Danganronpa: Until Proven Guilty

Chapter Three - 4: Round and Round

kihona's birthday was earlier this week (22nd december). let's give a round of applause to our magnificent protagonist for ageing! must be tough, kiki :/
hope you guys had a good xmas/ whatever holiday you celebrate this time!
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20:56
Those words never fully settle in the room, no matter how long it's been. No matter how many seconds, minutes, hours tick by on the handbook clock. No matter how many shuffles or coughs break the endless awkward silence, his final words to me still linger in the air, creeping into my brain like mites.
Shiro has fallen in love.
Of course, there seems only one plausible option as to the recipient. The way Shiro had gazed at Mamo during breakfast seemed so fixated, so purposeful. It's not possible he could have his eyes on anyone else.
How would Mamo feel about all of this?
My mind flashes back to when we'd first spoken properly, sitting anxiously with cups of tea in our hands, the fear of this killing game still fresh in the air.
"H-he seems sweet, I guess. But I'm not sure if it's right."
Before I can even clear my throat to speak, the alarm sounds again, causing both Shiro and me to flinch - perhaps a little dramatically.
Monokuma's usual announcement plays, signalling me to travel through the next door.
As I slowly rise to my feet, I can't help but feel my heart sink. I glance back to Shiro, who remains seated on the floor, staring at the ceiling as if it's holding him in a trance. And a smile; a small, meagre smile, though it holds so much weight. I can practically read his whole mind through the cheerful curl of his lips, lost deep in his thoughts.
The magnets click open to let me through to the next room, and I grasp the silver handle.
"You'll be okay without me, right?" I tilt my head.
Shiro nods, not making eye contact with me, "Of course, dear. I shall see you when we're free of this carousel."
"Funny way to put it," I chuckle, pushing the door to the next room wide open, striding through as I wave goodbye to Shiro for the final time.

**********************************

21:05
A yawn passes over me as I close the door behind me, waiting for that satisfying click of the magnetic lock. Sighing, I feel all the tense air push out from my lungs, the freshness of normalcy flooding my chest.

Soft snoring - that's all I hear. A gentle purr of delicate breathing, slow-paced and almost shallow. A comforting noise, like a sleeping kitten or baby. I glance down to the bed propped in the corner of the room - just like the rest - to be greeted with a relieving sight.

Kohi, sleeping soundly.
There's something so cute about seeing him dream. The covers don't even wrap around his body, as he curls up across the now crumpled sheets. He holds one of the pillows in an embrace, snuggling his little blonde head against it. That same warmness radiates across his face, despite the sickliness of his skinny body.
I don't want to wake him. His peaceful little snores are just too cute to disturb. But something feels odd, so unsettling about watching him sleep.
It's not even that late, right?  Surely he can survive.
Hesitating, I creep towards the bed, my heart thunking as I grow closer. I crouch beside him, my finger hovering shakily above his flush little cheek, aching to poke him. This feels so wrong, but it would either way.
"Hey, Kohi?" I cock my head, finally poking his cheek.
A shriek, a flinch, a whack; Kohi springs up from his slumber, whacking so hard against the wall I fear he'll break.
"Yana!" He cries out in pain, before rubbing his eyes and blinking at me. The realisation that I'm not Ayana likely hits him hard as his face saddens.
"Oh god, did I hurt you?" I say frantically, patting his back.
He shakes his head, "N-no, it's fine. I shouldn't be sleeping so early. I just got a little fatigued is all."
I sigh, "Good, you sure you're okay though?"
Nodding, a smile spreads across his face as he sits up, "All good. Would you mind passing me my bag?"
His satchel lies on the floor beside the dresser, that same teddy bear keyring dangling freely from one of the many leather buckles. Its slanted eyes and poorly sewn mouth give it a rather wayward expression, as if it's been made by hand.
"You made that?" As if on instinct, the words leave my mouth, "The little bear, I mean."
"Hm?" Kohi snaps out of his own little world, "You mean my bear? Oh, no, I'm not that talented."
I glance at the keyring again before passing the whole bag to Kohi. It's an awfully dirty thing, layered in gunk that could have been there for years. The buttons on its miniature shirt have likely long fallen off, lost somewhere in the history of Kohi. I wonder where those buttons could have gotten to.
In the midst of my thought, I catch a glimpse of him rummaging around in the satchel, pulling out what looks to be a box of pills. He removes a tray from the box, popping out a single pill and holding it between his fingers. No matter how hard I squint, I can't quite make out any words on that box.
"Do you have any water?" Kohi tilts his head, almost pouting.
I shake my head, "No, I don't. Say the word salivate."
He blushes, "W-what? Why?"
"Trust me," I grin, "Put the pill in your mouth, say salivate and then try to swallow."
"Why would I do that?" He frowns.
"Well," I say, "It's a reflex. When you say, think of or hear the word salivate, your salivary glands apparently release more saliva into your mouth. So it's more easy to swallow a pill because there's more sal-"
"S-stop saying stuff about saliva," Kohi sighs, placing the pill in his mouth, "Salivate."
He swallows like he's eating a whole mango, patting his chest, "Huh, that worked."
"You see?" I wink, "What even was that stuff? Hallucinogens?"
Kohi laughs, "N-no. It's my osteoporosis medication. I take it once a week."
"Oh, wow," I stare at the floor, "You said something about brittle bones, but you didn't tell me it was like...full-blown osteoporosis."
He shrugs, "Oh well. Sometimes I use a crutch or a wheelchair, I don't really need that right now, thankfully."
"Although," he continues, "F-for the class trials. I really wouldn't mind a chair. It's a lot of standing and it hurts my legs a lot, I feel like I'm gonna pass out. And the added anxiety too, it's too much."
"Don't think Monokuma's gonna be too kind about that," I shrug.
"Maybe he cares about disabled children?" He cocks his head, before lowering it in disappointment, "Oh wait, I'm not a child."