A Clay Assassin: A Danganronpa After-Story

Chapter 8: A Day at the Office

Sunday approached quicker than I thought. I woke up that morning with my dad tampering with my drawers, a light red jacket draped over his left shoulder.

"Come on sport, we gotta get going! Today's the big day! It's gonna be so much fun. You're gonna help me work a bit today, but hey, you're getting paid same as me! The boss offered, wouldn't you believe! Ah, today's gonna be great! He's even buying you a lunch!"

It had been a while since I'd seen my father this happy. He's been so good to me. I couldn't help but chuckle as a coy grin seeped through my face.

"Ah, yeah! I'm glad we get to spend some time together."

He walked me out to the kitchen, where a buffet was waiting for me: toast, bacon strips, pancakes, and eggs all arranged in an orderly fashion. My hungry mind said nothing and jumped straight for the food.

Breakfast passed by quickly, and soon we were in the car heading for my dad's work. For context, he had told me he helped write some television shows following the Final Killing Game. There was a large need for writers, and my father jumped on that train early and made some good spots on some newly popular TV shows.

The building itself was covered with a huge H plastered on the front end. It stood at the end of a long street, all populated with businessmen making calls. A single coffee shop stood in the middle of it all, and a line of men blocked the street. Father drove to a nearby parking garage and walked me past the crowds into the end building.

The elevator ride up to his office was surprisingly short. I could feel the ground lifting up beneath me. As the elevator opened...

My ears nearly exploded at the sound as a cluster of party poppers signaled my arrival. A huge banner stood at the back of Father's office, with the words "WELCOME HOME" written in sparkling block letters.

"Welcome home, Maki!" The crowd of workers screamed in unison. I... I can't believe they'd do this for me. But, home? I... they'd accept me in their home..?

A man stood in front of all the rest, being the only one dressed in formal attire. He spoke to me, "Ms. Harukawa! No, Maki, we would like to welcome you here to our office. You're one of us, okay? We're really proud of what you've done this past year. We'd like to make you part of our group, just like everyone else."

I... My heart was racing from excitement. "Thank you! Thank you so much."

Tears rolled down my face, as I smiled to address everyone. My father walked me down towards the businessmen, and showed me around his office. Everyone had such lovely smiles, and gave me hugs. Some gave me candy, others called me "sport" like my father, I couldn't help but carry my stupid grin the whole time.

I ate lunch with everyone, too! They made me little sandwiches, which were so good. Everyone was really welcoming.

With about 2 hours left in the work day, some of Father's coworkers asked me to help with a storyboard for a new show they were creating. It was what they called a "situational comedy" starring what was supposed to be a quirky cast of characters. Apparently, it was an entirely new genre. The whole time, I wore a chipper smile. The staff was so nice and helpful, too.

It was a good day. I still can't believe the staff was that nice to me. Would... everyone I'd meet on this tour be that nice? Whether I should follow this tour was but one thought among many others on the drive home that night.

The moon was peeking over the glistening horizon on the ride home. It was such a peaceful atmosphere. At some point during the ride, while I was staring out to such a bright horizon, I drifted off to sleep.

The smell of chicken breast and string beans was wafted into my nose, causing me to wake. Dinner had been served. I quickly rushed to the kitchen, and sat down between Mother and Father like usual. Each of them had a warm smile on their faces, as they squeezed my hands. For dessert, they had made my favorite: jelly balls and boba tea. The scent of strawberries hovered in the air.

Seeing such warm reactions today... made me consider joining the tour.

Maybe... I should trust Tsumugi's "final wish." It'll be fun, getting to spend more time with Himiko and Shuichi. And I get to meet a lot of new people every day. But... would I have to leave my parents? I'd have to ask about that later. In any case, my lips parted the words I feel I had been longing to say for some time:

"Mom..? Dad..? I... think I'd like to go on this tour."