Danganronpa Midnight: Lantern Lament (Fanganronpa)

Purgatory 4

But eventually, she began to wonder where she was, glancing around the mysterious place she ended up.

However, Kokoro's eyes widened in shock once she saw the figure approaching her.

Or...rather running towards her while another much shorter person chased after them.

"S...Shunsuke...!" The figure behind yelled, yet was extremely out of breath. "You...You know I can't run after you! You have to let her settle in first!"

The person - revealed to be Shunsuke yet Kokoro had no idea how that even made sense - ignored the other, continuing until his feet reached the girl, who was still on the floor.

Kokor slowly looked up at his face as her breath hitched. Despite the scarring and wounds, there was no doubt about it. From his eyes to his mole and hair, the man before her was definitely Shunsuke without a doubt.

His fists were clenched and his lips were quivering as the mortician struggled to find the words to say to the girl before him. So without explaining a thing,  Shunsuke just dropped to the ground next to her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his head between her neck and shoulder.

Kokoro remained paralysed, not understanding where she was or what was happening, yet hesitantly reflected the gesture by wrapping her own arms around the boy.

The matchmaker's confusion was only doubled by the arrival of two more figures: Akemi, who had been chasing after Shunsuke and Hidemi who managed to catch up with the other two.

Just like Shunsuke, the majority of the wounds they had received from death remained, such as the long scars along Akemi's wrists or the popped veins around Hidemi's exposed skin.

While initially at a loss for words, once the mortician pulled away and cupped her sore face, Kokoro tried to ask one of the many questions she had at the moment.

"W-What...is this?"

"Right. You must be pretty...confused." Akemi rubbed the back of his neck, lightly chuckling in an attempt to lighten the mood. Yet once he saw everyone's unchanging expressions, the laughter was replaced by silence. "Uh...I guess I'll try my best to explain."

Akemi rambled, trying to give a brief explanation of what he knew about this place with Hidemi interjecting every so often with her own input.

Once they had concluded, Kokoro sighed, staring down at the ground.

"Kokoro...?" Hidemi called out to the girl as Shunsuke put his hands on her shoulder. "Is everything ok?"

Akemi, noticing the awkwardness of the situation, butt in. "H-Hey! How about we give you two some privacy?"

"Privacy...?" Hidemi repeated, looking back at the other two still on the floor. "R-Right! That makes sense. Kokoro does seem a bit...conflicted." She mumbled that last bit.

"And Shunsuke is desperate to talk to her. You saw how he ran...I've never seen Shunsuke run that fast!" Akemi whispered back as the two removed themselves from the conversation as discreetly as possible, leaving Shunsuke and Kokoro together on the floor as their eyes slowly met.

"Kokoro- O-Or should I say...My dear..." Shunsuke stammered when their eyes met, his hands still firmly placed on her shoulders.

"Y-You don't have to do this," Kokoro mumbled. "You...probably hate me. So...Y-You don't have to act like-"

"Act?" Shunsuke cut her off, widening his eyes. "Why...Would I ever act as if I care about you? It's the truth - not some act..."

Kokoro took a deep breath. "R...Really?"