Danganronpa IF

The next day, the Infirmary.

"Oh, you're awake! G'morning! You okay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Naegi's vision returned to the sight of fingers adorned with fake nails waving before his eyes.

"Huh... huh? Wha...? E... Enoshima-san...?"

"Hey, why do you sound like you're not sure about my name? I'm just a tiny bit hurt."

Despite what she had said, the girl called Enoshima--Junko Enoshima, the Super High School Level Fashion Girl--was laughing. Naegi looked around and found himself in an unfamiliar space. It looked somewhat like a hospital, with three beds (including his own) lined up in the room. All kinds of medical instruments were laid out around them. The pitch-black ceiling felt rather oppressive, but Naegi's mind immediately hit upon one possibility as he sat up.

"Where are we...? Did we get rescued?!"

"Weeell, if only." She replied, looking away. She explained that they were in the school infirmary on the first floor.

"That stupid Monokuma said, 'I can't bear to see my dear students getting sick' or something, and opened up this place this morning. But isn't it totally suspicious? What if all the medicine here is actually poison?"

"To be honest, I think that's a real possibility..."

Naegi remembered his misadventure with the self-proclaimed Escape Switch and sighed.

"...Come to think of it, what are you doing here, Enoshima-san?"

"If you want to thank someone, go to Maizono. She was looking after you all night."

"Ma-Maizono-san?!" Naegi exclaimed.

"Yup! But then Ishimaru went and started getting all fired up about taking turns looking after you. And it just turns out I happened to be on duty! Togami just ditched, though."

"I-I see... Thank you."

"I tooold you, you should save the thanks for Maizono. Anyway, how're you feeling? Is everything all right?"

"Huh? Well..."

Naegi thought for a moment, and recalled something that had been bothering him earlier--before he had lost consciousness.

"...This might sound... a little weird, or... well, it is a really weird question, but..."

"What is it?"

"Enoshima-san. We've never met before... have we?"

Her eyes turned to dinner plates as she gaped for a few moments. But the girl soon burst out into laughter.

"What? What're you talking about? Are you trying to hit on me?" A rather serious look crept into her grin. "Just warning you, don't expect too much. I might look like this, but I totally care about my virginity!"

"Uh... no, I mean... expectations aside, I never..."

"Well, that's totally expected. I mean, you're pretty obviously an herbivore man..."

Naegi spent some time talking with her. Although he was slightly concerned about the fact that she did not leave to get the others, instead choosing to talk with a guy like him, Naegi did not ask why. He just wanted to talk to someone, anyone. He felt as though he would figure out the truth behind the things squirming in his head by spending time and interacting with the other students here.

Ten minutes later.

Naegi and the girl talked about things like 'herbivore men and carnivore women', her time living on the streets, and about the past and dreams for the future. The

final topic was a lot heavier than the ones preceding it, but she seemed to have been cheered up by Naegi's calmness. She put on a sincere smile and whispered,

"Thank you, Naegi."

Perhaps in exchange for listening to her, she expressed a rather terrifying sentiment with that same smile on her face.

"If I ever decide to kill someone, I'll make sure it isn't you!"

Please don't say scary things like that... Naegi thought, but the words that came out his mouth expressed a different idea.

"I see... Thanks. But I still wouldn't want you to kill anyone..."

For some reason, Naegi felt as though her horrific words were completely natural. She seemed to be the most surprised about Naegi's reaction as she quickly stumbled forth.

"You-you thought I was being serious? I was just joking, Naegi! It's just a joke!"

"Huh?! Oh, uh, right! Sorry! That was weird of me."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just say you were totally having a fever dream!"

The girl's tone became light again as she stretched on the spot and turned to Naegi.

"I'm going to go back now, so try to stay alive until the next person gets here, okay?"

Naegi sent her off, and thought to himself as he lay in the bed.

What... is this feeling...?

The dull headaches continued, and his thoughts became foggy.

I was just talking to Enoshima-san, but it's as though... I was talking to someone else...

Who? Who? ...Who is she?

The more he thought, the more it felt as though his memories were sinking into a bog. But it also felt like the pulsing pains were creating waves on the surface of that same bog.

What... am I feeling...?

It was an unpleasant sensation, as though someone was calling to him inside his head. Naegi tried to go over everything that had happened to him so far, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a bell.

The infirmary did not have doorbells like the dormitory rooms. The sound was a chime that was echoing throughout the entire school building.

"Ah, ah. Testing, one-two. This is a school announcement."

Monokuma's voice was coming from the speakers.

"Now that Naegi-kun is awake, all students must gather in the gymnasium."

Naegi got off the bed like on Monokuma's heartless order.

I have to go...

He stepped forward one foot after the other, his movements dictated by the rhythm of his headache.

Slowly and slowly he made his way forward, not knowing if his path led him to heaven or hell.