Shuichi couldn't sleep.
It had been a little over an hour since he and some of the others had gotten back from Gonta's lab, having checked the time on his Monopad.
Apparently, the reason why the entomologist was running around catching people was for something he called the Insect Meet and Greet.
Claiming they all could meet and interact with different bugs for the sake of appreciation, he gathered as many people as he could.
Shuichi, Himiko, Angie, Tenko, Keebo, Korekiyo, and Tsumugi were all caught and brought to the Ultimate Entomologist Lab.
Himiko and Angie were brought in five minutes before 9:00pm. The detective remembered waking up around 8:00pm, two hours after he was knocked out by Gonta. According to him, it was an accident, unable to slow down in time before crashing into him.
Shuichi woke up to find Kokichi lingering over him.
The boy revealed that all of this was his plan, telling Gonta that everyone hated bugs to send him flying into a rage.
All of this was done in an attempt to gather everyone and make them watch their motive videos.
Although Kokichi left for a few hours, the rest of them were stuck in the lab, the Meet and Greet starting at 9:00pm.
It was something straight out of a horror movie.
Bugs were flying and crawling around everywhere, everyone panicking as they tried to avoid them all. Himiko was buried completely in bugs, Angie just prayed, and he was sure a bug flew into Tsumugi's mouth.
The nighttime announcement wasn't even enough to save them from the utter chaos.
The madness lasted until 11:00pm, around the time Kokichi got back.
His claim to Gonta that he loved bugs however, that was proven to be another one of his lies.
Keebo, using his audio recording function, revealed that Kokichi outright stated he hated bugs.
Needless to say, he got to have another Insect Meet and Greet all to himself.
After they all left the lab, the Monokubs, or at least just Monodam, appeared, redistributing the motive videos Kokichi collected to the correct person's rooms.
What Shuichi was most worried about were some of the others that weren't captured.
Even though he already had faith that Kaito would be okay and they could train tomorrow, he felt himself growing a little uneasy. He tried to sleep on it, but it was keeping him awake, the resulting insomnia preventing him from getting some much needed rest after all of the commotion.
Something could've happened while most of them were in the Meet and Greet.
That one single thought was bothering him, even though he kept trying to tell himself that everything was fine.
Maybe he should check on Ryoma...?
The tennis pro kept telling him not to worry about him so much, but he couldn't help it. Even though he seemed to be doing a little better after their friendly tennis match earlier, he still seemed somewhat distant from the others. The motive was still a problem as well.
Shuichi sat up and got out of bed.
The detective was still tired, but maybe it would put him at ease if he just talked to him.
Getting dressed again, he headed out of his dorm room towards Ryoma's.
Shuichi rang the doorbell, waiting briefly for a response. At the very least, he could be asleep.
Nothing happened, so he rang it again just in case.
No one answered.
If Ryoma wasn't in his room, maybe he was in the school. It's not likely he was at the pool area, it was late at night and swimming is prohibited at nighttime. Not to mention, he wouldn't let himself be so careless again. The consequences would be a lot worse if he did.
All of this felt incredibly familiar.
Feeling himself getting a little antsy, Shuichi stepped away from Ryoma's dorm, leaving to enter the school. The dining hall and gym were closed at nighttime, so checking his lab first was the best idea.
Walking up all of those flights of stairs always made Shuichi a little winded, but he made it to the third floor regardless.
Thankfully he didn't have to walk any farther, Ryoma's lab always sat near the top of the stairs.
He creaked open the door to the lab.
The court was empty, tennis balls littered on the ground like they usually were.
Ryoma wasn't here.
The concern from a few minutes ago ran through Shuichi, his mind slowly beginning to race.
Where was he?
It was nighttime.
Someone could make an attempt.
Looking around for any possible signs of the smaller boy, he noticed something rather odd.
The shower room door was open.
From what he could remember, it was never opened.
Shuichi walked out onto the court, stepping around the scattered tennis balls.
Why would it be standing open? Anyone who wanted to take a shower wouldn't leave it this way.
Maybe Ryoma was in there? The detective wasn't sure what he could be doing, but it was worth checking anyway.
As he moved towards the shower room, he could hear an odd sound reverberating off the walls.
It was distant, but it sounded like...
