Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So….you're all probably wondering what kept me from updating sooner this time? Well, it was mainly because I had difficulty choosing which freetime to do and when to do it. Add in a couple of days with a stomach virus, college work, and a computer overheat, then it makes it impossible to finish it on schedule.
Oh, and the release of Danganronpa V3 in english dub. I forgot how addicting Danganronpa was….
So, sorry for taking longer than usual once again to update the story. Trust me, my liking for it is still very strong. Life is just trying to slow me down right now. So, that's out of the way. On this chapter, we're gonna be starting more freetime conversations. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Questions and Inquiries:
Q: After you finish the story, will you do any of the extra scenes then?
L: As spirit mentioned before, I don't think he will be down to do it. But since it's such a common request amongst the reviewers, I might just take it upon myself to do it as soon as I get on top of my own stuff. However at this point, I cannot guarantee that it will happen. (By the way, if you do follow me, I'm not dead. Just crawling... very very slowly...will explain with my next upload)
S: Yep, what Lucky said.
Q: Will you have Genocide Jack react to Byakuya copying her methods of killing?
S: Jack will be present at some point during the trials, that's how much I can say right now.
Chapter 27: Watching Ch 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 4
"Hey, Makoto. You know what I think?" Hiro asked the luckster. The two were in one of the classrooms at the first floor. "You and me meeting like this? It wasn't a coincidence."
"What made you think that?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"When I read my own future." Hiro answered. "So when it did happen, I knew our meeting wasn't a coincidence."
Makoto groaned at the reminder of that fortune, more so when he realized what conversation they're watching. Sayaka looked at him in concern. "What's wrong, Makoto?"
"Its... uh... it's something interesting.." Makoto said, carefully picking out his words.
"So I've got some good news for you! I'm gonna give you a psychic reading at a huge discount!"
"A discount…..?"
"Normally it's a thousand bucks for two hours." Hiro explained. "But for you? Let's call it nine hundred!"
"SAY WHAAAA?!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock. "A thousand bucks?!"
"EXTORTION IS NOT WELCOME IN A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT!" Taka screamed.
"And nine-hundred? That's only a hundred less!" Hina stated, throwing her hands up.
"You call ten percent a huge discount?" Celeste questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well, that's all the more reason why I shouldn't get a fortune from you."
"Hey, my fortunes are worth the price! Believe me!" Hiro cried out.
"That's only a hundred-dollar discount!" Makoto pointed out in disbelief. "And even then that's way too expensive!"
"Hey, come on! You should count yourself lucky that the Ultimate Clairvoyant is willing to tell your future!" Hiro said in offense.
"Yeah, right. Lucky." Makoto mumbled to himself.
"...So are you right every often?" Makoto inquired.
"I sure am!" Hiro confirmed. "At the bare minimum, I've got a 30% chance of accuracy!"
'30%? That sounds pretty sketchy….' Makoto thought skeptically.
"That isn't sketchy at all!" Hiro cried out.
"Um, it is." Hina backed up Makoto. "Who would a want fortune that's only 30% accurate?"
"A 30% chance of being accurate." Byakuya corrected. "Makes me wonder how that fool got people to buy those fortunes."
"You guys are haters! All of you!"
"For real? Don't make that face!" Hiro exclaimed angrily. "Didn't you hear what I said?! 30% of the time, I'm right! That includes natural disasters, election results, you name it! Don't you realize how amazing that is?!"
"Amazing?" Toko scoffed. "I-In your dreams."
"With that type of advertisement, I doubt anyone would pay for it." Junko remarked. "How did you earn a million bucks then?"
"Probably because our dear fortune teller don't mention that little fact. Am I wrong?" Celeste asked mischievously. Said fortune teller stayed silent at this.
"Umm…."
"Okay, fine!" Hiro huffed. "I'll give you a special trial run! After all, I've already seen what the future has in store for you!"
Makoto covered his face in his hands. This is not something he's look forward to reliving. Sayaka and Hina looked at him in concern. "What's wrong, Makoto?" Sayaka asked him. "What are we about to hear?"
"Something I pray to God doesn't happen." Makoto's muffled voice groan.
