Off Script

Part 5: First Blood Perk

[Author note: The balls finally rolling on the whole off-track thing. kinda. Chapter 2 isn't how you'd expect it. this is just a slow introduction to it. And ahh, I wish this chapter were longer, sorry if it's too squished]

Other than that minor slip up on Akamatsu's part, she stuck to her lines and normal behavioral patterns. Uniting everyone to work themselves over that manhole escape, talking with everyone to spark friendships, aiming to hit her ultimate goal of total cooperation. Shuichi himself had been, as usual, her lap dog.

He offered doubtful words occasionally, then other times beaming weakly at her in growing idolization. He spent little time with others since the camera was on them most of the time. He wished he could get to know everyone else, maybe steal himself away to speak with Ouma. That boy had been sitting on the fence as of late.

For instance, he completely rejected Akamatsu and her ideals to unite everyone, like the script, but other times he claimed to agree. Going against the script. Yet, he brushes it off as a lie and jumps back to his original statement. There are punishments for taunting Team Danganronpa like that, but if it was pain-related than Shuichi would have to keep guessing. Ouma seemed to be skilled in hiding discomfort.

The music that started blaring over his head made him flinch, yanking him from his thoughts abruptly. Akamatsu gasped and jumped up from the seat she had been sitting in. "Wh-What is this weird music? Is it coming from that monitor?" She pointed at the obvious screen in the corner of the overgrown classroom. Her hand shaking with the building anxiety in the air.

Shuichi glanced away from the horrid video playing. Keeping his eyes on Akamatsu who seemed frightened. "Maybe it's a warning that we need to start killing." He reasoned, "The time limit is almost up..." They had now less than one hour, all that time that was spent leading up to now was finally going to have the long-awaited climax.

Akamatsu paled. Clenching her fists as sweat rolled down the side of her face. "Th-They need to stop screwing with us! How much suffering do they want from us!?" She seemed to be losing it, after all that encouragement, the tables have turned. Before he could comfort her, he picked up on voices under the loud sound of the video. 

"Wait, Akamatsu..." He listened, the sound catching her attention, diverting her from her defeatist thoughts. "I hear people talking...in the hallway..." 

She looked up to the door they left cracked open. "Huh? People talking?" 

They both peaked out of the door to watch Yumeno, Chabashira, Gokuhara, Amami, Yonaga, Harukawa, and Momota march down the stairs with strange resolution. Saihara shook his head. 

It's just a game. It's just a TV show. He repeated to himself. The fear of the mastermind killing him started gnawing at his shaking fingers. Why was he feeling so afraid of something so entirely fake?

He sped over the lines that appeared in his mind and quickly rushed over the part where he's supposed to go down to check on the group of seven. To make sure they weren't messing up their plan to catch the mastermind.

To save time and energy, he only stood outside of the classroom until he felt like he should be arriving back now. He catches Akamatsu sweeping the room nervously, exchanges a few words and...

*BAZZAT! BAZZAT! BAZZAT!*

Before, the video had scared him, the receiver now however made him yelp in shock as it buzzed its scream to let both of them know someone triggered it. "Someone moved the bookcase!" He blurted, "Hurry, Akamatsu!" Before she could acknowledge him, he sprinted out of the classroom. Dreading what he was about to see.