Clandestine Hearts (Shuichi Saihara x Reader)

Doubt and Deception

As we left the gymnasium, the echoes of Monokuma's chilling announcement still reverberated in our minds. For the other students around me, the atmosphere was heavy, a suffocating mixture of fear, disbelief, and uncertainty. But I couldn't sympathize. I did not feel phased.  I hastened my pace to catch up with Shuichi, who was walking alone, his posture eased and his gaze distant.

"Hey," I began tentatively, my voice barely above a whisper. "Where are you headed?"

Shuichi's response was sharp, his tone dripping with snark and condescension. "I'm going to explore, see if I can find a way out of this mess."

Despite his dismissive demeanor, I pressed on, seeking any semblance of humanity in his dark eyes. "I couldn't help but notice you were eyeing Rantaro back there in the gym. Do you two know each other?"

His irritation flared, and he shot me a sharp look. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you saw me checking out one of the many attractive girls here. I am a teenage boy with teenage hormones am I not? Now, if you don't mind, I need some space to collect my thoughts. This whole situation has me shaken up, and I still can't remember anything about how I got here, and the last thing I need is you following me like a lost puppy."

There was with the lost puppy remark once again. His words only gave me more reason to be suspicious, but I understood his need for solitude, so I reluctantly let him go and watched as he walked away, his silhouette disappearing into the shadows of the school.

Left alone, I tried to make sense of my thoughts, but my mind was a swirling tempest of doubt and fear. It was then that Kaede approached me. She expressed her unease and asked if she could stay the night in my dorm room, and after a moment of skepticism, I agreed after I decided that she wasn't the type to win a fight if it came down to it. It wasn't as if I had many other options, and finding allies in this deadly game was becoming increasingly crucial.

Kaede brought her own pillows and fashioned a makeshift bed on my dorm room floor. We settled in, and as the night pressed on, our conversation flowed. She was genuinely interested in my supposed baking talent, and I wove a summary of my high school years, centered around a close friend who was a bit older, the "Ultimate Confectionist," and my mother, the former "Ultimate Baker" who ran a family-owned bakery on the outskirts of Osaka. While my identity as the Ultimate Baker was a deception, my stories held a kernel of truth regarding my history.

Kaede's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she listened, and she expressed a heartfelt desire to visit the bakery once we escaped this nightmarish scenario. My response was tinged with skepticism, as doubts about our chances of escape gnawed at my resolve. I couldn't help but scoff, but Kaede remained steadfast.

"Promise me," she implored, her voice filled with determination and a touch of vulnerability. "Promise me we'll get out of here together. So I can play you my favorite piece, 'Clair de Lune' by Debussy on the piano."

Before I could make another pessimistic remark, the monitors mounted on the walls crackled to life, and the nighttime announcement began. It was delivered by the Monokubs, the bothersome bearcubs that would let themselves known whenever it was most convenient in the sense that they knew whenever you had unanswered questions.

Exhaustion washed over me, my eyelids growing heavy as I lay on my bed. My thoughts lingered on Shuichi, his enigmatic persona raising doubts in my mind. I couldn't explain why, but something about him felt off, and the feeling gnawed at my senses. Perhaps it was paranoia or the crushing reality of our circumstances, but I couldn't bring myself to trust him completely, despite my own deceptions. It's all too hypocritical of me.