Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. This chapter will be mainly be free times. Sorry if there's some of you want to get to the plot already, but I can't ignore the events. Especially since they're filled with funny character interactions, foreshadowing, and character development. Though I tried compressing as much as possible. Still, I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Here's the next chapter! Its full of lies, philosophy and more bonding moments so enjoy yet another light hearted chapter! Not many questions this time so it's going to be a short section.
Questions:
Q: Spirit, who do you ship in each of the Danganronpa games?
L: Interesting, I never asked Spirit this myself so I'm intrigued as well :D Anyways, no one asked but, I'm definitely a Mukuro fan for DR1, a Mahiru fan for DR2, and Kirumi fan for V3... *cries in corner*
S: For the pairings in general, they're Makoto/Kyoko in DR1, Sonia/Gundham in DR2, and Shuichi/Kaede in V3. For what girls I liked paired with the main character, it's Hina in DR1, a tie between Mahiru and Mikan in DR2, and Kaede in V3.
Q: Isn't it unfair for the girls to punish Makoto for something he technically didn't even do?
L: I'll leave it up to your imagination for what the punishment was but man, don't underestimate a girl's anger man. And it's quite a question isn't it? Can you be punished for something your future self in a parallel world did? Should you be? I don't know but it's more amusing this way :P (at least to me)
S: Yeah, it's probably unfair. Funny, but unfair. But most of the girls (And most of the class in general) are lead by emotion rather than logic, so they wouldn't really think of it as unfair.
Chapter 50: Watching Ch 50: NGL! STGH! Part 9
"Hello, Makoto." Celeste greeted the moment she noticed Makoto enter the dining hall. "I must say, I am quite troubled…"
"Huh?" That got Makoto attention. "How come?"
"I would like you to teach me something." The gambler requested.
"What…?"
"I want you to teach me how to play shogi." She stated.
That earned a couple of raised eyebrows. "You don't know how to play shogi?" Byakuya questioned. "That is very odd. I thought you knew every game involving the life of gambling."
"Are there no gambling circuits involving shogi?" Sayaka inquired curiously.
In response, Celeste shook her head. "No, there are certainly circuits like that." Celeste confirmed. "Which is why I desire to learn."
"Oh, uh…" Makoto scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't know how to play, either."
"I see…" Celeste huffed in disappointment. "You really are useless, are you?"
"You really don't hold back on your words huh." Leon deadpanned.
"And besides, Makoto isn't useless!" Hina argued. "Sure, he isn't the smartest… or the strongest… or have that big of a talent…"
"That's exactly what she's saying!" Junko chirped as Makoto head dropped in depression. Hina winced sheepishly at this.
"But he is able to prove himself reliable, with or without an official talent." Kyoko interjected, to spare Makoto from further verbal punches. "He was also the most helpful in the last two class trials."
Makoto could only smile in embarrassment as Kyoko's counterpoint swiftly ended the topic.
"Uh, okay… but I'm surprised you don't know how to play." Makoto said. "Is it because there's no, like, shogi gambling circuits?"
"Oh, there most certainly are." Celeste answered.
That surprised Makoto a bit. "What, really?"
"But it is all underground." The gambler continued. "It is rather shady, all things considered. I have tried my own hand at it, naturally."
"Wait, hang on a moment…" Leon interjected. "Didn't you just say you wanted to learn how to play?"
"I did." The gambler confirmed.
"And yet you entered a shogi tournament without knowing how to play the game?" Hiro continued for Leon blankly. If even Hiro can raise this point, it goes to say how appalling the idea was.
"It's why I want to learn now." Celeste answered. "So I won't go in blindly again."
"Wait, even though you don't how to play?" Makoto asked, his surprise growing. The two are now walking out of the dining hall, after putting away their dishes.
"That is why I wish to learn now." Celeste stated. "I placed my pieces without even thinking. What on Earth was I doing…?"
"And you still tried to win an underground shogi tournament?"
"Tried?" Celeste shook her head. "Oh, no. I did win."
"What?!" Was the overall reaction of the group. Mondo spoke for all of them. "The fuck do you mean you won?!"
"How could you win when you didn't know how to play?!" Byakuya questioned in disbelief.
"Who knows?" Celeste said with a shrug. "Perhaps it was beginner's luck?"
