As the evening settled in, Mahiru let out a tired sigh, rubbing her temples as she and Peko made their way toward the front desk of the hospital. Another long, exhausting day had passed with little progress on the Despair Disease, and she was more than ready to head back to the hotel, collapse onto her bed, and try not to think about how much everything sucked.
Peko, ever composed, quietly finished reading the worthless motel report and placed it down on the desk with a sigh. Mahiru waited for her, and they began making their exit from the building together.
Just as she was about to step outside, Mikan suddenly appeared in front of her, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her sleeves.
"U-Um...Mahiru?" Mikan's voice was meek, but there was something oddly firm in the way she stood, like she was trying to keep herself from backing down.
"Hey, Mikan," she greeted. "You feeling better?"
"Y-Yes...although I just need to borrow you for a moment...S-So sorry for the trouble..." Mikan whimpered. "But...would you mind waiting behind for a little while before you go to bed? There's...something I'd like to talk to you about..."
Mahiru raised an eyebrow, glancing at Peko, who looked just as confused as she felt. It wasn't unusual for Mikan to hesitate when speaking, but there was something different about this...like she had planned this moment ahead of time.
Mikan was obviously asking for the sake of Hiyoko, but Mahiru, not knowing Hiyoko was in the hospital, didn't know that.
"Something to talk about?" Mahiru asked, crossing her arms.
"Y-Yes!" Mikan nodded quickly. "It won't take long, I promise! You can go, Peko. I just need Mahiru for this."
"Well, that's...odd..." Peko, ever observant, remarked. She gave Mahiru a small nod, as if silently asking if she wanted her to stay.
Mahiru considered it for a second before shaking her head. Whatever this was about, it didn't seem like an emergency, and honestly, she didn't mind hearing Mikan out.
"It's fine," Mahiru said. "You go ahead, Peko. I'll catch up later."
"Very well. I'll wait for you at the hotel." Peko hesitated for a brief moment before giving a slight bow. With that, she turned and left, the doors sliding shut behind her.
As the hospital grew quieter with Peko's absence, Mahiru turned back to Mikan, who was already shifting nervously on her feet.
"So?" Mahiru prompted. "What is this about?"
"I-I just need to get things ready first...!" Mikan's hands curled into tiny fists at her sides, as if she were steeling herself. "Please wait in the lobby for a little bit!"
"Alright, alright. I'll wait." Mahiru raised an eyebrow but shrugged.
Mikan let out a relieved breath before hurrying off, disappearing down the hall. Mahiru watched her go, then sighed and leaned against the back of a chair in the lobby.
She had no idea what this was about, but for now, she supposed she'd just have to be patient.
However, Mahiru ended up having to be patient for a WHILE. An UNNATURALLY long while.
She sat in the lobby, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of the chair as time seemed to stretch endlessly in front of her.
At first, she gave Mikan the benefit of the doubt. after all, it wasn't unusual for Mikan to be nervous and take longer than expected to prepare for things. But as the minutes dragged on...half an hour, then 45 minutes...Mahiru's patience began to wear thin.
YOU ARE READING
Danganronpa 2: ReCaptured
FanfictionWhat would it be like in a world where the killing game went differently? What would it be like if different people lived and different people died? What would it be like...if this story...had an entirely different hero. A rewrite of the game Super...
