Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

4.24 - Echo of a Person

Well, I definitely can't do it. I don't think I'd be able to without breaking her nose for hurting Rantaro.

"Be my guest then," I answer, just as my room door opens to Korekiyo's tired and dry face.

"Angie summons you. Kiibo may, understandably, remain where he is," Korekiyo comments reluctantly, like he'd been forced to come up and get us. "I presume it is about the development from last night."

"Did something else-" I start to ask, noting how Himiko's eyes flash when she reaches for my hand. I jerk at the sudden contact. "Himiko?"

"You're not gonna believe it unless you see it," she says as she pulls me past Korekiyo, who in turn shuts my room door and follows after us in a casual slow gait with his hands behind his back. He doesn't look either happy or particularly upset, but his eyes do follow us down curiously. Whatever Angie and Himiko want me to see must be pretty big...

And knowing the hooded figure still leaning against the wall in the lobby doesn't match the count of us that remain, I guess I know what to expect.

Moment of truth.

Angie claps her hands as Himiko brings me in front of her, grinning brightly like we aren't still missing someone in our ranks.

"Hurry up, whatever it is, I need to get changed so we can all split up and find Gonta," I say, grimacing internally. Hopefully "finding Gonta" doesn't result in just his corpse, especially how much all of this reeks of foul play.

"Of course, of course! And now we have one more person to help find him!" Angie chirps.

"Right. Kaede," I simply state, watching as the hooded figure beside her flinches somewhat. It's so severe that it's hard not to notice, and yet I don't look her way as I stare at Angie's stiff smile of surprise from my blunt statement. "Then let's keep moving on."

Without addressing the unbelievability or reveling in the miracle, without trying to get a glimpse of her face, I turn away and pull my hand from Himiko's to return to my room.

"I'm going to use Gonta's room to change if anyone needs me," I say as I enter my room to gather my clothing, just barely catching Shuichi's exit from Kokichi's room to my left.

"Ah...you saw her too, right?" Kiibo asks when I distract myself by grabbing an outfit from my dresser along with the essentials. "It's like she didn't die at all...though I remember how she looked when Monokuma hung her up with Tsumugi and Ryoma for the execution. If this is the fruits of human technology...good or bad, I really don't know what to think."

So she really does look like Kaede...

...

"Let's just worry about Gonta for now."

❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀ 〰〰〰〰〰〰 ❀

"Okay, so we should search in pairs. Kaito will remain to watch Kokichi and Kiibo will be taking care of Rantaro. Kirumi is tied up again, and it seems like she isn't going to try to escape anymore. Let's figure out who goes with who," Shuichi says, standing to my right while Himiko stands to my left.

"J-Just don't expect me to go with either you or Korekiyo," Tenko says upfront, though unlike my previous attempts to correct her or chastise her, I don't speak up this time. I can feel eyes traveling towards me as a result, but I ignore it as I pick at my fingernails thoughtfully.

"...R-Right," Shuichi answers.

"Why don't you go with Kaede then?" Himiko surprisingly speaks, knocking the firm look of composure right off of Tenko's face as she does. "She's a girl."