A Mistake [Danganronpa Fanfic]

Chapter 6

The week droned on, every class period painstakingly dripping by like watching paint dry. Even though Chihiro sat towards the front of the class with three desks separating him from Mondo, just feeling his presence within the room made the young boy mentally exhausted. They hadn't spoken a word to one another since their talk within the biker's room, and despite that the programmer had been accepted by Mondo and the risk of his secret getting out had evaporated, he felt scared. Scared that his entire life may end up this way. He wouldn't have the courage to tell people the truth, inevitable deceiving them and winding up alone.

Even the girls had left him alone as he had often spent most free time retreating to his room, delving into his computer programs and games to free his mind from thinking about telling everyone his darkest secret. With only a few more years of high school to go, he didn't want to continue lying to anyone. What happens when another one of the boys turned their attention to him? Surely he couldn't make the same mistake twice, and not everyone was going to be as faithful as Mondo was in keeping the secret. Chihiro never even asked, and he already knew worlds of supposedly private information about many people within the academy simply because of Sayaka and Junko's loose lips.

But telling everyone meant being looked at completely different. He liked to think they were all close enough friends that confiding in them with such a dark story would result in praise and support. But he knew that wouldn't be the case for everyone. Some of the girls would feel betrayed, especially since Chihiro has been inside the girl's changing room when they dressed out for gym. Not that he ever dressed out in front of them. He always hid behind lockers, or within bathroom stalls, or just simply changed in his room. But he had seen some of the girls naked, a level they felt comfortable getting to in front of the other girls. To find out a boy had secretly seen them...

Chihiro sighed loudly as he heaved his laundry basket into his arms, nudging his bedroom door open with his foot. Class had ended a few hours ago, and with all his studies and homework completed, it was time to get down to his weekly cleaning schedule. He wandered down the hallway with his basket held at his stomach, thankful the laundry room was just at the end of the hall. He had meant to do his laundry earlier in the week, but because of his reluctance to leave his room and his brain scattered in all different directions, he had forgotten.

Using his back to sweep open the laundry room door, he scattered inside, letting his basket hit the floor with a loud thud. The room was empty, as were all the machines, meaning he would be alone for the evening. At least for now. This was perfectly fine with him. He quickly got to work, sorting his clothes between the machines, throwing in detergent, and starting them up before taking a seat at the table in the center of the room. At his feet were his now empty laundry basket and his laptop bag, which he immediately yanked the device from. Setting it against the table, he flipped it open and stared blankly at the screen.

Since the incident, Chihiro had calculated several plans about how he would go about telling his fellow students. He considered sitting them down one by one, little by little, and letting them know. Starting with the more easy going, understanding people, such as Naegi or Sakura, would be fine initially as he expected they would be kind enough to keep the secret. But once he got to people such as Hagakure or Leon, he knew the secret would slip to others, and it wouldn't be shared in such a delicate light.

Telling them all at once had passed his mind a few times. Maybe telling them all during lunch and then quickly retreating to his room to let the news settle amongst them. But then there would be Junko incessantly beating against his door for answers, most likely trailed by others. And having to see their faces of shock, curiosity, and possible disgust... He was sure he would die from shame.

Not to mention, then Junko and the other girls would probably press the issue on Mondo, as they had been caught sneaking around together. They would ask if he knew, which he didn't. So the word would come around that Chihiro had essentially lied and lured him in. Chihiro groaned loudly, leaning forward and pressing his head against the keyboard of his laptop. The device let out a few beeping alarms as the same keys continued to be pressed until the programmer finally picked his head up. This was frustrating. "Why couldn't you just be normal?" he thought to himself, just about to slam his laptop shut when the door to the laundry room swung open. In swept Mondo, dragging a bag and a basket of dirty clothes behind him. He glanced briefly towards the programmer before immediately looking away without so much of a grunt. They used to "accidentally" do laundry together on the same day all the time. Chihiro began to wonder if it were really an accident at all, or if that was some sort of way the biker was initially trying to prove his crush on him. Not that there was ever any conversation. It was always silent between them, as Mondo took the time during the wash cycles to take a nap, and Chihiro indulged in his laptop. Now it was filled with silence and a heavy weight in the young boy's heart.