Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

2.9 - A Prize For A Price

...I'm such a hypocrite. I shouldn't be so critical about Rantaro's secret. Maybe he's finding it just as stressful to keep his secret as it is for me to keep mine- despite that I'm being forced into silence by Monokuma. Besides, it's not like I dislike him so much. I want to be around him.

Or maybe I'm being wishy-washy just to make an excuse to get the nectarine from him.

"If you were smart, you'd suck it up and just get it from your green boyfriend. You're NOT gonna get your grubby hands on one yourself, ugly," Monokid comments after a little while of watching me clean up, the bear sitting on the counter and strumming the badly tuned rubber band chords of his cardboard guitar.

I huff as I lift a bag of flour up that I'd placed beside him earlier, hauling it back into the pantry and dumping it in its rightful place.

"I'm definitely not doing that," I simply answer, turning to grab containers and organize what little is left of the mess. "What time is it anyways?"

"Don't care! I don't sleep!" Monokid barks delightfully, causing me to pause and look his way once I have what's in my hands set aside. Oh, how helpful his presence is...jeez.

"Why are you even here anyways? I would think you'd be bored hanging around someone ugly like me," I point out, prompting Monokid to jump to his feet on the counter and suddenly slam his cardboard guitar down on my head.

At first, I flinch in shock when it makes contact with my skull. The next second however, I realize the guitar didn't actually hurt me- rather collapsing into a bent piece of an unrecognizable cardboard amalgam around my head.

Monokid is still holding the end of the cardboard guitar, but he doesn't look all to satisfied with the result of his supposed assault.

Actually...he sort of looks rather upset.

"That was my LAST GUITAR-!" He suddenly cries out in realization, eyes actually tearing up as he looks at what's left in his paw and then turns his distraught gaze to me. " I blame YOU for making me do that! I'll never forgive you, UGLY!" 

...I don't even know how to respond to that, considering there's literally no change in how he views me. What, so he could hate me more than he already does? Truly unexpected.

While the blue kub holds the remains of his last guitar sadly in quiet respect like it's a friend crossing into the afterlife or something, I finish cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and walk to the dining hall again. Glancing back over my shoulder, Monokid jumps down from the counter with much less of a spring to his step as he somberly follows me out.

Who knew robots could get depressed...I better not bring that up to Kiibo though, or he'll call me robophobic.

Walking out of the dining hall and back into the hallway, I'm unable to resist taking another peek at Rantaro.

He's still reading that book of his, though now he's reclined on a fluffy patch of mossy grass using one of the building lights in the corridor so the words he's reading are legible. He looks...almost picturesque like that, with my precious nectarine set on a napkin right next to him. Thank goodness he hasn't eaten it himself yet.

No! Who cares if he eats it! I'm gonna get a better one anyways- a nectarine with more juice, more mass, and a more scrumptious flavor!

My eyes flick back to Rantaro's face, only to see his green eyes already settled on me much to my surprise. He smiles a little and waves, but seeing this as yet another effort to drag me in with his charm and the nectarine, I whirl around and give him my back as I head over to one of the doors I see I'd originally missed during my time I'd been initially exploring the school. My face is on fire, and I make sure I don't turn back Rantaro's way where he can see my embarrassment of being caught staring at him.