Danganronpa: Sunken Despair - Free Time Events

Kai Natsuki Free Time Event (5/5)

This time I texted Kai to meet me in the library (not using Yui's name, of course). As I was waiting, I decided to continue reading a book I picked up a while ago, smiling as I binge through it.

After a while, Kai walked in, saying "Hey Haru, what's up?"

"Nē Kai, dō yatte desu kimi wa?" I said, giggling a little.

"Uh...what?" he asked, looking perplexed.

"You're the Ultimate Linguist, and you don't understand a simple greeting in Japanese?" I teased.

"You...you didn't have to go there..." he said, looking down.

"I might know a way to pay you back for that."

"...What are you talking about?"

"We can learn Japanese together! Or if you're too stubborn, I'll teach you it...as best as I can of course," I awkwardly smiled.

"Huh?"

I let out a sigh and gestured him to sit down. "Look Kai, I'm sure you feel terrible, holding yourself responsible for dragging you and Ed down here...but let me say this: you're not a bad person, and you're not to blame at all, especially for something stupid such as being too stubborn to learn Japanese."

"Wow, please, spare my feelings more..." he said sarcastically.

"I'm serious, would a horrible person actually feel what you're going through right now?"

Kai looked at me for a second, about to respond with something but couldn't find any words to come back with at me.

"Exactly," I said, leaning forward and grabbing his hand, making him blush faintly. I looked him square in the eyes and said, "You have a good heart, even if you don't realize it. II found a book to help teach words in Japanese, and I'd like to help you out."

"...How does learning Japanese help me feel better about myself, exactly?" he asked, looking away as he tried to make his blush go away.

I let go of him and lean back on my seat, thinking to myself as I smile. "Back when I was in elementary school, I was really afraid of heights as a kid," I laughed. "During recess, they'd let us play on a playground in a nearby park, but all it had was a few swings, a jungle gym, and a really big slide every kid loved...well, except for me."

"It was that big?" he asked.

"I mean, not now as I'm older now," I laughed. "But considering my fear, I always chose to sit at the benches, just...watching the other kids play...always alone..." I said, slowly losing my smile until I gained it back from a...heartwarming memory. "That slide was a good reason why I didn't make many friends back then, as I always ended up alone due to being too stubborn...that's where my older sister came in, giving me the push I needed."

"What did she do?" he asked.

"Oh no, she put a blindfold on me, walked me to that park without me knowing, lifted me up and legit pushed me down that slide," I laughed.

It looked like Kai was trying to be respectful towards me, but even he couldn't resist laughing. "Probably a good thing I'm an only child," he snickered.

"Lucky you, I told her I wouldn't speak to her for a week," I giggled. "Though...despite being angry, I technically had an experience with that slide. The next day during recess, I got up to the slide again on my own. I still shook with fear, but after half an hour of prepping myself, and being yelled at by angry children, I closed my eyes and slid down...even though I hit the back of my head on the slide, I...I didn't feel that much scared, and so I went down on it, again and again, day after day until I wasn't afraid of it anymore," I said, smiling. "I made a lot of friends since then, and I guess it's all thanks to my sister being a bitch," I grinned.

"That's a really nice story of you Haru, so did that get over your fear of heights?" Kai asked.

"Fuck no, put me on a tower and I'll scream until someone carries me down," I laughed.

Kai laughed too, but slowly died down his volume until he asked, "But what does dealing with a slide have to do with learning a language? Or not feeling like a horrible person?"

"Didn't you get the point of my story? We were both stubborn over something stupid, and it affected us to where we thought it was a big deal. So, I propose to push you to show that this is all in your head, and I'm willing to bet this will help make you feel better about yourself" I smiled.

Kai paused for a minute, bringing his hand to his chin as he thinks to himself. "Well...I don't know about you teaching me..."

"Oh, come on! Do you want me to be a bitch like my sister was? If that's what it takes, I will until-."

"Let me finish," Kai interrupted. "I was going to say 'I don't know about you teaching me, especially with such bad grammar," he grinned.

"Huh?"

"You said 'dō yatte desu kimi wa,' did you even try to look up the phrases? Because it sounded like you looked the words 'how,' 'are,' and 'you' up individually," he laughed. "You should've said 'ogenkidesuka,' you left me so confused with how you said it earlier," he laughed.

I looked at him all wide-eyed. "Uh...so you do know Japanese?"

"As much as I can recall from being 3 years old," he said, giving me his signature awkward smile. "But it's also common knowledge how some languages change their wording with specific words used with others, such as Spanish or Chinese for example, especially with expressions like the one you attempted to do."

"I...see..." I blushed, not knowing it was common.

"Well...I do have time on my hands, up to study together?" he smiled.

I looked over to Kai. I can tell he still feels uncertain about this, but I couldn't help but smile back at him. The look in his eyes...I think I can see a glimpse of confidence in him, especially with me helping him out. 

Eventually, we lost track of time as we've been reading, reviewing, and quizzing each other Japanese words and phrases for who knows how many hours. The two of us were very deep into this, up to where I can understand Kai's personal drive to learning something new! Before we could keep going, I quickly looked at a clock as my eyes widened. "Shit! It's almost curfew!"

"Heh, time does fly by when you're having fun," Kai grinned, getting up as he stretched himself. "Oh, kuso! We've been sitting for a long time, huh?"

The moment I stood up, I couldn't help but groan as my legs feel like they're trying to fall asleep, making it hard for me to stand with balance. "Yep, we sure have," I said as I stretch myself.  Despite being partially numb, we managed to leave the library and head straight to the dorms, right on time as curfew was now in effect.  "It was fun studying with you Kai," I smiled to him, slowly beginning to yawn.

"Likewise...don't tell Ed, but I couldn't have asked for a better study partner," he laughed, making me laugh too.

"Well, see you tomorrow Kai, up to study again sometime?" I asked.

"Of course!  But before you head to bed, mind if I quiz you one last time?" Kai offered.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Oshite kurete arigatō," he said with a smile.

"Hmm...sorry, but I'm too tired right now, what does it mean?" I asked.

All he did was smile at me, saying, "Look it up if you have to," teasing me as he went inside his room.

I stood outside my door, wondering what he just said. I stood there for a few seconds until it finally hit me, making me smile. I know he can't hear me right now, but I couldn't help but respond with "Your welcome," before entering my room.

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Haru Notes:  I think Kai had a great time learning Japanese with me, I know I did.  I'm guessing it might take time, but I hope to help him grow out of his shell, up to where I don't have to push him.