Water bubbling?
Listening more closely, another sound could be heard amongst the bubbling.
A voice.
A muffled, struggling voice.
Alarmed, Shuichi ran towards the shower room entrance...
...And the sight he witnessed was a horrifying scene he never wanted to see unfold.
Kirumi was drowning Ryoma in a sink.
The tennis pro thrashed and kicked wildly as she held his head underwater, his muffled pleading for help creating the gurgling, bubbling sounds.
Bubbles formed on the water's surface, rising up with each garbled cry.
Shuichi didn't know what came over him.
"Kirumi, stop!"
The aforementioned maid could hardly react with shock before the detective grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from Ryoma.
The girl being taller than him, they both tumbled to the ground, landing on top of Shuichi still holding her.
Ryoma feeling Kirumi's hands leaving his head and back, he launched himself out of the sink, loudly gasping as he fell backwards. His back slammed against the concrete floor, causing him to forcibly cough up the water that had entered his lungs.
He recognized the voice that shouted while his head was still underwater.
...Shuichi...?
"What are you doing here?" Kirumi questioned in a slightly agitated tone.
"Wh-Why? What are you doing?!"
"What am I doing? I believe it is none of your concern."
Shuichi tried to shake his head. "Of course it is! You're trying to kill someone!"
The maid's expression remained stoic but sharp. "I have my reasons. If you release me, I will explain them to you. Maybe then you will understand."
"U-Ugh..." The detective didn't loosen his grip on her. "Will you try to hurt Ryoma again if I let you go...?"
"Not while I am speaking with you. I fully intend to proceed with my goal."
A chill ran down Shuichi's spine, but if she wasn't going to attempt to harm Ryoma for the time being, he had no choice. Kirumi might've been trying to attempt a murder, but she wasn't a liar, either.
The raven-haired boy slowly removed his arms around the maid, allowing her to stand up and dust off her apron dress. Her bare hands were wet, very clearly from forcing Ryoma's head into the sink full of water.
Shuichi kept his eyes on Ryoma as he sat up, the handcuffed tennis pro coughing and wheezing from the attempted drowning.
He had to find a way to get him out of here quickly.
"Y-You handcuffed him...?"
"Yes." Kirumi responded directly. "It was done to prevent him from escaping."
Shuichi didn't say anything, stunned at the lengths she was willing to go to make sure her murder was a complete success.
"If you have no more questions, I shall explain the context behind my actions."
Feeling the slight impatience in her voice, the detective stayed silent.
"As you may know, we have all received motive videos for the killing game. Unlike the other students, I received my own video instead of someone else's."
"You were given your own video...?" Shuichi parroted.
"Indeed. Before we all agreed not to view our motive videos, I had already watched mine prior."
The detective became somewhat prickly. "And you decided to plan a murder after you saw it?"
Kirumi's expression hardened. "There is much more depth to my motives."
"Huh?"
"In my video, I was informed of a very important duty I was tasked with fulfilling as a maid. I have worked with many officials in my profession, including government."
"You... worked with the government?" Shuichi couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The olive-haired girl nodded. "I was called upon by none other than the prime minister himself, providing me with a task no other can fulfill. Supposedly, a wave of catastrophic events were occuring in the outside world, which required him to no longer be able to sit in office temporarily."
Catastrophic events...? The detective pondered. Did that have anything to do with what they saw in the Flashback Light?
"But... But that would mean..."
"Yes. I am currently the de facto prime minister of Japan."
"I don't believe it!" Shuichi exclaimed. "You have to run the entire country?!"
Still lying on the ground, Ryoma listened in with complete shock.
She told him about an important role she had to fulfill in the outside world, but none of the details were ever laid out to him.
Not that it really mattered in his case.
"I was tasked with taking his place briefly as the prime minister, and to uphold my pride as a maid, I must seek to return to my duties for the sake of everyone."
"And that's why you wanted to kill Ryoma... to escape."
Kirumi's expression didn't change. "If that is the conclusion you must draw, then so be it. Sacrifices must be made so that the country does not fall into ruin."
"But what about the rest of us?! If you escape, we'll all be killed!"
"..."
Her silence made Shuichi's blood turn to ice. "Kirumi...?"
