When In Doubt, Play Cards | Danganronpa V3 Fanfiction

When In Doubt, Play Cards

Himiko yawned and dropped the cleaning supplies on the table. It was difficult for her to summon the courage to enter the late maid's lab, but in the end, she had found what she was looking for.

To distract herself, she decided to clean her magic tools. Himiko, along with fifteen other students, was trapped in a place called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, where they were forced into a killing game. Some of her classmates had already lost their lives, and Himiko feared she might be next.

She shook her head, trying to concentrate on her task. The silence in the room was soothing, but she couldn't escape the nagging reminder of the danger around her. Big, disruptive events were always risky, and they reminded her too much of the failure of her magic show. She only wanted to bring happiness, but that hope had quickly crumbled when they discovered a body.

A mage was useless in a killing game. All she could do was practice magic, and even that felt insignificant in the face of the others' struggles.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Himiko jumped in surprise. She instinctively grabbed one of her juggling balls, which nearly slipped off the table, and groaned when she saw who it was.

Kaito and Kokichi entered, bickering loudly over something. Himiko sighed. They were always at odds, but the noise was the worst part. If they argued quietly, it wouldn’t be so bad.

She resolved to remain silent and tried to tune them out. As she cleaned her equipment, she overheard snippets of their conversation. Apparently, they were fighting over something that happened in the casino.

"Hey, Himiko! Lend me those rigged cards of yours!" Kokichi's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Himiko turned around, almost dropping her tools in surprise. Without waiting for an answer, Kokichi rifled through her things and grabbed a deck of cards. He pulled them out of the packaging and examined them. Himiko shivered nervously as he flashed her a knowing smile.

"You should've asked her before taking her stuff," Kaito said, frowning.

"But I did," Kokichi replied, grinning.

"Nyeh, it's alright. I don't mind..." Himiko mumbled, not wanting to argue. She just wanted some peace, and if they wanted her cards, they could have them.

She tried to focus on her cleaning while they began playing, but the noise of their game quickly wore on her nerves. She realized it was futile to expect quiet.

Himiko enjoyed card games, and she understood why people got emotional about them. But did they really have to be this loud? She would have left, but carrying all her equipment and cleaning supplies to her room felt like too much effort.

The charade continued, and Himiko noticed a pattern. Kaito was always losing, while Kokichi was always winning. It was painfully obvious that Kokichi was cheating, and Himiko couldn’t understand why Kaito didn’t notice. But when they started another round, she reconsidered.

"This is getting boring. I'd like to claim my prize now!" Kokichi called, catching everyone's attention.

"What already?" Kaito sputtered, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Of course. If we kept playing, you'd only have more work to do, and you don’t want that, right? I'm doing you a favor," Kokichi said teasingly.

"Favor!?" Kaito exclaimed, but Kokichi interrupted.

"I want you to give me a shoulder massage. Now go on, shoo, shoo!"

Himiko stared, confused. Did they make a bet? Was this how Kokichi tricked Kaito into continuing the game?