Danganronpa Midnight: Lantern Lament (Fanganronpa)

Chapter 5 - A Facade of Fatal Affection - Motive

The next morning, Satoshi and I wandered into the dining hall - Shouko and Kenjiro already there waiting similarly to yesterday.

"This is really our routine now, isn't it?" I weakly chuckled as I walked past the table that the three of them were now sitting on to grab food from the kitchen for each of us.

"In all fairness, this has technically been our routine the whole time," Kenjiro spoke up. "The o-only difference is that...uh..."

"There are fewer people every time." Shouko finished his sentence for him while I finally joined them at the table, setting the food down.

"That's dark..." Satoshi added, shaking his head.

"I-It's true!"

"It's either that or they choose not to come for whatever reason." The psychologist sighed. "...Just like Ryoko."

"You're right there." Satoshi nodded. "It's just...what is that girl even doing? Spending all her time in secrecy..."

"...It can't be anything good." Shouko hummed.

"It's not like we want her here though. Beats me what that freak is thinking." I scoffed, getting annoyed just at the thought of her. "When she was following me around yesterday, she said she had something planned for today. But who the fuck knows what Ryoko is thinking? I sure don't."

"Something planned, you say...?" Satoshi leaned back in his chair in an attempt to think, yet paused. "Wait...Ryoko was following you around?!?"

"Yeah, like some attention-starved toddler." I clenched my fists. "Ryoko is the worst!"

"Can't argue with that." The black and blue-haired boy next to me smiled weakly.

"Same here," Kenjiro replied while resting his head on his hand, yawning slightly, and pushing his plate of food towards Satoshi as an indication that he could have it. Satoshi gasped at first, before grinning at the gesture and digging in after already finishing his own plate.

Geez, he's such a glutton when it comes to food. Especially food that shouldn't even be served! I'll never forget the smoothie incident at the party...

But come on! Look at Kenjiro and Satoshi and just try and say there's nothing going on between them. You can't! I bet that they've-

Shouko just gave a decisive nod and interrupted my thoughts. "I wonder what she's planning..." She then exhaled a deep breath. "...And people call me the weirdo."

...No comment.

I mumbled and hummed along to the conversation from there, yet I found my eyes drifting to the set of photos with one for each of us on the corkboard Akemi gave us. The majority of them had big red crosses pinned across them, essentially covering the former happy smiles we had before this nightmare.

With so many people gone - and some deaths even being entirely her fault - just what is Ryoko thinking of doing?

Knowing her...it's nothing safe or good.

"I just hope nothing too...big happens," Satoshi added, giving his own opinion on the matter. "I just want...peace."

"Ah, well I'm the complete opposite!" An extremely high-pitched yet familiar voice pierced our ears.

"H-Huh?!?" I jumped up, my head snapping to the source of the sound...

...Yet I saw nothing.

"W-Was that...who I thought it was?!?" Kenjiro stammered, cautiously getting up as well.

I walked around the table and had to crouch down to finally see the source of the voice, the damn bear being way too short for anyone to even see him.

"Monokuma!" I exclaimed through clenched teeth. "The hell do you want?"