Danganronpa: Until Proven Guilty

Chapter Four - 2: Letting Go of a Loved One

happy birthday kohi sasaki! (8th may) hopefully yana says happy birthday too to please your little simp heart. ily bestie
—
Haruka turns, pacing away until she disappears around the corridor. The sudden sound of a door slamming rings across the walls, and I wince.
Perhaps knowing her problem only makes me more confused, as I'm left utterly bewildered at her little rant. Whether or not she'd upset or completely furious is beyond me.
I can't think about this any longer. Letting it dwell in my mind will only eat away at it, letting it consume my whole body. There's no time for that. Not now. I take myself to the infirmary, which I hadn't managed to explore, though I didn't expect much of it.

My expectations aren't surpassed as I fling open the brown wood double doors to reveal an entirely white room. White walls, white tiles, white curtains; the entire room is an eye-blistering ivory. Hospital beds line the far wall, each separated by a thin curtain, and cabinets on the wall opposite that appear to be stacked high with medicines of all sorts.
The only thing that stands out in the bleached sea is Ayana, her black attire rather striking against the room. She appears to be tending to Kohi, who lies content on one of the many hospital beds. I'd have never suspected he'd just had his arm shattered by Kaso. At least if I hadn't heard it.
"Hey," I smile weakly, approaching the two. Kohi returns the expression when he sees me, looking up at Ayana with hopeful eyes, "H-hey, Kihona! Wow, I have a whole audience of visitors."
"Audience?" I frown, "Isn't it just you two?"
Ayana shakes her head in dismay for whatever reason, yet she doesn't say anything.

"I'm right here, you know," A soft voice calls out from behind one of the curtains. Almost a voice I can't recognise, until the speaker emerges from their hiding.
Shiro; the same dishevelled Shiro from breakfast. He looks weak, nearly gaunt, like he hasn't eaten or slept in days. His sling is gone, and his shoulder is practically fine. I somehow still expect Mamo to be by his side, trembling as he always was. But he's gone now, a fact Shiro is perhaps more aware of than ever.
"O-oh, sorry Shiro," Laughter escapes my lips, nervous and frantic, "I didn't see you, that's all."
He doesn't say anything further, just purses his lips as he stares at Kohi.
"Anyway," I say, desperately trying to take any attention off what just happened, "How's Kohi doing?"
Ayana shrugs, "His arm is definitely broken. But there's not really anything I can do. I'm no doctor, and even if I was, there's nothing for me to cast it up with."
She appears to be wrapping some bandages around Kohi's arm, pinning a sling in place across his shoulder, "For now this will do. It will hurt a lot, so just try not to bash it, okay?"
"Okay," Kohi grins, staring back into her eyes intently. I've never seen a gaze so deep, so captivated by something. That boy must really like her. She smiles back at him with her eyes so strangely warm and genuine. Ayana's cold, sour face is ingrained in my mind, and yet this sudden softness to her. It seems almost uncanny.
I look back up to Shiro, who's once again staring aimlessly.
"Hey," I say, stepping closer to him as I place a hand on his shoulder, "Let's take a walk, warm you back up to society."
At first, Shiro seems reluctant, pulling himself away from me, but after a moment's consideration, he shuffles along behind me as we both leave the infirmary. Neither Ayana or Kohi says goodbye - too engrossed in their conversation to even notice we're gone.