life is great

It was easier than Sango expected to join Nariaki by Natsuko’s body, but when he let go of her hand to squat down for a closer look, that ease quickly went away. Sango wanted to help, but being this close to all of this blood was making her feel sick to her stomach.

So, while Nariaki examined Natsuko’s back, Sango stepped away to have a look around the kitchen where she had found the body. As she did, she decided to speak up – mostly to keep herself occupied.

“S-So… We’re gonna be able to figure out who did it, right? Han-san’s gotta be really good at this, so if she’s helping, and you’re helping, and other people are helping… Then we can do it! Right?”

A gaping wound...? Huh, interesting. It said in their files it was suffocation, right? So... What would the point of injuring her back be?

Nari’s head shot up, snapping out of his thoughts as Sango spoke to him, and he smiled in her general direction.

“ I’m sure, with everyone's help, we’ll be able to solve this!

Especially Han-dono’s... She probably knows what she’s doin’! “

And it was the truth - He fully believed that if everyone pitched in, took their own unique spins on what has transpired, they’d be able to figure it out. It kinda of reminded him of the club, and how when improve sessions happened, every person took their own path to figuring out whodunit.

“…..Eh?”

It took a little too long for Nariaki’s words to register in Sango’s head. She was too busy thinking, too busy wondering, too busy… Her head was just too busy, and her eyes couldn’t stay away from Ikeda-san. No… Ikeda-san’s body. A corpse. She was dead.

“…Uh huh. Yeah.” She slowly looked up at Nariaki, and just as slowly nodded. As she looked at him, though, her shocked expression finally started to relax just the smallest bit.

“I-I gotta… I gotta figure out who hurt Ikeda-san. We were gonna punch our way out of here, y’know? So… I’m gonna figure it out.”

“ Alright, as long as you’re sure... 

If ya start feelin’ real bad, lemme know, alright? Then we can stop and go... do somethin’ else.“

With a slow nod of his head, he grabbed onto Sango’s hand, and gently pulled her along as he headed toward the body.

The first hing he did was make sure Sango was still okay, looking down at her, then down at the body. He didn’t know Ikeda, he knew she was one of the ones affected by the motive, but nothing more than that. He couldn’t exactly say he felt anything toward her, even now that she was dead.

Sango was weak, and Nariaki was heavy. There was little she could do as she was pulled down to the ground, and she was at a loss when the usually chipper boy curled around her in a fit of sobs. Everything he said hurt.

She sniffled quietly.

“S… S-Sometimes… Wh-When I check on my bees, there are some dead ones in the bottom of the hive. They weren’t there when I checked last time, so I never got to say goodbye to them… I-I know it’s, um… Weird? But… They’re my friends, a-and I think… I think it’s okay that I didn’t get to tell them goodbye, y’know? ‘Cause I… I’m a good friend, a-and I take care of them! So I know that they know that I cared about them before they died, even if I didn’t tell them goodbye.”

With another sniffle, she reached up, patting Nariaki on the cheek.

“Nariaki-kun is a really good friend! Like I’m a good friend to my bees! So… I-I think it’s okay that you didn’t get to say goodbye. There’s no way he didn’t know you would’a if you could’a. A-And besides! That bear’s a big dirty meanie liar! He… He could be fine! We just gotta keep looking for a way out so that we can find out!”

WHile he appreciated the sentiment, really he did - He could tell hwo much Sango’s bees meant to her, but he still couldn’t help feeling horrid about dragging Kotoka into it all - It was his fault, i nthe end. He, and everyone else, were obviously targeted for his ‘mutual killing’ for one reason or another, so they all dragged their loved ones into it.

“ Thank you, Yanagi-dono, but....

It... It was different with Kotoka....

A lot different, and I.... “

He sniffled, and pulled his sleeves down over his hands, so he could wipe away the tears in his eyes and on his face.

He couldn’t even finish that sentence, because what if.... It was a secret? He couldn’t say it, if it was. He did want to leave - to see his family again.

The hug was much appreciated, especially in trying times such as these. Nariaki had always been very kind to him, so he was especially grateful that it came from him. He settled into a silence that was rather uncharacteristic of him, holding back tears so as to not ruin his makeup. 

Keeping face was still important, after all.

But… Nariaki had received a message from someone close to him, too. Nori had no idea who this “Kotoka” was to him, but judging from the reaction, he had to have been someone who left a great impact on his life. Just like Nori’s shishou. God, he missed him, and he hadn’t even seen him in months before he died.

He clasped the other’s back with shaky hands, forcing himself to look him in the eyes. He had to maintain his normal attitude, or do something. Maybe talking about it would be best? Facing problems head-on was how he usually did it, anyway. It tended to end in disaster… but that was how he did it.

Nori began to choke out a phrase, stopping in the middle of the first syllable when it was clear that it had come out… odd. He shook his head and tried again.

“Will you… will you be quite alright, Nariaki-han?”

