Danganronpa: Puppets String

Monokuma - Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!

 Apparently, it's morning... But thanks to the total lack of windows, there's no way to know for sure. Anyway... what should I do now?

Malachi - ...

Malachi - Another strange dream. Who the fuck is Schade Welf.

I should meet with Sayaka. She seems like the perfect person to do some tasks for me. 

With that I left to the hallway and headed to Sayaka's door.

{Sayaka's Door}

 There's a doorbell next to the door. I guess I should use that.

*Ding dong*

Malachi - ...

Sayaka - Hello...?

Malachi - Good morning, Sayaka.

Sayaka - Oh, Malachi! Perfect timing!

Malachi - Huh...?

Sayaka - Listen, I have a favor to ask...

 Malachi - A favor...?

A perfect opportunity, there is nothing better than having someone owe you.

 Sayaka - I was just getting ready to head out. If it's okay, would you like to come with me? Maybe we could talk...

 Malachi - Yeah, sure. Where are you headed?

 Sayaka - Oh... umm... I've been thinking that... there might be something around here I could use for self-defense.

 Malachi - Self-defense...?

 Sayaka - Well, I mean... whoever's keeping us here could show up and attack us any time. You never know...

 Whoever trapped us here...

 Whoever presented us with rules for murdering each other...

Whoever put us in this insane position... She's right - we never know when they might attack.

 Sayaka - So I just... want to be able to protect myself no matter what happens.

 A weapon to protect herself...

A naive thought. There is no better weapon than the people around you.

Malachi - Well... now that I think about it, that display case in the gym entryway had a bunch of stuff. 

 Sayaka - Oh, the gym? Okay, let's go!

 Malachi - Anyway, we should head to the gym.

[Gym Entrance]

[People: Sayaka]

Sayaka - Here we go. I might be able to find something here to protect myself with... Yeah, I'm sure I'll find something in the display case I can use.

[Trophy Case]

[Objects: Shelves, Terracotta Figures, Gold Buddha, Plaque, Gold Sword, Helmet}

{Shelves}

Malachi - There's all kinds of stuff on the shelves up above.

{Terracotta Figures}

Malachi - Some terra-cotta clay figures... They don't look like the kind of thing you'd put in a high school gym.

{Gold Buddha}

Malachi - It's... a gold statue of Buddha. Why is something like that on display?

{Plaque}

Malachi - A plaque... - I guess it's to commemorate some kind of championship.

{Helmet}

Malachi - It's a helmet of some sort. Why is something like that on display?

{Gold Sword}

 Is this... a sword? Oh, no, I think it's just a replica. Still, it's pretty impressive. It's completely covered in a gold coating. But...

Malachi - Jeez! I barely touched it and I got that gold stuff all over my hands.

Sayaka - Wow, you're right. Your hands are totally gold! Even just for self-defence, I think it's a little...

Malachi - Well, it's still better than nothing, I guess.

Sayaka - You should take it with you! It might help liven up your room a little.

Malachi - You think so?

Sayaka - But I guess you'd better be careful taking it back. You should wrap it in newspaper or something.

And just like that, it's been decided...

Sayaka - I don't see anything I could really use for self-defence...

Malachi - H-Hey, don't worry about it! It's not like you need it right away, right?Plus, if anything *were* to happen... When the time comes... I'll protect you.

Sayaka - You'll... protect me?Thank you for saying that...If I've got you on my side, I guess I don't need a weapon after all!

 Sayaka giggled as she said that.

Sayaka - Okay, we can stop looking for a weapon, then. But as long as we're here, let's hang out a bit more.

Sayaka - As long as we have this opportunity, why don't we talk a bit more? Umm...

Sayaka - ...

Sayaka - I know I said I wanted to talk to you, but now that we're here... I don't really know what to talk about. And I was the one who invited you to come with me, too. Sorry...

Malachi - It's okay. I mean, if there's nothing to talk about, then we can just not talk, right?

Sayaka - Huh?

