Chapter 1: Part 9

Sayaka was a bit nervous about going to see Ryoma out of the blue. She knew she needed to check on him, but he did have an intimidating aura that was difficult to understand. Maybe it was his eyes. They were big and it made it easier to see how dead he felt inside. Yet, that was all the more reason Sayaka needed to talk to him. Once she approached his door, she knocked lightly on it and waited patiently.

It didn't take long, as Ryoma opened the door. He had yet another candy cigarette in his mouth and looked as depressed as usual. Sayaka put on her most polite smile to greet Ryoma, but he raised an eyebrow at the idol.

"Can't say I was expecting company, let alone you of all people," Ryoma said. "What do you need?"

"I was just wondering if we could talk for a moment," Sayaka responded.

Ryoma tilted his head up a bit, becoming even more puzzled than before. "You want to talk to me?"

Sayaka's smiled dropped a bit. She realized how suspicious that must have seemed, especially considering her past. She waved her hands a bit. "I-I swear I'm not here to cause trouble!"

"I didn't think that. I'm just wondering what you'd possibly want to talk to me about."

"Well, it's about what you said during the morning meeting…About how you…let Kirumi kill you…"

Ryoma remained silent for a moment, but his puzzled expression turned to his usual neutral/depressed look. He stayed silent, but he eventually gave his answer before turning around and opening his door. Sayaka took a deep breath and followed Ryoma inside. She noticed how his bedroom looked actually the same as her room. Then again, it was like that back at Hope's Peak. Her and Makoto's rooms were identical with only the color of their sheets being different.

Ryoma pulled a chair away from the side desk and placed it next to Sayaka. "You aren't the first person to try talking me out of being depressed. Cops, therapists, Kaede, Shuichi…None of that really worked."

Sayaka took a seat and crossed her legs. "It still doesn't hurt to try."

Ryoma sat himself down on the edge of his bed. "And what makes you think you can change how I feel about what I've done?"

Sayaka frowned a bit. "I know it's something that can't really change over the course of one conversation, but you shouldn't just shut away everyone. I mean, we're all kind of on the same boat as you now, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe. But why do you care?"

"Well, I just said, we're all in this together."

"No, I mean why are you specifically talking to me? Like you said, we're all guilty of something, but why did you come talk to me? Have you talked to anyone else about how they feel yet?"

Sayaka shook her head.

"So, you're clearly interested in trying to 'fix' me," Ryoma said before taking the candy cigarette out of his mouth. "Why do care if I don't want to live anymore?"

'You really don't feel saying things like that is a big deal, do you Ryoma?' Sayaka thought to herself. She took a deep breath and began her tale.

"While I was an idol, I would get a lot of fan mail. It was mostly what you would expect. Little girls telling me I inspire them, boys trying to flirt with me, a lot of praise and questions, but occasionally I'd get something rather personal. Sometimes, I would get fan mail from fans that thought about…" Sayaka gulped a bit, trying to prevent her throat from going dry. Tough topics like this would often make her uncomfortable to talk about, but she pushed on through. "I got letters from fans that thought about ending it all. Some even attempted it. Why they thought they needed to go there ranged. A bad breakup, trouble with their families, or just overwhelming depression. Yet, they'd always write to me about how my band's music made things easier. It helped them power through the dark times and helped them find ways to be happy."

Sayaka smiled a bit to themselves. "Letters like that would help me to. It made me realize that all the steps I took for my idol career were worth it if it could help others." Sayaka gave a stern look to Ryoma. "I can't say I know what it was like for you, but I know there's always the next day and the day after that to find some meaning. So, maybe we can just talk every once and awhile?"

Ryoma listened carefully to Sayaka. He nodded a bit but he frowned anyway. "I'm not saying you're wrong to care about other people that feel like that, but there's a flaw with you trying to care for me. Your fans didn't kill people. I did. I'm a murderer." Ryoma put the candy cigarette back into his mouth. "People like me don't deserve forgiveness."

Sayaka tilted her head to the side. "So, you think none of us deserve to be forgiven?"

Ryoma paused for a moment then chuckled. "I guess I did imply that, huh?" Ryoma's eyes then went dark as he stared right into Sayaka's soul. "Well, can you forgive yourself?"

