Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

4.24 - Echo of a Person

"You're mental! Oh my god, wake up, you oaf! Don't be pathetic and fall asleep! I didn't bring you back to the dorms just so you can keel over to hypothermia! Wake UP!" I snap, my voice raising when I realize he's starting to walk improperly. He's leaning on me more, making my body halt to try and get a better grip on his midsection. "Wait, no...! You're heavy, you can't expect me to...!"

I trail off as I try to drag him along, but he just half knocks into me and nearly causes us to lose our balance.

"Whuh..." He mumbles sloppily, before a sleepy laugh escapes his blue lips. I grit my teeth furiously- not at Rantaro, but my predicament in his bad state- lifting myself up with him to get us steadied and examine how much further we have to go. We're almost there...it's just a few yards away! "You're the b-best..."

Don't take any chances! Carry this pathetic oaf across your back if you have to! Haul his butt indoors!

With a battle cry that manages to startle Rantaro with a flinch, I duck down and pull on the arm he has slung over my shoulder, forcing him to arch across my upper back. What with him being so unsteady like an overcooked noodle, I manage to wiggle him over more and lock my arms behind his knees and arms.

Once I stand up with his full weight held up over me, he hardly utters a word as he tries to understand the situation with growing confusion, allowing me to focus solely on trudging through the snow quickly without dropping him or falling.

"If you fall asleep, I'll kill you myself, do you hear me?! Stay awake!" I bark, moving faster when I trust I'm not about to run into anything hiding under the snow.

"Mmmhmm..." He mumbles, finishing his hum of confirmation by the time I reach the dormitory doors and shade under it. With no more snow to slow me down, my hiking turns into a bolt as I lift my foot to knee the stupid doors open. I think I hear an objection from Rantaro when his foot hits the doorframe, but I disregard it for the time being. As much as I don't want to hurt him anymore, one more bruise is better than letting him freeze to death.

Gonta isn't at the door of course, but everyone else is grouped in the lobby as I speed in towards the stairs and make a beeline for my room.

I must have dropped my keys in the time I was cooped up inside Kirumi's lab, because when I finally slide Rantaro's weight off of my shoulders, I have nothing to open my door with except the small box of needles I stuck in the bust of the dress after I freed Rantaro.

"What's going on?! Is he okay?" Kaito is the first to appear, or rather the first in a cacophony of voices I can process after everyone's vocalization to my entry. It's not who I expect to hear first, considering he looked a lot like death the last time I saw him.

"Kaito! You-" I start in surprise, before shaking the thought from my mind and focusing on my door lock. "I'm glad you're okay. Kirumi happened, he got in a fight with her. I think he's getting hypothermia, he was saying he's 'warm'."

Once I throw open the doors, Kaito and Shuichi take over and lift Rantaro up into my room together. On impulse, I glance back to see who else is climbing the stairs to check on us, feeling my stomach churn when I notice the familiar figure of Tenko still standing in the lobby with her arms crossed. Korekiyo is also down there, a safe distance away from the aikido girl that obviously has no intention of climbing up the stairs to check on either myself or Rantaro.

Of course, why would she come running to see if we're okay? After the fight we had before, there's no reason for her to care for our well being. As for Korekiyo...well, he's strange enough to not find this reaction concerning. He's been telling me he wants to kill girls, after all.

There's someone else down there, though I can't really distinguish "who" with the hooded snow jacket they're wearing. If I'm to guess by their figure though, it's not Gonta, so maybe it's Kokichi.