Danganronpa: Dead or Alive

🌅Chapter 16: The Sun, The Moon, And The Distance Between Them🌃

"Y'know, I can't help but find you 'bear'y suspicious."

"..."

"Not gonna talk? Well, it doesn't matter. One way or another, you aren't gonna have a choice."

"...it does matter."

"Oh really? The only thing that matters is that you're lying to everyone."

"So are you."

"Upupupu~ that may be right, but I know exactly what you're after."

"Of course you do. You were programmed to know."

"Oh? But is that not the same case for you?"

"..."

"Upupu~"

"Your puns suck."

-

A couple days after Jiro was confirmed to be alive, he was finally able to walk around on his own. Although his voice hadn't fully recovered yet and his stamina was depleted, he still tried his best.

However, he didn't get the luxury of privacy because there was always someone who didn't want him wandering off on his own.

"Hey, Jiichan! What's been on your mind?" Haise asked, pumping her legs back and forth as she sat on a tree branch.

Jiro cringed at the nickname he was given. But he knew that asking Haise to not call him that was equivalent to talking to a brick wall.

"..n-nothing..." he rasped.

Without warning, Haise leaped out of the tree and landed less gracefully then she expected. She ended on landing on her back, but somehow, she was laughing.

"Haha! Shit! That hurt!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet as she held her back in pain.

"Anyways, back to what you said, it doesn't seem like 'nothing' to me. You're frowning pretty deeply there." She said, poking Jiro's mouth.

"I-it's just...the sky...here...the weather....hasn't changed...s-since we got here..." he said, coughing into his arm afterwards.

"Hm? Oh, guess you're right. But I haven't really been in control long enough to really see much change so, guess I'm not helpful in this!" She broke out in a boisterous laugh.

"We don't even...k-know much about...this island...a-at all...so we don't know..how close w-we are...to land..."

Haise stared at Jiro with an eyebrow raised before laughing again.

"Jiichan, you really overthink things a lot. You're just like Fumi." She pointed out.

"It's um...kinda my job....to overthink things..." he said.

"Oh that's right! You're a...uh...um...what's it called? Cinnimonolosit? Cinnim-? Crinija-? Carrot-? Uhhh..."

"Criminologist." He corrected.

"Same thing! Now let's get you back inside! Your girl friend has a schedule for you to follow." Haise bent down and wrapped her arms around Jiro's legs before effortlessly heaving him onto her shoulder.

"M-my wha-?! Wait-" He broke into a painful fit of coughing.

"Save your breath, Jiichan! I ain't putting you down yet!" She said, chuckling as she began walking back to the mansion.

-

12:47 pm.

The silence that filled the room was almost deafening. Jiro sat in the lounge on the second floor, with Nao on the opposite side of the lounge, and Guren in another chair.