"I'm pretty sure beginner's luck doesn't work that way…" Taka pointed out.
"I can definitely agree with that..." Makoto agreed.
"You won?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.
"I didn't really understand, but apparently my final opponent was infamously powerful." Celeste told him. "She was… rather odd... like a voluptuous woman who dressed as an exotic french maid."
"Like you're one to talk about being odd." Leon said blankly. "All you wear is gothic clothing."
"True." Celeste admitted. "But it was more of her personality that was odd."
"But… how did you win?" Makoto asked, getting back on topic.
"Beginner's luck, perhaps?" Was her innocent suggestion.
"I don't think beginner's luck work in shogi…" Makoto deadpanned.
"See? Makoto agrees with me."
"I also agree as well." Byakuya remarked, frowning. "Shogi isn't the type of game you can win with luck alone."
"You should know by now not to underestimate my luck." Celeste stated, smiling. "A certain amount of good or bad luck can go either way."
Celeste merely giggled at that. "Is that so?"
'Yep. The more I learn about Celeste, the less I understand her…' Makoto thought blankly.
"Are we even sure it's beginner luck?" Mukuro pointed out. "She could be lying again."
The group was silent at that. "...You may have a point." Makoto admitted. Sometimes, it's hard to tell when the gambler is lying or not.
Celeste gave a small pout. "Do you have to doubt me that much?"
"Yes." Was the blank, simultaneous answer of everyone else.
As the two walked out of the dining hall, Celeste let out another giggle. "Look how quickly we have become close friends, Makoto."
'Have we…?' Makoto thought with confusion and wariness.
"So let me share with you something…" The gambler continued. "I will tell you about the biggest crisis I ever faced in my gambling life."
That caught the group's attention. "You had a what now?" Leon questioned in surprise.
"A gambling crisis?" Sayaka repeated and sharing Leon's shock. "I though the term didn't even apply to you!"
"But of course." Celeste sighed. "Even I end up unlucky sometimes."
"So what exactly happened?" Sakura inquired, curious.
"You shall see."
Makoto, however, silently groaned, knowing what exactly the "crisis" was.
'Biggest…? You had a gambling crisis?' Makoto thought in shock. 'What happened…?'
"A shadowy organization was hosting a mysterious tournament…" Celeste began the story. "The game in which I participated was called King of Liars."
"King of Liars…?"
"It was quite a severe game. When you enter, they strip you of all your assets. Money, property, everything." The gambler stated. "You must use your wisdom, cunning, and luck to battle through challenge after challenge. For the final match, I had to face off with an odd duo… they called themselves the Honest Woman and the Liar Genius."
A few felt chills were sent up everyone's spines. "Wow, that sounds really scary," Hina said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I couldn't imagine entering something like that."
"Me neither." Sayaka said with a shake of her head. "I can't believe you entered into that Celeste."
"Assuming that it isn't another of her lies." Byakuya remarked. "This sounds far too fictional to be true."
"Well, you know what they say. Reality is stranger than fiction." Celeste shot back without missing a beat.
Makoto felt a slight chill go up his spine. "Wow, they sound pretty scary…"
"Oh, that part is not important." Celeste dismissed. "But during a break, I was careless and spilled some tea on my clothes." She began sounding more distressed. "I was terrified that the stain would never come out. That was a very difficult time in my life."
That caused the whole group to freeze for a moment. "...The fuck did she say just now?" Mondo asked bluntly.
"And there it is…" Makoto sighed, not surprise at the least.
"...Huh?"
"I was forced to win more quickly than I wanted, so that I could rush to the cleaners." Celeste continued. "I was able to get the stain out, but it was perilously close…" She let out a sigh. "If I had waited even another hour, I would have been forced to throw out my favorite dress."
Now everyone was sporting blank or disbelieving looks. "Are you serious right now?" Byakuya questioned in disbelief "Your 'gambling crisis' is tea being spilled on your dress?"
"That's a clothing crisis, not a gambling crisis!" Junko exclaimed.
"How could you call it a gambling crisis when you won the game?" Chihiro asked in confusion.
"The spill on my dress forced me to win sooner than expected." Celeste argued. "If it weren't for that, I would've spent that time humiliating my opponents."