Sayaka had nothing she could say in response. She hung her head down in shame. He was right. Even after all the days she had been stuck in here, she couldn't stop thinking about how she attempted to kill Leon, and by extension, all of her other terrible deeds during her time as an idol.

"Guess that was a bit harsh, huh?" Ryoma spoke up. "Look, I'm not saying you're wrong for trying. Honestly, it was always good to see there was some good left in people. But still, you need to be realistic about this. We may have gotten a second chance at life, but we're still stuck in a killing game."

"And you think we'll start killing each other again?"

"Monokuma found plenty of ways, didn't he?"

Sayaka sighed and rose from her seat. "Just promise me you won't do anything reckless, ok? I…I don't any of us want to see you gone, Ryoma."

"Is that so?" Ryoma smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Fine by me then. I'll stick around a bit. I don't exactly want Monokuma to get to any of you guys again."

Sayaka gave Ryoma a weak smile before exiting the room. She wished she could trust him. After all, he was rather open to speak his mind and Tenko actually spoke highly of his integrity. Yet, he was still pessimistic. He was still done with life.

'Maybe Kaede knows more than I do," Sayaka thought to herself. 'Besides, I've been meaning to talk to her anyway.'

Celeste sat alone in her lab. The peace and quiet in a room with such strong colors like black and red soothed her dark soul. She could easily see herself spend all day, no, all week alone in her Ultimate Lab playing solitaire. The feeling of shuffling cards in her hands, the specific sound the cards made, and of course the moment when she inevitably won, it was all perfect.

'If Hope's Peak had a room like this just for me, maybe I wouldn't have killed anyone,' Celeste thought as she prepared to complete the last row. She paused for a moment then chuckled. 'On second thought, I'm sure I'd think of a reason to kill someone anyway.'

Celeste placed the final card down. 'Although, now I'm not so sure if I could get away with it now. I was all in on my plan and it failed…The stupid pig. How the hell did he even figure out my name anyway? Did I let it slip? I could have sworn I buried that part of my identity long ago, yet Makoto and Kyoko caught my other slip.'

Celeste rose from her chair and began to pace back and forth. 'And now everyone knows what I am capable of. I can't make a simple murder plan again. Now, I am stuck with these idiots.'

Celeste suddenly stopped in her tracks. 'Actually, perhaps I'm too harsh. Of course, I'm stuck with fools like Kuwata, Ishimaru, the fat pig, and that slimy chef. Yet, there's some interesting company as well. Kirumi is such a hard worker. An excellent maid. I never considered the idea of having a maid. I much prefer the idea of my army of vampire butlers, but I may make an exception for Kirumi. Her style is also a nice match for my aesthetic.'

Celeste smirked a bit. 'Gundham is also a perfect fit for my aesthetic. He lives in a childish wonderland, imagining himself as a dark lord, yet I can't help but respect him for calling himself that. I'm also curious how well he treats cats. He may need some teaching, but he'd be an excellent part of my castle. Same for Peko. She'd be an excellent bodyguard. So could Mukuro.'

Celeste paused once again. 'Mukuro…What exactly are you hiding?'

Celeste looked back her desk and the perfectly set game of cards splayed across it. She returned to the table and neatly gathered the cards back together. "Perhaps I can get a better feel for them with a simple game. It has been a while since I got a chance to play."

Celeste went to open her door, but the moment she did she heard the wooden door smack against something followed by someone groaning. Celeste peaked her head around to see Nagito on the ground grabbing a hold of his nose.

"Aw, man," he said, his voice sounding more nasally as he pinched his nose. "I really should be careful where I'm going."

"You should," Celeste said as she closed the door. "Your room is on the other side of the hall. How did you end up here?"

Nagito rose up to his feet and looked down at his hand. Luckily, his nose wasn't bleeding. "Well, it gets kind of boring being stuck in one place. So, I've been wandering around."

"Well, I'm actually glad you stopped by. I was thinking I need to play a game to refine my skills again. You would be the perfect opponent, Nagito."

Nagito smiled politely, but shook his head. "No. I know I don't stand a chance against you."

"Oh, come now, Nagito. I've heard your classmates talk about how extraordinary your luck can be. It would certainly be an interesting challenge for my first game in a while."

Nagito shrugged. "If you really want to play, that's fine by me. I'd love to see your talent in action anyway."

Celeste chuckled and opened her door back up. "Follow me."

