Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

3.10 - Delusional

A/N: The above art is my own work and for my own use only!

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I regret this entirely and I take back all that stupid drama I caused...kinda. No, I guess I don't regret my outbursts actually. I still can't believe Maki tried to grab me by my hair though, what the heck was that?! That hurt!

I pause in my exploration to catch my breath and lift a hand to touch some of the locks behind my head. Did she pull some of my hair out? Sure feels like it, I've been crawling forever and my scalp is still crying from the pain.

Speaking of crawling though...the longer I'm down here, the more I'm starting to believe this was a mistake. I was originally under the impression every vent reasonably leads somewhere else to get air from one part of a building to another, but I'm pretty sure almost no air is circulating down here. And even if there is some sort of exit ahead, it might end up being too far for me to reach on this little of oxygen.

Maybe I should turn back now. If I keep trudging on with air like this, I'll probably pass out. Not to be too morbid or take death lightly, but I don't want the others to somehow find my body stuck in a godforsaken vent. For one, it would be pretty embarrassing watching Kokichi laugh at me for my dramatic exit only to die from mere suffocation as a result of my own hubris.

Of course, that's on the condition an afterlife even exists for me to look down on the living, but whatever. Point made.

...

Instead of turning around and admitting defeat in my escape fantasy, I grit my teeth and calm my nerves in the darkness of the tunnel, progressing forward. It's a good thing I don't have anything like claustrophobia, or I'd have panicked and passed out earlier. That fact doesn't make me any less happy about crawling through vents...

Well, maybe you should have sucked it up and taken Rantaro's offer to try better rather than avoided him like this. He climbed up a shelf after you, that has to count for something, right?

Ugh! It doesn't though! He probably would have nodded like a bobble head to whatever I was saying to gain my trust back! And after hearing me out, he'd just go on and take advantage of my naivety again. Stupid Rantaro.

You don't know that. You can't say he wouldn't have if you didn't give him a chance to try.

"Gah, I don't care!" I snap out loud, gasping a little and slapping my hands over my mouth. My body goes stock still as I wait for repercussions. Maybe an Exisal bursting through the narrow space to grab me or a monokub appearing to tell me they're gonna do so in advance?

Silence follows the echo of my shouting. After a few minutes of waiting for some sort of jump scare punishment, I frown and uncover my mouth. Nothing's happening...

Following a moment of trying to rationalize this, I eventually sigh and laugh to myself a little.

Okay, so maybe the monokubs wouldn't jump scare me considering none of them have access to cameras (wherever they may be) like Monokuma, but I shouldn't have to hide the fact I'm in these vents regardless. Monokuma has eyes everywhere so there's no doubt he must know where I am even now. Never mind the fact his lack of action to stop me probably means that my exploration is likely to end in disappointment, but still.

"Not gonna stop me, Monokuma? Are you sure you should still be underestimating me like this?" I call out after a second of debate with myself. My voice echoes loudly in the vent, allowing me to listen as it travels both forward where I'm headed and back where I came from. Echolocation? Probably not as fine tuned as maybe a bat's, but oh well.