Chapter Text
All of Kirumi’s hard work had paid off: the entire interior of the school had been cleaned- to the extent of what she could do. Of course, there were still repairs and maintenance that had to be done; the entire building was falling apart and it looked worse by the day. Every time it rained, the first floor would flood and she would spend her morning pushing water out of the front door with a steel broom. She was thankful all of the talent rooms were relatively new, and that Kiibo’s room was well insulated. She often worried for his safety.
Kirumi worried for a lot of people here; people absorbed in peculiar talents weren’t always the most sound. She was the odd one out, she felt. Her talent was just glorified everyday, normal tasks that everyone does. She just happened to have more energy than other people.
She wonders what happened to the president after everything that happened.
She wonders who filled her role after she was arrested.
These thoughts often prevented her from sleeping soundly. It didn’t matter though, she always woke up with the same amount of energy no matter how late she stayed up.
Waking up an hour before the morning alarm sounded gave her time to shower, get dressed, and perform routine cleaning. Her talent room was where the wall of washer and dryers were, so she often ran into one or two people who were collecting their uniforms. Kirumi always offered to do it for them, one thing someone said in response stuck with her though.
“I still want to feel useful, do something for myself, you know? I appreciate everything you do, Tojo! But sometimes it can be a little overbearing.” It had been Kaito who said that, but to Kirumi it didn’t matter. Everything she did was wrong somehow. She never did anything right. She wasn’t good for anything and all of these people could do the same things she did. She was sure others felt the same as Kaito.
She apologized, smiled, and went to make breakfast. Miso soup, rice, and grilled fish for today. Kaede always made sure to tell Kirumi that her food was good. Kirumi noticed that Maki seemed to be the only person to not come to the dining area for breakfast each morning.
“Akamatsu, may I ask you something?”
“Hm?”
“You seem close with Harukawa, does she not eat breakfast? I notice her dish either isn’t touched or someone else eats it after a while.”
“I think she said she spends her morning working out, or something. I can’t remember… I can deliver it to her room if you want.” Kaede sips on her soup.
“That’s quite alright. I can ask her later.”
Kaede hums into her spoons and sips some more soup. “Hey, Tojo?”
“Yes, Akamatsu?”
“You didn’t overhear our argument a few days ago did you? I noticed you were cleaning close to where we were when I left. Sorry about that.” she lets out a dry laugh and avoids eye contact with Kirumi.
“I did, I’m afraid. Sorry for eavesdropping.”
“No no! Don’t be, please, just…” Kaede taps her foot and thinks for a moment. She motions for Kirumi to lean in and lowers her voice to a whisper.
“Just please don’t tell anyone about us, okay? I know I like to tease Maki and how that sounds like flirting but… you know?”
“Right.” Kirumi agrees, equally quiet.
“I’m just scared after everything that happened. I worry we might become targets if someone finds out.”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone, Akamatsu. You have my word.”
A vile, gross feeling in her head flashed in her head and she suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. It wasn’t Kaede’s fault. There was something wrong with her. The more she thought about them the more it grew.
///
“That sounds like jealousy.” Hoshi hits a tennis ball back to Kirumi. Kirumi misses the ball and tosses her racket down, out of breath. She rubs some sweat off her brow with her wrist and drinks from a water fountain.
She gasps for air once she has her fill, “I don’t even know for sure if she’s the girl I’m talking about. I’m being batshit if she’s not. She hasn’t talked to me once except for when she complimented my food, and here I am thinking about her every single second.” her feet pace without thinking about it before she sits on a bench.
“Well, the worst thing that happens if she’s not that same person is that you were wrong, and you can treat her normally from now on. Start over a little. Why haven’t you talked to her about it yet? You have a lot of evidence.”
Kirumi hits the back of her hand against her forehead briefly out of frustration, eyes screwed tight. “It’s not- there’s never an appropriate time! It’s always a bad time, she’s either out of it, in a bad mood, or she’s talking to Kaede.”
The bright lights in the tennis court get to her. They hum too loudly. She starts rubbing her wrists together.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I think you’re overcomplicating it. The worst that happens is Maki thinks you’re a little weird… and that’s okay. There’s plenty of people here that like you if that fails.”
“Huh?”
“People here like you, Kirumi. You do stuff for them and plenty of people appreciate it. I think they’re just, I don’t know, scared of you or something? You are the tallest second to Gonta. Plus you have that spooky, emo thing going on.”