"What?! When did you see it?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"You won't believe what I saw," The clairvoyant snickered. "It would appear that the mother of your children, and the mother of my children, are the same woman!"
There was a small moment of silence before the class erupted with their reactions all at once.
"Say what?!" Hina recoiled in shock and disgust. "Eww!"
"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT POLYGAMY IS ALSO ILLEGAL!" Taka cried out.
"That's your fortune, Makoto?!" Sayaka exclaimed, her spine crawling. Makoto merely nodded, his hands still covering his face.
Celeste's smile was eerily calm. "It would seem that your fortune is incorrect."
"What? But you don't know-"
"It would seem that it would be incorrect." Celeste repeated, with a bit more force.
Unfortunately, the fortune teller didn't see the warning of danger. "Hey, come on! Why are you so insistent that it's wr-"
"Hiro, you better shut up before I rip that porcupine head of yours!" Celeste shouted in rage, looking ready to do just that.
Hiro yelped and leaned way back into his chair. "Y-Yes, ma'am! Will do ma'am!"
Mondo sighed and facepalm. "Well, that's a fortune we can say for sure is wrong."
"Yeah." Leon agreed with a snort. "Like there's any girl would want to be with Hiro, of all people." Especially not any of 'these' girls.
Kyoko and Mukuro, while showing no noticeable hints of disgust, had their nose scrunched up after hearing it. The thought of being with Hiro, of all people….none of them wanted to consider that.
No one noticed the small smirk on Spirit's face.
"I refuse! Denied! Don't like it!" Makoto refuted immediately.
"Doesn't matter if you don't like it! That's just the way it is." Hiro told him.
"...30% accuracy, you said?"
"At least." Hiro answered.
'I-I pray to everything holy that you're wrong!' Makoto pleaded in his mind. 'Please, be wrong!'
"Don't worry, Makoto." Kyoko said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can say with absolute certainty, that he's wrong."
"Yeah. No way the two of you will be with same woman." Sayaka said fervently. Hina, Mukuro, and Celeste nodded in thanks.
"Um, thanks." Makoto, while grateful for their confidence, was a bit confused. They really care that much about it?
At that thought, Leon, Mondo, Byakuya, and Toko felt the urge to facepalm.
"AGAIN, I MUST REMIND YOU THAT POLYGAMY IS ILLEGAL!" Taka cried out from his seat.
"Now then, since that was a special trial run, I'm afraid I can't apply the discount." Hiro stated. "That'll be one thousand dollars, please! Don't worry, you can pay me after we get outta here."
"Say what?! He's making you pay for a trial run?!" Hina exclaimed, mouth agape.
"That's not how a trial run works! Hell, that's not even how business works!" Leon sighed.
Makoto nodded with a sigh of his own. "He still wants me to."
"If you didn't ask for the fortune, then there is no need for you to pay for it." Mukuro said coldly, turning to Hiro. "Right, Hiro?"
Hiro gulped. "W-Well, I need to make a living som-" When he looked over and saw the intense look from the soldier, he reiterated. "I-I mean, right! Of course I wouldn't!"
Mukuro nodded and leaned back comfortably into her chair, satisfied with his answer.
"W-Wait, hold on-!" Makoto protested. "But there's no way you're gonna be right, right?!"
"If you like, I can do a reading right now to see whether my reading was right or not." Hiro offered. "Naturally, additional fees will apply!"
"Don't do it, it's a trap!" Hifumi squealed.
"Yeah, I knew that." Makoto sighed. "Still, it was tempting to know whether that fortune was right or not." He shuddered. "I do not want to imagine my children having the same mother as Hiro's."
"Is it really that bad of a thought?"
"Yes." Was the unanimous answer of everyone. The clairvoyant hung his head at this.
"MUST I KEEP REMINDING YOU THAT POLYGA-mmph!"
"Oh for crying out loud, shut up will you?" Mondo sighed as he held Taka down, with Chihiro silently apologizing on the biker's behalf.
Hiro then began leaving the classroom. "Think about it, okay? Let me know as soon as you're ready for my services." He then left with a laugh.