"I think they got humiliated enough…" Leon deadpanned. The fact that she took her dress as her number one priority over a dangerous gambling tournament must've been insulting to the opponents.
Makoto was silent, utterly baffled at what he just heard. 'That was her 'crisis'? The biggest crisis she ever faced…?' He thought incredulously. 'I just… don't even know what to say.'
"Don't blame you there, dude." Mondo sighed, facepalming. Seriously, this is almost as stupid as one of Hiro's conversations.
But he didn't dare say that out loud for obvious reasons.
The next scene switched to Hifumi and Makoto at the art room. "Hey, Mr. Naegi?" Hifumi called the luckster.
"Yeah? What's up?" Makoto asked curiously.
"I feel like you're worthy of my trust, you know?" The fanfic creator said. "You're the only one… I can confess too." A serene smile entered his face. "I've reached my limit. I need to get out of here. Right now."
That calm confession definitely startled some of the students, as well as sent chills up some spines. "What's wrong now?!" Leon exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah! Don't say that with that smile!" Hina agreed with Leon.
"H-Hey, come on." Makoto quickly said, a chill up his spine. "Don't talk like that when you've got that creepy grin on your face…"
"I need to see her." Hifumi groaned in misery. "I need to get a TV. I need to see the real Princess Piggles."
"That's what you're fucking worried about?!" Mondo questioned in disbelief.
"And weren't you drooling over an AI just a day ago?" Junko pointed out.
"Even I can feel disappointed at your priorities." Mukuro commented.
"That doesn't mean I can no longer adore my favorite princess!" Hifumi responded back fiercely. "Princess Piggles will always be dear to my heart!"
"I can't believe he's serious…" Leon groaned, facepalming.
'What does he mean, 'real'?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'She's a cartoon character.'
Hifumi froze at that. "Just a cartoon character?" The fanfic creator repeated, as if he just heard something extremely insulting. "What do you mean, 'just a cartoon character'?!" He turned to Makoto with a fierce glare. "She's is not just a simple, common cartoon character! She's-"
He rant was interrupted with yet another baseball to the head. "Continue the damn thing!" Leon shouted to Spirit, who simply shrugged and played the TV once more.
'But now might be a bad time to bring that up…'
"No kidding…" Several muttered. They were glad Leon manage to shut Hifumi up before he could start.
"Listen, don't get so upset. I'm sure you'll see her again really soon!" Makoto tried to reassure the fanfic creator. Then, in hopes of changing his mindset, he said this. "But jeez, Hifumi… you really love that anime, huh?"
"Of course. She's my guiding angel. She opened my eyes to life." Hifumi stated. "Before her, I didn't have a single friend. I was just a mild-mannered boy who liked to draw. I hurt everything I touched. I was a model young lad who fell to the Dark Side…"
"For example! Sometimes a nicey-nice type girl would come try to talk to me, right?" He brought up. "You know, be nice to the weird, dorky kid. And I'd scream at her, 'You're such a hypocrite!' I'd just yell right at her face and make her cry. Man I loved doing that…"
That caused several to look at the fanfic creator in disbelief and slight anger. "You yelled at a girl who's nice to you?!" Leon questioned incredulously. "And enjoyed it?!"
Hifumi looked uncomfortable at the looks. "Yeah, so?"
That comment earned three baseballs to the face. "Ow!"
"Mild-mannered my ass!" Mondo exclaimed in anger. At least with him, he didn't try to yell at girls on purpose. "You don't just try to make a girl cry! You don't do that!"
"My bro is right! Upsetting those who are kind to you is unacceptable!" Taka exclaimed in agreement.
"Geez, and I thought Toko got some issues, man…" Hiro sighed, earning a dirty look from the book writer.
"C'mon! That girl was being nice out of pity!" Hifumi argued in defense for himself. "I wasn't about to accept!"
"Whether or not that's true, you shouldn't have rejected that kindness with harsh words." Sakura lectured firmly. "It probably led to you being friendless."
"Much less have a girlfriend…" Junko added in.
'That's awful… he probably traumatized that poor girl!' Makoto thought to himself.
"You're siding with them, Mr. Naegi?!"
"Sorry Hifumi, but that was wrong." Makoto said, his voice a bit firm. "You don't even know if she was just pitying you."
Celeste let out a giggle. "Seems like no one is going to defend you on this one, Hifumi."