"Your sacrifices will not be vain. Including Ryoma, you will all be properly honored by everyone. You will not be forgotten."
"But we don't want that! We were supposed to-"
"...Shuichi..."
A strained, deep voice cut into the argument.
"Ryoma...?"
The smaller boy still lay on his side in a puddle of water, unable to sit up due to being handcuffed.
"Don't... don't argue with her. It should be me you're mad at..."
"What do you mean?"
Ryoma went silent for a couple of seconds.
"I... I let her kill me."
"You what?!" Shuichi raised his voice again. "W-Why?"
Tired eyes were sullen. "...I told you before... I don't have a reason to live anymore."
"But what about what you said about 'picking up what you left behind'?! A-And the magic show... what happened?!"
"It... doesn't matter anymore..." He weakly rasped. "Kirumi... She came to me and told me about her duty in the outside world... Her life had value, and I wasn't gonna get in her way..."
"But if she gets away with murder, we'll die, too..."
Ryoma's expression appeared almost wistful.
"I... Sorry... for dragging you all into this... You don't deserve someone like me... Even if she doesn't get away with it... just forget about me."
"N-No...! I don't want you to die, you deserve to live like the rest of us!" The detective's eyes stung with oncoming tears.
Kirumi decided to intercept the two's colloquy. "Shuichi, please understand the decision we have made. It is for the good of everyone in the country. If you cannot accept this, then I cannot let you leave. You have witnessed my escape attempt, after all."
Shuichi's sadness quickly morphed into burning anger. "You only sought him out because you knew he said had no reason to live! You knew he would agree with you! Can't you wait until we've all escaped?!"
The maid kept her composure in the face of the raven-haired boy's fury, but was slowly starting to lose her patience.
"I do not have time to wait. This killing game is unpredictable. I could become a victim at any point during my time here. I cannot take the risk. Seeking out Ryoma and killing him was the quickest way for me to get back to the public."
"What about Kaede?!"
The tears in his eyes fell at the mention of her name.
Kirumi didn't falter. "...Sometimes the promises we make cannot be kept. If it were any other way, I would be able to."
The detective couldn't argue anything else, shaking from intense anger and sorrow mixing in with each other.
"...I just wanted to check up on Ryoma... I was worried..."
The olive-haired girl didn't respond. "I apologize, but I implore you to make a decision soon, I cannot spare the entire night. If you need to say goodbye, I will allow you the time."
"I... I..."
"Shuichi... just leave me here..." Ryoma croaked from the ground.
Shuichi's heart was racing.
"N... Ne..."
"Please... get out of here and save yourself... Don't worry about me."
Blonde hair briefly flashed before him.
Something inside him snapped.
"NO!"
As if his body moved on its own, Shuichi forcefully pushed Kirumi with both hands, causing her to fall to the ground.
Swiftly turning around before she could retaliate, the detective rushed towards Ryoma.
"Wha-"
The boy's arms wrapped around his body before he could say anything, the sudden motion dizzying him.
Adrenaline pushing him forward, Shuichi made a frantic dash out of the shower room.
Refusing to look back, the detective slammed through the swinging lab door with his body, attempting to dart down the stairs as swiftly as possible.
Desperation and fear clinging to his heart, he held onto Ryoma as tightly as possible.
Held onto the hope that Kirumi wasn't right on his tail.
Sweat and tears dripped down his face, flinging behind him as he raced down the steps.
Anxiety seeming to slow down his perception of time, he finally made it to the bottom. Upon stepping onto the solid floor, he immediately sprinted down the hallway.
If she was directly behind him, he could lose her if he ran as fast as possible. Not a word left him while he sped forward, fearful that he would alert her to his presence.
Ryoma could barely process anything at the moment.
One moment he was on the verge of death, and the next, he was being swiftly carried away from it.
But why...?
Why would Shuichi...
...risk his life to save his...?
...
The pool flashed in his mind.
...He saved his life.
...Again.
He... saved someone like him...
...Even though he didn't deserve it...
He...
The tennis pro's lips briefly trembled.
Reaching the second floor stairs, Shuichi attempted to skip a few steps, going down two instead of one at a time.
Right as he got close to the middle of the staircase, his heel slipped.