'Oh….he's gone….' Makoto thought absentmindedly. 'Do I have enough in my bank account to take another crack at it….?'
"...No!" Makoto shook his head, erasing that thought. "I can't bring myself to pay for something like that!" He then sighed. 'I can see how people could fall into that kind of cycle, though. That was close….'
"At least you had the common sense to shake that thought away." Byakuya remarked with a sigh.
"Yeah." The luckster agreed, sounding sheepish. "Otherwise, I would've ended up broke."
"Please, whoever's listening, I'm begging you," Makoto pleaded. "Whatever else happens, don't let him be right!"
'Definitely not!' Was the thought of all five girls with crushes on Makoto.
Leon scoffed. "The day I see Hiro with a girl is the day I see Byakuya dating Toko."
"Don't even entertain that nightmarish thought." Byakuya said coldly.
The scene switched to Makoto walking in the second hall once again. As he walked, he saw Taka checking out some of the classrooms. "Taka?" Makoto called out, getting the honor student's attention. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hello Makoto!" Taka greeted with his usual energy. "Just checking out the classrooms, making sure they're in fit learning condition!"
"Why bother?" Hiro asked in confusion. "I mean, there's no teachers around to, know you, teach."
"Even so, it's best to make sure they're in top condition, so when the school is liberated, then they can be usable!" Taka stated. "After all, no one would want to be in unfit classrooms!"
"That should really be the least of their worries right now." Makoto said with a sweatdrop.
"Why?" He asked curiously.
"While there aren't any teachers around, some of us might want to continue studying in the classrooms!" Taka explained. "And it best to study in a clean and sturdy classroom!"
"That, too! Well said, future me!"
"Only you would study at a time like that!" Leon retorted.
'Of course.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop.
"Hey, Makoto! As long as we're talking, let's REALLY talk, whaddya say?!" Taka requested.
"Huh?" Makoto was a bit startled at the request. "Oh, sure, that's fine…."
"Excellent!" Taka said cheerfully. "Then let's get down to the brass tacks and find out where we stand on all the big issues! So, what should we discuss? Politics? The economy? International affairs?!"
"...Are you having a normal conversation or a debate club?" Leon deadpanned.
"For Taka, it's one and the same." Celeste remarked. The Moral Compass studiously ignored the two.
"Wait, hold on." Makoto protested, holding his hands up. "Instead of a big, serious discussion, can't we just have a normal conversation? That's the best way to learn about people, I think."
"What do you mean by a 'normal conversation'?" Taka inquired.
"Umm….well, for example…." Makoto tried to think up of a good example. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Study, of course!" Taka answered, as if it was obvious. "I'm a student, aren't I? A student must be a studying professional! And of course my duties as the chairperson of the moral committee keep me quite busy, after all! It's my duties to foster an environment in which we can all focus on our studies!"
"Okay, but….what else?" Makoto asked hesitantly. "Like when you're at home, or you just have some time to kill?"
"If I have time to kill, I study!"
"Holy crap!" Hina remarked with wide eyes bewilderment. "You know, there's such a thing as too much studying."
"There's never such a thing as too much studying!" Taka rebuked. "Like I said, a student must be studying professional!"
"If that's the case, why do we have idiots like Hiro and Leon?" Byakuya remarked.
"Hey!" Leon protested. "Don't saddle me up with Hiro! At least I get better grades than he does!"
"You guys are just mean." Hiro muttered dejectedly.
"I….see…."
Taka laughed in joy. "This is fun! Okay, my turn. Makoto! What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Um, you know, just normal stuff." Makoto answered, rubbing the back of his head. "Watching TV, playing video games…."
"Huh? And this helps you study….how?"
"N-No, it's not about studying. It's just for fun, ya know?" Makoto tried to explain.
But Taka was having none of it. "But doing things 'just for fun' serves no purpose! There must be more to it. You wouldn't spend your valuable time doing something useless, would you?"
"I'm glad you and Mondo broke him out of that, somewhat." Leon muttered to Makoto. "But how did you convince him to change his mind about actually enjoying his life?"
"Um, you'll get that answer soon." Makoto answered sheepishly.