“You’re one to critique my uniform, mister leather jacket and under eyeliner.” her tone is more dejected than she wants it to be.
“Yeah well, I’m small. So people make fun of me instead. I would take being scared over that.”
Kirumi huffs and looks down at her feet.
“Sorry, you didn’t want to hear that.”
“No it’s fine, I just. I’ve just had a long week.”
“I think everyone has. But you make it a little more tolerable every day. Not a lot of people wanted to get out of their rooms after Amami and Saihara died, but you made them gather their laundry and then served them breakfast.” he shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and swings his leg while silence fills the air.
“I think you’re the most selfless person here, Tojo.”
Kirumi’s head is fuzzy. She doesn’t deserve it. She’s just in it for the long haul. She’ll leave all these people behind one day or go crazy and kill them all. It’s bound to happen. She’s bound to betray everyone she meets.
“Kirumi? Hey…” Snot drips from her nose onto her wrist, then wet heavy teardrops.
Hoshi looks away from her, “I’m… not good with these things, but if you’re upset it’s okay.”
Kirumi wipes her face with the back of her arm. Hoshi decides to sit next to her.
“I’m... not a good person, Hoshi.” She desperately doesn’t want to cry right now. Not in front of Hoshi. She breathes shallowly to hold everything back.
“Nobody is here for a good reason. I’ve probably done worse things than you did.”
“I hurt people. I fuck up everything good that comes my way and everything bad that ever happened to me was my fault.” she lets out a shaky breath and a few more tears slide down her cheeks.
“...”
Hoshi pats her shoulder, “You haven’t been happy in a while, have you?”
Kirumi shrugs, she looks away from where Hoshi is sitting and stares at a corner of the room. She knows she can’t just leave at this point.
“I think you’re like me, Kirumi. Do you want to know why I’m here?”
Kirumi doesn’t say anything. They sit in silence a bit longer.
“Alright then, I was invited to an underground tournament hosted by a mafia organization. I tried ignoring their invitations but they kept sending more, so I gave in. The matches were fixed, however, and a bunch of rich people were gambling on our ‘wins’.”
He looks at Kirumi and sees that she’s still spaced out, but it looks like the tears have stopped.
“I was too proud. I decided to crush the last guy and win one match so I wouldn’t look like an idiot. That ruined the organization- they went after my family. None of them survived.”
Kirumi’s blood runs cold, she wonders if it was her who did that. No… no, it couldn’t be. She never had to kill several people.
“I managed to get my girlfriend to safety but they found her too.”
Hoshi sighs, “I tracked down their next tournament location and killed everyone that was at the pre-match. I got put on death row, but then I got a second chance with this place.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. But I think it’s a little cruel how I just ended up in another killing scenario. I don’t think I’d ever do anything like that ever again. I wouldn’t want to go back to prison after all of this.”
“I’m sorry you’re… you’re spilling your guts to me, but I don’t think I could tell you what I did without you feeling repulsed by me.”
“I still don’t think you did anything worse than me. But hey, you can pull a me and wait until next time? C’mon, let’s get dressed.”
They change back into their uniforms and smoke their own cigarette together.
“Where did you get these?” Kirumi leans out of the window leading to the interior pool so she won’t smell like smoke later.
“There’s a casino a little aways from this building. There’s always a positive payout and money doesn’t really mean anything here. You can get some interesting stuff though. Not all of it is very wholesome though.”
“Huh, anything I would like?”
“Some booze you can use to cook with. Wine, beer- you know.”
“Hm, maybe I'll pay it a visit sometime. I don’t think gambling is that good for me though.”
“Again, positive payout every time.”
Kirumi nods and snuffs out her cigarette.
“Thanks again for spending time with me, Kirumi.”
“Likewise.”
///
Sure enough, the Casino is everything that could make her go insane. Bright-flashing lights, loud music with slot machine noises added on top, and most of all- a strong incentive to gamble and lose the entirety of her night trying to make a lot of money. Turns out the coins she found while cleaning wasn’t as useless as she thought.
The positive payout makes things a little boring, but she does find it fun when she gets MORE money and not less. After she gets a good amount, she stops herself and goes to cash out her earnings. Sure enough, there’s booze in the back of the prize exchanging booth she can use for cooking. Plenty of useful things like a stainless steel tray and some jewelry. There’s also a tennis ball set that she could get for Hoshi.