The detective held his breath as he tumbled down the stairs, stifling a yelp while struggling to hold onto Ryoma.
Rolling and landing on his back, Shuichi groaned softly from the pain. His body and mind running on overdrive, he instinctively tried to get on his feet, briefly letting go of Ryoma.
Quickly standing up, he helped the tennis player off of the ground.
To his surprise, the moment Ryoma was able to touch the ground with his own two feet...
He started running.
Even while he was still handcuffed, the smaller boy dashed in the direction of the entrance.
Having no time to question it, the raven-haired boy sped off in the same direction.
Reaching the doors, Shuichi pushed them open with his entire body. His heart pounded even faster, too occupied with reaching the dormitory to listen for Kirumi.
With Ryoma's help, the doors opened much quicker, the courtyard within their line of sight.
Adrenaline pumped further.
Almost there.
The two boys raced down the path to the dorms, their end goal within reach.
Ryoma suddenly began to slow down.
Huffing and out of breath, the prisoner began to collapse, crumbling to his knees and beginning to cough.
Shuichi froze in place, instantly turning back to help the weakened tennis pro.
Grabbing him and swiftly lifting him up in his arms, the detective made one final sprint towards the dormitory.
Taking one hand and opening one of the doors, he ran straight to his dorm room.
The door already unlocked from when he initially left, Shuichi swung it open.
With no extra thought, he slammed the door shut with his body and quickly locked it.
Panting and sweating, his adrenaline rush slowly began to die down, limbs trembling from running at top speed.
"Sh... Shuichi..." Ryoma wheezed. "...Can you put me down...?"
The raven-haired boy snapped back to reality. "A-Ah... Okay..."
Resting his legs, Shuichi bent down and released Ryoma, the smaller boy heaving as he got on his knees.
"Ryoma...?"
"I... Ugh..."
Having a bad feeling, the detective reached for a nearby garbage bin. Placing it in front of the tennis player, he gently rubbed his back.
"Th... Tha-ack!"
Before Ryoma could express his gratitude, he began to cough up water.
So that's why Ryoma started slowing down... Shuichi thought.
There was still water in his lungs.
His hand never left Ryoma's back, patting him a few times to help him cough up all of the leftover water in his system. He had eventually thrown up from the combination of exhaustion and water, emptying the contents into the bin.
The convict's eyes watered as his throat burned, making it appear as if he were crying.
Shuichi would cry too, if he were in his position.
Narrowly avoiding an attempted murder would make anyone feel vulnerable.
Ryoma scoffed through his teeth, taking in a breath made much easier now. "...Sorry... it's embarrassing."
"No, it's okay. Just do what you need to do to feel better."
The tennis pro sighed and wiped at his eyes. Raising both of his restrained arms above him and removing his wet beanie, he tossed it onto the floor in front of him.
There was no way that was getting dried now.
Ryoma sat with his legs folded under him, taking in a heavy breath of air.
"Hmph... What you did back there... It was pretty gutsy." The convict spoke more clearly, his voice still somewhat raspy.
Shuichi removed his hand from Ryoma's back. "I had no choice. Kirumi was going to kill you, or even both of us. I had to do something..."
"You had the chance to get away... but you chose me instead."
"Of course. I would never leave you behind like that."
Ryoma was about to voice his usual opposition to Shuichi's words, but bit back his sentence.
He did all of this... for him.
Even if Shuichi got hurt because of him, he wouldn't give up. Over and over he would keep doing it, regardless if he felt like he deserved it.
Regardless of what the risk was.
The detective cared for him that deeply...
"But, I need to know. Why did you let Kirumi try to kill you...?"
The tennis pro exited his thoughts upon hearing the question.
He knew he had already broken Shuichi's heart after what he had told him in the shower room.
He had no reason to live.
And he knew he was going to break it again when he gave his answer.
Ryoma took a deep breath.
"It's about my motive video. I saw mine, too."
"Y-You saw yours, too?!" Shuichi exclaimed. "How?"
"I... went to go look for it. Since the motive claimed it showed us the most important people in our lives, I thought it would give me a reason to escape with everyone."
"Ah... I-I guess I get what you mean. But what happened? What was in it?"
The prisoner's fist clenched, lightly jingling the handcuffs' chain.
