Mended Branch (Danganronpa 3 x OC)

Chapter 8: Unfortunate Luck

Katsumi held up two small containers in her hand, carefully observing the labels plastered on each one. She was about to head to class that morning, but before that, she had to do this first.

Seiko had finally gotten to the clinical trial and just as requested, had given Katsumi a sample of each of the stimulant and depressant drugs for testing.

"I-I'm sorry, but both will take a while to become effective... at least 2-3 hours, maybe even more, but it'll depend on the person. If these work out, however, I'll be able to make them much more efficient." The memory of Seiko's words was clear in Katsumi's head.

Thus, her plan was simple. Take it early in the morning so she wouldn't need to wait later. By then, she could test it out and record her results. She had done a control already after watching Ryota's animation clip yesterday, and the results were consistent as always. Now was the time to test the effectiveness of Seiko's medication.

She had decided to begin with the depressant first. If any results came out of it, that would be the most obvious. She popped the lid open and took out a tablet, swallowing it whole.

...

As expected, she didn't feel anything of note. Katsumi capped the lid and placed both containers in the small cabinet in her room, then opened the room door and stepped out, heading off to class.

It was just another day.

—

The Parade was getting louder and Katsumi's class couldn't help but stare outside while waiting for Chisa to arrive. Frowns were etched on almost everybody's faces from how damp the mood has become, not just from today, but from the accumulation of weeks upon weeks of protesting. Not even the rainfall could discourage the protester numbers. All it did was soil the already damp mood even further.

Katsumi stood right in front of the large windows next to Chiaki and a few others. Her expression had soured.

They watched several people trying to climb up over the gate, forcing the security to push them back down in droves.

"They got in again?" Akane said.

"The Reserve Course protests just keep getting bigger," Chiaki stated.

"You can't call that a protest!" Ibuki quickly corrected her.

"Yeah..." Katsumi couldn't help but have a hint of frustration and anger in her voice. "We're supposed to address it as a parade, remember?"

Peko supported a calm face, currently leaning against the wall. "...Since in this school, which is our nation's hope, no student would demonstrate against the system."

"What the hell?!" Kazuichi shouted. "What kind of logic is that?"

"It is not my opinion. That is the way the faculty explained it."

"Tch, some parade." Fuyuhiko crossed his arms while at his desk. "Don't like the sound of it at all."

"Forget about that." Nekomaru stood by a desk and turned his head. "Did Tsumiki not come to school again today?"

"Maybe that pukey pig ran off because the protests scared her..." Hiyoko snidely suggested. Katsumi definitely didn't think that it was the best time to call her out for it, so she decided to remain silent and let the comment slide for once.