The fanfic creator merely let out a 'hmph' and crossed his arms childishly, refusing to admit that he was in the wrong.
"But by total chance, I happened to catch an episode of Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess one day." Hifumi said, getting back to the main subject. "At first, I felt nothing but contempt for it. I thought it was just another magical girl anime. However… after that, she came to me in my dreams."
"Your dreams…?" Makoto repeated.
"I dreamed that I went on date after lovely date with Princess Piggles." Hifumi said, his usual perverted look entering his eyes. "It was… so much fun. When I woke up and realized it was a dream, I got depressed. But I also realized… I was in love."
Facepalms, blank looks, and eye rolls ensued. "Wow, dude. Just… wow." Mondo said, shaking his head.
"You think you're in love with a drawing thanks to a dream?" Byakuya questioned with a bit of disbelief. "That's absolutely pathetic."
"Absolutely disgusting" Toko added.
"And didn't your future self say he was in love with Alter Ego?" Hina pointed out.
"My love for Princess Piggles and Alter Ego are different!" Hifumi argued. "For the Princess, it's an admiration type of love! Like a guy loving their favorite idol! For Alter Ego, it's true love! One that will last forever!"
"Or never." Chihiro muttered darkly.
"I wanted to experience that sensation again, so I started buying all the Princess Piggles stuff I could. Unfortunately, in the show itself, the princess never falls in love. So as much as I wanted to, I never got to see her face filled with love, the way I did in my dream." A depressed look entered his face. "The face she made when she was in love was the cutest thing I've ever seen…"
"So, filled to the brim with my overflowing affection for the princess, I decided to draw that face myself!" The fanfic creator stated. "I was consumed with passion, and I finished one Princess Piggles project after another. I was so happy with the results, I decided to put it up on my personal website, just to see what happened." A proud smile entered his lip. "And it was an instant success!"
"Ah!" Sayaka said in realization. "That's how you got into fanfics, Hifumi?"
"Sure did!" Hifumi stated with a proud nod. "Thanks to my love for Princess Piggles, I evolved, starting from just another writer, to the Ultimate Fanfic Creator!"
"All because of one dream…" Junko remarked. "Well, it could be worse. He probably would've continued screaming at girls that talks to him."
"Yeah, that would be bad…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.
"That was the moment I was reborn as a true fanfic creator!"
"So that's why, huh?" Makoto commented on.
"I was so happy…" Hifumi continued, smiling. "I had no idea there were other people on the planet who'd felt the same things I had. I can't thank her, I know that! So instead…" Once again, a perverted glint entered his eyes. "I'll ball up all my love and affection, and use it to do incredibly embarrassing things to her!"
That earned face-faults and facepalms. "That's not how you thank someone Hifumi!" Taka exclaimed, looking offended. "Regardless of whether they're real or not!"
"Be silence, my rival!" Hifumi stated, pointing a finger at the moral compass. "You know nothing of how to express true love! That is why you shall lose the fight for Alter Ego's heart!"
"I'm not into Alter Ego!"
"I won't fall for your tricks, heathen!"
'Can he just shut up already?' Celeste groaned in her head, trying not to snap. Hearing all this geeky stuff is getting on her nerves!
'I think he missed the mark… by a mile.' Makoto deadpanned. 'Well, at least I understand him a little better now…'
"She's still developing as a woman, you know! And I can keep developing her in all sorts of ways!" Hifumi said, drooling a little.
'...And maybe understanding him just a little better is good enough.' Makoto decided.
"Agreed." Was the overall statement of most of the students, ignoring the fanfic creator's squawk. Who knows what's going on in that perverted head of his?
The next scene switched to Makoto walking around the 3rd floor hall. As he was walking, he spotted Byakuya walking towards him. "Oh, Byakuya." Makoto said in slight surprise. "You manage to get away from Jill?"
"Fortunately, yes." Byakuya said with a annoyed sigh. "Unfortunately, it took a lot of my precious time. The damn serial killer was stubborn in her pursuit."
"Yeah, I can imagine…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.
Once again, that brought another bout of laughter from the group, causing a tick mark to appear on Byakuya's head. Immature children, all of them…
Shaking his head, the heir changed the subject. "Listen, Makoto. I wanted to ask you something."