"Nothing. Nobody was there, just a blank screen telling me there was no one out there important to me."
"...Nobody?" Shuichi breathed, already knowing what happened to the people he did care about. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ryoma..."
"Don't be, it's my own fault. If I weren't so ignorant, they'd still be alive."
"No, I don't blame you at all. You just didn't know any better."
Ryoma let out a breath through his nose. "Nonetheless... there's nobody waiting for me. And I... I couldn't do it anymore. I headed off to my lab right after, since Kirumi wanted to meet me there."
A dash of anger briefly passed through Shuichi. "She asked you to meet up with her? When?"
"She asked me while I was looking for my motive video. About 12:45, she said. Apparently it was something important regarding the motive. I get what she meant now."
"Yes..." The detective nodded. "She told you about her role in the outside world."
"She left out all that stuff she told you, probably because she thought I didn't need to know. She knew I would let her go..."
"And... And that's how she was able to..."
Ryoma tightened his lips.
"I turned my back on her. I told her I was gonna pick up some tennis balls off the ground. But I knew what she was gonna do."
The tennis player felt the need to rub his head, feeling a twinge of sharp pain.
"Ryoma?"
"Next thing I knew, she knocked me out."
"Knocked you out?! With what?!" Shuichi questioned.
"Don't know. I thought she was gonna kill me just like that, but..."
His chest tightened.
"When I woke up... I was drowning."
The raven-haired boy remained silent, unable to form a response.
"I couldn't get out of the sink." The smaller boy lifted his arms. "She was holding me under, and these kept me from moving my arms. Now I know why she knocked me out."
"So she could handcuff you and keep you from escaping..." Shuichi concluded.
"Was too busy freaking out and trying to get out of the water to realize that. You're not exactly in your right mind when you're fighting to breathe." Ryoma began to feel slightly anxious. "Water just comes in from everywhere whenever you try to."
"Y-Yeah..." Shuichi gripped his arm. "Seeing those bubbles in the water and hearing you struggling for help... It scared me to death..."
The air suddenly felt chilly. "...Even though I let her kill me, I guess I..."
He paused.
"You...?"
The convict swallowed.
"What you said. I hate to admit it, but... I felt... scared."
Shuichi remembered what Ryoma told him the other night.
The experience from almost drowning in the pool made him anxious. It gave him nightmares. He had originally asked him if he truly wanted to die, but concluded it was too direct of a question.
But now, he really wondered.
Did he really want to...?
"Ryoma..."
"Hm?" The tennis pro hummed quietly.
"Did... Did you really want that? Wanted Kirumi to kill you?"
Ryoma didn't answer immediately, appearing conflicted. There was no reason for him to live... but more than once he nearly experienced death.
Both in an identical manner.
Was it worth going through it again? After Shuichi saved his life more than once? Was it worth the fear and unbearable pain he had to endure?
After Shuichi expressed how much he refused to give up on him?
"I did..." Ryoma looked up at Shuichi. "At least, then."
"Then?"
"I'm sorry... for putting you through this. I knew how much I hurt you when you saw Kirumi trying to kill me. When I told you I was willing to let her kill me. All of this... just because I couldn't go on. If she got away with the murder, everyone would've been annihilated, including you. When I realized that, I... I just didn't want you to bother with me anymore."
"But... I wasn't just going to abandon you, either..."
"At the time, I felt like you should've..." The prisoner let out a deep sigh. "But, you went out of your way to save me anyway. I... appreciate that, even though I didn't deserve it."
Shuichi paused for some brief moments.
"I'm not mad at you, Ryoma."
"Huh?"
"I know you did something that could've put us all at risk, and I don't like that, but... you were struggling. From what I could tell, you couldn't think about the consequences. You weren't able to."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I don't know everything, but I guess when you're in that state of mind, you aren't thinking about anything else. You can't think about anything else."
Ryoma closed his eyes, processing the detective's words. "I see. That still doesn't mean I didn't put everyone in danger, though..."
The raven-haired boy nodded slowly. "I forgive you."
The tennis pro's round eyes snapped open.
"So... please don't beat yourself up over it."
Once again, he was at a loss for words. The shorter boy simply stared at the ground, nonplussed.
