Just One More Time

1 - Attached At The Hip

Shuichi pinched the bridge of his nose as he left the gymnasium behind his fellow participants. This is really happening, the killing game has restarted, but why, what caused me to keep my memories? "Hey, do you think you could show me where the first murder took place and how? That way, we can avoid it, especially if I'm the target," Amami asked his new friend.

"Sure, follow me I guess," Shuichi sighed, his mind working in overdrive to the point where the gears rusted and broke. Taking the greenette down into the basement, Shuichi entered the library, flashbacks of Amami's corpse lying atop splattered blood filled his vision.

"Saihara? You okay?" Amami stepped in front of the male, holding his hand. Shuichi smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath before travelling further into the library.

"Akamatsu and I set up cameras in these areas, and a sensor up there above the hidden door." Slipping his hand out of Amami's warm grip, heaving the moving bookcase open to reveal the familiar black and white door. "We can't get in without a keycard, which the mastermind has."

"I'll assume you tried for a while," Amami mumbled, investigating the door momentarily before helping Shuichi close it.

"It's the mastermind's lair, Motherkuma is in there which creates a new Monokuma when the mastermind says the command. When you died, you opened this door and triggered the sensor, so this camera went off," Shuichi explained, pointing to where the camera Akamatsu had set up should be. "She'd organised those books up there to make a ramp from that vent, to there," Shuichi continued pointing to emphasise his points. "When she rolled the shotput ball down the vent, it actually dropped right next to you."

"The mastermind hit behind that door and used their own shotput ball to hit me over the head and hid the clean one." How did he get that right? "Am I correct Saihara?"

"Y-Yeah, how did you guess?"

"Surely you'd know after one killing game, it's easier to investigate things," Amami laughed. "Pretty brutal way to go, I feel bad Akamatsu died believing she murdered someone."

"Yeah..." Shuichi stared at the ground, images of a flying Akamatsu hanging from a rope playing like a film in his mind.

-*_*⏳*_*-

Sitting against the wall in the dining hall, the detective started at the food Tojo had made. Shuichi didn't feel like he could hold himself together if he talked with his old friends, seeing them alive again played tricks with his mind. Every time he looked at someone, he saw a walking, breathing corpse. He witnessed arrows in Ouma's body, blood dripping down Yonaga's head, Shinguji's boiled and salted ghost. Times like this made Shuichi reach up for hit hat, but he'd left it in his dorm, not wanting to return to the shy, afraid boy he was last game.

Someone plopped themselves beside the male, shoving a chunk of pancake into his mouth. "W-What are you doing Ouma?" Shuichi mumbled, struggling to swallow the sudden invasion of food.

"Feeding the lonely hottie, what's your name?~" Ouma grinned, leaning in close to the male. Shuichi's cheeks flushed a pale pink, barely visible to anyone unless you looked with a magnifying glass.

"Saihara Shuichi, I'm the Ultimate Detective," he introduced himself. That's right, Amami and I didn't go around doing introductions, but he's talking to everyone now so I guess that leaves me as the most mysterious.

"Saihara~Chan, I'm Ouma Kokichi, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Why don't we hang out?" Ouma phrased his order as a question, standing and pulling the male to his feet. Abandoning the breakfast, the two males rushed from the room, not making it far down the hallway before Shuichi felt his back slam into the wall. Shooting Ouma a confused, wordless threat, he noticed a shadow of serious rage forming underneath the leader's fringe. "Alright, what the fuck do you and Amami want from all of us?!"

"What are you on about? I don't want anything from anyone," Shuichi stuttered. "Where is this coming from?"

"Shut the fuck up, stop playing dumb you bitch. You really don't think I know you're the mastermind and Amami is your little apprentice? I've heard every conversation between you two, and exactly what murders are going to occur and how."

Shuichi frowned, his anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach at the accusation. "I'm not some sick fuck like the mastermind. Just so you know, that little plan of yours, your suicide, isn't going to work. Monokuma knows everything, you can't keep anything secret from him, so don't even try it and focus on getting out of here alive." He spat, the wide eyes of Ouma surprising him for a split second as he realised what he'd revealed.

"How do you know about that? You'd only know if you had access to the cameras. You're the fucking mastermind, just admit it! I'm not going to let you kill innocent people like Amami!" Ouma raised his voice, his tone filled with nothing less than rage and pure hatred for the male against the wall. Without warning, Ouma used his surprising strength to drag Shuichi back into the dining hall, clearing his throat as he threw the detective on the floor.

"Ow..." Saihara groaned, holding his head after it hit the floor with immense force. That's going to form a lump. 

"Alright listen up everyone, I know exactly how to get us out of this game, as much as I enjoy it!" Ouma started, placing his hands behind his head. As Shuichi attempted to stand, he kicked the male again, showing him his place below the Supreme Leader. "This little bitch right here is the mastermind, he just admitted it to me like an idiot."

"How do we know you're not lying this time?!" Kiibo shouted, the room agreeing with him. "There's no way the mastermind would admit who they are, and what proof is there that there's someone other than Monokuma behind this?!" Everyone echoed the robot's words, turning against Ouma as Amami knelt beside him, trying to help Shuichi stand.

"You're all fucking idiots!" Ouma stomped his foot, his fists clenched beside his torso. "Watch your back Saihara, I'll expose you, just fucking wait." With that, he stormed out of the room, everyone returned to their meals as Amami lifted Shuichi from the ground. Taking his hand, Amami dragged Shuichi from the dining hall to his dorm, slamming the door behind him.

"What was that about? Why the fuck did you tell Ouma?! We agreed to keep this a secret!" Amami shouted, throwing his arms in the air as he paced back and forth.

"I didn't tell him, I promise, he's been listening in on our conversations and thinks we're the masterminds," Shuichi defended himself. Throwing his body onto the bed, Shuichi put his head in his hands, frustrated with life.

"He might try to kill you, from now on, we stick to each other like glue, okay? I'm not letting you die," Amami placed his hands on the side of Shuichi's face. Shuichi's golden, terrified eyes softened once they locked with green, caring ones.