'What could Byakuya want to talk to me about?' Makoto thought warily.
Byakuya's statement, and Makoto's thought, caused the laughter to stop. "Yeah, what does the asshole want to talk to Makoto about?" Mondo questioned, eyes narrowed.
"How much you want to bet it's something insulting?" Leon remarked.
That earned a snort from Junko. "Nobody's dumb enough to take that sucker's bet."
'I have a bad feeling about this…'
Both Sayaka and Hina frowned, while Mukuro slightly furrowed her brows. None of them are eager to hear what Byakuya have to ask Makoto…
Despite his feeling, Makoto spoke up. "Oh, umm… sure, what's up?"
"You know… only a few chosen, perhaps 1% of us, are able to succeed in life." The heir began. "For the other 99%, their dreams never come true. Some never even have a dream in the first place. Spending every waking hour toiling to scrap together a meager living, just barely getting by… I just don't understand. Is there any meaning to a life like that?"
Makoto resisted letting out a sigh, especially when he saw the growing looks of anger from several of his friends while Byakuya grew slightly tense. This is going to get ugly, he can tell…
"Why are you asking me…?"
"Because you're part of that 99%, of course." Byakuya answered. "Why did you even feel the need to ask?"
'I knew he was gonna insult me somehow…' Makoto mentally groaned.
"Up until now, I've never been around anyone like that. So I'm interested…" Byakuya continued. "So tell me, how does it feel to live a life without hope, without potential or ambition or dream?"
As Sayaka got up to go and slap Byakuya, Makoto quickly grabbed her arm. "Wait Sayaka, don't!"
"He deserves a slap!" Sayaka growled, struggling against Makoto's hold. "That jerk is treating you like you're a slave or a low-wage worker, working only to survive!"
"Damn straight!" Mondo agreed, fury filling his voice. The only reason he's not joining Sayaka cause Taka and Chihiro quickly placed their hands on his arms. "And not only that, he's also implying that most of us are like that!"
"That's the future Byakuya that's saying that!" Makoto argued, keeping a tight hold on Sayaka's arm. "Our Byakuya has changed! He doesn't believe that anymore!"
"As unpleasant as it may be, I must admit that." Byakuya spoke up for himself, ignoring the glares from the others. "Some time after this conversation, he managed to prove to me that you 99% are capable of having a 'satisfied' life. I had not realized you all use a different scale to measure satisfaction."
"How was that possible?" Celeste inquired.
"I'll let you all witness that yourselves."
Sayaka gave the heir one more venomous glare before settling back down on the couch. Makoto sighed in relief, and let go of his idol friend's arm. Was Sayaka always this protective?
"C-Come on!" Makoto protested fiercely. "I don't have ambition, or dreams? I've never felt that way about myself! I mean, sure, maybe I'll never be as rich as you or anything, but… do you have to go around saying that to everyone? Can you only be happy by being better than others?"
"Your complaints are as old and repetitive as a third-rate pop song from any generation…" Was the heir's mocking response. "And yet, those are the words of the 99%. That is how you find comfort in your tiny, cold little world."
"Can I whack him upside the head? Just once?" Leon asked, clenching his fist tightly in anger. "I don't care if this is the future Byakuya saying that, I want to punch him right in the face!"
"D-Don't threaten my master!" Toko hissed at him, glaring at the baseball star. The entire hostility got her nerves up and running. "He's more wise than you!"
"I don't want to hear that from his obsessive fan girl!"
"O-Obsessive? Why you-"
"Enough. There's no point arguing." Kyoko interrupted. "Let just continue on." Leon and Toko glared at one another before moving their eyes away from each other.
"S-Stop saying stuff like that!"
"Sorry, I can't not speak the truth." Byakuya denied. "No matter how much you push and struggle, people like you will never be in a position to change the world."
Taka had to hold back a growl that was coming up his throat. This is worst than the last time Makoto spoke to him! Is there no end to Byakuya's arrogance?! What makes him think that normal people aren't in a position to change the world?!
'How is someone this arrogant?' Mukuro thought, annoyance and slight anger creeping up her chest. Not even some of the few cocky soldiers in Fenrir was this bad.
"You could all disappear tomorrow, and nothing would change. Your existence is of no consequence."
