Pregame Danganronpa V3: Plights of Youth

•Chapter One•

Loud sounds of chattering from students attending to their daily commute morphed into mere ambiance as they reached the blonde's ears. She was uninterested in all that surrounded her, propped up against the lockers with her arms crossed. Only after her friend walked up did the silence break.

"Hey, Kaede." Rantaro Amami's voice came.

"Oh. Hey." Kaede Akamatsu muttered, a bored, plain look on her face.

Kaede wasn't one to get excited over many things. She wasn't very passionate about anything, and didn't really care about anyone. She didn't put any trust or faith into anyone, and saw everyone around her as just another lowly piece of trash in the dumpster fire that was society. Everyone was beneath her, mere dirt on the bottom of her shoe. Worthless people who only care about themselves; only make humanity look worse. Sadistic assholes who don't give a shit unless someone gets hurt. The thought of the betterment of society was long gone, just a faint dream that soon disappeared completely.

Rantaro was Kaede's best friend since childhood, and they were rarely ever seen apart. They were always side by side, causing some kind of trouble. They ran their school with an iron fist, bringing a world of pain down upon who dare defy them. As the richest boy and most threatening girl, the pair were the king and queen of the school.

"So, what-" Rantaro's voice was cut off by an "uff!" and the sound of something heavy crashing to the ground. Kaede felt an odd pressure on her on her stomach as she slammed into a locker, pinned down by whatever just collided with her.

She opened her her eyes and looked down to see a small boy pressing up against her. Her face burned and she instantly grabbed a fistful of purple hair from the head now buried in her chest. Using the hair to guide the head it was attatched to, she pulled the person away from her, throwing them out into the open hall.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" The flustered blonde asked. The boy's eyes instantly drop to the floor, visibly shaking. Books scattered the ground and Kaede's hands flew to her torso, wrapped around her chest.

"I-I'm sorry!" he whimpered.

Kaede scoffed. "What the hell? Watch where you're going, tiny!" She rolled her eyes and looked towards Rantaro, as if to say "Can you believe this guy?"

Rantaro chuckled. "Watch where you're going, brat." He scoffed, studying him. "What a dumbass. You gonna just stand there or do somethin'?"

"Fucking pea-brained midget..." Kaede muttered under her breath. "Exactly who the fuck do you think you are, kid?"

She let out a snigger. "What're you even doing here anyway?" She looked him up and down. "This is a high school, kid," Kaede stepped closer, looking down on him. "Not a middle school. What are you, like, twelve?" She smiled cruely. "And what's with the hair?" She touched a strand that was sticking out. "Get electrocuted or something?" She tugged on the strand, making the small boy wince.

Snickering, she added, "Oh, but you can't even reach the socket, can you?" She feigned pity, making an over-dramatic pouty face.

The timid boy picked his head and lifted his eyes to face her. "I-I go to school here! And..." He stopped speaking, probably not wanting to get hit or made fun of. "S-Sorry for bumping into you, I'll leave!" he cried, bowing in apology and scrambling to pick up the fallen books. After stacking them back up, he scurried off down the hall and dashed into the nearest bathroom.

Watching him speed down the hall, she waved her fingers in a fake-nice 'bye bye!' She laughed that cruel laugh again.

"No one here's any fun." Kaede scoffed again, leaning on the lockers with her arms folded across her chest.

"Bye, bitch." Rantaro snickered. "Jesus, Kaede. Ya don't hold back, do you?"

"Psh. Why should I? Give me one good reason to."

"I won't give you one cause I'm not complaining." The green haired boy chuckled and looked down the hall in the other direction the other one had left. "Hey, Gonta."

Kaede only rolled her eyes and turned her attention elsewhere. She was never interested in meeting new people. Or talking to people in general. They were all the same: disappointing.

The aforementioned male approached them, leaning against the lockers.

"Hey, Rantaro. Kaede." He nodded his greetings to them.

Kaede nodded her acknowledgement and gave a "hm."

"Go into the guys bathroom nearby. You'll find a good victim to beat in there." Rantaro grinned widely and eyed the male restroom evilly.

"Mm..." Gonta hummed, turning to the male's bathroom. He closed his book in a slam and walked in the direction Rantaro pointed him in. As he made his way to the bathroom, he walked past a figure in all black, head ducked.

"'Sup, Shuichi?" Rantaro waved to the boy walking towards them.

Kaede watched as he made his way down the hall, bumping into objects and people near him, completely invested into his phone.

As he approached, a look of what could only be described as pure disgust appeared on her face. He was cooing like a baby, tongue out.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" She eyed Shuichi, who was drooling.

"Um..." Rantaro furrowed his brows and grabbed Shuichi by the arm, pulling him towards himself and Kaede. "Stop thinking about porn, you fuckin' weirdo."

The blonde made a fist, ready to knock some sanity into this creep if she had to. She kept it concealed, though, in case he shaped up before she had to step in.

He tensed and ripped his arm from Rantaro's grasp. His arm returned to his side and his eyes narrowed.

"Don't be disgusting, I don't find satisfaction in watching a bimbo getting fucked by an mindless buffoon." He hissed and wiped the drool off his chin with a swipe of his sleeve.

"Yet you'll watch someone get sliced up by a teddy bear. Good to know." Rantaro sighed loudly and pulled out a small wad of cash, handing it to Shuichi. "I need to talk to you later. Be outside in the courtyard after school."

Under her breath, Kaede muttered a quiet "...the fuck?" as she watched the ordeal.

"Hey, Rantaro." She spoke louder. "What're you gonna ask this guy anyway?" She motioned to the boy now thumbing through the money with a jab of her thumb. "All he knows is how to solve crimes- and commit them." She scoffed.

Shuichi ignored her remark and looked up from the cash to Rantaro. "Hm? I'll be there then." He stuffed it in his pocket then started to walk away from the two, turning his attention back to his phone.

Pressing three fingers to her temple in exasperation, Kaede shook her head. "Jesus christ..." She said with sigh as he wandered away. "This guy." She turned to Rantaro. "So why exactly did you pay him for a service he hasn't even provided yet?" She asked again.

"Ask him for some information about someone. It's not important." He shrugged and tucked his phone back in his pocket.

"Not important, huh?" She elbowed the boy next to her. "Seems important enough for you to have to pay the guy. But whatever."

Rantaro chuckled and turned back to her. "I don't wanna go to class. Do you?"

"I don't know, if I do, whatever. If I don't, whatever. I don't really care. What would we even do if we skipped?"

"Well...you wouldn't care, really. You don't really care about anyone else." He sighed softly and looked at the bathroom door again. "Hope that middle schooler has fun."

Kaede peered over to the closed door. She let out laugh. "Yeah, I bet he will."

The bell rang and the two parted before agreeing to meet for lunch, despite them doing exactly that every day since they met.

"Later, Taro."

"See ya, Kae."