'He can insist all he wants, but in the end….' Then a thought came into Makoto's mind. 'But wait. Maybe….'
"You know how it's useful?" Makoto began. "It helps you give you something to talk about with other people!"
Leon whistled. "Nice one, dude."
"It helped in the long run, somewhat." Makoto said sheepishly.
That got Taka's attention. "Something to talk about….?"
"Like when you see something awesome on TV, or some awesome game, and you want to share it with someone." Makoto continued. "You'll find other people who feel the same way, and that's how you make friends. See?"
"Wh….?" Taka looked completely shock at this. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?!" Finally, he shouted. "Of course! I was once blind, but now I finally see!"
The others recoiled in shock at this. "What the heck?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.
"What's wrong with him?" Junko questioned.
Taka was the one to answer. "He just made the realization of a lifetime."
"That kind of thing plagued me for years," Taka moaned. "I've tried making friends, but whenever I would make conversation, it would die after a few minutes. And now….I've finally found the answer…."
"I need to study more games! More TV shows!" Taka declared.
"Study games? TV shows?" Hifumi repeated in disbelief. "You don't study them! You enjoy them!"
"I fail to see the distinct difference."
"That's because you're a study freak, Taka." Leon deadpanned.
"N-No, you don't need to 'study' them…." Makoto attempted to tell him.
But Taka wasn't listening. "Ahh, I'm so ashamed of myself! If there was a hole somewhere around here, I'd totally hide in it! I let it get to me, I wasted all that time….I never saw the blind spot in my studies!"
"I'm a complete embarrassment!" Taka continued ranting. "I'm not qualified to even be on the morals committee, let alone lead it!"
"It's was the most shameful day for me!" Taka moaned dramatically. "But now I have improved, enough to be worthy to lead the moral committee!"
"Sometimes, I worry about you bro." Mondo admitted.
"I-I don't think it's that big of a deal…."
Taka interrupted him, stating this. "Thank you, Professor Makoto!"
"Professor?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.
The others was also surprised by this. "He actually calls you a professor?" Junko asked Makoto, slightly amused. The luckster rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at this.
"Yeah. Been doing so whenever we have those kind of talks."
"And it's a rightfully earned title!" Taka declared. "Makoto has been teaching me things I severely lacked knowledge of, ways to make more friends!"
"Maybe Toko and Byakuya should have a class with Makoto?" Hiro asked.
The resulted in a glare Byakuya. "Care to repeat that, Hiro?"
Hiro gulped, "Nothing! I said nothing!"
"I thought so."
"You've taught me a most valuable lesson!" Taka explained. "You've earned my respect, and the title of professor!"
"Th-That's gonna make things super awkward….!"
Taka merely laughed at this. "There's no need to be modest, Professor! I can't wait for your next lesson! And until then, I will strive to learn as much as I can on my own! Well then, Professor- by your leave!" Without waiting for a reply, Taka went off.
Makoto blinked in slight bewilderment before slowly getting out of the classroom. As he walked around the hallway, he mused on the new title Taka gave him. "Professor…." 'That….doesn't sound to bad. Professor Makoto….'
Makoto blushed at that thought being revealed, especially when his friends turn to look at him. "So, being called a Professor doesn't so bad, huh?" Hina remarked with a grin.
"So, our little Makoto isn't so modest after all." Junko stated, with a similar grin.
"Lay off, you guys!" Makoto whined, his blush a bit bigger. "It's not like I developed a big ego from the title!"
Sayaka considered teasing Makoto about, the way she usually does, but decided not to. Their friendship had taken a crack, she's not sure she should do that right now.
"So the thought of being a teacher appeals to you... interesting." Kyoko spoke to herself, a small smirk on her face.
The redness on the luckster's cheek did not diminish. "Well, er, uh…."
"That's excellent! You would make for a wonderful teacher, Professor!" Taka stated passionately.
Byakuya sighed. "Let's continue this," Byakuya said firmly, much to Makoto's relief. "You all can tease Makoto about it, later."
"Byakuya!" The heir ignored his friend's shout.
