Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

4.24 - Echo of a Person

Wait, that's right! I remember Shuichi flirting with Kokichi yesterday!

"Shuichi, work your charm, aren't you two a thing or something now?" I ask quietly by his ear, watching as his expression becomes flabbergasted when he registers my snippy order. His neck tints a shade of red that starts from his neck and climbs up his face, a small victory considering my mild irritation.

"N-No! Wha- he was flirting with me yesterday, not the other way around!" Shuichi objects quietly, both of us making a valiant attempt to not let Himiko or Kaito hear.

"Alright, but he likes you, so work it! Make him stop staring at me!" I complain, turning his head to face Kokichi when he sits up and tries to look around Shuichi at me. He's got an uncanny loving expression on his face, filled with unadulterated bliss that makes me want to stick my head neck deep in sand.

"Uhh, ehrm...Kokichi? Hi," Shuichi starts up awkwardly, eventually clearing his throat when he notices the odd looks from Kaito and Himiko. "Ah...how do you feel? Are you okay?"

"Move," Kokichi simply chirps, standing up and swatting Shuichi aside far more carelessly than I would have expected. Shuichi gapes as he staggers to catch himself from the shove, nearly bumping Kaito in the process. When I back away after him and retreat behind Kaito and Himiko, Kokichi's expression of joy turns to confusion with a pause. "Prairie?"

No, I really can't do this. Not if he's going to behave like this towards me after what he was saying to Shuichi.

"I can't," I say to the four gathered around Kokichi, watching as they try to redirect him back to the bed when I begin walking back towards the exit of the room. "He's not right in the head right now. Even if we try to ask him where Gonta is, he's not going to be able to answer..."

Of course while I do genuinely believe that, that's not the real reason I want to get away from him. I can't deal with my hopes getting crushed anymore. Him and Tenko were more than enough to do enough damage.

Without another word, I quickly exit and go straight for my own room again to think. I can hear Kaito and Shuichi move to stop Kokichi from following as I round the doorway and enter my own room.

Kiibo lifts a hand at my re-entry from where he is beside Rantaro- who is evidently still fighting off sleep with the help of Kiibo disrupting him. I can see Rantaro weakly wave off Kiibo's hand from where he's pinched his nose closed, frowning but saying nothing. Presumably, he must understand on some level as to 'why' Kiibo isn't letting him fall asleep, even as dazed and unfocused as he is.

Back in the love hotel when Kokichi was faking his symptoms for laughs to see how I reacted, I went along with his "fantasy" just in case. If Kokichi wakes up from this (if it's even legitimate this time) and feels terrible from the unfulfilled dream, then it is what it is. I'm not going to comply with his feelings if it's gonna hurt me in return. Besides, I don't even remember what bad thing he said yesterday to upset me.

Come to think of it...I don't feel bad and we know I got injected by the Love Hotel drug too. So...what does that mean? Kirumi wanted to kill me, I doubt my fantasy fell in line with that. And I also doubt Kirumi would shelf her desire to kill me just so she could satiate the fantasy hallucination caused by the drug.

...In fact, why would she go through the hassle of using the love hotel drug? Or rather any drug at all? She could have just beat me to death out there with the metal pipe she had. She took what was one simple task and broke it down to three or four tasks.

Why bring me to her lab? I can understand taking Rantaro- though with enough exposure even inside the Maid lab laundry room, he'd probably still be in trouble- but I would have been dead and Kirumi presumably would have already left by the time he died.