“Wow- your killing intent– your determination… that’s impressive! If you’ve been on the island that I had been… would things have changed?”
if that composure is only held together by a thread– snip snip. komaeda seems intent on cutting it to pieces, every single word and behaviour a pair of scissors that snapped at her patience, testing how far he could go. oh, not that he’s trying your patience on purpose – his words sound like they’re meant as compliments – and in komaeda’s mind, it probably is.
all the threats are poison darts that go over his head – really, his whole being seems to be saying, you could just kill him and he would not give a damn. his luck would win out, anyway. a hellish guardian angel it was, one komaeda never asked for – making sure things turned out the way he’d desired; only requesting payment in misery and despair from others around him.
his whole existence is fragile, on the verge of toppling; one wrong push and he’d be ready to give up his life for whatever it took to get hope again; but perhaps his still beating heart, life, was telling him that he was worthless to even think about such actions. of course his luck wouldn’t grant such a pipe dream… he should have known.
… the smallest– smallest part of him pipes up that he did wish to come back alive – but it wasn’t this. the hope that his death had fostered – if he came back due to his own luck, then, what was the point? this wasn’t the hope he’d wished to see– to come alive to, or to worship, kneeling at the alter his whole life with his neck on the guillotine, asking it to take his life, please, anything for it–
he’d do anything to see his friends again.
here are the things he needs to know.
he’d chalked his being here to bad luck– but was good luck on the way? there’s no doubt that this girl in front of him was talented – and ultimate or not, komaeda was drawn to it, anyway. even ultimates could use their talents for the wrong purpose, and in that case, other talented people had to step up to the bat… even if it might not be enough, and even then well, they could be a stepping stone!
“Haha, did I insult you..? You’re completely right, normally I’d know my place, but I really do think getting our identities out in the air would be beneficial. I’m in the same boat as you are… just with a worthless talent. Have you considered the fact that I need to fear for my life as much as you do? What if you’re with the enemy? What if one wrong word, and I’ll be dead again? ”
he still seems overly pleasant, and his words take a tone of straightforward honesty, pleading to logic; truths, after all, were the way to hope, to overcome despair… even truths that were hard to face, had to be swallowed down if one wanted to walk on the path of true hope.
( … hinata-kun … where were you now? )
“Considering you do know who Monokuma is,” and he notes that she’d mentioned him in the singular, and in relation to a killing game– “I’m not sure why I should trust you as well. You seem oddly keen on trying to link me to Hope’s Peak– did that academy do something to you?”
picking up on the nuances, the unsteadiness, and her whole behaviour; picking apart people is part of komaeda’s modus operandi, and he apparently decides to use it now. truth bullets line up in his head, one by one – she knew about a killing game, but she didn’t know about him. she also questioned how he knew about the ultimates, when such information was public domain– everyone knew hope’s peak and their students. she can’t be from the first killing game, in that case… and his hazy memories of the hope’s peak file had no one that had looked like her.
the fact that she was demanding information from him just showed that he was in a situation where he had things that could be leveraged; his presence in the city was something new to her, something different– something to demand answers out of. but just what was the information she wanted…? and why?
“Hope’s Peak is pretty infamous in our world, you know. Especially after that incident… you should know this. Have you considered that I might have just been just drawing it because of that? Everyone should know what the logo looks like.”
FRUSTRATION CONTINUES TO BUILD ; IT threatens to shatter what remaining composure she clings to that the stranger seems to be trying SO HARD to break. there’s always the minor chance that his backwards, PROVOCATIVE comments aren’t intended as such. he’s a STRANGER, of course, maki doesn’t know a damned thing about him or his true nature. the anomaly before her could be described with many words, and yet she can’t seem to settle on just one. confident, or stupid? defiant, or clueless? her mind tinkers with various comparisons in an attempt to draw SOME kind of conclusion about who this person is but she’s only coming up with BLANKS.
she forces herself to retain calmness. oh, the irony. he couldn’t POSSIBLY know her true nature, yet he’s fitted her intentions with a specific choice word... BREATHE, maki! if ONLY she could just dismiss his seemingly nonsensical words as a waste of her time and move on ─ unfortunately, while there’s a distinct lack of a direct answer to her DEMANDS inquiries, his twisted words have only piqued her desire for clarity even more.
instincts scream that this encounter is important. there’s no coincidence that his specific wording feels so odd, or that she’s CERTAIN he’s familiar. so she can’t accept he was simply doodling for fun ─ not here, not in this city. not when she’s still SO UNSURE of everything and everyone around her. at least, that’s how she mentally bargains with herself to justify her strong reaction. and so she draws in a deep, controlled breath. slowly, maki lowers herself into the seat opposite of him. she’s already discovered how INEFFECTIVE forcing information out of someone through intimidation is ─ this isn’t a JOB.
it’s an entirely new GAME, and she’s to play it with logic and a clear mind. how foolish of her to get so worked up. but, hey, wouldn’t be the first time she’s snapped on impulse. she takes mental note of certain things that catch her attention : island, the fact that her pairs ‘dead’ and ‘again’, and what’s with this worthless talent talk? he seems FAR too cheery for the thing he’s saying.
she takes a few moments to herself before finally speaking up again.
❝ maki harukawa, ❞ she finally provides, her expression transitioning into indifference. it’s useless not to comply and, truthfully, what BAD could it do to reveal her name? ❝ ultimate child caregiver. SATISFIED? ❞ okay, maybe that was too much ; she’s not exactly lying but she refuses to give him the full truth of her title. there’s NO REASON he needs to know. she can feel herself being observed ─ not too different from how closely she watches people of interest. she can’t afford to falter now ; she figures she’ll find out just how good he is soon enough.
❝ you say you can’t trust me due to my own knowledge of monokuma, ❞ she begins, ❝ yet you display him so casually and freely. you’re certainly not in a place to suggest the suspicion falls elsewhere. ❞ while her tone remains controlled, it attempts to hides venom, the venom that ignited her outburst just moments ago. is this what they call a STALEMATE?
for a mere moment, her facade falters. “OUR WORLD”. the sickening idea that reality is SOMEHOW warped even more than she suspected has her on edge ─ and the idea seems to grow more logical the further she thinks about it. the impossible becoming possible.
maki forces an indifferent expression once more.
❝ and just what is OUR WORLD, exactly? ❞ her eyes narrow, brows pinching together. the incident he’s referring to, is she correct in assuming..? ❝ you can’t possibly have supported such a THING, ❞ her words slow. she REFUSES to accept a reality in which the mastermind had spoken the truth, ❝ either that, or you’re... ❞
it clicks. the reason why familiarity’s presence had been so powerful.
the start of it all. the mastermind’s many faces of previous killing games ─ the profiles, the ever-changing personas. THE OTHER CHARACTERS. just where did he fit in with it all?
❝ just who are you and how do you fit in with danganronpa? ❞ and there it is ─ aggression rising, demanding to know more. just how much will this encounter reveal? will she FINALLY get more answers?
maki’s thoughts whirl but she can do nothing more than wait for his response.