The luckster stopped his musing when he noticed Hina leaning on the wall near the workout room. "Hina?" Makoto called out, walking towards her.
The girl didn't respond back, looking down sadly. "Is something wrong, Hina….?" Makoto asked in concern. Again, the swimmer didn't answer.
"W-Wow. The i-idiot swimmer really looked depressed." Toko noted.
"Oh come on, Toko!" Hina whined. "Are you really gonna revive that name again?!"
"She kinda has a point, though." Chihiro pointed out. "You do look rather down."
"I've reached my limit…." Hina moaned. "I'm stuck in here, can't do any sports, can't do anything! I'm sick of this!"
"Oh…." Was the overall reaction with the group. They forgot that this was torture for Hina, who possesses a near endless amount of energy.
Hina, at the reminder of her other's suffering, dropped her in head sympathy. "Oh, poor future me!"
"She has a pool though." Hifumi pointed out. "Why not use that?"
"Just a pool, isn't enough!" Hina argued. "I may love it, but I want to see the sunlight as I swim, feel the wind rushing around me as I come to the surface! With the windows all blocked, I can't have that!"
Sakura put a hand on Hina's shoulder, understanding what Hina's going through. After all, her own future self must feel limited, being confided in the school.
"I wanna get out under the sun and do some laps! Run a marathon! I wanna do some real SPORTS!"
"H-Hina!" Makoto slightly stepped back from the energetic girl. "Calm down, okay?!"
But that fell on deaf ears. "I can't do ANYTHING in here! If I can't move around, I'm gonna DIE, like a BUNNY RABBIT!"
"But…." Makoto brought up hesitantly. "I always heard rabbits die from loneliness…."
Cue facepalms. "Really, Makoto?" Leon sighed. "While Hina's comparison was god awful, did you have to say that?"
"Well, it's true, right?"
"I doubt she fucking cares right now." Mondo stated.
"Whatever! I'm gonna die if I can't get some proper physical activity!" Hina exclaimed.
"Don't think you think that's a little extreme….?" Makoto pointed out.
"You think I'm kidding, don't you?" Hina accused. "But I seriously can't sit still, you know? Why else would I have joined six sport teams in school?"
Makoto's eyes widen in shock. "Six?!"
"No matter how many times I hear it, I'm still surprise that she can do that many sports." Leon muttered loudly. "She has the energy of my entire baseball team."
"I'm still wondering how Hina gets all this energy from." Celeste mused on. "It's like she doesn't run out, at all."
"She definitely has as much energy as few of the soldiers in Fenrir." Mukuro said. If she had the skills to fight in battle and the instincts of a survivor, she would've been a valuable soldier.
"Yeah!" Hina confirmed. "Track, basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, and the big one….the big one?" Before she could finish, she ran out of energy.
Makoto then finished it. "It's swimming, right?"
"Yeah, you got it…." Hina nodded. Then she let out a groan. "I don't even care what stroke it is. Just get me in a pool under the blue sky!"
"But isn't it hard to do that many sports, even for you?" Makoto pointed out.
"If I can't move, I'll just shrivel up and die," Hina stated. "And I need a challenge! More and more new stuff to try….!"
"A challenge….?"
"What I really love about sports isn't winning, ya know?" Hina began explaining. "It's having to fight and struggle and give it all to reach the top. It's that excitement, that fear you might suffer a heartbreaking loss. And then when you finally reach that goal, it's just….lonely. It's lonely at the top, ya know?"
Several blinked at that small speech she gave. "Wow, Hina." Chihiro said in awe. "That's very profound."
"I agree. Who knew that the athletic airhead have a philosophical side?" Celeste voiced.
Byakuya nodded. "Almost surprising as Hiro spouting intelligence."
"Is there a time the two of you aren't being hurtful?" Hina whined.
Makoto looked at Hina in amazement. 'I can't really relate, since I never really got into sports.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But I could tell that the reason Hina was so amazing was how hard she could fight and struggle.'
Hina blushed at hearing Makoto's thought. "You….really think that I'm amazing, Makoto?"
The luckster, who was blushing at having his thoughts reveal once again, nodded. "The fact that you do sports for that struggle, instead of just to win, is amazing Hina. That part of you is really special."
