A.N: Alternate Universe! Also, I wrote this a few years ago. I wrote it before half of the stuff I wrote in AMWY. Originally it was gonna be a fic, so mostly this is an introductory to a story I *MIGHT* write.
This is an excuse. To post something in this fandom. I've been feeling really nostalgic to Danganronpa, rereading my fic and stuff. I'm just saying that there's a good chance I'll continue this soon. More A.N at the end.
Shuichi's expectations of high school weren't exactly thrilling compared to others. He promised himself that he would focus on studies before doing anything else. He didn't expect anything much from high school, he would be completely fine with living an absolutely bland life. No lovers, no parties, none of that. He'd be completely fine with being a loser. Unfortunately, that philosophy didn't last long.
His middle school best friend, Kaito Momota, stuck around with him in high school. He couldn't "leave his sidekick!" Because of this, Kaito always dragged Shuichi along for parties. Thankfully, they didn't do anything that bad. Maybe a couple of drinks every now and then from specific bad influences (like Kokichi), but nothing too out of the ordinary for high schoolers.
Kaito was almost the complete opposite of Shuichi, wanting to get the most fun out of high school. Hell, as soon as he got a driver's license, he would swing by Shuichi's place just to go somewhere random. It could be an arcade, the mall, a movie, anywhere really. It's not surprising that someone as outgoing as that eventually got a girlfriend.
Shuichi met the lucky girl, Maki Harukawa, during their sophomore year of high school. apparently they got together over Summer break. Kaito slid into her DMs, she indulged him, got on a few dates, and now they're together. He even had a pretty interesting pet name for her... Lucky for them, they all shared homeroom, History, and English together. They were the power couple, and Shuichi was the power third wheel. Maki was easy to talk to and really smart; it was completely different from Kaito! Shuichi was a little shocked Kaito struck a girl like her.
So, of course now that Kaito got a girl, it was Shuichi's turn. Kaito always tried to hook him up with other girls in their class, but Shuichi always refused. He even offered to set up a blind date with someone, but this was to no avail.
Until, in the middle of Sophomore year, Shuichi met a nice girl in the library; Tsumugi Shirogane. She was nice, pleasant to talk to. She had some pretty interesting hobbies, such as cosplaying; one that he would be into if he weren't so introverted. Once learning this news, she was quick to be his self-proclaimed cosplay buddy. At the time, the spark in her eyes was enough to make his heart jump.
He didn't really know what a crush was at the time, but whatever he felt wasn't fucking nothing.
He even realized that the two shared a math class, and they began talking more during then. She'd ask for help because, well, he was pretty well-versed in the subject if he could say so himself; he'd gladly oblige. Eventually, this led to them hanging out after school for more than just studying. It started out as small coffee dates, strolls around the mall just for fun, eventually watching movies together.
Obviously, the two got together after some time. A heart-felt confession from Shuichi had completely won her over. It wasn't a good day either; heavy rain ruined the atmosphere, but to Tsumugi it just enhanced it. When Kaito finally learned the news, he was put into a state of comatose for a few minutes. He hadn't even known of her existence until the two started dating!
Well, he only met her a month ago. And he didn't tell him. He was too embarrassed to admit that he was talking to a girl. Kaito was lowkey hurt that his best friend didn't tell him, but at the same time, so proud. He didn't even need a wingman! Kaito suggested that they all go out for a double date sometime.
After Tsumugi met all of them, she grew accustomed to the group. The amount of times they all forced them to cosplay was hilarious. At first, Maki was totally against it, but learned to endure it. Shuichi wasn't sure if she was just enduring it because she knew there was no fighting back, or because she was starting to enjoy it.
Besides the group fun they had, Shuichi had a lot of alone time with her. Her parents weren't around often, meaning he could drive over any time he wanted. He couldn't have dreamed that these types of things could happen to him. That girl took a lot of firsts from him. First girlfriend, first kiss, first french kiss, first time.
At school, they'd be the ideal couple. Sitting together at lunch, alongside Maki and Kaito. If Maki and Kaito weren't already the high school sweethearts, it'd probably be them. They were sure as hell a power couple though. Kokichi would sometimes swing by to mess with the four of them, before messing with that green haired boy he liked hanging around so much.
The first few years were perfect, Shuichi couldn't ask for anything more. Good friends and a girlfriend? It was more than anything he hoped or asked for. Things stayed relatively the same until the next summer, after Sophomore year. It was a week before their junior year would start.
He had gotten a text from his beloved. "Hey, can we talk? Wanna meet up?"
Eagerly, he responded. Hoping it would be a fun date or something, Kaito was busy today anyways. "Ya of course!"
"Cool"
Seems she's acting more dry and formal than usual. Now, this was probably a bad sign. Of course, Shuichi was oblivious to this as usual. Thoughts ran into his head making an excuse like, "Oh, maybe she's just busy!"
They eventually met up at his house. A regretful expression was on her face, or what he could make out. She wasn't really looking at him the entire time there, not allowing him to get a good look at her. Most of the time they were making awkward talk that you would expect to see between two new strangers, rather than a couple nearing their first year anniversary.
"Okay, I should probably get this out before I make this any worse for you." Tsumugi finally said, exhaling heavily. The two were sitting at her dining table alone, as her parents were out.
"Yea, of course. What is it?" Shuichi asked, a little nervous about what she had to say. He hasn't ever seen her so serious about something that didn't have to do with fiction.
She looked around the room, idly kicking her legs back and forth. Finally, she mustered up the courage to finally look at him, so he could see her face in full glory once again. "We've lost it."
"What do you mean?" Shuichi questioned, not sure what she meant by that.
"Like, when this relationship started. We both just met, and we both haven't had any experience in a relationship. I don't think we knew what we were doing."
Shuichi faltered, his heart rate slowing by the moment. He slowly put his hands on the table, smiling in hope that this isn't what he thought it was gonna be. Perhaps the smile was to give assurance to himself that it was gonna be okay. "W-Where are you going with this?"
"Don't you think this was more of a... Close friendship than a relationship?" She put up her glasses, yet with guilt. It was clear she didn't want to do this, yet still continued. "D-Don't get me wrong, I definitely had a crush on you and I was really happy when you asked me out!" she waved her hands in front of her before calming down. "It's just... We both didn't know what a relationship truly was, you know?"
Shuichi stayed silent. Now he was the one averting his gaze from her, instead focusing on the crumbs on the table.
"I... I think I'm breaking up with you." She finally gets out after a long time. Some tears were starting to go down her cheeks at this point. "But please, I cherish our friendship. I don't want you to leave, but I understand if you need time. I still want to go to conventions and see your Kanata the White outfit!" She listed all those things quickly with excitement; the same type of excitement he saw when they'd share their nerdy shit as a couple. "...I'm sorry. Can we still be friends?"
"It's okay. I accept it." Shuichi sat up, not shooting another glance at her. God, how he wanted to say 'I expected this,' or even 'Fuck, I don't care, do as you please,' but his morality took over. He made his way to the front door, thankfully she still had a view on him as he looked at the floor. "Thanks for everything we had."
Tsumugi didn't get the answer she wanted the most to her question:
"Can we still be friends?"
...
When he was home, Shuichi opened his phone to his best friend's contact, skimming over their past messages.
Yesterday 11:53 PM
Kaito Momota
shit bruh
Maki roll is the cutest
*1 attached image* (A photo of Maki putting a peace sign in the car, her hair was wet from the heavy rain that day).
Shuichi Saihara
Lol
U really like her, huh?
Kaito Momota
hell yea!!!!
i mean we're literally dating lol
Making out in the rain fucking rocks!
though i'm probably gonna be sick in the morning
totally worth it btw
hope i dont get in a coughing fit and fucking die or something
Shuichi Saihara
Uhh
Make sure to take care of urself too, Kaito
Kaito Momota
LOL im just joking
A scene like that happened in the movie we watched together
It wouldve been funnier if u were there
Also yea yea i gotchu
anyways, gonna take Maki roll home.
Then driving myself home
maybe some victory ice cream for a successful date idk
See ya shuichi!
Shuichi Saihara
Have a safe trip back!
Bye Kaito!
Today 8:31
Kaito Momota
I was right
I got sick
Shuichi Saihara
Oh need me to swing by?
Kaito Momota
Nah nah
Thanks for worrying about me tho, sidekick!
just a headache and a cold
nothin kaito momota cant handle!
Shuichi Saihara
Lol i'm sure you'll jump back
Get well soon, kaito
Kaito Momota
Thanks!
Pff, the shenanigans Kaito gets into was enough to cheer him up for a little bit. He even mustered out a laugh after an hour of crying.
Hey, that's a completely rational reaction to getting broken up with!
Feeling a little guilty to text him while he was sick, he decided not to. Mainly because Kaito was sick; he had completely forgotten.
Maybe another time then.
...
The next day, Shuichi still hadn't gotten over the dismay of getting broken up with. He had almost sent her a 'good morning' text, until the harsh reality kicked in.
A text popped up from his friend, Kaito, freeing him from his pessimistic thoughts.
Today 8:04
Kaito Momota
Ayoo Shuichi! Ive recovered 100%
Now i can kick ass
Wanna do smth?!
We haven't hung out in a minute!
Shuichi smiled upon his friend's comfort. Though frowned immediately after, the effects of yesterday were still putting a toll on him.
Shuichi Saihara
I'm sorry, Kaito.
I actually can't today
Kaito Momota
Aww shit
Its ok bro!
We'll hang out another time
Shuichi Saihara
Ty
The rest of his day consisted of doing nothing.
...
The next day, the same conversation played out. The day after that, the same conversation played out. Kaito realized something was up by the third day. Although Shuichi was really introverted, it wasn't like he would always refuse to hang out. Even if he refused, he would give a valid reason like 'Sorry, I'm not in the mood' or 'I got other stuff to do today.'
These days, he's just saying 'he can't' without more explanation. Would it be a breach of privacy if he were to just show up...?
Probably not!
A few moments later, Kaito was at Shuichi's doorstep. He knocked on the door as his uncle opened up with a smile. "Ahh, Kaito! Nice to see you! Are you hanging out with Shuichi today?"
"Well, I want to! I just wanna ask him!"
"Oh, alright!" He nodded his head as he turned around. "Shuichi, Kaito is here!"
As his uncle walked away, presumably to go back to whatever he was doing, Shuichi came to the door with bags under his eyes, his hair was a complete mess. He was even paler than he usually was. Kaito recoiled back, for a moment he thought he was a zombie. "O-Oh, what's up, Shuichi!"
"Hey, Kaito..." Shuichi muttered as he rubbed his eyes. "I know why you're here, sorry I can't hang out often. I haven't been feeling well..."
"A-Ah, no, it's alright! But uh... Mind telling me what's up?" Kaito asked, scratching the back of his head. With a turn of his head, Shuichi gestured for Kaito to come in, to which he obliged. He took off his shoes as the two sat down on the couch in the living room.
Shuichi hung his head low, let his hair cover his face so Kaito couldn't see his expression. He cut to the point fairly quickly, "Tsumugi and I broke up. That's why I haven't been feeling myself lately."
Kaito was shocked. To be honest, he thought the two of them would never break up. They were like, the perfect couple! He half-expected Shuichi to jump up and say, 'Just kidding, we've been the best we've ever been!'
Of course, that reality never came to be.
"Wh-What happened? Did she do it or...?"
"She did it, yea..." He refused to give eye contact to him.
"Shuichi... I'm sorry, I didn't know." Kaito grabbed Shuichi's shoulders firmly, giving him a light shake before giving his signature grin. It wasn't overbearing as it usually was, it was a slight indication and reminder that Kaito would always be there for him. "I know you probably don't wanna... Remember it and all that so I won't ask you what happened. However, I will say this; you're my sidekick, so you're strong as hell."
Shuichi still hung his head low with no response.
"How about we go somewhere to cheer you up?"
The silence was deafening as Shuichi merely shook his head.
"Come on, please! I promise it'll be fun. It's small but it helps out a ton!"
"Kaito..." Shuichi finally said something for the first time in a while. His voice was loud and firm as he finally stared at his friend with strained eyes. "Please... Just give me space for a while. I'll text you as soon as I'm feeling better, okay?"
Kaito faltered for a moment, gritting his teeth as he turned his head towards the ceiling. He let his shoulders rest on the back of the couch. He knows that the best way to jump back was to get out and do something, but at the same time he doesn't want to go against his wishes to be left alone.
"...Okay." He finally let out a response after weighing his choices. "Just... Just text me the moment you're feeling better, alright?! The moment I see that message I'm coming to your house and we're gonna do something to beat the shit out of your sadness, alright?!"
Shuichi nodded, but that was enough for Kaito to see. He gave a forced smile as he stood up. With nothing else left to say, Shuichi watched on in silence as Kaito put his shoes on and left the house, making sure to lock the door after it closed. \ As soon as he heard the click of the door locking, he let out a worried look. Did he really make the right choice? He needs human contact to feel better, if he's alone he's just gonna think of it more and make it worse!
He'll make it up to him, definitely. For the days he missed out, he'll make it up all in a single day. Just as soon as he's ready to get back on track...
...
School finally started, and Shuichi still wasn't feeling his greatest. He hasn't talked to Kaito for a week now, awkward as it was. They even shared three core classes together.
Although the day was pretty boring, he managed. Thankfully, he didn't see Tsumugi all day. He got lucky enough to share no classes with her this year, it would've just been incredibly awkward.
While thinking, the lunch bell rang which threw him out of his thoughts. He packed up his stuff before deciding where to sit today. As he approached his usual spot, he caught sight of a storm starting to pick up in the courtyard.
Damn, of course it's raining today. Shuichi had grown to dislike the rain, the gray clouds that loomed over the school served as a brutal reminder of Sophomore year as he looked out the window. He couldn't even go to his favorite lunch spot, acting so depressed. Not a great start to his already pretty shitty week.
Sighing, he made his way through the first floor of the school. Maybe there'd be a spot he could bewail in. He made his way to the corner of a random hallway, despite having no reason to go there. A singular vending machine was resting against the wall, placed next to the entrance to an abandoned classroom. The window frames were gathering dust, and the walls looked dirty from the negligence of the hallway. It made sense, though. Who the hell would go here in the first place?
Seeing as Shuichi forgot to bring his lunch, he settled for taking a drink from the vending machine. He typed in the code to the drink he wanted, a sprote, and sat down against the wall parallel to the vending machine.
The crackle of the drink sparked as he opened the fizzy drink. He let it fizz for a moment before taking a small sip. He sighed as he let the back of his head rest against the wall, leaning his head more upwards towards the ceiling. Why was he letting himself get like this? It was pathetic. Maybe he should skip until he gets a straight mind.
"Hello there, stranger!" A feminine voice called out to him, alerting him as he faced the source of noise. Standing before him was a blonde girl with a singular strand of hair poking out at the top of her head. A gentle and soothing smile was on her face as she pushed her hair behind her ear. She was wearing a pink vest and a purple skirt with a musical pattern on it.
"Oh, uh..." Shuichi was a little surprised to see someone here. It's usually an abandoned place in school, so he definitely didn't expect anyone to come. "Hey."
"Enjoying your first day?" She made some small talk as she made her way to the vending machine, typing in her own preferred beverage.
Shuichi hesitated before letting out a small smile, to be respectful. "It's going pretty well. You?"
The can fell as she got her drink. "Pretty good, pretty good!" She exclaimed as she made her way to his wall, resting her back against it. Her knees were right beside his head. "Mind if I take a seat?"
He was even more confused as to why she would want to sit with a complete stranger. "Why, of course. There's dirt and dust for everyone," he remarked sarcastically, letting out a slim smile.
Despite that, she giggled as she took a seat on the floor right next to him, holding the drink in her hand.
Shuichi let out a worried look as he faced her, "I was just kidding. It's actually kinda dirty here, I'm pretty sure the janitors haven't been here in years."
The girl turned towards him, her smile still on her face, "Ah, don't worry about it. I don't really care."
"Alright then."
"I have a ton of these outfits at home! I liked the outfit so much that... I just bought more than one so I could wear them everyday without having to wash them everyday." She slightly laughed as she spun around the drink in her hand. "Though, that just made people think I was really musty."
Now that was enough to get Shuichi to finally chuckle. "Seriously?"
"Hey, don't judge me too hard, mister!" She laughed with him, a look of mock annoyance on her face as she shoved his shoulder.
"By the way... What're you doing here? Are you a freshman?"
"Nah, I'm a junior... Actually, I'm new to this school." She explained.
"Ohh, so that's why I haven't seen you..." He had assumed it would be something like that.
"Moved here a couple of days ago, so I have a completely new start!" she pumped her fist in front of her with a thrilled grin.
"So you got here because you got lost?"
"Mhmm." The girl nodded her head. "This building is so huge compared to my last school! Like, two stories? Seriously?" she groaned as she remembered her struggles navigating the school. "I was 10 minutes late to first period!"
"Pff," Saihara let out another chuckle, "don't worry, I was the same way during freshman year. My friend and I were lost for 30 minutes... He wanted to ditch but I stayed determined."
"Wow, serious scholar, eh?"
"A-A little." He blushed a little from embarrassment. "Anyways, the vending machine that everyone uses is in the cafeteria. No one comes here."
"Ah shoot, why didn't I think of that!" she slapped her forehead as she groaned at her own stupidity. "Can't believe that wasn't my first choice... Well, it's okay. I got to meet you! Thank god for my stupidity!"
Shuichi smiled, a small tint of pink forming on his face. "Yea, nice to meet you. And you're not stupid."
"Whatever you say... That girl in first period strongly disagrees though. God, she's so annoying! But, I can tell she has good intentions." She ranted a little. "Called my tits flat too." She meant to say that more to herself than him, but he still heard.
"Wait... Blonde hair? Usually wears pink?" he asked.
"Mhmm. Wait, that's just my outfit."
"Yea but... You're talking about Miu, right?"
"Oh hey, I am!" her mouth opened in amazement as she laughed. "How'd you know?"
"It sounds like something she'd do... I went to middle school with her, obviously meaning I faced her insults." He chuckled as he explained to her. "Um... She's a little bit of a softie though. If you insult her, she gets scared."
"Ah, I'm aware of that." She shuddered as she seemed to remember something. "The teacher called her out and... Actually, I'd rather not talk about that."
"Did she enj-"
"She enjoyed it." She cut him off. The two shared another laugh again.
"So how about you? What brings you here?" Now it was her turn to interrogate him.
He grimaced a little, it would be a little humiliating to tell him he's sulking over a not-so-bad break up. Just wanted some time alone, didn't feel like experiencing the noise in the lunchroom.
"Uh... This room is closer to my last class?" He made up an excuse.
"Doesn't sound very sincere, but I believe you mister!" She gave a smug grin before taking another sip. She took a glance at his drink. "Ah, Sprote. I'm more of an Orange Panta fan myself."
"One of my other friends is obsessed with Grape Panta... It's a little scary sometimes." Shuichi shivered remembering the incident one year ago. He wondered if Keebo ever truly recovered. Hopefully.
"Pshh, it can't be that bad!" She giggles as she thinks of scenarios in her head. "I actually don't really like soda... I just need something in my stomach, it'll keep me going for the rest of the day."
"I get you." Shuichi agreed with a nod. "I need sugar, I forgot lunch."
Embarrassingly enough, after he made lunch, his thoughts overcame him and he forgot to bring it with him.
"Hey, me too!" The girl laughed at their shared struggle. "I guess I was just a little nervous to be in a new school."
"Yea." He smiled, it was nice to talk to someone after so long.
"Wait... You look kinda familiar..." Kaede muttered as she investigated his face. She got up close as she got a good look at him.
"Wh-What?" Shuichi muttered, awkwardly facing away as she got even closer to him. A slight blush formed on his face from the distance between them.
"Ah, I think you're in my third period!"
"Really? I must've not noticed..." Shuichi mused as he tried to remember. He can't actually remember that much, most of that class consisted of him pencil spinning. He still tried his best to pay attention to class, but now that he thought about it, he didn't really pay attention to any of the students there. If he didn't notice her, he must not sit close to her.
"Yea, History with Mr. Kizakura, right?"
"Yea!"
"Hey, sweet! We can talk to each other! And I can totally ask you for help on tests, Mr. Scholar."
"I-I'm not that much of a scholar!" Shuichi refuted her words, in which Kaede laughed.
After a couple of more chats, the bell suddenly rang. The girl seemed alarmed as she got up immediately. "Ah shoot, I didn't even notice the time!"
"M-Me too!" Shuichi exclaimed as he chugged the rest of his drink, tossing it in the nearest trash can. The girl did the same as they made their way to class.
"Can I get your name?" Shuichi asked the girl as they passed the hall
She gave a small smile as she looked at him. "Kaede. Kaede Akamatsu. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, I'm Shuichi Saihara. Nice to meet you too. I'll... see you around?"
"Yea, you'll see me tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?" he tilted his head in confusion.
"Yup, I'm coming back to our special spot. See you!" She gave one more smile as she waved at him before turning the corner.
Their special spot, huh?
A.N: I'm sorry for disappearing for two years. Seriously, sorry.
I thought this fic was really bad. I was a young writer when I first started so in hindsight I thought it was pretty bad. But, I think this is like the only fic I've written so much passion for. As I was rereading I was surprised by how entertaining and engaging it was. I really loved this story. And as a homage to myself, I really want to continue it. I'm definitely willing to continue, I just have to remember what I wanted to do after chapter 49. I definitely remember chapter 52, sorta chapter 53, but before and after I just can't remember. I'm lucky I titled every single chapter and had a bare minimum of notes, but I can't seem to piece my previous ideas together.
I will definitely continue. I'm a little busy right now, so I won't expect a new chapter anytime soon. I'm sorry. But it'll definitely be continued. I just need to start writing the next chapter. I think I'll reread this entire story again and try to remember what I wanted to do.
Thank you so much for reading, especially if you're here right now. I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long.