Nagito nodded and followed Celeste inside her lab. Nagito took a good look around at the Victorian deco of Celeste's lab. "Wow," he said. "Your lab is certainly more impressive than mine."

"Indeed it is," Celeste said as she took the poker chips out from her golden game box. "Am I right to assume you know how to play blackjack?"

Nagito nodded before sitting down at the game table. "Yes. It doesn't mean I'm good."

"Being skilled in games of chance is a contradiction," Celeste explained. She shuffled her deck seven times before placing them on the table. "Of course, there are rules to every game, but it's impossible to be good at playing the right cards. Your skill is reserved to your mindset while playing."

"Are you talking about tells?"

Celeste nodded. "Yes, but I'm also talking about confidence. Let's say we play a game of blackjack? It's entirely about chance, but taking risks is essential. To get to value of 21 with your cards, you have to risk the chance of going over and losing."

Nagito picked up one of the poker chips and began to flip it across his knuckles. "So, we're using these as our bets."

"Yes," Celeste said before pausing. "Actually, I'm curious about something. You killed Nanami because of her betrayal, correct?"

Nagito dropped the poker chip down onto the table. "Well…she was a traitor."

"Then I want you to wanger that. If I win, you tell me everything you know about Chiaki and what she was planning."

Nagito remained silent.

Celeste tilted her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

Celeste raised an eyebrow and giggled. "Why wouldn't I want to know? Nanami hardly seems like someone with ill intent. Either she's very good at hiding a sinister side or there's more to her tale than what either of you two are willing to explain."

Nagito went silent again. He looked back down at the table and grabbed the poker chip again. He tapped it against the table for a minute before answering. "What will you do if I win?"

Celeste smirked. "What do you want?"

Nagito smiled. "Your name."

Celeste giggled. "What are you saying? My name-"

"Isn't Celestia Ludenberg." Nagito's smile grew wider. "I know the Queen of Lies would probably keep her real name a secret. Am I wrong?"

Celeste's blood red eyes pierced daggers at Nagito, but the boy wouldn't stop smiling. His eyes pierced right back at her.

"Fine," Celeste said. "Let's wager our secrets."

Nagito's smile returned to normal. "Alright. Ready to start?"

"Gladly."

Mikan had been alone ever since the breakfast meeting. While she was fine being away from anyone, mainly Hiyoko, she also felt lonely. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to leave and interact with the others. Her crippling anxiety issues definitely made so that if she was going to have to interact with anyone, they would have to come to her.

Which is what ended up happening. Just as she was finishing up with organizing the nurse's office, Rantaro stepped into the office, waving and smiling politely.

"Hey, Mikan," Rantaro said. "I hope I'm not-"

"EEK!" Mikan shrieked loudly before slipping and falling onto the floor.

"…interrupting," Rantaro said.

Mikan whimpered and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry! I hope I d-didn't show you anything unsightly!"

"Trust me, you didn't show anything 'unsightly,' Mikan." Rantaro chuckled slightly before thinking. 'Unsightly? Is she really so clumsy that she'd flash people?'

"I-Is there anything I can help you with?" Mikan asked.

Rantaro cleared his throat. "Right. Well, I was using some thumbtacks in my lab and I pricked myself. My room didn't have any band-aids, so I hoped that-"

Mikan dashed over to Rantaro and grabbed a hold of his hand. "Oh no! I got to disinfect it."

"Oh, come on. That's a bit of an overreaction."

Mikan broke away from Rantaro and rushed towards a drawer, grabbing a bottle of disinfectant, a bag of cotton balls, and a box of band-aids. She then dashed back over to Rantaro's side. "Can you hold your hand out?"

Rantaro nodded and extended his hand out. Mikan opened up the bag of cotton balls and lightly dosed one with disinfectant. "I promise it will be quick."

"I know," Rantaro said before clenching his teeth.

Mikan nodded and pressed the cotton ball against his finger. Obviously, the chemical used for the disinfectant caused Rantaro to wince as it was applied to his wound. Yet, just as it had arrived, the pain left. Mikan gently placed the band-aid around his finger and sided.

"Y-y-you need to be more careful," Mikan said with a frown.

"Trust me, I'm fine," Rantaro chuckled. "It was just a mistake. Besides, no need to go through all that for a single prick to the finger."