...She sees a teddy bear in one of the cases. She bounces on her toes and groans; she had to throw away all her toys and all of the things she liked when she was adopted. The first thing she was taught was that things were things and you should never be sentimental. That only makes your job harder.
But, she doesn’t have to do her job if she’s here forever. Wait... didn’t Maki like teddy bears? She could get it for her... no that’s stupid, she’s a teenager now. She probably doesn’t like those things anymore. Wait, why does she want the teddy bear, is she being a fucking child?
She decides to look at the top shelf where the expensive items are. Some of them are appropriately expensive; soundproof headphones, a permit for a Banyan Tree, a space egg? The ridiculously expensive items on the shelf are weirder: a lucky button and a love key?
She looks in one of the trash bags she brought to hold her earnings. She certainly has enough money to buy one.
She gets the love key. She does not feel different.
She gets the teddy bear. She does feel different.
After Kirumi puts away the stuff she bought for herself in her room, she sets the rest of her earnings in the middle of the dining room so everyone can have their fill. The alcohol she won is used to make chicken marsala for dinner. Several people thank her this time; it makes her feel good.
Maki is nowhere to be seen. She thinks of the worst before she thinks to ask Kaede.
“Maki? Oh, yeah, she said she’s not feeling well. Bet she wishes she had your soup this morning, huh? That might have helped her.”
Kirumi makes honey citrus peach tea for Maki. Kokichi bugs her on the way asking if he can try some and repels when Kirumi tells him it’s medicine. She knocks on Maki’s door and clears her throat.
“Miss Harukawa? It’s Kirumi. Akamatsu told me you weren’t feeling well so I brought you some tea. Can I come in?”
She doesn’t hear anything, Kirumi worries for the worst.
“...I’m coming in, okay? Tell me to stop if you don’t want me in.” She grips the doorknob and turns it while still keeping the door shut, she waits for a response and pushes the door open when she doesn’t hear anything.
Maki is nowhere to be found. Kirumi does see light pour from the bottom of her bathroom and goes to knock once more.
“Harukawa?”
“...” Kirumi hears the sound of objects hitting the floor. “Who the hell are you?”
“It’s Kirumi Tojo, I’m here with medicine.”
“I don’t need your care. I'll be fine on my own.”
Kirumi presses her lips together and looks at the ground, “Right, well, it’ll be on your nightstand if you need it.”
“Can you just get the fuck out? I’m sorry, but everything sounds too grating right now. I need to just be alone.”
“Whatever you wish, I will come back if I do not see you at breakfast tomorrow.” Kirumi turns to leave. She hears Maki retch and sets the tea on her nightstand.
///
Kirumi is awakened by Monokuma’s intrusion at two in the morning. He tells her to turn in her key at the building by the casino. She pockets her kitchen knife in her nightgown in case it’s a threat. Maybe Kirumi wasn’t meant to have this.
The building was drab and pale on the outside- you didn’t need a key to enter the building, but you did need it to get a room. A prerecorded message told her she’d room with a random student. Her heart dropped to her stomach when it told her it would be the fantasy of the other person. Love... Key... maybe she should have connected the dots sooner. It didn’t feel right to spend the night with people she barely knew. The implications of people not remembering the night they spend with people who stay here is worse.
She could turn around if she really wanted to.
The room was fairly innocent, against her expectations. The walls were painted baby pink and sheer drapery covered the bed. She’s thankful that she doesn’t see anyone in the room. She decides to go back to sleep. Four more hours of sleep would be more than enough for her.
The sheets and comforter are like a dream to her, so soft and warm against the cool air of the room. She drifts off to sleep far easier than normal. Her back cries out from a change in mattress, however.
She awakes to the feeling of someone kneading their wrists into her upper back.
“My dear, you're so tense… You should take better care of yourself.”
The massaging feels like heaven, but she’s more concerned with the hushed voice from above. She has trouble recognizing voices at a whisper. Kirumi feels around her hip and her head flashes in panic when she realizes her knife wasn’t there. She’s sure she would have felt someone pickpocket her, however.
The next best thing to do in this situation would be to play along with the role in this person’s fantasy. A clothed hand slides down her back and she sighs into the touch. “Hmm…”
“I knew you’d like that.”
Kirumi turns her head to see who she was speaking to, dread fills her heart at the sight of Korekiyo Shinguji.