In his daze, he felt two arms slowly wrap around his small body.
Wha...?
"I care about you, Ryoma, and I don't want anything to happen to you. To anyone."
Unable to say anything, he let Shuichi pull him into a tight hug, the detective ignoring his wet hair.
He forgave him.
Just like that...?
Even though he could've gotten everyone killed...?
He couldn't believe this.
...
Ryoma rested his chin on Shuichi's shoulder.
He really couldn't believe this.
The prisoner would have returned the favor.
If only he could move his arms.
The warm embrace lasted for a few more seconds before the detective loosened his arms around the tennis player.
"Eh..." Ryoma had the urge to reach for the beanie that was no longer on his head and tug at it. "...Thanks."
Shuichi nodded, smiling softly.
"Do you want me to dry your hair? If it's alright with you."
The prisoner looked down at his handcuffs. "Go for it. Not like I can do anything."
"Ah, okay."
The raven-haired boy stood up on slightly wobbly legs and headed to his bathroom to fetch a towel.
Upon watching him leave briefly, Ryoma gazed back down at the metal cuffs.
Closer inspection revealed multiple scratches on the stainless steel, deep lines scattered about.
He remembered struggling to get the handcuffs off of his wrists while he was panicking underwater. Maybe these scratches came from scraping them against the sink? The tennis pro couldn't remember, he was too blinded by survival instinct to pay attention.
His wrists were bound to be sore and bruised by now, with how tight they were locked around them.
Ryoma shook his head.
What a night this was.
Shuichi returned, a small bath towel in hand. The detective sat behind the smaller boy, placing the towel onto the salmon hair in front of him.
"Already getting deja vu."
The boy heard the tennis pro speak with his back to him as he began drying his hair. "Oh, heh heh. Yeah..."
"Hmph, weird how things like that happen."
"Mm..." Shuichi hummed.
The earlier dispute with Kirumi began to come to mind, able to finally think to himself after the rush back to the dormitory.
"I still can't believe what Kirumi said... She's the prime minister of the entire country..."
"Yeah. Pretty unbelievable, right?" Ryoma agreed. "One teenager responsible for running everything, at least temporarily according to her."
The detective nodded. "And what she said about 'catastrophic events'... What was that about...?"
"I dunno... The only thing I can sorta think of is the Ultimate Hunt."
"Ah..." He remembered his initial thought from earlier. "Maybe... But was it really so severe that the prime minister would hand his role to Kirumi? I would think having an Ultimate student sit in office would be too dangerous."
"I guess so. Was there something else going on?"
"There would have to be..." Shuichi trailed off.
They only knew part of what was going on in the outside world. The Flashback Light was their only access to their memories. If there were going to be more of the lights given to them, they may find out in the future.
That is, if class trials were the only way to get another one.
"Khh..." Ryoma hissed as he winced.
"Ryoma? What's wrong?" The raven-haired boy jolted out of his thoughts at the sound.
The tennis player sighed. "It's my head. I think you touched where she hit me."
"Oh... I'm sorry." Shuichi moved his hand away from the spot on his head.
"It's fine. Not sure if I got a concussion or not. She hit me pretty hard, I still gotta bit of a headache."
A little curious, the detective raised the towel slightly to see where she knocked him out.
Being careful not to touch it, he found a small patch of dried blood in his hair. In the middle of it, a short, slightly swollen reddish gash with slight amounts of blood sat in his scalp.
"Th... This looks awful, Ryoma. There's blood..."
"I bet." The convict replied a tad solemnly to the boy's wavering tone. "My hat might've softened the blow a little, but it still hurt like hell."
Shuichi was still stunned by the injury. "...The only thing I can do is clean the blood off. There might be first aid kits or medicine in the warehouse, but... I can't risk leaving without Kirumi catching us."
"Yeah. Don't know where she might be right now."
"And I can't do anything about the handcuffs either..."
Ryoma could sense Shuichi getting stressed. "Hey, don't worry about it. You've helped me enough. More than enough, I'd say."
The detective squeezed his eyes shut, taking a breath.
"You're right. Thank you."
With that being said, he stood up again and returned to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth to wet it with cold water.
Watching the water pour from the sink faucet, the shower room came to mind again.
