"Ten minutes until the next murder…" Tsumiki sighed, looking at the band on her wrist.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Komaeda replied.

"Well…you've booby-trapped the door," She said, hugging her legs to her chest, "and you told me your NG Code already, so…"

"Would you still trust me even if I hadn't told you?"

"T-the Future Foundation trusted you enough to send you here… and so much has changed since the simulation. So, yes… yes, I trust you too!" She blurted out, earnestly as she could.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a smile, resting the back of his head against the wall. "In that case, would you mind telling me your NG Code? I'd hate to do something that might hurt you. I mean, what if it were something like 'Listen to a worthless man rattle on about Hope'?"

"It's…I'm not allowed to cry…" She stated miserably, burying her face into her knees.

"Ohhhh! So that's why you're holding it together so well."

Komaeda could have sworn that he heard the beginnings of a sniffle coming from beside him.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry!" he fretted, waving his hands, "Hey, look, you know that I'm forbidden from lying, right?"

The girl gave a silent nod, raising her head from her knees.

"Then, you know that when I tell you that I'm happy it's you that I'm stuck in here with, I'm telling the truth. I mean, my life is pretty worthless and all, but I'd rather not die right now if I could help it-"

"Don't say that!" Tsumiki squealed. "If you say things that aren't true, y-you'll die! 'You're worthless'- That's not true at all!"

Komaeda laughed. "If you say so. Although, I'm not bleeding from my eyeballs right now, so clearly, I'm not entirely wrong."

"There's a difference, though, between simply being mistaken, and out-right lying... T-that's what I think, at least." Tsumiki said, shifting to sit on her legs.

"That's fair enough, I suppose."

A few moments passed in relative silence, as their timers continued to count down the minutes. Tsumiki began to wonder how the other Future Foundation members were fairing- if any of them had found a safe place as well, or if it were only Komaeda's luck that had led the two into the little office they huddled in now. There was no one banging their door down, at any rate, though goodness knew that Munakata- among others- was displeased, to say the very least, about two Remnants of Despair being allowed to join the Foundation.

Even if Komaeda didn't have his luck, Tsumiki thought to herself, she couldn't think of anyone she would rather fall asleep next to in the next few minutes.

She reached out her hand, hesitantly, pulling it back just a bit, before finally allowing it rest on top of Komaeda's good hand.

The boy looked to her, eyes wide, before he returned the gesture, wrapping his fingers around her's with a little squeeze.

"You don't still think you're going to cry, do you? I could tell you a story to keep your mind off it. It might be kind of boring, coming from me, but-"

Tsumiki shook her head, holding up her other wrist to show him the band.

There was one minute remaining.

"Good night, Tsumiki-san"

"...Good night."

End