Danganronpa: Melancholic Mayhem

Chapter 3 Part 4: The Knowing, and The Keeping

"N- no, Imamura, that's not..." I began, watching her leave the room. I frowned, staring down at the table. Did I just... make things worse?

"Is she okay?" Kajiwara asked, walking into the room.

"Oh... um... I- I'm not to sure..." I said. He made direct eye contact, before nodding, as if he understood just by my expression what was going on.

Should I hang out with Kajiwara Hotaka? -Yes- -No-

"Alright. Would you like to do some self love exercises with me?"

Kajiwara and I walked over to one of the rooms, and sat down on the floor. Kajiwara made sure that I spoke some of the chants, which consisted of sweet nothings to one's self. Each time I would begin to tear up, Kajiwara would make sure to take a break to cheer me up again, before returning to the chants.

I think Kajiwara and I grew closer today.

Would you like to give Kajiwara a present? -Yes- -No-

I gave Kajiwara a floral essence candle.

"Well, Hirano. This is a very fine gift. I will definitely be using it." Kajiwara said. He sat with his eyes closed, almost seeming to be lost in thought.

"H- hey, why did we do that?" I asked. Kajiwara opened his eyes, and calmly looked into mine.

"Well, it's important to know your worth. Repeating these words every morning has made my life a lot better. Also, I thought you could use this small ritual in your life. You seem to be upset with yourself." He explained. I smiled at him.

"Th- that really kind of you." I said. He nodded, closing his eyes and returning to his deep thoughts. "So... um... w- what about what you said the last time we t- talked?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, his eyes remaining shut.

"W- well... you said th- that you'd t- tell me what you did b- before you changed..." I replied. His eyes opened, and he calmly looked into my eyes, almost as if he was trying to understand what I was thinking. He took a long sigh, almost finding the courage to speak.

"I accidentally set my little sisters hamster on fire." He said, closing his eyes and returning to the calm expression he'd had beforehand.

"WHAT!?" I yelled out, before covering my mouth. He opened his eyes once again, and shifted his position.

"That's the reaction I was expecting." He replied, almost as if he hadn't said anything remotely insane.

"B- BUT, HOW!?" I yelled. He took a long sigh.

"I was messing around with some matches in my sisters room, and ended up burning myself on the finger and I threw it into the hamster cage by accident. The hamster caught fire, and I ended up picking it up with my hands and racing into the bathroom and putting the fire out with some water." He said. I stared at him for a moment, my eyes wide.

"N- no... I don't believe it. Y- you're not that k- kind of person..." I replied. He stared at me for a moment, before reaching for his glove and pulling it off. He showed his palm to me, letting my hold it in my hand. The skin was covered in a dark scar, which almost seemed to have exploded into the white of his hand. "B- but..."

"It wasn't on purpose, and the hamster survived. It lived for about another year." He began. "But after that, I was kicked out of the house. My parents had enough of my shenanigans."

"W- what... happened next?" I asked.

"I came to my senses, and ended up studying to become a surgeon and eventually was able to begin medical practices. Though, even though I've accomplished a lot, I don't think they'd ever let me return home. Maybe I can visit them after we escape from this place." He explained. "I just don't want anyone to go down my path. I'd probably be happier if I didn't end up making that mistake. But I've come to terms with it, and this is just how my life has played out. And I'm happy where I am, so even if I would be more at peace with my family, I'm still glad I went down this path." He said. "It was nice getting this off my chest. Would you like to speak with me about anything?"