Let The World Burn For You [Amamatsu]

11. Can We Agree On Something?

Tsumugi stood in the doorway, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as she was unable to meet the boy's gaze.

"Uhm...good night, Amami." She nervously greeted, eyes still glued to the ground.

"How can I help you this late at night?"

"I...I wanted to talk to you."

Rantaro raised a brow at the response, silently notifying her of how vague of an answer it was.

"About the new rules, and how I'm going to...end this game."

"What is there to talk about, Shirogane? You end the game; we get to see freedom again."

"You said 'we' but...what's gonna happen to me?" Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Even though she did start the game, the possible repercussions terrified her.

Rantaro stayed silent, simply staring at her. He truly thought she had come to terms with what was most likely to happen; her being arrested the moment they got out. But there she was in front of him, trying not to cry.

"I know how terrifying it seems but you're doing the right thing...ending the killing game before it could start." As much as he disliked her for causing the situation at hand, Rantaro found himself taking her hands in his with his tone comforting as he spoke. "You're a lot better than any of your predecessors."

Tsumugi sobbed, the boy in front of her instinctively embracing her and allowing her to cry on his shoulder. The words meant so much to her, especially coming from Rantaro after he seemed so hostile before the announcement and now he was acting like an older brother to her.

"It'll be scary but everything will be alright." He rubbed soothing circles in her back as she continued to sob.

Kaede listened on, a pang of guilt going through her as she listened to Tsumugi's sobs. She couldn't quite make out what her boyfriend was saying to the cosplayer, but knowing him it was exactly what Tsumugi needed to hear in order to calm down.

"Thank you, Amami." The Ultimate Cosplayer sniffled after a while, giving the adventurer a weak smile in gratitude.

"No problem, sleep well." Rantaro said in farewell before returning to his partner and the food they didn't get a chance to eat at dinner.

The pair ate in silence, neither of them having anything to say that wouldn't lead to discussing Tsumugi.

Eventually, they went to bed, scolded by Monokuma beforehand but being granted 'special permission' by the end of it.

The lateness of their meals didn't grant them much time to sleep; they felt absolutely exhausted when the morning announcement woke them up.

"What do you think Shirogane's gonna do today?" Kaede asked as she headed to the door.

Rantaro simply shrugged, giving a hum to signify he didn't know and he was still processing the world around him.

They met up with Angie and Kiyo outside the dorms before heading to the dining hall.

"Yonaga and Shinguji are pretty close, aren't they?" Kaede said quietly to her partner.

"Yeah, guess his calmness balances out her...energetic spirit." Rantaro replied just as quietly, unsure of how exactly to describe the Ultimate Artist.

Breakfast was quiet, no one really had the guts to bring up the topic they all wanted to question. All the while Tsumugi considered if she truly was okay with ending this game; after all she'd end up in legal trouble once caught and it was doubtful that she could ask either the detective or the adventurer to use their parents' influence in her favour.