Danganronpa: Locked Doors of Despair

Ch.3 Daily Life Part 2: Of Hunger, Helplessness, and Hair-Raising Thrills

Haruto

"Are you sure it's me you want around? Not Tozen or Azumi?"

"Chimon, how am I supposed to surprise them if they're here with me? Besides, you're the first person I met here! I wanna spend time with you!" I reassure.

He raises an eyebrow skeptically. "I mean, thanks, but I don't know how useful I'll be if something goes wrong."

"Then I just make double— no, triple sure that nothing goes wrong!" I decide, adjusting my glasses.

Monoinu suddenly climbs up onto my head. "Do you need back-up? One of my goals as camp counselor is to provide supervision where needed! I also come equipped with many items and services in case of emergencies!"

"Because you're a good pup, right?" I smile, scritching the top of his head.

"Agh, I hope hive mind doesn't take notice of my joy, otherwise they might come to try and steal all the your pets from me!"

"Well, see, Chimon? Now I can TOTALLY make brownies without being an absolute disaster!"

"That's what you're gonna try and make?"

"Yeah! Like, those broccoli brownies parents make to convince their kids to eat veggies! I figured Tozen would like them better that way!" I beam. "Only problem... I don't really have a recipe... Agh, I should've thought about that."

"There's a new library, right? I'm sure there must be cookbooks. Let's go get one! It'll be like a field trip!" Chimon smiles. So we look through the library until we find a brownie recipe, and then Chimon recommends a cup of broccoli purée. Seems he has a bit more experience in the kitchen than I would've expected!

I gather ingredients and put an incredible amount of effort into not covering myself in flour or dropping the egg carton. I'm NOT gonna screw this up. I'm gonna show everyone that I'm learning!

It is quite a bit harder with Monoinu still perched on my head, though. He makes my balance weird, and it would be hilarious if it wasn't so scary. After a while of total silence, Chimon asks the question I've been wondering. "So, Monoinu. You don't usually deviate and hang out with us unless something important is happening. Why are you here?"

He heaves a little digital sigh; he sounds a lot more robotic when he's right next to my ears. "I have something... really, really weird to report."

"Weird? What do you mean?" I ask.

"Boss— I mean, Monokuma— was acting very strange the day after the trial. It LOOKED like he was powered down, but I occasionally heard weird ravings... like someone kept accidentally turning on the mic when they were trying to stay muted."

"What?! Ravings?! What did he say?" Chimon demands, leaning in with intense curiosity. I try to divide my attention between the conversation and measuring dry ingredients to exact levels.

"He said something like, 'I can't believe I forgot to say it! How could I have been such an idiot?! The public will...' And then it cut out. And then like... 'Their precious hopes...' And that was about it."

"Forgot to say something? And what's this about the public? Are we being watched?" I ask.

"I kind of figured we probably were, but what is the public going to DO? And why has nobody come to rescue us? Are they just that helpless to stop it?" Chimon ponders.

Monoinu suddenly stiffens up. "Moninu the hive mind can tell someone's stressed. That's not good. We need to throw them off."

"I've always wondered if robots are ticklish. If you can feel pets, it seems likely!!" I announce. I plop onto the floor and grab Monoinu, tickling him mercilessly. Chimon joins in, muttering about how we're all safe and it's okay to relax. The little crackly giggles fade into a sigh of contentedness as he scrambles back onto my shoulders.