Nari waited patiently for the other to choke out his sentence, using the time to wipe at his face and eyes, clearing much of the bubbly tears from him. It didn’t sto pthe flow, not at all, but he managed to not look like he was struggling as much as he was to keep calm.

“ I... I.... “

He stopped himself, looking into Nori’s own tear stained eyes, and put up his best smile.

“ Yeah. I think.... I’ll be fine!

Uhh… it…

Huh…

Nnnnnhhhhh…..

Oh God, what in the fucking shit??????

The ground, once solid, now felt like a rocking boat beneath Nori’s feet. The moment that Monokuma had begun to read out the first note, fear had run its cold, clammy fingers over every inch of his body. He knew that voice all too well. Normally, he would have welcomed it, but coming out of the bear’s mouth… 

For a swift instant, the fear was replaced by pride at the words being read, but- then, the gunshot. Judging by the other monologues, it was clear that it wasn’t just a sound effect used to transition from one monologue to another. Humans could survive gunshots, Higashiyama knew that. But he didn’t think that he could - especially if he was in the same state he was the last time Nori had seen him. 

There was a crash. He was about to look around to see where it had come from, but he realized that he was the source of the crash. He had fallen on the ground, and was positively shaking like a leaf in pure terror. 

“He… Shishou… Oh, god.”

That much was evident with Nariaki, he prided himself on being distant from others. Not allowing himself to get close, truly close, to anyone. Not since he did that.

But he was gone now.

And Nari had a job to do.

Through tear filled eyes, he managed to make his way to another who had been broken by hearing their loved one die. And he bent down, wrapping his arms around the other boy. One of the two people he considered his idol from within the club - Nori.

@odoritex

Sango liked when things were fair – she liked when things were just and good, and when the give and take of life were equal. People should help people! That’s just how it was!

There was one thing she had to be sure to do in order to live like that.

After the motive was revealed, and after her frustrated anger subsided somewhat, Sango first made her way to who she felt she could call her closest friend here – Nariaki-kun. She approached from behind, quietly forcing her arms under his and wrapping them around his waist in a tight embrace.

“It’s okay, Nariaki-kun! ‘Cause I’ve still got your back… See?”

She gave him a small squeeze and pressed her cheek against his back.

He could keep pretending he was okay, but he wasn’t. His only friends hug making his willpower give way immediately.

Broken sobs escaped him, shuffling around to curl himself around Sango, crying into her hair.

“Oh!”

She kept her hands on his back as she leaned to the side a little, looking up at him. He had a good point! Her brows furrowed, and she leaned to the other side… And then she finally took her hands off of his back, putting them on her cheeks instead.

“How are we supposed to do this at the same time!?”

Nari brought his hand up to his chin, thinking on how they could.... Oh! An idea popped into his head, prompting him to turn to face Sango, arms wrapping around her again as they had earlier, this time hands flattening against her back, and his cheek laid against her head.

Perfect!

This was an unexpected surprise. Nori hadn’t exactly been anticipating anyone coming back here, especially considering the fact that the memories everyone had come to associate with this room were likely unpleasant. Well, that was more of an assumption than anything, but he knew that not everyone was able to brush things off as easily as he seemed to be able to be. 

He looked up to see Nariaki, and a toothy grin spread across his face in spite of his current frustrations. Oh, this guy! He remembered him fairly well from that one time at school. When did that happen, again? Nori wasn’t exactly sure, but he decided to brush off the thought. He remembered him being nice, after all! And he was in need of allies during this trying time.

He was into music or dancing or something, right? Maybe he knew a thing or two about pianos.

“Ah, good morning, Nariaki-han! Though I do not actually know what time it is, or if it is actually morning at all… fufufu, forget about it, then.”

Nori pathetically pushed down on a piano key with one finger, as if expecting that it would make a sound now that someone else was here. Still, though, there was no such luck. Instead of sighing, though, he just sucked in a breath in indignation.

“It is broken, I believe. Either that, or I lack an ear for music to the point where any instrument I touch immediately falls into disrepair! My sister always did say that I was a very off-key singer… perhaps that is why I am not a Super High School Level Musician, then.”

He let out a laugh, warm and slow, like he laughed with his heart each and everytime. Which he felt like he did, wanting to give his all for those around him, to make them all feel safer with him around.

Lavender grazed over the piano, in pristine condition aside from the obvious lack of sound. Something was blocking the keys from hitting, or it really was in incredible disrepair despite it’s outer appearance. In truth, Nariaki had only vague knowledge on pianos, having not spent much time learning about them as he likely should’ve in his youth.

All of that time was better spent reading, in his young selfs opinion.

“ Mornin’! Well, we can just say it’s morning, right? No one’s gonna fight us on it, since we can’t tell the time.

‘sides, “

Ginger steps, small and careful as he worked his way next to the smaller boy, sliding in beside him on the bench.

He pressed long, calloused fingers against the keys, listening to the exact sound they made, in hopes he could pin point the problem. Maybe fix it later on.