They rub at a crevice in her neck and leans down to kiss her jaw gently… no this is… wrong. This is too intimate, she shouldn’t be seeing her classmate like this. She notices several things she’d never see otherwise. Scars, burn marks, and rope burns were plastered on their chest. They were wearing a sheer robe, leaving little room for imagination. She wouldn’t even know who Korekiyo would be fantasizing about, or how to act like them.
“I’m- I’m good now. We can stop.” Kirumi turns to lay on her back, Korekiyo’s long hair tickles her face as they look at her from above.
“You look so gorgeous. I want to make you feel adored.” from this angle Kirumi might say the same thing, but she quickly brushes away the thought. This situation was more than inappropriate. She’s confused on how this hotel works but she was told that no one who entered the room with you would remember the night you spent.
Oh God, what if someone spent the night with her and she didn’t know? What would her ‘fantasy’ even be?
“Korekiyo, this is nice, but I don’t feel right doing anything with you knowing you won’t remember. It feels unfair for you.”
“That matters very little to me, you came here for you, remember?”
“No, I didn’t know what that key was for. This all came from an impulsive purchase, really.”
“I might take being an impulsive purchase as an insult, but I’ve never been called that before, and it’s quite creative. You’re funny.” Korekiyo strokes the top of Kirumi’s hands
“You’re not wearing your gloves.” They look up at Kirumi through half-lidded eyes and smile. Their makeup is smudged from a long day.
“I don’t wear them when I go to bed…” Korekiyo’s hand runs up her arm and they pull her closer.
“Your skin is so soft.” their voice is almost a whisper. “Do you know how many times people have said I have ugly hands?” they shake their free hand limply for emphasis. Kirumi sees long, ribbed fingers and faint, pale scars on the front of their hand.
“Your hands aren’t... “ she huffs. Kirumi puts her head in her hand and runs her fingers through her hair.
“Oh Kirumi… I want to get all fucked up and tell you how I really feel. I want to write you books and talk about you.”
Kirumi’s hands drag up until her forehead rests on her wrists “Why … why can’t you talk like a normal person?”
Korekiyo’s eyes go wide and their smile falters.
A beat of silence passes, staring eye-to-eye, and Kirumi is just about to apologize when Korekiyo’s other hand goes to her shoulder and pulls her in closer. They kiss her softly on the mouth.
Kirumi kisses back. Korekiyo’s lips feel like wax with their red lipstick on, they open their mouth and Kirumi follows with. Her arms snake around Korekiyo’s neck and hand limp against their back. ‘This is wrong’, she thinks. She was told that she would remember and her partner wouldn’t. Korekiyo is so lovely . Korekiyo’s hair is so soft and long. Maybe she can settle for just the image of them, and not their memory.
She certainly has enough money to do this again.
No. That's gross, she thinks. Korekiyo pulls back and brushes Kirumi’s cheek fondly. “Your breath is so sweet.”
She decides, finally. She’ll let this happen.
She rests her hand on Korekiyo’s side and pushes them down onto the bed with her. Korekiyo traces the curve of her waist with their fingertips. What else is there to do but melt into the touch.
The room is so cold.
The casino didn’t hurt her monetarily.
///
Breakfast is Kanapki served with tea. Kaede makes sure to thank her like always.
“How's Harukawa? I tried giving her tea yesterday, but she didn’t want me in her room.”
“I tried visiting her this morning but she didn’t want me in there either…”
“Good God, is someone holding her hostage? I’m forcing her to get medical attention.” Kirumi goes to stand up before Kaede pinches her sleeve.
“Wait, Kirumi I don’t think-” Kirumi hits Kaede’s hand away with her wrist, hard enough to hurt.
“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME.” The dining hall goes hush, everyone stares at her for a pregnant second. She darts her eyes around the room before they go back to Kaede. She’s rubbing her hand with the other to ease the pain. Her eyes are big and worried.
“Oh my God, is Kirumi on edge???” Several heads turn to the direction of the outburst. Of course, it’s Kokichi.
Kirumi pushes her chair in and mouths ‘sorry’ to Kaede.
“Apologies, everyone, I will be visiting Maki now. There’s more food in the kitchen if anyone wants seconds.” She leaves the room as quickly as she can without appearing rude.
Kirumi knocks twice on Maki’s door. “Miss Harukawa? It’s Kirumi Tojo, I’m checking in on you like I said before.”