What will happen to Ryoma after this? He nearly drowned twice in less than a week. It had barely been three days since his fall in the pool. The tennis pro had already expressed how much it frightened him.
Will he be okay...?
Shuichi squeezed the washcloth to wring out the water, having turned off the faucet.
He shouldn't be underestimating Ryoma like this. The smaller boy was stronger than what he thought. Even though he nearly succumbed to his unwillingness to live, the detective had faith he could bounce back from it.
If something was bothering him, he would tell him, hopefully no longer trying to hide his problems from him anymore.
He promised to be there for him if he needed him.
Shuichi headed back to Ryoma, the tennis player sitting idly in thought.
"I wet a washcloth with cold water so I can clean the blood from your head."
"I can see that." Ryoma quipped.
"O-Oh..." The raven-haired boy blushed. "Pretty obvious, right...?"
"Mhm."
Feeling a little awkward, the boy sat behind Ryoma again, carefully lowering the washcloth into his hair.
The prisoner grunted lowly as the wound was touched, sending mild pain through his scalp. A slightly cool sensation shook his body, the cold washcloth numbing the pain a shade.
No longer wincing as much, Ryoma sat silently while Shuichi wiped away at his hair.
"Are you going to be okay sleeping tonight?" The detective inquired. "With your head injury, I'm not sure..."
"Hmm... I dunno. I don't feel sleepy at all, my head just hurts. It's not like I can get comfortable anyway." The convict replied, raising his bound arms loosely.
"Oh..." Shuichi deflated at the sight of the handcuffs. "It'll be risky, but we also can't stay up all night. We have Himiko's magic show to worry about as well, the others are going to find out eventually."
"Right..."
The magic show completely slipped the tennis pro's mind. What would Himiko think of his sudden absence? That he briefly contemplated backing out of said magic show just because he felt it was pointless?
Ryoma's fists clenched.
Right after he promised the magician that he would be in her show... he decided to let himself be killed. What if he had died?
He already hurt Shuichi because of this, and now he's going to hurt Himiko, too.
Some guy he was.
"I know what you're probably thinking. I'm sure Himiko would understand if we told her."
"Huh?" Ryoma responded with surprise towards Shuichi's supposed mindread.
"Like I said, I forgive you. I can't speak for her, but I think she will forgive you, too."
Would she really...?
The prisoner was quiet for a few moments before sighing softly.
"I guess... She takes it pretty seriously, though. I pretty much broke my promise, and Tenko wouldn't be too happy, either."
"I know. It'll make Himiko upset, and I don't know what Tenko might do, but... maybe you could do another show with her."
Another...?
A second magic show...
...
When he really gave it some thought, it was the only way he could make it up to her.
The magic show was extremely important to the self-proclaimed mage. Himiko wanted to help heal his heavy heart, taking on Shuichi's offer to include him.
The most he could do is perform another one with her, and put in the effort to make sure her show was as entertaining as she wanted it to be.
It was worth a shot.
Although he should probably suggest a different magic trick. An underwater escape act after two back-to-back near drownings wouldn't make him a fan of the water.
"...I suppose I could."
"Thank you, Ryoma."
The room fell silent, Shuichi resuming his tending to Ryoma's head wound.
Nothing else said, the smaller boy found himself mulling over the events that transpired more than a few minutes ago.
He had nearly been killed.
Having lost every ounce of willfulness to live, he allowed Kirumi to take his life.
But after Shuichi came and whisked him away from that certain fate, something inside him shifted.
Churned his emotions.
Realizing the boy would risk himself to help him at any point, realizing he would never turn his back on him...
Realizing he would dare to care so much about someone like him...
It made him realize one other thing in this moment.
He had nearly thrown away a good thing.
His friend.
Ryoma lost the people who he loved. And he would never want to subject Shuichi to the same pain he felt.
It just wasn't cool.
The tennis pro felt the cool washcloth lift from his head.
"I got the blood out of your hair. I would try a warm compress to make the swelling go down, but there's no way for me to keep it there." Shuichi spoke.
"That's fine. I think I'll be alright."
"Oh, okay."
Ryoma remained wordless, sitting with his eyes straight forward.
He turned his head.
"Hey..."
"What is it, Ryoma?" The detective replied.