The swimmer have a deep blush on her face. "Thank you." She muttered, looking away, leaving the other girls slightly displeased by the lack of praise going their way.
"So that's why I want to push myself as hard as possible when it comes to swimming." Hina began concluding. "I want to aim for the very highest mountaintop!"
"The highest mountaintop….?"
"I'm talkin' about the gold metal, of course!" Hina declared. "Aim for the gold, even if it means I'm a super gold spaz!"
'Did she just call herself….?' Makoto thought in confusion. Shaking his head, he began speaking. "Okay, but if that's what you want, isn't that all the more reason? If you have a goal, why are you standing around making excuses?"
"Hey!" Hina shouted in offense. "When did she said that she's making excuses?!"
"Just let future me explain." Makoto said, holding his hands up.
"Excuses?" Hina repeated. That got her slightly angry. "Hey! When did I ever make any excuses?!"
"Sure, maybe we're stuck in her right now, with no way out." Makoto continued. "But if you really want to make an effort, shouldn't you try to see what you can do in here?"
Hina blinked at this. "...Yeah, he's right." She said, somewhat to herself. "If I want to get that gold medal, I need to the very best I could and not make any excuses."
"And this is why we come to Makoto for advice." Sakura said with a smile.
"Yeppers!" Junko chirped. "He's like our personal counselor!" The luckster rubbed his head sheepishly as he blushed. He doesn't think it's that big of a deal.
Hina recoiled in shock at this. "Th-That's a challenge! You just made an official challenge!" She then frown in thought. "But….I think you're right. If I want to get that gold medal, I have to make every effort I can. I want to become a 'genius of effort'! I bet Ian Thorpe said something like that!"
"Yeah! I can't go around making excuses, just cuz we're stuck in here!" Hina decided. "Alright! I think I'm gonna go do some push-ups in my room! Like maybe around a thousand or something!" With that, Hina ran out of the hallway.
"I'm still trying to figure out how much energy she has to burn." Sayaka admitted with a sigh. "It's almost endless."
"No argument there." Leon remarked. "I mean, seriously, what normal person would do a thousand push-ups?"
"Any exercise nut in Hope's Peak." Junko chimed.
Makoto smiled as he watched her go. "She recovered as fast and strong as I would have expected…."
"Yeah. It's definitely not a surprise there." Makoto said. "There are very few things that could keep her down."
"Uh-huh."
"Definitely."
"It's extremely difficult to keep her depressed for long."
Hina blushed at the compliments washed over her. Then, she realized something. 'Wait a minute….I got some alone time with Makoto!' She grinned at this. 'Woohoo!'
At the same time, Kyoko, Mukuro, Celeste, and Sayaka felt the urge to glare at Hina.
The scene then switched to Makoto entering the room. 'Another day, gone….' Makoto thought tiredly. 'But even though today is over….this 'game' definitely isn't. How long is this gonna keep going?' With that thought in mind, he laid down in bed.
The next morning, Makoto and the others are gathered hall once again. The only ones not present were Toko and Byakuya. "Is this….everyone?" Taka asked hesitantly. "It feels a little….small."
'Byakuya and Toko stormed off yesterday.' Makoto recalled. 'It's not that surprising they're aren't here right now.'
Some frowned as they recalled what they had seen in the library. "Right. I briefly forgot that Byakuya decided not to join us for breakfast." Taka said with a sigh. "With the suspicion of someone poisoning his food."
"And Toko, being the loyal fucking puppy she is, followed his lead." Mondo remarked irritably.
"I-I am not a dog!"
"Even the table looks bigger somehow." Taka noted sadly.
"I assume that is because three people are dead, and two are abstaining." Celeste pointed out.
"Which leaves two-third still united, somewhat." Celeste stated with a sigh. "Or five-eighth, counting Junko."
"Definitely an decrease in our numbers." Sayaka said sadly.
"Yeah, I guess with five people missing, I guess it would feel kinda empty." Makoto admitted sadly.
"Still….I know Byakuya's whatever, but should we check on Toko?" Hina asked in concern.