Makoto couldn't help but scowl at this. "Whether that's true or not, it doesn't matter." He argued. "Even if you live a totally normal, unimportant life, you can still find happiness in that. If I can live a life that I'm satisfied with, that's all that matters. If I spent, all my time comparing my life to other people's, I'd never be happy."
His small speech brought cheers to the group. "Yeah, you tell him Makoto!" Hina exclaimed happily. "Show him that we're not robots!"
"Damn straight! We don't have to be goddamn rich to be happy!" Mondo remarked with a grin.
"Yet another moving speech, Makoto!" Taka stated, tears forming in his eyes. "No matter what life you have, if it brings you happiness, and as long as it doesn't hurt others, that's all that matter!"
"Sure, maybe you can do that. You were guaranteed success from the day you were born, so-"
"Hold it!" Byakuya interrupted sharply. "From the day I was born? You have no idea…" A angry scowl entered his face. "You don't have a clue what you're talking about!"
Byakuya's anger startled the group. "Did… Makoto hit a nerve there?" Hiro asked.
"It would appear so." Celeste agreed, looking slightly surprise. "My, my, looks like even Byakuya have sore spots."
Makoto couldn't help but wince at this, rubbing his head sheepishly. While he couldn't have known the process of becoming the heir of the Togami Empire, he still feel a bit guilty about making that assumption.
Makoto was taken aback at Byakuya's expression. "What…?"
"Those who are 'chosen' from birth have no concept of what that truly means." Byakuya hissed. "I have gone to battle and emerged victorious. That is why I am the chosen."
"W-What are you talking about…?"
"I'm wondering the same thing to," Hina said, looking at Byakuya with confusion and wariness. "I mean, weren't you born heir to your family?"
"Of course not." Byakuya hissed, scowling. "Like my future self said, I went into battle and earned my position as the Togami heir."
"W-What do you mean? What battle?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.
Byakuya merely let out a 'tsk' in response. "As if I would willingly tell any of you ignorant fools." Though he have a feeling at some point, it would be revealed on screen. However, that doesn't mean he had to say anything now.
"You're spoiled, all of you. Running away into a world of self-indulgence." Byakuya said, venom in his voice. "Battle, competition, rivalry - you run away from it all. That is why the 99% walk the path they do." The heir began walking away from Makoto. "Good god, your absolute lack of understanding makes me want to weep."
For once, nobody got angry at the insults Byakuya spat out. They were shocked at how much emotion the heir was showing. "Damn, I didn't know Byakuya could get that angry." Leon said in surprise.
"Neither did I." Kyoko looked at the heir with a raised eyebrow. "So it does seem like you do have a basis as to why you hold these beliefs."
"Of course. The philosophies of this world aren't simply formed from nothing." Byakuya scoffed.
Taka couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. How else did Byakuya become the Ultimate Affluent Progeny without being born into the position? What did he mean by battle?
Makoto could only stare at his retreating back in shock. "What the heck got into him?" He wondered to himself. 'He was acting totally normal, until… until I said something about being guaranteed success from the day he was born…' He furrowed his eyebrows. "I wonder why that set him off…"
"Indeed. Anything that could set Mr. Togami off is an interesting topic to go into." Hifumi stated, adjusting his glasses. "And if I remember correctly, he also got angry when Taka called geniuses lazy sods."
"Yeah, definitely an interesting story there." Junko remarked, looking at the heir. She's very interested on his history now.
The scene switched to Makoto and Kyoko walking with one another in the hallway. The two of them were silent for a moment, before Kyoko chose to speak up. "Can we finish this already?"
"Huh?" Makoto looked at her in confusion. "Finish…?"
Immediately, the group had a guess as to what she means. "There goes the ice queen…" Leon joked, drawing a look from said 'ice queen'.
"If we truly want to trust each other, we must truly know each other." Kyoko repeated his words from before. "That's what you believe, isn't it?"
"Well… yeah, but…"
"I understand why you feel that way, but… when it comes to me, I think you should probably give up." Kyoko stated bluntly.
"What?" Makoto's eyes widen at this before stopping and turning towards the lavender haired girl. "Why?!"
"Because I don't have anything to talk to you about." Was her simple answer.
Celeste raised an eyebrow at this. "Is this your trust issues speaking, or is it due to your lost memories?"
"A mixture of both, probably." Kyoko answered.