"S-s-sorry," Mikan whimpered. "But even the smallest of openings can become infected. P-p-please be more careful."

"Okay, okay. I promise. Man, you really remind me of one of my sisters."

"I-I do?"

"Yeah," Rantaro smiled. "She was a bit timid and worried a lot too…Hey, have you really been here alone since the meeting?"

"Y-yes. I just…I-I was told I should look after the office…"

Rantaro tapped his chin. "That's a good point. Tell you what, why do you let me stop by every so often? Keep you company?"

Mikan's eyes lit up. "R-really? Do you mean that?!"

"Sure. If I'm not too invasive that is."

Mikan smiled and giggled a bit, until she shrieked. "Sorry! I didn't mean to make you think-"

"Mikan," Rantaro placed her hand on her shoulder, "don't worry about it. We're good."

Mikan paused when Rantaro touched her shoulder. It felt safe. Reassuring. Comforting. It just made her feel appreciated after everything that had happened to her. She smiled brightly and hugged the boy tightly.

"Th-thank you," Mikan said with tears in her eyes.

Rantaro chuckled and ruffled her hair a bit. "Don't worry about it. And don't be afraid to come see me if you need to."

Mikan nodded before letting go of Rantaro. Rantaro gave her one final smile before exiting the room. Mikan couldn't help but let this moment get to her. Someone actually wanted to be her friend. The last person she could remember trying to do that was Hajime and she screwed up. She killed two of her classmates for someone she couldn't remember, and Hajime got her executed for it. Well, no more. This was her second chance and she swore that she wouldn't betray her friends and she wouldn't be manipulated by that "special someone" again.

"Helloooooo nurse!" Junko said cheerfully as she entered the room.

Mikan shrieked once again and fell onto her back. Unfortunately, the way she fell led to her legs spreading apart and…flashing her underwear.

"Oooooh~" Junko smirked with drool traveling her chin. "Presenting already, Mikan? At least let me buy you dinner first."

"S-sorry! Please don't look!"

Junko rolled her eyes and covered them with her hand. "Fine, fine. Can't blame a girl for enjoying the view."

Mikan quickly got up to her feet and readjusted her skirt. "I-I'm sorry I showed you something un-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Junko interrupted. "No need to repeat that whole routine. I already heard you and Rantaro play that out."

Mikan fidgeted with her fingers. "W-wait, you were listening to us?"

"So, what's up?" Junko completely shifted the path of the conversation. "Am I able to get a physical from you whenever I want?"

Mikan's face turned completely red. "Wh-what?! Wh-why are you saying these things?"

"Why? Why?" Junko smirked at Mikan before lightly poking the nurse's cheek. "Because you're a cutie."

"You…You really mean that?"

"Of course!" Junko said before laying down on one of the nursing beds. "Why wouldn't I mean that?"

Mikan shook her head. "N-no. I'm just the d-d-dumb clumsy girl that smells like b-bathroom waste…"

Junko gasped. "My word! Who could ever say something like that to such a sweet girl? Was it Hiyoko?"

Mikan nodded her head.

Junko rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't listen to a brat like her. You're gorgeous and useful too."

Mikan was baffled. All of these complements came out of nowhere and all at once. It was overwhelming to a sensitive soul like her. But what was making her the most confused was just why Junko would come out of the blue with this.

Mikan stepped over to the bed and sat down next to it. "Wh-why are you telling me all of this, Junko?"

Junko sat up to be face to face with Mikan and flashed a friendly smile to her. "Because I care about you."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course," Junko said as her smile grew wider. "I am you're beloved after all."

I'm very disappointed in how long this took only for it to be so short compared to the rest of the usual chapters.

I'd don't have a lot to say about this chapter. I am most proud of the Sayaka and Ryoma segment, but you might think differently. I just wanted to have characters I haven't focused on in a while to get some time and mix up the interactions a bit.

I am setting up a pretty big journey for Celeste. That will be fun since she's such a blast to write. Same with Junko. Both are so manipulative.

I will be honest, I will try to speed up the pace a bit. Still got some chapters before the motive comes, but I'll try not to drag this like a MCU show does. Apparently. I don't know, I don't have Disney +

Anyways, I just got to thank you guys for your patience and interest in this story. Got over 20,000 views all together. Seeing that little number go up and your reviews pop up really keep me going. It's been hard lately. Thank you all, and I'll see you soon.