Danganronpa: ReProgrammed

All-Star Apologies: Part 15 [Daily Life END]

That night, an hour or so before anyone else had gone to bed, Kyoko and Makoto met up with each other in the changing room of the bathhouse, patiently waiting for Chihiro to show up.

"So, how long is this going to take exactly?" Makoto asked "we might want to make this quick so that Taka doesn't get suspicious of us..."

"Why Taka specifically?" Kyoko asked.

"Well...Ever since we got the group together, I've taken it upon myself to spend most of my available time with Mukuro...You know, just in case she ends up getting into any trouble..." Makoto explained "Byakuya seriously thinks that she might still be on the Mastermind's side, but I'm using this as an opportunity to prove otherwise."

"And let me guess. You asked Taka to take your place while you came here with us?" Kyoko asked and Makoto nodded "I must say, you're getting awfully close to her, despite your prior vocal opposition to her..."

"I can't tell if you're suspicious or jealous..." Makoto scratched the back of his head "but since it's you, I'm guessing it's the former...I don't really get it myself, but I kind of just feel bad for her..."

"Don't worry," Kyoko smiled "I'm not trying to pry any more than I need to."

"H-Hey guys..." Chihiro said as he stepped into the room, mid-conversation.

"Oh, Chihiro!" Makoto smiled, but then exclaimed "what the heck happened to you!?" as soon as he saw the large bags under the programmers eyes.

"Much work...No sleep..." Chihiro moaned "let's just get this over with."

"Before we do, would you mind telling me what you have in your hand there?" Kyoko pointed to Chihiro's clenched fist, as if he was holding something small in it.

"Oh...This?" Chihiro asked "it's just something I got out of the box alongside a spare laptop."

"What did you need a spare laptop for?" Makoto asked.

"You wanna know?" Chihiro smirked "I guess I can tell you now."

"That's amazing!" Makoto exclaimed "now I'm confident this will work!"

"How were you able to make a new one in such a short space of time?" Kyoko asked. Chihiro gave an unnaturally smug smile.

"No matter what the situation, I'm still the Ultimate Programmer," he said "but I don't have time to brag. Makoto, would you mind?"

"Right...got it..." he nodded, then turning to the open laptop, and asked Alter Ego "you ready to go?"

Alter Ego didn't respond, and at first, everyone thought this was because the AI hadn't heard him, but it nodded on the screen, signifying it was ready to go. Kyoko closed the laptop's lid and handed it to Makoto, who slipped the folded computer under his shirt."

[Hehe! That tickles...I think?] Alter Ego chuckled.

"Stay quiet...!" Chihiro snapped.

"Sorry Alter Ego," Makoto whispered "we're going to take you somewhere. Until we get there, you absolutely can't make a peep.

[Understood!] Alter Ego said, remaining quiet from then after.

"So, I know that now might be a bit of an inappropriate time to ask this," Chihiro said "but even though we agreed to connect Alter Ego to the network, how exactly are we going to go about that?"

"We can't let the Mastermind think we're plotting something. We already attract enough suspicion as it is," Kyoko explained "so we're going to put on a bit of a show for them."