Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

3.3 - Not A Child

A/N: The above art is my own work and for my own use only.

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"Where are we going now?" I ask curiously, stopping by a rock engraved with writing and what looks to be a paw print at the top. Shuichi walks up to it too, Rantaro hovering behind us and looking in another direction to examine our surroundings.

"Ah! You found her!" Kiibo's voice catches our attention as he pushes around a giant clump of vines, so many that he looks like he's practically being swallowed up by them.

"Kiibo and Tenko went ahead to inspect the place after Kaito came to the casino. I figured it would move things along faster to send them off, but..." Shuichi trails off, not bothering to continue his statement. I'm sure we're all thinking it though- doesn't seem like these two have discovered anything integral.

"Prairie!" I register Tenko's voice only moments before I'm yanked into a warm hug, squeezing a smile out of me when I spot one of her familiar chain-link pigtails waving around her body as she swings me lightly. "We were looking everywhere for you! When that short little degenerate male broke into your room- with my supervision of course- we thought the worst! That Monokuma even kept saying he probably had you tied up behind a wall!"

Stupid bear...! Making them all believe I was locked away like some kind of damsel in distress!

"N-No, I couldn't sleep last night and went to the game room to make myself tired. I guess it worked sooner than I expected. I sorta knocked out right by one of the arcade machines after I demolished Leech Face's high scores," I explain, still somewhat proud of the overkill I delivered to Kokichi in Galaga.

"Er- as much as I love hearing about Kokichi being put in his place, does anyone have any suggestions on where we should look next? I don't see any clues for an item needing to be used here, so it might be a dead end," Kiibo states as Tenko beams and pats my head proudly.

"What are the other items?" I ask curiously, prompting Shuichi to jump a little before fumbling to pull out three useless looking items that makes me frown when something familiar about the sight of one object tickles my memories, specifically a yellow-gold ocarina. At my expression and the way my eyes flick to the stone tablet a few feet away, everyone glances towards it.

"That's what we figured might take an item, but there's nowhere to put anything. We don't have a paw print shaped item either," Kiibo states, crossing his arms as I reach for the ocarina and walk over to the tablet anyways as I give it a contemplating look.

"...oh!" Shuichi suddenly seems to realize, smiling when I look back at him with a grin.

"Hm?" Rantaro queries curiously, looking from me to Shuichi and back with a quirk of the corner of his lips like he wants to smile. "What? Did you two figure it out?"

"Ha! Of course Perfect Blitz figures it out before you degenerate males!" Tenko preens, crossing her arms proudly while Kiibo fidgets to the side mumbling, "Well, you didn't figure it out yet either..."

Good thing Tenko doesn't seem to hear him.

"I'll let Prairie take care of it," Shuichi says, watching as I bring the ocarina to my lips. I play an interval of six notes before continuing the musical piece, one which I can't really pinpoint in my memories but I'm sure I know.

The vines Kiibo had been toying with earlier immediately recede- not into somewhere or anything though. They pretty much just fall and wither away instantly, making me yank the ocarina from my lips. They're gone...? Just like that?