More to me- Pregame Saioma

50. BRO was STR8 UP MURDERED!!!!

Soon, I heard footsteps approached me. I turned to see Iwasaki heading my way. He had a small smirk on his lips, which came off a bit...creepy.  

We were a good seven feet away before I put my hand up, motioning for him to stop. I pulled my knife from my inventory and dropped it in front of me. The sound of the knife clattering on the ground seemed too realistic for a simulation. 

"...I didn't ask you here to fight you, Iwasaki-kun." 

He nodded and pulled out a gun, unloading it in front of my eyes before dropping it on the ground. "So...what did you want, Oma-kun?" 

"I...want to make an alliance. You see...I have two hearts. T-That would save me from any sudden puzzle games, sure, but it makes me an e-easy target for others. I...I need someone to have my back..." 

Iwasaki nodded, surprisingly calm. 

I approached him, trembling slightly. "T-Truth be told...I'm scared. I...I don't know w-what I've gotten myself into, Iwasaki-kun. I was...well, excited, to s-say the least, when I got the invitation. But now...I'm just...s-scared." 

He smiled, unaware of my lies. I could see something in that smile; he thought he would gain something from this. I realized why he seemed so...at ease. Just like Araya...he had underestimated me. He thought I wouldn't do anything. He was confident in that. 

He was betting his life on it. 

I kept a fearful composure, trying not to show how offended I was by my discovery. I stepped closer to him, and he did the same.  

I looked him in the eyes. "...P-Please...help me..." 

All of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around me. 

"...Poor Oma." I could hear him smirking. 

"...H-Huh?" 

"You don't have anyone to protect you, do you?" Iwasaki's tone came across as almost mocking. 

I hid my anger, silent. 

"Well...you don't have to worry anymore. I'm here...I'll keep you safe." 

The language he used was similar to Saihara's, but it felt...different. While Saihara's intentions have always been to help and protect me, I knew that Iwasaki had a very different goal. He thought he could...manipulate me. He thought he was in control here. 

He was wrong, of course. 

I backed away from the hug after a moment. "...T-Thank you, Iwasaki-kun. It's good to have an ally in these...circumstances." 

Circumstances. Araya had asked when to strike, and I responded by telling her to listen for that word. 

And just like we discussed...she ran up behind him and swung her bat, hitting him on the head. It looked...well, adorable in chibi form, but I could imagine Iwasaki's confusion and betrayal. Araya hit him again...and again.  

I pulled out a small camera I had prepared and took a picture, documenting the event. She didn't notice. After a while of her hitting Iwasaki, I began to frown. 

"He's gone." I told her. 

She huffed from the effort of beating him to death. "I had no idea he was such a creep." 

"Me neither. But hey...at least he's gone now. And at least you have those hearts, right?" 

She checked her wristband. "Yeah. Speaking of which...you said you had two hearts earlier. Why?" 

"To get him to trust me...t-that's all. If I said I had one heart, he would have been suspicious." 

"Oh." She smiled. "Then...I guess the fact that we can't show each other our hearts worked out in your favor, huh?" 

I nodded. "Let's go. You should probably l-leave the bat there." 

"Then what will I protect myself with?" Araya asked. 

"Does his gun work?" 

"Oh...right. Yeah." She picked it up, and we walked out of the room. I quickly made my way to the cafeteria, where I saw two more participants. A short girl with pink hair and a tall, thin boy with short green hair. 

"Ah...You're Oma Kokichi, right?" The girl asked, a smile on her face. 

I nodded. "H-Have we met, or...?" 

"No, I don't think so. Earlier, Iwakaski was talking about you." 

"...What did he say?" I asked, a small smile on my lips. 

The boy rolled his eyes. "He just talked about how timid you were." 

"T-Timid?" 

"He might have been right." The girl said, circling me and examining my chibi features. "You do seem skittish." 

I sighed. "I get that a lot..." 

"Oh, pfft." She hit her head. "Totally forgot to introduce myself. Tominaga Aimi, the future star of Danganronpa!" 

"Ah...future s-star?" 

"Yep! I know, I know. It can be so overwhelming meeting a new star. Rest assured, I'm not famous yet~" 

I let out a small chuckle, and she giggled back. 

"I guess I should introduce myself too." The boy said. "Yasuda Minori." 

"I-It's nice to meet you both." I smiled. 

A pair of footsteps alerted me to another person coming into the dining room. It was the tough guy from earlier. He looked...well, a lot less tough as a chibi. He shot me an adorable glare, which I had a hard time not laughing at, before he took some food and left. 

"Who was that g-guy?" I asked my new companions. 

"Pfft- that asshole? Jinsato...uh...Katashi, I think." Tominaga said. "Hard to remember the names of insignificant people. Anyway, he totally wants you dead, so be careful." 

Yasuda nodded. "Oh, yeah. He met up with Iwasaki earlier. Wouldn't be surprised if those two were planning something together." 

"Oh...that sounds...n-not so great." I muttered. 

"Yeah, for you. Jinsato is coming for your head." 

"Why d-does he dislike me so much?" 

"You called him desperate." 

"And was I wrong?" 

Tominaga chuckled, nudging me with her elbow. I nudged her back with a smile. 

"You remind me of my l-little sister, Tominaga-san." 

She paused. "Is that a compliment?" 

"Eh...take it how you will." 

We shrugged at each other. 

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