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“Bold of you to assume I’ve reached peak dumbass,” Ouma informs Iruma. The two start laughing causing Amami, who Ouma is currently leaning on, to start chuckling himself. Moments like this make Ouma glad he agreed to go to the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. The supreme leader surprisingly made a lot of friends in his time there. First being his now year-long boyfriend, Saihara Shuichi. The detective managed to get him to open up and convinced the others to give him a chance. Some still aren’t the fondest of him like Harukawa and Shirogane, but others are now pretty much older siblings like Iruma and Amami.
Speaking of the detective, Saihara walks in talking with Akamatsu while Harukawa and Momota tail in after them. Ouma jumps up off Amami and his chair and launches himself at Saihara. Though caught off guard Saihara still catches Ouma in a bridal style hold. Akamatsu laughs and not even Momota or Harukawa can stay grumpy with Harukawa playfully shaking her head and Momota smiling. Saihara looks down at the boy in his arms, “Hello to you too Kichi.”
Ouma hugs his arms around Saihara’s neck, “You’re just in time Shumai! I’m about to die from a lack of kisses! Quick Shumai, do something!” Ouma still lies, but unlike the start of the year it isn’t to hide his vulnerabilities, but now he only really does it to entertain or jokingly to get affection from Saihara like now. Everyone also used to hate his lies, but somehow Saihara got them to be accepting of them, even finding the humor in them sometimes. He doesn’t know how Saihara did it, but he’s grateful for it.
Saihara’s smile looks almost goofy as he says, “Of course, I’ll save you then Kichi.” Saihara kisses Ouma’s temple and chuckles as he pouts. But then he gives Ouma want he wanted and plants a gentle kiss on his lips. Both smiling into the kiss. And Ouma can’t help but think that he wouldn’t give this moment up for the world. Though it feels almost too good to be true. Ouma ignores that feeling and focusing on the moment.
And despite it being a common occurrence Chabashira still tries to joke, “PDA is gross you degener- hmpf!” But Yumeno cuts her off with a kiss. And when Iruma tries to make a dirty joke but Kiibo puts a hand over her mouth. And when she turns to yell at who it is but when she turns around and sees Kiibo she just cools down and instead kisses his cheek. Ouma feels the joy in the room when he pulls back to take in another breath. Things weren’t always happy, but time has shown things will work themselves out. After all, everyone had pretty much hated one another at the start of school and now, they were all friends, albeit in some cases they’d be reluctant to admit that. Ouma finds it feels like the perfect time to be alive, though there’s a part of him in the back of his mind that believes there’s something wrong. Ouma tries to ignore it, though he knows it feels like he’s lying to himself by doing so. He doesn’t want to give up being happy though, so he’s willing to lie this time. As long as everyone is happy it doesn’t matter.
The five by the door go further in and get settled down. The chatter in the class continues for a couple minutes long and then the teacher walks in and starts the lesson. Though throughout the lesson the kids continue to make a bit of a ruckus. Never too much though. Always managing a perfect balance of chaos and order. It causes Ouma to feel once as if it was all too perfect again. He continues to shake off the feeling though.
-----
In the streets stood a man with long black hair and red eyes. Unlike his previous version, he didn’t cause a great disturbance with his presence this time. Instead, he stalks towards the academy in peace and silence. It looks like a beautiful day. It’s far too nice out though. The area around the man glitches.
-----
DICE called Ouma to do something for them quick during lunch time. And he could never refuse them, so he kisses Saihara’s cheek and heads out. It’s not the first time they’ve asked for something like this. But the bad feeling he’s been having all day intensifies. He doesn’t get it yet. He feels like he shouldn’t leave, but at the same time, he should. Ouma tries to shake off the feeling and just keeps heading towards what DICE asked him to do. While walking he passes by a man with long black hair and feels his stomach sink. He keeps walking through, but only for a little while longer. Then his dread takes him over and he turns around and sprints back to the academy.
He sees smoke as he stops by the gates, his mind goes blank. The academy is on fire. He hears screams. He can smell blood and burning flesh even from the gates. His throat feels dry and his heart drops. But then his mind comes back and he brings his scarf up to cover his nose as he runs inside. Screaming for his classmates and teacher. There are bodies littering the entire building and it feels like he’s walked into hell. Chabashira lays dead in entrance hall next to Momota. Both have bullets right between their eyes. Bodies slightly charred. Ouma rushes forward and drags their bodies outside and away from the fire. He refuses to let them disappear in the flames. But then he runs back in. He needs to find the others. He comes across Yumeno, Yonaga, and Shinguji in the hall leading to the dining hall. Both Yonaga and Shinguji brandishing weapons. But all three have a bullet in their head. He takes their bodies outside again. This time when he goes back in he heads up to the second floor. This time he finds Kiibo, Iruma, Gokuhara, and Shirogane. They’re just like the others and have a bullet in their brain. He takes them outside to the best of his ability. Gokuhara and Kiibo he couldn’t really move, so he just got them away from the fire. Promising to come back for them. Ouma finds Tojo and Hoshi at the base of the stairwell to the third floor. Both armed, but still dead. He takes them outside too. He gets to the third floor and finds Amami and Akamatsu. Still dead. He takes them outside too. Ouma doesn’t feel anything anymore. He makes it to the fourth floor. Harukawa is dead too.
