Danganronpa: Boiling Point

Chapter 14: Dirty Laundry, Coming Clean

I had trouble sleeping, so I opened my medicine cabinets and checked the supplies. Gauze, bandages, antibiotic cream, and various medications were in one cabinet. Blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, tourniquets, and other medical equipment were in the other. Clearly, this room was a nurse's station before it was a bedroom, but why keep two beds in here? I mostly ignored the bed closest to the bedroom door, preferring to sleep deeper into my room.

As 1am hit, a wave of sleepiness finally descended upon me. I laid down in my black and light grey nightgown, and drifted off to sleep.

Unlike most nights, I was gifted with a dream this night, though I remembered only bits and pieces of it. My older brother, Karadano, leaving the family business to run his physical therapy clinic. My parents trusting me to tend to the mortuary alone, overnight, for the first time. Inviting the boy who slapped my best friend, his girlfriend, to the mortuary overnight to give him a warning. Serving him my special "Buresuresu Suimin" tea, and smiling politely as I watched him drink. Still smiling to myself as I closed the mortuary door, after he had departed, and went home by myself that chilly night, not needing his company anymore.

"Goooood Morning, Everybody! It's 7am, and Nighttime is officially over! Let's enjoy another lovely day here at The Ultimate Talent Enhancement Center!" Monorakun's low, growling voice announced to everyone. Groaning to myself, I got up, stretched, and went to get dressed. Seeing my last clean dress, I remembered that I would have to utilize the Laundry Room today.

I have always found doing laundry to be a tedious, yet necessary, task. Before my older brother, Karadano, left our home, he usually did the laundry, though he always made me wash my own underwear, bras, and tights. He never even wanted to touch them, so I always had to put them in a different basket. I usually teased him for it, but I would separate them anyway.

I headed to the Dining Hall for breakfast, deciding to do laundry afterwards. Teruteru had made pastries filled with various fruit fillings, with our choice of orange juice, apple juice, or milk. Nothing too fancy, but considering the last few days, I figured even Teruteru needed a break. I sat down with Kyoko and Rantaro to eat, neither one saying much of anything.

I got two pastries with strawberry filling, and finished them off with some orange juice. As I took my dirty dishes to the Kitchen to be washed, Teruteru approached me, with a look in his eye that immediately made me want to ignore him.

"Another breakfast fitting the ambience of this place, am I right? Doesn't the appearance of the pastry remind you of me, especially the sticky, gooey, yet delectable insides that you have to lick from your lips?"

...Seriously, Teruteru, I am in no mood for you. I turned to him, hiding the glare that I wanted to shoot him, and politely smiled instead, responding, "No, actually. Come to think of it, you remind me a lot of sushi."

Teruteru's eyes grew wide. "Oh, you mean I'm strange and exotic, only meant for those with exquisite tastes?"

My smile grew wider. "No. Sushi makes me wish to vomit."

Turning my back to Teruteru, I put my dishes in the sink and returned to my room to gather my clothes. I then made my way to the Laundry Room and looked around. As expected, there were 16 washers and dryers, each with a scanner for our E-Handbooks. I saw Hiyoko in here, as well, with her laundry hamper in tow.

Before I could do anything else, though, Monorakun showed up, climbing out of a dryer and tumbling head-first into the floor.

"Oww! Dammit! Not as graceful as I used to be, I see," Monorakun complained to himself.

"Kyahaha!" Hiyoko laughed happily. "Monorakun's face-first on the floor, right where he belongs!"

Monorakun turned his head over to Hiyoko, looking her up and down. "Wait a minute. Are you one of those girly-boys? If not, you must be the flattest girl I've ever seen!"