"I vote no. She's super annoying." Hiro stated.
Toko glared at Hiro for that. "Y-You're more annoying, you cowardly fortune teller!"
"I'm not cowardly!"
'You kinda are, Hiro.' Makoto deadpanned, remembering when Hiro begged him to donate his organs. That's a conversation he remembers quite well.
"How can you be so cold?" Celeste questioned. "You are like a piece of rock candy."
"What?! No, rock candy isn't cold! It's sweet!" Taka refuted.
"...Anyway, Byakuya's the real problem." Mondo went back to the main subject. "If we don't keep an eye on him, he might really kill someone. You can see it in his eyes…."
He growled. "We got no choice! Get some rope! We're gonna hafta keep him bound and gagged!"
"Oh, that's a good idea! Tie him up to stop him from doing anything crazy!" Hina stated. Then she started pondering. "Maybe we can do that to him whenever he gets too uppity?"
Leon grinned at that. "I would pay good money to see that!"
"Try it, and you'll regret it." Byakuya remarked coldly.
"I think that's going a little overboard…." Makoto said nervously.
"He's right! In this situation, there's nothing scarier than when an ally turns loose cannon!" Taka stated. "It's just like when we were kids, and someone would go crazy at sports day or whatever!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Mondo exclaimed. "You gonna use the rope to do tug of war or something?! Idiot!"
Taka recoiled in shock at this. "I'm not an idiot….!" He then pointed a finger at Mondo. "YOU'RE an idiot!"
"Who are you callin' stupid?!" Mondo growled.
The group was a bit surprise at seeing Mondo and Taka fighting. "Wow, I did not see that coming." Junko whistled. "I'm used to seeing those all buddy-buddy now."
"I'm with you there." Hina agreed. "I forgot that the two of them were at each other's throat in the beginning."
"As it should be! Bro and I now have a brotherly bond so strong that nothing can break it!" Taka declared passionately.
"Damn straight!" Mondo agreed with the moral compass. "Anyone tries to, and I'll pound their face in!"
Makoto sighed as they began arguing before noticing a saddened Chihiro across from him. "Huh? What's wrong, Chihiro? You don't look so great…."
"Oh, I'm just going through some….self-loathing." Chihiro explained.
"Self-loathing?" Makoto repeated.
"But why are you mad at yourself?" Sayaka asked in concern.
Chihiro looked away. "I have a guess, but I think future me will explain."
"Huh? Self-loathing?"
"Well, after what Byakuya said to me yesterday….I just got so nervous, I locked up. I couldn't say anything." Chihiro explained further. "Mondo ended up having to help me out. And even 'he' said I was someone who 'can't fight back'. I….I hate how weak I am."
"Mondo! You made Chihiro depressed!" Sayaka said with a glare.
The biker held his hands up. "How was he supposed to know what to say in front of her?!" Then he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "But….sorry, Chihiro. I know that's a sensitive topic for you."
Chihiro smiled. "It's okay, Mondo. I don't hold it against you."
"Ahh, I see. So Mondo made you depressed." Hina sighed.
"What?! How's it my fault?!" Mondo exclaimed. "I wasn't tryin' to be mean! Besides, girls are just naturally weak anyway right?!"
"Wait a minute….we girls are what now?" Junko asked slowly, turning towards the biker. Hina, Kyoko, Sakura, Mukuro, and Sayaka also turned to the biker, each of them having an intense glare.
Mondo, along with some of the other guys, paled. "Well, I, what I meant was….." Mondo struggled to find the right words.
Celeste giggled. "Ahh, when the hunter becomes the hunted. This will be interesting."
"You fool! Those are one of the many things you don't say about girls! Your hp will take a direct hit!" Hifumi exclaimed.
"Girls, please don't get angry at Mondo." Chihiro pleaded with the girls. "Besides, he didn't mean anything bad about it."
The girls stared at Mondo for a moment longer before turning away. "Fine. But only because you say so, Chihiro." Hina sighed. It's hard refusing something from Chihiro.
Chihiro was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, started crying, startling Mondo. "Are you….crying?"