But he hears shouting runs there first before taking her outside too. He turns the corner just in time to see Saihara fall. He runs forward, catching him before he can hit the floor. There’s a bullet in his head just like everyone else. And Ouma feels himself die with Saihara. He closes his lover’s eyes and plants a kiss on his lips one final time. And Ouma looks up and see black hair and a gun. Ouma picks up Saihara and runs him outside. Promising Harukawa he won’t leave her behind. He places his lover down with the others and goes back for the other three. Heading for Harukawa first. He refuses to not risk it with the gunman just so he had the chance to get Harukawa. He heads back up to the fifth floor. The gunman is standing by the corner where Saihara fell. Ouma raises a middle finger to him before grabbing Harukawa and taking her back down to the others. Ouma searches for something to help him move Kiibo and Gokuhara. But when he gets to them the man is standing there. Ouma stands in front of their corpses protectively.
The black haired man points the gun at him and says, “You know where this is going, don’t you? But you also know this isn’t real. This is just in your imagination. It’s time to wake up.”
Ouma stares down the gun and begins to speak, “You should’ve just left me alone,” Ouma glares him down, “I know this wasn’t real! I just wanted to be happy! Why did you have to ruin everything!?”
The man stares at him impassively, “There’s work to be done. You need to get up. They want you outside”
Ouma sneers, “They don’t care about me, you idiot. They never cared! They were happy when I died! So just let me stay dead! You can kill me all you want, but I’m not going out there! It’s for the best if I stay in here, so just leave me alone! You’ve already ruined everything, let me bury them in peace! Or shoot me! Do anything but stand there!”
The man pauses and lowers the gun. He walks away and Ouma shouts obscenities at him as he leaves. But once out of view Ouma breaks down. Holding the two other boys tightly. And after a while getting up and finding some things to use as leverage to get the other two down to the others. Once everyone is together, he closes their eyes and crosses their arms before getting a shovel and beginning to dig a mass grave for his classmates.
-----
The AI man informs another at a large computer of the situation. The man being informed is Hinata, and he now realizes that they have a problem. And despite both his and the AI’s wishes to respect the privacy of the boy still trapped in the simulation. Hinata gets the boy’s classmates and shows them footage of the world the trapped boy had thought up. Asking them to come up with some sort of solution as they know the boy better than him. And though numerous of the boy’s classmates held anger at him for what occurred when they all were in the simulated world. None of them truly wanted to see him stayed trapped, especially after they saw what his world was like. The world was an undeniable truth, and the truth was Ouma wanted everyone to be happy and get along. Ouma wanted to be willing to trust them. Wanted to feel like he could be vulnerable. And none of them could stay mad enough at him to want him to stay trapped.
But one boy stepped forward with a solution, the same person representing the detective in Ouma’s world, “If Ouma doesn’t want to come out because he thinks we want him dead then why don’t we go in and prove him wrong?” None of the students were particularly ecstatic about going back into the simulation, but they realize he’s right. Ouma would only believe those words if it came from them. Besides, they watch as he buries the AI versions of them with so much care and they can’t help but want to return the favor. It wasn’t really them in there, but to him, those AIs felt real and the others felt they were pretty accurate to how they really were, especially if they were in a situation where there was no killing game or despair, just classmates, who with time, found themselves getting along. So they agree to return the favor and Hinata helps hook them back up to the simulation. While connecting Saihara reflects on what the imagined world meant about Ouma’s feelings for him. And he asks himself if he feels the same. He never thought about it before, but now that the question has been raised. He- he really doesn’t know the answer.
But either way, the connection finishes and the fifteen students find themselves standing outside the academy. They stare at Ouma from the gate. His back is turned to them, but they can see him shaking. He’s singing, “
I’ll be seeing you. In all the old familiar places~
” They can hear the barely restrained sobs in his voice, “
That this heart of mine embraces. All day and through~
” Momota realizes just what song is being sung, and he feels guilt claw at his throat, “
In that small cafe. The park across the way. The children’s carousel~
” It was the same song that was sent to Opportunity when they finally realized there was no way she was waking up, “Th
e chestnut trees. The wishing well~
” Team Danganronpa erased a lot of their memories. But they couldn’t get rid of Opportunity, “
I’ll be seeing you. In every lovely summer’s day~
” And sure Opportunity belonged to the American space program not the Japanese one. But as someone who loves space, it hurt him, all the same, to see her go, “
In everything that’s light and gay. I’ll always think of you that way~
” He mentioned it once in passing. Momota couldn’t fully believe the Ouma had remembered. And he knew there was always a possibility that it was a random choice that led to Ouma singing it now. But Momota wanted to believe it was deliberate, “
I’ll find you in the morning sun. And when the night is new~
” And it hits him in that moment just how serious Ouma was in his last moments of the killing game and just how much the other boy cared about everyone and was protecting them in his own way, “
I’ll be looking at the moon. But I’ll be seeing you~
” And though not everyone realizes the reason why this song, in particular, all of them hear the pure grief in voice. And they all come to the same conclusion Momota did, “
I’ll be seeing you. In every lovely summer’s day~
” Even if they all hated him, Ouma could never hate the others. At least not completely, “
In everything that’s light and gay. I’ll always think of you that way~
” Even though his anger and upset at those who’ve taken another’s life. He well and truly cared about all of their well beings, “
I’ll find you in the morning sun. And when the night is new~
” It was a moment that cemented the reason they all went back into the simulation, to begin with, “
I’ll be looking at the moon. But I’ll be seeing you~
” And as Ouma finishes singing, they knew they won’t be leaving without the other. They couldn’t bring themselves to. And when Ouma finally releases the sobs, he was holding back Saihara begin to walk towards him. The other students following close behind. Ouma hears footsteps and refuses to turn around as he says, “Why can’t you leave me alone asshole. You killed them. You got what you wanted. Just let me grieve in peace.”