After a little while, Nori had decided to reenter the sitting room where he had first woken up. He was so eager to look at the other rooms that he had completely forgotten to examine it! With conviction, he pulled open the doors so hard that he nearly fell over - he had anticipated them to be a lot heavier than they were. Oh, well. 

He first sorted through a couple of magazines on the table, but quickly lost interest. They were all back issues of publications pertaining to stuff he didn’t really care about all that much. He was, however, intrigued by how obscure some of the magazine topics got: was there really a magazine dedicated to dentistry? The only magazines that Nori really read on a regular basis were Playbill and Shonen Jump, so it would probably make sense that he didn’t know. Unfortunately, there weren’t any issues of the aforementioned magazines he enjoyed on the table, so he left it aside for now.

Sweeping the room, his eyes fell across the grand piano. Higashiyama had never taken piano lessons and had very little musical education other than what he learned at school, but there’s just something special about a grand piano that makes you want to play it. He couldn’t resist its call, so he climbed onto its platform and slid onto the bench. Tentatively, he pressed a few keys.

“Hueh?”

Huh, none of them made any noise. That was weird, wasn’t a piano supposed to make noise? It was a musical instrument, after all. He sat there for a brief moment, thinking. All of a sudden, he shot up stiff as a board. A newfound fire in his eyes, he began to hit the keys with all his might. 

In his quest to pick apart the mansion one piece of lint at a time, he stumbled back into the room he, and everyone else, woke up in. Tiny, barely noticeable thumps came from the piano, drawing his attention over.

Just as he had made it over, he saw Nori slump down, obviously defeated by something. Probably the thumps of a non-working piano. He knew the sound pretty well, considering his grandfather used to play.

He leaned over the piano, head in his palm as he looked down at Nori.

“That’s what friends do… Oookay! Then I’ll watch your back forever!”

After receiving another pat on the head from the much taller boy, Sango shuffled her way behind him. Smiling, she reached out, placing the palms of her hands flat against Nagata’s back and staring straight ahead at it. Sure, she knew he didn’t mean what he said literally, but…

Well, sometimes she just did things like this without putting too much thought into it.

His gaze followed her as she wandered behind him, small hands touching his back. He had to let out a laugh at her actions, it was awesome! Taking things literally to drive a point home was pretty rad, in his opinion!

When Nagata ruffled her hair, Sango laughed yet again. It was a comforting gesture, and she appreciated the boy’s friendly attitude that managed to persevere even through this horrible turn of events. Wait… Fr –

Suddenly, Sango went silent. Her smile shifted into a flat line, and here eyes went wide in shock. Friend? Did he say friend?

Friend!

“Uh huh!! Yeah! Friends are – yeah!! You’re a good friend, Nariaki-kun! I’ll be a good friend too, so, um, you can count on me! Okay?”

He let out a sigh of relief at hearing her conform they were friends -- Finally, he could say he wasn’t a lonely loner once again! He had a FRIEND!!

A wide, peased smile crossed his features, and he was tempted to just scoop sango up into a bear hug -- but thought against it, instead going for petting her head again.

“ Okay!

The smell of omuraisu was overwhelming, but Eiji seemed immune to it as he hurried around the kitchen. He was hungry and since there seemed to be quite a bit of food here, he figured he might as well cook. That being said, his knowledge of recipes was very limited, seeing as how the cafe he worked at served only cutesy foods.

So here he was, wrapping up his work. He expertly slid the omelet from the pan onto a plate and expertly shrieked when he heard the kitchen door swing shut. How did he not hear it open to begin with?!

Eiji glanced upwards, smiling when he saw it was Nariaki. No need for alarm, in that case! He beckoned him over with a gloved hand (different from his normal gloves, since he was wearing a suit different from his normal one).

“Nagata-san, hello! Do you want to share this omuraisu with me?” he asked. “I was cooking it for myself, but I’d be delighted to share.”

As he entered he caught sight of Eiji - Well at least it was someone he knew! And was offering him food!

“ Sure! I’d love some!

Man, it smells hella great. “

He walked over, leaning into the counter as he smiled down at Eiji.

“You’re too good at doing that to be a dummy! You’re smart about smiles! You’re… Smile smart!”

She grinned up at him, laughing again. Sango thought that they were all pretty lucky, having a guy like Nariaki-kun around to keep spirits up. She would have to do her best to lighten the load and help make some smiles herself!

Without much thinking, she reached over and lightly punched the tall boy’s side – mostly because she didn’t much ability to do anything other than a light punch. This was… A friend thing, right? Friends did this? Probably?

“ Ya think? Eheh, thank you, Yanagi-dono!

Smile smart sure does roll off the tongue! “

At the little side punch, he smiled down at her - He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be rough like he had been with his only other friend, since she was a girl and all. Even if she seemed like she could some rough-housing, he did fully realize he was far bigger and could actually accidentally hurt her.

So, instead, he ruffled her hair. He did his best to not let his nails catch on any strands, they were pretty cracked up.

“ It’s good t’know I’ve got a friend in here, y’know?