rebirth. [danganronpa oneshots] DISCONT.

saimatsu // music mystery.

{ og post date: december 4th, 2020. sfw. word count: 2,739. }

~

shuichi saihara, a student known for his more bleak colors and quiet nature. he is not the type to be going out of his way to socialize, and does not complain when his classmates don't attempt to interact with him. he liked it this way, independent with only his uncle and the two mutuals in his grade - maki harukawa and himiko yumeno - in his life.
at most, he'd talk to the two girls about what they learned in class or how their talents were treating them; even then, the trio always sat in comfortable silence when they needed to be around each other.

he didn't think this would change, used to the daily routine, until he heard the keys to a piano in a nearby classroom. originally, shuichi was making his way to his usual lunch spot to eat, but something about those notes sounded... off. pianos don't usually sound like that, and whoever was playing noticed this, as he heard the constant pauses from the melody to the repetitive smashing of one note.
out of curiosity, he stepped over to the room to take a quick peek at what the issue was - noticing the one playing was a girl from his class, kaede akamatsu.

"is everything all right in here?" asked shuichi, as he stood near the doorframe stiffly. he'd regret this, he knew he would. the brighter student spared him a glance when he spoke, her expression surprised to see he came unprovoked.
"oh, the ultimate detective! you must've heard it, too, then!" said kaede, her voice bright enough to remind him of the sun's rays. right- the polite, sweet pianist that he's never talked to but heard chat with other students. it's true what they say, she is nice to be around, he can already feel himself relax under her stare.

in a late response, he gave a nod to confirm. "the piano doesn't sound how it's supposed to. play the key you were stressing on moments before- uh, please." he instructed, his tone softening as he walked closer to where she sat. kaede did what she was told, tapping the g-note thrice before returning her gaze to him.
"see? it sounds as if it is out of tune, but just yesterday it was perfectly fine." she crossed her arms and let out a sigh, not aware of shuichi's thinking face. she was correct, the instrument is not out of tune, especially if it did not appear so the day prior. suddenly, she gasped in realization and grabbed onto his arm gently. "a case for the ultimate detective to show off his talent!"

"huh? you want my help? b-but i don't know a thing about instruments!" exclaimed shuichi, more shocked at the physical contact than the case suggestion. "i'm not even a full detective, either."
"you heard how wrong the notes were, and you look as though you are trying to find a possible answer for the piano's issue! please, shuichi-" she used both hands to fistpump the air- "i have to practice for my performance later tonight, and if i don't, i'll be screwed."
he doesn't want that to happen. thinking about it, what does he have to lose? he doesn't eat much of his lunch, anyways, nor does he converse much with maki or himiko. in addition, she needs this solved before school is over due to her performance later in the night.

with an almost confident stance, shuichi fixed the cap on his head and locked eyes with kaede. "i'll do what i can to find out what the problem is. i promise." he stated, no nervous inflection or stutter detected in his words. kaede gave him a wide grin and stood up, planning to give him a hug as thanks, but she was stopped by him speaking up again.
"and- and you can be by my side as i do! like- like sherlock holmes and doctor watson?"
"really?" she gasped then propped her fists on her hips, a face of determination falling on her expression. she seemed rather excited, despite her more than likely not doing much but inform him of facts he'll need.

starting now, the investigation had begun, and shuichi took a seat on the bench in front of the piano and looked down at it. "tell me, kaede- while you were playing, did you feel anything odd?" he asked, as he ran light fingertips from one end of the key row to the end.
"feel anything odd?" repeated kaede, as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes, humming in thought. "oh! while playing, some of the keys felt sticky. both to the touch, and when i pressed down on them." after she explained this, the detective found the general area that fit the describing word. just like she said, it felt sticky on his skin and as he played the note, the key threatened to get stuck on itself.