"It's cuz you were screaming like a lunatic!" Hina pointed out. Chihiro continued crying, with some small hiccups coming out of her.
Chihiro looked away from herself, shame coursing her body. She really was weak, if simply yelling could make her cry.
At least she's getting a bit better….but not as much as she would like.
"Hey, c'mon, don't cry," Mondo slightly pleaded. "I-It's my fault, okay? I won't yell at you anymore…."
"Really? Not sure I can believe that…." Hina said in doubt.
"J-Just shut up," Mondo told her. Then an idea come into his head. "I got! I'll make you a promise as a man!"
Chihiro looked up at that. "Promise….as a man?"
"Maybe I mentioned this before, but….ever since I was a kid, there was one thing my brother told me over and over again." Mondo explained. "He said no matter what, a real man ALWAYS keeps his promises. That's what he left me."
"Left you?" Hifumi inquired.
"Oh yeah….my brother's dead." Mondo informed, looking down.
Mondo looked down, gripping his fist. Chihiro and Taka patted his shoulder in comfort.
"Oh….I see…." Is all what Makoto could say.
"Anyways, I don't wanna talk about it. Don't wanna make you guys cry!" Mondo then grinned at Chihiro. "Anyway, so you can trust me when I make that promise. So you don't gotta cry anymore!"
Chihiro wiped the tears out of her eyes. "O-Okay." Chihiro then smiled at Mondo. "Thank you….Mondo."
"S-Sure…." Mondo looked away with a slight blush.
Mondo turned away, feeling a bit weird. Damn it, does Chihiro have play such a convincing girl?
"But….I still don't like how I am right now. I have to get stronger." Chihiro stated, the smile gone. "If I'm so weak anything can make me cry….that's not good."
"Well, you're getting better." Leon noted. "It's getting harder for some things to make you cry.
"But still, I don't think I'm as strong I as I want to be yet." Chihiro said, wringing her wrists a little.
"Still, don't stress out too much about having to get stronger." Makoto advised.
Chihiro shook her head. "No….I want to get stronger. Maybe I should….start working out."
"In that case, I would be happy to help you out anytime." Sakura offered.
"B-But then Miss Fujisaki would get smashed into a billion pieces!" Hifumi screamed.
"Shut up, you." Hina slightly growled.
"What makes you think Sakura would do that?!" Hina questioned.
"Cause Miss Ogami is so big and Miss Fujisaki is so little!" Hifumi exclaimed. "The training Sakura does would break her!"
"Honestly, Hifumi, I wouldn't put her in that level of training." Sakura huffed. "I would make sure she does something that fits her strength level."
Chihiro giggled as she watches the interaction. "Oh, finally cracked a smile, huh?" Hiro noted.
"Y-Yeah…." The programmer smiled at everyone. "Everyone….thank you."
Makoto smiled at this. 'Looks like Chihiro's got some life back.' He thought to himself. 'Yeah, if we keep helping each other out like this….we're bound to get out of this place sooner or later!'
"There's that limitless optimism." Kyoko said with a small smile.
"Yep. Even with everything that's happening, Makoto is still as optimistic as ever!" Hina cheered.
'There's gotta be a breaking point somewhere...' Junko thought with an evil smile. She knows that her future self would try hard to break that hope of his.
'But still,' The scene switched to Makoto entering his room. 'The main problem is Byakuya and Toko. How can I get to know them better?'
"That'll be an uphill fight." Taka mused. "Especially in the current situation we're watching."
"Yeah, but I believe Makoto can win their hearts!" Hina stated in confidence. "If he could do it once, he could do it again!"
"I admit, Makoto is probably one of the few I can stand to have a conversation with." Byakuya admitted. "It's a possibility that he can snap my future self out of it."
Makoto couldn't help but blush at the confidence the others have on him. He really hope he could live up to that confidence.
And that's the end. I hope you guys like this chapter. Again, sorry for taking longer than usual to update, but I can't promise that I'll be back to my usual update. Not with Danganronpa V3 (English dub) now up on youtube. Again, so addicting….
Again, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
Editor: Meanwhile... $79.99 CAD makes me very very sad... and its very despairing... D: