Kamino Neko tumbles down stairs.

Excerpt from the random Danganronpa fic I am randomly working on just to get my creative brain working again...

Important stuff for following the following. The NWP (Neo World Program) is a simulation intended for therapy. This is Ibuki. This is Chiaki. This is Monomi. Suzuki is an OC.

***

Hajime and Ibuki clustered around the NWP monitor. It had been about 20 minutes since they’d placed Suzuki into the sim. Things, Hajime thought, were going well. Suzuki was getting along well with Chiaki and Monomi, and the rolling back of his memories seemed successful. He worried some might leak through, like his had while he was in the sim, but it would take time to see if that had happened. ‘Well, this looks to be a success.’ He looked at Ibuki, who was still watching the monitor. ‘Planning to stick around?’

Ibuki shook her head. ‘Ibuki’s bored and nobody wants to play, so...watching the new kid seems better than nothing.’ She suddenly stood up and looked at Hajime, shame written across her face. ‘Unless I shouldn’t. No, I shouldn’t. We should give him his privacy.’

‘... Poor Sonia...’ Hajime blurted out before he could stop himself.

Ibuki leaned in. ‘Poor Sonia what? Did Ibuki miss something naughty with Sonia?!’ She pouted a little. ‘Stupid dying.’

‘You didn’t miss anything by being dead. But--’ He shook his head. ‘No, it embarrassed Sonia enough before. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything, OK?’

‘OK. ... But your sure Ibuki didn’t miss anything?’

‘You didn’t miss anything except Sonia getting embarrassed about something nobody but Director Togami saw.’

‘OK, good.’ She glanced over at the monitor. ‘So...’

Hajime shrugged and say down. ‘Pull up a chair. We need to monitor him for a while, anyway.’

***

They sat watching the sim for a while. Hajime tried to keep an eye on Suzuki, but...his eyes and his thoughts kept drifting to Chiaki. His feelings were complicated. This was the Chiaki he knew, but not. ... The Chiakis he knew. He occasionally glanced at Ibuki. Was she having the same thoughts? Maybe, but who ever knew what was going on in Ibuki’s head? Probably not even Ibuki, most of the time.

He was doing just that when he noticed her perk up and turned back to the sim. Suzuki, Chiaki, and Monomi were entering the island’s music venue. ‘Titty Typhoon’. Who the hell named that place, he wondered. But, he pushed that (frequent) question aside and watched as Suzuki picked up a guitar, and began playing. He had a vague feeling it was one of Ibuki’s songs. It certainly had her...unique styling. Chiaki clapped along, while Monomi covered her ears. He’d never empathized with that rabbit more.

‘New kid sure can shred!’ Ibuki’s fingers played along an imaginary fret board. ‘Ibuki wants to go in and play with him!’

Hajime shook his head. ‘Not yet. We have to be sure the program is working right and he’s not going to revert. And Monokuma’s not going to come back. We don’t want you getting killed again. I understand that was very unpleasant.’

‘Ibuki was kind of out of it when she died, so doesn’t really remember. But PekoPeko and Hiyoko said it was really bad, so... I guess you’re right.’ Ibuki deflated a little.

Hajime winced reached over to squeeze Ibuki’s hand. He wasn’t entirely sure what was bothering her, but...he felt bad for helping trigger it. He reached over and turned off the monitor. ‘I think that’s enough for now. Let’s go do something fun while there’s still light, huh?’

Ibuki jumped to her feet. ‘Yes! Let’s go for a walk! Ibuki has been sitting for way too long, and her butt is getting numb.’

Hajime couldn’t help but glance at the body part in question as Ibuki rubbed it. Turning his gaze away, he stood and offered her his arm. ‘Shall we?’

‘Let’s go!’ Ibuki took his arm and dragged him out of the Island Centre.

***

Several hours later, Hajime relaxed his bed his hotel cottage. The class had decided they would all live there, again, for the first time, for now. There were plenty of houses on the island, but, for now, at least, they wanted to be close to one another. Hajime smiled. They’d all come a long way from when they first met. Either time they’d first met.

‘Hajimeeeeee!’ Ibuki’s voice startled him out of his reverie.

‘... I thought I’d locked the door.’

‘You did. The locks here still aren’t very good.’

Hajime made a mental note to ask Kazuichi to replace them all. ‘What can I do for you, Ibuki?’

Ibuki sat on the bed and looked over at him. ‘Uhm...’ She bit her lip. ‘Ibuki just wanted to say thank you for today, Hajime. The walk. I was...’ She trailed off and waved her hands.

‘I know.’ Hajime smiled at her.

She smiled back, then looked down at her lap. ‘Ibuki didn’t just want to go into the sim to play with the new guy...’

Hajime nodded. So she was thinking the same thing. ‘I know. I miss her, too.’

Ibuki scooted over and leaned against Hajime, resting her head on his shoulder. ‘You really liked her a lot, huh?’

Hajime nodded, then winced as the motion made one of her hair cones poke him in the eye. ‘I did.’ He paused. ‘And so did you, am I right?’

Ibuki nodded. ‘Yeah. Ibuki liked her more than just about anybody...’ She looked up at him. ‘How did you know?’

‘”Badump badump badump”.’ He patted his hand against his chest to the rhythm of the sounds.

‘Ibuki gets all “badump badump” about a lot of girls, though. And some boys. Like Chiaki, Sonia, PekoPeko, and--’ She paused audibly. ‘And...ah...Impy.’

Hajime squeezed her gently, ignoring the pause. ‘But Chiaki was...’ He thought for a while on the right word. ‘Special, yeah?’

Ibuki nodded. ‘Chiaki was Chiaki.’

The two sat in silence for a long time before Ibuki pulled away and looked at him. ‘... And Hajime is Hajime.’

Hajime blinked and took a few moments to process the implication of what she said. ‘... Ibuki...’

‘Ibuki knows you probably don’t feel the same way, and that’s OK. I just had to say it.’ She looked over at him, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt.

Hajime worked one hand free and held it lightly in both of his. ‘I’m... I’m not sure what I feel, Ibuki, but...’ He thought a moment. ‘We could see if we can figure it out.’

Ibuki looked at him. ‘Figure it out? Like...with dates and cuddling? And maybe smooching?’

Hajime laughed. ‘With dates and cuddling. And maybe smooching if that’s what you want.’

Ibuki grinned. ‘... Can we cuddle now?’

Hajime laughed. ‘Go close the door first. And lock it, if it can still lock. You’re not the only one who fails to knock, but Kazuichi has never broken in.’

Ibuki blushed. ‘Heh...Sorry. Ibuki will stop doing that!’

As she hurried across the cottage to close the door, Hajime stripped off his shirt and lay back, drawing a gasp from Ibuki as she returned.

‘Wowie.’ She turned a bit red. ‘You haven’t gone swimming with us before, so Ibuki never realized.... Wowie.’

Hajime turned a bit red, himself, under the scrutiny. It hadn’t even occurred to him what he’d been doing. But...he was happy to see her reaction, even so. He went even redder as she started pulling off her own shirt. ‘You...you don’t need to.’

‘Ibuki wants to. Unless you want her to stop.’ She paused to let him object and finished pulling her top over her head when he didn’t.

‘... Ibuki?’

‘Yes?’

‘Did you forget you weren’t wearing a bra today?’

‘... Ibuki did, yes.’ She glanced down at herself and shrugged. ‘But that’s alright. Ibuki is proud of her boobs.’ She blushed and looked at Hajime. ‘Is it alright with you?’ She covered herself a little, suddenly bashful in the face of his potential rejection.

Hajime petted the bed next to him. ‘You have reason to be proud.’

Ibuki grinned and blushed at the same time, as she cuddled against him, nestling against his side. ‘This is nice.’

‘Yeah...’ Hajime enjoyed her warm softness pressed against him. His imagination went wild with other things they could do, but... He wasn’t Teruteru, so he pushed those imaginings aside.

‘Hajime?’

He looked over at her. ‘Yeah?’

‘Thank you.’ Ibuki laid a soft kiss on his cheek, and cuddled against him again. Soon she fell asleep.

‘... I was not expecting this. ... Fuyuhiko is going to give me such a lecture.’

***

Hajime’s arm was numb when he woke. ‘Ow, what the--’ He went red as the why filtered into his head. He glanced down at Ibuki, still sleeping peacefully – and toplessly – against him. He smiled a bit, then began trying to extricate his arm. He found it to be surprisingly difficult – Ibuki was surprisingly strong. Eventually though, he pulled loose.

‘... ‘Jimeeee...’ Ibuki, still sleeping, reached out for him. He intercepted with a pillow, which she happily cuddled. ‘Softjime...’

She was still sleeping, and cuddling the pillow, when he left the shower. He considered waking her after he finished dressing, but ultimately decided to let her sleep. He stepped out of his cottage, rubbing at his numb arm, hoping it regained feeling, soon...

‘Is something wrong with your arm?’ Hajime pulled up short before colliding with Fuyuhiko. ‘Mikan’s just over there, I can go grab her for you...’

‘Ah, no, no need. I just slept wrong.’ Of all the people to run into...

‘Well, if you’re su--’ Fuyuhiko took a step back, and glanced toward Hajime’s cottage.

‘Hajimeeeeee!’ Ibuki bounded out and wrapped her arms around Hajime’s waist. ‘Thank you for last night. Ibuki REALLY enjoyed it. Although she woke up smooching a pillow, which is weird, even for Ibuki.’ She kissed him on the cheek. ‘See you in the restaurant for breakfast!’

Hajime and Fuyuhiko watched Ibuki bound away then looked at each other in silence for a moment.

‘... You think I’m gonna lecture you, don’t you, you bastard?’

‘Well, there was that thing with Mikan in the sim...’ Hajime raised his hand. ‘Which I swear was innocent.’

Fuyuhiko waved him off. ‘Yeah, well...that was different.’

‘How?’

‘I-I dunno, it just was!’ Fuyuhiko glared up at him. Hajime actually thought it was kind of adorable, but also knew better than to push Fuyuhiko’s buttons.

‘OK, if you say so.’

‘Besides...’ Fuyuhiko glanced over toward Peko’s cottage. ‘It’d be kinda hypocritical for me to get on your ass about it...’

Hajime blinked then grinned. ‘She finally asked you out?’

‘Ya don’t gotta say it like I couldn’t have asked her, ya know!’ Fuyuhiko adjusted his tie. ‘But, yeah. A while back.’ He blushed. ‘Don’t make a big deal out of it, we’re just...it’s just...’ He shrugged. ‘So, yeah. I’m not gonna tell ya off of for screwing Ibuki.’

‘Just like the Mikan thing, this was innoc...’ Hajime shook his head. ‘Well, no, not like the Mikan thing, and not entirely innocent, but...we still didn’t do it.’

‘Look man, you don’t gotta lie to me. I ain’t gonna rip your head off. ... This time.’

‘It’s not a lie. We just talked and cuddled.’ Hajime paused. ‘She was topless for the cuddling, but that was just Ibuki being Ibuki.’ He looked at Fuyuhiko, who looked skeptical. ‘Fine, believe what you want. We might in future, then you’ll be right, and we’ll all be happy.’