"Does that mean… you don't trust me?" Makoto asked, sounding hurt.
Kyoko looked away, silent at first. After a moment, she spoke. "If you get too involved with someone, you're apt to lose any sense of good judgement." She then look back at the luckster. "I learned that lesson myself all too well. Personal experience is a ruthless teacher."
"Personal experience…?"
Kyoko held up one of her hands. "Surely by now you've noticed I always wear these gloves," She pointed out. "Simply put, there was a time when I grew attached to someone, and I made a bad decision. I was forced to learn a very powerful lesson, and these gloves are a daily reminder of that."
Makoto smiled a little to himself. While he still doesn't know the full story yet, Kyoko had told him some things. The fact she told him anything about her gloves and the story behind them makes him feel honoured.
"So on these gloves, I swore to never make the same mistake again."
"So something happened that caused her not to get close to others?" Hina questioned, frowning. "I can't imagine what that could be…"
"Though it seems that attitude did change some, Kyoko." Taka pointed out. "You seem to be more relaxed around us now."
"Especially Makoto." Leon added with a smirk.
Kyoko didn't rise to the bait, though it didn't stop the warmth of her feelings rushing to her cheeks. "Well, some of you are just extremely relentless when it comes to friendship." She gave a pointed look to Makoto and Hina, the former gaining a sheepish look while the latter merely grinned.
"S-Sorry, but… I'm not sure I completely understand." Makoto said honestly. "Can you tell me more about it? Maybe then I could…"
"I'm sorry, but I can't." Kyoko denied softly. "That's the end of it."
'The end…' Makoto looked down in sadness. 'So then, I never got to learn anything about her, about how she feels.'
The sight of a sad looking Makoto gave several of the girls the urge to embrace him like a hurt puppy. "I can't believe you were able deny a face like that." Sayaka said towards Kyoko. "You really have to be an Ice Queen to do that."
"Yeah." Hina agreed with a nod.
Kyoko merely crossed her arms and looked away, forcing herself to not be provoked. She didn't realize she was this difficult to talk to in the past, and admitting that would definitely be an embarrassment that she would rather not experience.
The two were silent for a moment. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "Anyway, don't get too depressed over all this." She told him. "The reason I'm not willing to talk about it isn't because I don't trust you. In fact, I do have faith in you. Which is why I decided to tell you what I have. I want you to understand why I can't tell you."
"That's pretty soft of you, Kyoko." Junko commented on. A mischievous smile entered her lip. "Did the sad puppy eyes Makoto sported affect you?"
The detective didn't move an inch from her posture, though as her internal embarrassment threatened to flush her cheeks, she couldn't rebuke it either.
"I can't show you myself, just like I can't show you what's beneath these gloves." She held up her gloves once again. "I can't remember the last person who saw what was beneath my gloves."
"That long…?"
"That's right." Kyoko nodded. "And I can't imagine a point where I would show them ever again. Only someone I could call family would be worthy."
"Family…?"
"Are you going to volunteer?" The lavender haired girl asked softly.
That got some teasing sounds from his male friends, with the luckster blushing. "So, are you going to propose Makoto?" Leon asked with a grin. "And if so, when's the wedding?"
"Make sure all of us gets invitations, dude." Hiro joined in the teasing.
Makoto ducked his head down in embarrassment, not noticing the dark frowns on four certain female students. "C'mon, guys!" Makoto whined. "Kyoko is teasing me!"
"And how do you know that?" Byakuya inquired.
Makoto blushed further. "Because… she did that to me some time ago…"
That got some laughter from his friends while Kyoko gave him a smug smirk.
The other girls could only internally pout as Kyoko earned the spotlight to herself again.
Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Huh?!" A blush quickly spread on his cheek.
"Got you again…" Kyoko teased. A small chuckle escaped her mouth. "You really are foolishly open." A small, soft, sincere smile entered her lips as she laughed.
Makoto slumped at this. 'She did get me again. And laughed at me again. But…' Makoto looked at the chuckling girl. 'I've never really heard her laugh out loud like that. I think that must be her natural laugh.'
"Yeah. Still weird to see her laugh sometimes." Leon remarked. "Like, she didn't even crack a smile the first month at Hope's Peak."
