Checkmate of Death (Danganronpa THH x OC)

Chapter 20: Free Time Event #4

"And you said you hate the occult," I reminded him.

"Hey, business is business!" Hiro shot.

He's such a greedy little pig... I thought as I rejected Hiro's offer and walked out.

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Kyoko Kirigiri:

I went to the physics lab to explore the room some more, when I noticed Kyoko behind the air purifier. Her back was facing towards me.

"What's the matter? Are you keeping an eye on me?" Kyoko asked, startling me. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill anyone."

How did she know I was here? "Well, I wasn't really. Do you want to hang out or something?" I asked.

Kyoko turned towards me. "I was just about to head to the dining hall to get something to drink. Do you want to come with me?"

I went to the dining hall and drank some tea with Kyoko. While we were there, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. I decided to start the conversation.

"So, Kyoko..."

"If you're expecting a conversation, don't. There's no need for it," Kyoko said.

"Why not? Don't you think talking is important? If we're going to get out of here, we all need to be on the same page. And to do that, we need to get to know each other."

"You could certainly make the argument that forming friendships may help prevent killings. But are you asking for some kind of deep connection?"

"Deep connection?"

"You could just be deceiving us, pretending to be everyone's friend so you can gather information."

"I'm not that type of person!"

"Well then, let's do a quick test, shall we?"

"What type of test?"

"If you're as gung-ho on friendship as you claim, this should be an easy question."

"A simple Q and A? Well then, fire away."

"Are you ready? You consider Hina one of your friends, yes? If that's true, what is her ultimate ability?" Kyoko questioned.

I smirked. "That's an easy one... Hina's the Ultimate Swimming Pro, of course."

Kyoko nodded her head. "Well...asked and answered. Then your pleas of camaraderie are true."

"Of course."

"Yes, of course. Such a foolishly open person as you could never lie. Everyone would know right away."

What's with the "foolishly open" stuff?

"Okay then, as promised... What would you like to know about me?" Kyoko questioned.

"Well... What school did you used to go to, before you came here?"

"Before I came here...? ... I guess I was living abroad."

"Living abroad? Was it an exchange program? Or did your parents work overseas or something?"

"... My parents? I suppose?"

She doesn't sound so sure... Perhaps she was living abroad because of one of her parent's jobs. I'll start with her father. "So what kind of work does your father do?"

"... Foreign government? Top secret clearance...?"

Question marks again...

"I kept up my end of the deal. This should be enough, right? I'm leaving now," Kyoko left before I could ask another question.

"She's so full of mystery," I muttered.

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Celestia Ludenberg:

I went to the kitchen to wash mine and Kyoko's cups when I ran into Celeste.

"Well, if it isn't D-rank Hanako. Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, everything is fine," I said.

"Well then, shall we have a bit of a conversation? Ah, but don't misunderstand. I have no affection for you on a personal level," Celeste said.

I spent some time with Celeste.

"Say Hanako...do you like mahjong?" Celeste asked.

"I played it a couple of times, but I always get confused and ended up losing. Chess is more up my alley," I explained.

"Is that so? A pity. I was hoping we might play together."

"I'm assuming you're good at it?"

"Good? No, I am not merely good. I once played a game of Russian roulette mahjong and won."

"Russian roulette?"

"It was a truly fierce contest, put on by a half-insane billionaire in the basement of his mansion. My opponents were a fierce old man and a silver-haired boy who was said to have the devil's own luck. We played with a modified rule set. I remember well the glass tiles we used..."

"And you won...?"

"I defeated them both at once. I will never forget the angry, twisted looks on their faces. The crowd that been invited to watch became positively riotous. Nobody could believe I had won. Hmhmhm. That is one of my fonder memories..." Celeste smiled at the memory.

I'm really glad I didn't agree to play mahjong with her. We said our goodbyes and I went off.

When I exited the dining hall, I saw Makoto leading Taka to the bathhouse.

I wonder what's going on? I quickly and quietly followed them.