Saihara puts a hand on Ouma’s shoulder, “I don’t think any one of us have it in our hearts to leave you all alone like this I’m afraid Ouma-kun.” Ouma’s eyes widen and he turns towards the others. Genuine tears streaming down his face as he sees the others alive. Saihara pulls him into a hug and Ouma clings back, his crying worsens and the other students step forward and wrap around Ouma. Pulling the grieving boy into a big group hug. Saihara reassures Ouma, “We saw everything. And Ouma-kun we don’t want to lose you. We’ve lost enough in the killing game, don’t make us lose you too, please. We know we weren’t kind in the killing game and we’re sorry. We don’t hate you. And I promise you this is real. That it’s really us and I’m really telling the truth.”
The sixteen students stay like that for a while, wrapped around one another holding Ouma in the center. With each student chiming in their own agreements with the detective’s words. And Ouma cries tears of joy. Part of him thinks it’s still too good to be true. But the part from before that told him this world wasn’t real is telling him that his classmates around him right now are real. And he can’t find a single lie in their words. Eventually, he cries all his tears and nods into Saihara’s shoulder. His muffled voice comes out, “I- I believe you. Please don’t make me regret this. I-” He hesitates before finishing, “I’m ready to leave now.” Saihara nods and gives Hinata the signal. The world around them begins to light up, the light engulfs the students.
-----
The sixteen students wake up from the simulation pods for the last time. All of them rushing to Ouma’s pod and pulling him back up into another hug. He returns it full force. Though he feels weak from being in the pod so long, he holds the others tightly. It’s as if he believes that if he let them go, then he’d wake up in a hell and they’d be gone. He can live with them hating him as long as they are alive. But he saw them die and in most cases twice, so he holds them close. Promising to never let them go again. He already cares about them, it’s too late to change that. All he can do now is protect them till his last breath.
And after a while most of the students back off and leave, the only one staying with Ouma being Saihara. For the boy had asked them to give him a moment alone with Ouma when they woke up before they had seen Ouma. Even Hinata gives the two privacy. And Saihara begins, “Hinata said the world made in the perfect world of who it belongs to. And in it, we were dating, weren’t we?” Though flustered, Saihara is determined to tell Ouma, “You like me like that I guess. But if I’m honest, I never thought about how I thought of you, especially in that way. But Ouma-kun,” Saihara looks away and holds Ouma’s hands in his own, “I think I feel the same. Maybe I don’t love you quite yet. But I like you a lot more than I realized at first, in a romantic sense you know? And-” Saihara pauses, fluster starting to overtake him, “And if you’re willing to take me, I want to try. I want to try to be with you.”
And though Saihara’s courage fades Ouma feels his return slightly, “I- I think I’d like that too.” Though Ouma quickly finds himself with a fluster of his own, “Can- can I kiss you? I don’t- I don’t want to push you pass any boundaries your not comfortable with. So- sorry that was probably inappropriate. I-” Saihara cuts off Ouma’s somewhat out of character ramblings with a kiss. Though considering as these past couple of hours have shown him, he really doesn’t know anything about Ouma. So who’s to say if the rambling is really all that out of character for him. Maybe it’s just something he covers up usually. But either way his lips are on Ouma’s and though it’s a bit awkward, having never really kissed anyone before, it feels right in that moment.
And though it takes a few seconds for Ouma to get over his shock and register Saihara kissing him once he does he doesn’t hesitate to return the kiss. Saihara wipes Ouma’s face with his thumbs and Ouma hold tight around Saihara’s neck. Neither one wanting to let go of the other. But they do pull back enough to get more air, pausing to take a moment to really look at the other. Saihara realizes in that moment, he could definitely love Ouma. And Ouma realizes he doesn’t just like Saihara but well and truly loves the other boy. Both boys find that they’re at peace with these facts and close the distance between them again. Pulling closer than gravity.