The shorter boy's obsidian eyes softened.
"Thanks... for taking care of me."
The detective's dusty golds returned an identical look.
"No problem."
Ryoma formed a small smile.
The tennis player pressed his hands on the floor to stand up, bending down to pick up his still soggy beanie.
"I think we should go to bed now. Don't know if I can sleep, but you definitely need to rest."
Shuichi got onto his feet as well. "I agree. After all of that running, I am pretty tired."
...And after the Insect Meet and Greet, but that was a conversation for another time.
"Yeah. We also gotta figure out what to do about everyone else, including Kirumi."
"Right."
Getting ready to change back into his dark gray pajamas, Shuichi decided to return to the bathroom one last time to give himself some privacy.
"What are you going to do with your hat?"
Ryoma looked up with his beanie in his hands. "I would put this on to cover my head, but it's soaked. Can't get it dried, either."
"I can take it for you. What do you want me to do with it?"
The convict handed him the pointed hate. "Just wring it out and leave it in the bathroom. I'll deal with it in the morning."
As Shuichi left to change, Ryoma stared up at the bed, having removed his boots.
Parts of his clothes around his head were still damp, and he couldn't remove his leather jacket due to the handcuffs.
Guess he just had to sleep like this.
Stepping back and bending his knees, he made a leap into the bed.
Ryoma landed on his side with a soft thump, his face hitting the mattress. Maneuvering his body towards the pillow, the tennis pro attempted to position his handcuffed arms to a decently comfortable spot.
He couldn't wait to get these things off of him.
The tennis pro lay quiet, his eyes focusing on the objects in the room until Shuichi came back.
"Um, do you need any help?" The detective asked, seeing Ryoma's arms extended awkwardly.
"Not sure what you can do, but yeah."
The detective giving Ryoma enough space, he lay next to him, trying to move his bound arms to a more suitable position.
"Maybe you should leave them like this." Shuichi moved his open arms towards his body. "Does this help?"
Ryoma shifted his body to adjust. "That's better. Thanks."
Shuichi nodded, lifting the comforter over himself and the smaller boy. Warming underneath the covers, the raven-haired boy faced away from Ryoma, losing himself in his thoughts.
The convict rolled to face the opposite side as well, readjusting his arms the way the detective did.
Whether he were able to sleep or not, he would find out eventually. Though with his pounding headache, it might prove to be difficult if he tried.
Ryoma buried his head into the soft pillow, in hopes that it would somewhat soothe the pain.
"Um, Ryoma..."
The tennis pro heard Shuichi's voice, his tone more downtrodden.
"What's up?"
"I..."
The detective wasn't sure if he should say this or not.
"I just can't stop thinking about what would've happened if I had lost you..."
Ryoma hadn't responded initially, thinking of a way to ease the boy's anxiety.
Indeed, it was a nerve-racking thing to think about. Someone you just befriended had nearly been killed, and it would've happened if you had not checked up on them.
The possibility alone was horrific.
"What matters is... well..." The prisoner stated softly. "I'm still here now. I'm alive because of you. And... I don't wanna do this to you again."
"Don't just do it for me. Do it for yourself. You deserve to live your life and be happy."
He wasn't sure how he could reach for those things, but maybe... it was possible. With Shuichi beside him, he already proved that something could change.
The tennis player never would've imagined he would get this close to someone. From the beginning, he made it clear that everyone should avoid him for their own good.
No longer could he say that.
And if he could get close to someone here, then... maybe there were other things in the future he could achieve.
He would just have to wait and see.
Until then, he's still got a ways to go.
"Alright... I'll try."
"And if you need help, I'll be there."
The smaller boy began to feel warm, too. "...I appreciate it."
Ryoma closed his eyes, relaxing his body as he attempted to drift off to sleep.
Shuichi's previous words began to flow through his head.
"If there's anything I can do for you, I'd be more than happy to."
Of course.
Tonight thoroughly proved the detective never broke the promise he made.
There's no way he could throw someone like that away.
Never.
Ryoma shifted his body towards Shuichi a little bit.
A couple of minutes passed before he spoke again.
"Hey, Shuichi..."
"Yeah?"
"What's up with those Monokuma plushies on your shelf?"