Danganronpa Prodigy's: The Next Generation.

Chapter 12b: Kuzuryu History.

"Which one do you want?" Min held out a pair of canned drinks to Jin, who was now sitting on a park bench. Jin picked his drink, and then Min sat next to him.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Kuzuryu." Jin thanked.

"You're polite for someone your age," Min smiled "you also happen to have very good tastes in drinks."

She winked at him mischievously, and Jin returned a smile. While Min usually presented herself as someone closed off and cold-hearted, this wasn't true at all. She was just very often serious. However, no one understood the innocence of youth quite as she did, and she was actually pretty great at taking care of kids.

"So...you didn't answer my question earlier," Min spoke to him "are you lost, or aren't you? If so, your house is back that way."

"I know that Ms. Kuzuryu, I walk home from school all the time!" Jin sighed. "I just...don't want to go back there. I need some time to myself..."

"If isolation is what you need, then you may have it," Min said, "pretend that I'm not here. My presence isn't particularly noticeable when I do this anyhow."

Min then crossed her legs, crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and sat on the bench, not moving a muscle. Jin looked at her, now rather curious.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Meditating," she replied.

"What's...medida...media...meditey...?"

"Meditating. A practice to train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear, emotionally calm, and stable state." Min said, which frankly, did not answer Jin well enough, "I tend to come to this park around this time late at night because the air is cool, and the setting is quiet. That way, I have no distractions...Well, I suppose I have one today, but I'm sure I can deal with it."

Min went back to meditating and didn't say another word for about a minute. She only broke focus and opened her eyes when she suddenly heard a sound next to her. She looked and saw that Jin was sitting in a similar position as her, but instead of crossing his legs, he was basically scrunched up, and he was clenching his eyes closed really tightly.

"What are you doing?" Min asked.

"What do you think?" Jin asked, "I'm meditating!"

"That's...That isn't meditating..." Min said.

"Well, how is what I'm doing any different from what YOU'RE doing?" Jin asked. Min disapprovingly held her head in her hands.

"Jin, you are a smart young man, but you can be naive sometimes," she told him. "I don't take meditation as lightly as you do. It requires a focused mind and complete concentration. If you don't have that, you might as well be taking a nap."

"That's what I am doing!" Jin exclaimed.

"What?" Min smirked "taking a nap?"

"No! Meditating!" Jin snapped.

"Hmph...hardly," Min chuckled. "I see less concentration and more constipation if anything else. And I can see that your mind is more clouded than when Nekatsu hasn't eaten for 5 minutes."

Min then broke her position and sat on the bench normally, turning her full attention on the young boy.

"I can only assume that something is going on. Care to explain?" she asked, "after all, I get a strong feeling that you aren't going to be leaving any time soon."

"I'm-! I-! I uh...I don't know..." Jin stammered, "I don't know what to think...I'm just...feeling a little lonely..."

"I had sensed as much, but I fail to understand," Min said, "you've got your whole family around you constantly, and no doubt you have many friends too."

"I-I know that! But..." Jin snapped, then stammered again before saying, "it's...Kuroba..."

"Ah, but of course," Min considered, "she's left town for a few days because of her cold case. So is that what's going on? Do you miss her?"

"No. Well...yes, I do, but...that's not the problem," Jin told her "it just feels like...Kuroba never left...Mom and Dad seem to like her more than they like me. Ever since she went away, that's mostly what they've been talking about."

"I see...so ultimately..." Min asked, "you're jealous of your sister?"

"I don't know if I'm jealous of her..." Jin said, "I just...I don't want to believe that they like her more than me. I think Kuroba deserves the attention, but..."

"You just want more of it yourself?" Min finished his sentence, "you think that your parents are so focused on your sister that they've cast you aside."

Jin nodded.

"Well, if you want my personal opinion," Min said, "knowing what kind of man Mr. Makoto Naegi is, I sincerely doubt he thinks that way about you. The same is true for your mother."

"How would you know?" Jin asked.

"Because Mr. Naegi is the Headmaster of Hope's Peak. And he was the one who allowed me to become a student in the 100th class," Min said, "you might not know this, but back when I first tried to enroll in Hope's Peak, the public and other students were heavily opposed to the idea."

"Really?" Jin asked, "why?"

"My parents had also attended Hope's Peak Academy, in the year before your father did," Min explained "they were heavily frowned upon too, but when I enrolled, people wanted nothing to do with me...The reason being that I'm a descendent of the Yakuza."

"The Yaku-what?" Jin asked.

"Yakuza," Min repeated "members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan."

"Your family are criminals!?" Jin exclaimed.

"Yes, if you want to put it simply," Min said "my father attended Hope's Peak with that title in fact. But the point is, due to my family's criminal history, I wasn't initially welcomed into the school."

"And you're saying my dad changed that?" Jin asked.

"Yes," Min nodded and smiled "Makoto Naegi knew that we weren't bad people, and we could hardly be linked to that life anymore. It's thanks to him that I was able to become a student at Hope's Peak Academy, and thanks to him that I first met your sister."

"I...didn't know..." Jin's eyes were wide with astonishment.

"What I'm trying to say is that your father isn't one to act irrationally with the feelings of other people, not in the least his own children," Min clarified "as for your mother, I know she can be stern, strict, and seems a little cold, but she understands people more than I could at least. I have boundless respect for her, just as I do your father."

"I...I don't know..." Jin said.

"Ok, in which case, let me ask you this," Min said "do you think your parents don't like you?"

"Wha-!? No! Of course they like me! At least...I think they do."

"Don't worry. They definitely do," Min said "so why would you think they like Kuroba more than you. It's a positively silly thought that's playing on your mind. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I think they might be looking for you right now, worried sick."

"R-Really?" Jin asked.

"Well, you did kind of run out on them," Min said "listen, kid, there's honestly a limit to how much I can help you. I think if you want to get this problem sorted out, you should speak with your Mom and Dad directly. That always helps me whenever I have a problem."

"I...ok!" Jin smiled, hopping off the bench "thank you Ms Kuzuryu."

Min nodded, and once again crossed her arms and legs, and was about to go back to meditating. However, just before she entered her state of tranquility, Jin came scuttling back.

"Ms Kuzuryu?" he asked, "if you don't mind, may I come and meditate with you again?"

"Hm...Yes. I think I would very much like that." Min smiled reassuringly.

"Awesome! Thanks, Ms Kuzuryu!" Jin smiled and rushed off again.