Danganronpa: Painful Truth

More Than Human

"Hello. If anyone can hear me, I have an urgent message for Professor Idabashi. My name is–"

The monotonous night was interrupted by Kiibo's wireless functions being suddenly disabled, as though by a weak signal jammer. He nearly panicked again as the sound of tires and a car engine approached him, but he managed to remain calm without any significant adjustments. 

He paused the more comprehensive and detailed scan he'd been running in order to sort through his memories of the killing game. He'd been elated to find that his memories from before that time had been restored as well. He kept them open for comfort as he faced the approaching vehicle. 

For a moment, he thought the old friend who had rescued him had returned, but realized that it wasn't quite the same van, and had a much different driver. A petite, scowling blonde sat behind the wheel instead. 

The van slowed to a halt, and the engine shut off as the blonde spoke. "Alright, we're here, assholes. Yuri, Gonta, get out and check the area."

Kiibo gasped audibly as the familiar name reached him. He didn't recognize the driver, or the tiny dark-haired girl who emerged from the back of the van, but the hulking figure who followed was unmistakable. "Gonta?" 

The enormous boy blinked and looked around him, but his face brightened into a smile when he saw the robot. "Kiibo! You really okay! Gonta sorry, but Gonta will be back to talk soon. Have important mission first!" He waved and disappeared into the dark woods.

Kiibo frowned, wondering what he meant. His processors were still working through the fact that Gonta was alive, despite seemingly having died right in front of him. He realized dimly that nearly the same was true of the person who had initially rescued him. He began to wonder if anyone else had somehow survived their murders.

He didn't have to wonder for much longer. As he turned his attention back to the van, another set of people emerged. One of them had purple hair in a neat bob and wasn't familiar to him at all. The other, however, was dressed entirely in pink, and wore a familiar flustered expression.

"Miu!" he shouted in relief. Despite some of her more questionable actions, he realized that she was the one he'd most wanted to see alive again. Ever since consenting to her upgrades and maintenance, he'd felt a sort of bond with her. She was loud, rude, and vulgar, but she'd been the only one to understand his unique body, and she'd still treated him like a living being…at least at first. 

Miu jumped and blushed at his voice. She looked wary, but her passion overtook her guilt and she rushed toward him with a whimper. "There you are! What did they do to you?" she whined, examining any visible ports and gauges with a small pink flashlight. "You didn't let them break any of my modifications, did you?"

Kiibo watched her movements dimly, trying to process the emotions he was feeling. "I was in no position to prevent any unwanted alterations, but everything you added appears to be operational."

"Oh. Good." Miu attempted to regain her composure the only way she knew how. She stepped back and stowed the flashlight in a leg pouch, her face transforming into an angry glare. "Those motherfuckers should know better than to fuck with my inventions!" She grinned, yet the expression seemed just as aggressive. "I've got more cool gadgets I can shove in ya, as long as you beg first!" She snickered. "Go on, get on your knees!"

Suddenly, Kiibo's face went blank. The programs and hardware that were unique to his mobile robot body had gone unused for so long, and had been further clogged by the influx of information. The program that had been designed to follow orders without question, however, was fully optimized and waiting for a chance to run. Before he could give it a conscious thought, he had sunk to a kneeling position at Miu's feet. "Command processed."