“Go away.”
“Harukawa, you’ve been keeping yourself in here for too long. People are starting to worry about you.” More like just her and Kaede, but they’re important aren’t they?
“Don’t-” she hears retching, “Don’t come in here.”
Kirumi turns the doorknob,, “Don’t-!”
Maki has her hand cupped under her chin and her neck is stretched to meet it. Her palm is full of drool and bright pink.
Kirumi’s eyes trail down, there’s pink stains on Maki’s comforter, her carpet, her clothes.
Maki angrily slaps her hand on her bed and rubs the stain in, she shakes droplets of her drool and blood onto the carpet. “Sorry for the mess, hey isn’t it your job to clean that shit up? Huh? Don’t come into my room without permission, asshole.”
Kirumi sighs out of her nose. “I can take care of the mess, yes. But what the hell have you been keeping from us? You shouldn’t be so gravely ill that you’re choking up blood!”
“Yeah, well, if it’s infectious then you probably have it now. Don’t help me, you have to cook for everyone and people will get pissed if they don’t get your amaaaaazing food.”
“Christ, can you be serious about this?”
“I am plenty serious! I’m really worried about this! What makes you think I’m not?”
‘She’s probably angry because she’s in pain. Be nice to her.’
“I’m going to ask around and see if anyone is more equipped with this than me. Would you mind giving me your sheets so I can wash them?”
Maki shoves her covers off her. She’s wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Kirumi notices long, deep-looking scars scattered across her body. She doesn’t mention it, she’ll ask later. Maki doesn’t need more pain stacked on top of pain.
Kirumi bundles the sheets and immediately goes to wash them. Maki’s right, if this is infectious then she needs to be as careful as possible handling Maki’s things. Kirumi changes out of her uniform in her talent room and throws them in with Maki’s sheets.
Angie and Korekiyo offer to look at Maki. Kirumi feels even more weird around Korekiyo than she did before, of course. But Maki needs help now more than Kirumi… also probably needs help.
“Now we’re no professionals! But, all of Harukawa’s symptoms seem like a virus rather than a bacterial disease, so yes, we all should probably stay away from her as much as possible. So sorry!!!” Angie gleams at Maki and Maki stares straight through her.
“I do think she still needs medical attention, perhaps only a few people should tend to her…” says Korekiyo.
“Well all three of us have already come into contact with her! Me, you, and Miss Kirumi should be the ones to see her!”
“Me and Angie can take shifts supervising her health and Kirumi can provide her with meals and whatever else she may need.” Maki makes a point to give everyone the silent treatment. She was supposed to rot and die in her room with dignity.
“Ohhhhh, Kirumi can give her breakfast in bed, how darling!” Angie plays with her beaded bracelet and looks up expectantly at Kirumi.
“Angie… would you also like breakfast in bed?”
“You said it, not me!”
“Right…” Kirumi might have to shorten her time spent with other people’s requests in order to take care of Maki. She doesn’t feel right that she left Maki throwing up blood into her toilet yesterday. She doesn’t feel right that Korekiyo is able to look her in the eye like nothing ever happened. God, what was wrong with her last night?
She explains to Hoshi her situation after she gives Maki her breakfast. She tells him they might have to shorten their meetups so Kirumi can tend to Maki.
“Well jeez, I hope she makes it out of this okay. I trust your abilities though.”
“I’m not even a proper maid.” Why did she let that spill out?
“Hm?”
“It’s a faux title. It was used to send me here- this prestigious prison for minds too good to waste- so that I wouldn’t get a scratch on my neck from actual prison.” every word out of her mouth is dripped with disgust. She still doesn’t know why she’s letting all of this out.
“Do you think you’re important enough for all that work? What did you do , Kirumi?”
“Did you happen to turn on the T.V at all while you were in prison?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I was the pre-si-dent's daugh-ter!” She emphasizes her words and puts quotes around daughter with her hands.
“...Can you not do that?” Hoshi looks away from her.
“What?”
“Can you just talk to me about this like a normal person? Not talk to me like I’m an idiot? And, you know, not be cryptic or give me a riddle when you tell me this stuff? I hate it when people talk to me like that.”
“...”
“C’mon, I bared my sins for you and it seems like you’re ready to bear yours.”
“...Can we sit down? And talk where people won’t hear us?”
“Of course.”