✔️More Than a Game (Oumasai/Saiouma)

16- Do You Remember?

Ouma's POV:
Saihara thinks that I've lost my memory, but that's not the entire truth. I feel... like I remembered something too. There's something off about myself, but I can't exactly figure out what that is. I want to lie like I usually do, but now, there's another part of that gets nervous when I do it. That's never happened before.

After I finish my noodles, I throw them in the trash. "Do I, uh, go back to my room, or-?"

"Ah, I'd rather have you stay in my room. If the mastermind is able to unlock the doors here somehow, then I feel that you're more likely to be killed if you're by yourself," Saihara explains.

"So... I'll just sleep with you then?" I ask.

"Yeah..." Saihara doesn't say anything else, but he scratches his head a bit nervously. We're both boys, so it'll be fine. So then, why are we both nervous? "Ah, right! Monokuma mentioned that the Monokubs are delivering the motive videos to our rooms tomorrow. If you want, tomorrow morning I can go to your room and get y-"

"Why are you doing this?" I mutter.

"H-Huh?"

"Why... are you being so nice to me? I don't... I don't deserve this." All I do is lie, so people stay away from me, and it's always worked, until him.

"..."

"I don't want anyone's help. I'm... I'm fine on my own!"

"..."

"Why aren't you saying anything? Defend yourself!" I exclaim.

"..."

"That's it. You're no help whatsoever. You call yourself a detective? You just hide from the truth." I get up from the bed and attempt to walk back to my room, but I trip and fall again, and struggle to get back up.

"Even if I am weak..." Saihara says as he heaves me back on the bed, "...I have my friends. I have hope. And I have you. And that's why I'm choosing to help you."

"Choosing to... help me?" I say. "No ones ever been like that to me... Buuut, you don't need to worry about that! Besides-"

Ding dong bing bong!

"Ah, the nighttime announcement," Saihara recalls as he scratches his head. The monitor flickers on, where the four Monokubs sit on the couch.

I let out a groan. "I almost forgot about the Monokubs... Wait, weren't there five of them?" I ask as the Monokubs ramble on how we need to get to sleep.

"Ah, um, Monokid, the blue one, died during, um, Kaede's execution," Saihara says. I can tell, it still hurts him to recall the event.

"Sorry I made you think of her..." I say in apology. I would never say something like that, so why am I saying it now?

"No, it's fine. It's to be expected. This is a killing game, after all," Saihara replies. He lets out a yawn and says, "I'm going to get to sleep. You should, too. You need rest."

"You go to sleep right after the nighttime announcement?" I ask.

"Mm, yeah. Isn't that what it's for?"

"Well, I always stay up and do other stuff," I explain.

"What kinds of 'stuff'?"

"Oh, nothing. I guess I'll get to sleep too." I pull myself under the covers and flinch when I feel Saihara's leg touch mine. We're still in our clothes... we're both boys... it's fine.

I had a lot of trouble falling asleep that night. Saihara already fell asleep, but his snores were SO LOUD it was killing me. I honestly feel that this should be a type of torture. Maybe it already is.