"However, thanks to Mr. Naegi maxed persuasion skill, he's able to melt through Miss Kirigiri's cold heart." Hifumi declared, drawing a look from the detective.
Chihiro let out a tiny giggle. "And it's nice, seeing her laugh sometimes."
"Yeah, it is." Hina agreed with a bright smile. Especially since it's so rare to see her like that.
'It is, right? That's wasn't fake.' Makoto smiled. 'So maybe in the end… she did show me some part of herself. Maybe she showed me her true feelings…'
"And the bond between the detective and luckster student grows deeper…" Junko declared dramatically. "Seriously, even in a killing game, the two of you seem to have a special bond."
"I guess we fit well together, despite any situation." Kyoko stated, discreetly giving a small smirk to the other girls, especially Sayaka.
The blue-haired idol gritted her teeth at that. Oh, she's using this chance to rub it in!
Kyoko spoke up once again. "I know I always tell you to be careful and protect yourself, but…" Her voice then got softer. "To be honest, I hope you don't change. I prefer you this way." She smiled at him. "This is… you."
The group could see the closeness between the two. They can tell, despite the few times they saw the future Makoto and Kyoko with each other, that they were growing incredibly close.
The present Makoto and Kyoko looked at one another before smiling, the luckster giving a bashful smile while the detective had a smaller one. It really does seem like they're growing close as they are now, despite the situation.
Sayaka, meanwhile, frowned to herself. While she doesn't doubt that she's close to Makoto, closer than the most of the class, Kyoko was equally close. Maybe even closer, after what they witnessed in chapter one. It made the detective a serious contender for her luckster's heart.
Mukuro also frowned, feeling envious of the bond Kyoko shares with Makoto. She wished she could be that close with him. But that seems to be a distant dream, especially with the knowledge he now possesses.
The luckster couldn't help but blush at this, but smiled. 'In the end, I never did really figure her out.' He thought to himself. 'But at least I got a little bit closer…'
'I'd say it's more than a little bit.' Kyoko thought to herself. While her future self is aloof, mainly due to her memory loss, she can tell the future self is starting to grow fond of Makoto just as she now is.
Hina pouted to herself, while Celeste twirled her hair around her finger in contempt. Like Mukuro, they wished they could be as close with Makoto as Kyoko was. And like Sayaka, they know that Kyoko is the biggest contender out of the five of them.
Shaking out of her jealous thoughts, a new thought crossed Hina's head. "We've been seeing more of these talks, haven't we?"
"We have." Mukuro confirmed with a nod. "The numbers have definitely increased since chapter two."
"Is it going to increase with each chapter?" Sakura questioned.
"I doubt it." Byakuya answered, shaking his head. "If it would, this viewing would be longer than necessary. Plus, its only natural since there are fewer and fewer people to talk to."
"That's a bleak way of seeing things…" Hiro said with a sweat-dropped.
"But one filled with the facts. We cannot escape that outcome."
"Well, let's just enjoy while it last…" Chihiro suggested, shifting a little. "I'm not really looking forward to seeing anymore of my classmates…" While he didn't finish his sentence, the unsaid words were clear.
That got a few gloomy looks. Yeah, most of them aren't looking forward to that.
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next chapter will be, yet again, another round of free time. Hopefully the last chapter with the events before getting into the meat of chapter three. The plot, the murders, and the trial. So be patient please. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
A Lucky Soldier's Post Chapter random talks: Since the last update, I went back and looked at some of the animes I watched, and decided to read their written originals or counterparts just for fun. One of the series that really got me again, was ReLife. Man, if I could watch the anime and cry, then go back and read the manga and cry again, it means its really good (at least for me). Also, against my better judgement, I decided to go ahead and read the Goblin Slayer manga. Boy, the first chapter of it was definitely worse than the anime but overall, it wasn't so bad. I actually even started to like it after a bit (although, while I understand it's part of the goblin's behaviour, I'm still not too much of a fan of the repeating nudity/sexual content). So, if any of you were put off but that "initial shock", it really isn't that bad so go have a look!
Also, in response to Justsomeguy, I would tell you to play the game regardless. Watching it on youtube is very different than experiencing it at your own pace and it makes you feel more involved with the characters. I won't stop you, but since you bought the game already, I thought I'd share my opinion about visual novels in general :P
Anyways, till next time! :)