She then skipped back into her lab, shutting the door.
Junichi, heart free from the guilt weighing him down, headed back to the elevator.