Malachi - You don't have to force yourself to talk. We can just, I dunno... stare off into space or whatever.

Sayaka - Stare off into space...?

Malachi - Oh, but you're probably super bored! Just standing around doing nothing...

Sayaka - No, it's not that it's boring. It's just... I've never really done it before. I don't have a lot of time to just... do nothing.

Malachi - I-I guess that makes sense. You're not a normal high school student like me. You've got tons of stuff to do every day.

Sayaka - ...

Sayaka - Hey, um... this is kinda out of nowhere, but, do you have a dream?

Malachi - No, not really. What about you, Sayaka? What's your dream? I'd love to hear...

 Sayaka - I... My dream is... I've always wanted to be a star, as long as I can remember. I grew up without a mother, you know... And my dad worked really late every night. I was always home alone... I was just a kid, ya know? So I was really lonely. But that all changed when I saw a pop star on TV for the first time. She was so pretty, like a princess. And she could sing, and dance... But more than anything else, there was her smile. Looking at her smile, I could feel my loneliness melting away. I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others. Eventually, that became my dream.

 Malachi - That's so amazing, though. You were able to actually fulfil your lifelong dream. Honestly, it's really incredible.

 Sayaka - ...

 Sayaka - I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that... weren't so pleasant.

 Malachi - Huh...?

 Sayaka - I honestly believed that as long as you kept chasing your dreams, someday they had to come true. But to do that, you can't take your eyes off of your dream, not even for a second. Even if sometimes it's a bad dream... Whether you're awake, whether you're asleep...To make your dream a reality, you have to keep your gaze fixed on it no matter what. In that world, if you lose focus for even a split second, you get left behind. You have to keep on swimming against the current, without even taking the time to breathe... That's the kind of world my dream lives in.

 Malachi - I-Is it really that tough?

 Malachi - Is it not fun at all?

 Sayaka - Oh no, don't get the wrong idea. It's super fun! But... that's exactly what scares me.

 Malachi - Huh...?

 Sayaka - I enjoy ever single day I wake up and get to do what I do. Everyone in our group is amazing. We're rivals in a way, but they all mean so much to me. We've been performing together since we were young, so they're all like family to me. Without them, I would have given up on my dream a long time ago. To work together, and fulfil our dreams together, has brought me so much happiness...But that's the thing that scares me the most. If the world gets tired of us, then what happens? What happens to us? Then the dream dies, those wonderful days come to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways...

 Malachi - Sayaka...

 She's trembling...

 She must be terrified.

 She worked so hard, sacrificed so much, to get where she is. She must be terrified of losing it.

 Sayaka - So that's the reason I decided to come to Hope's Peak.

 Malachi - Huh? What do you mean?

 Sayaka - Well... they say that if you graduate from here, success is basically guaranteed. Which means I could keep on performing with my best friends, for ever and ever. At least, that's what I thought. I really did believe that, but... ...now we're trapped here, with no way out. They're probably waiting for me... While I'm in here, the world out there is forgetting about me. Minute by minute, we're all disappearing. But still...

 Malachi - Sayaka...?

 Sayaka - I can't afford to be stuck in here!

 That was the first time I heard her cry out from deep within herself.

 She sounds... desperate.

 But I can understand why she'd feel that way.

Trapped here this way, the dream she put so much effort into is on the verge of disappearing forever.

 And that isn't something that can be fixed with a few kind words.

 The weight she's carrying... I can't even imagine it.

 Sayaka - Ah- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to complain... I kinda killed the mood, huh?

 Malachi - No, not at all.

 Sayaka - I'm really sorry...

 Malachi - ...

 Malachi - Um, Sayaka...Actually, are you hungry? Before we head back, why don't we go to the dining hall and get some food?

 Sayaka - ...

 Sayaka - So you want me to make us something to eat? I might not look like it, but I'm actually a pretty good cook!

 Malachi - Wow, really? What's your specialty?

 Sayaka - Chili oil.

 Malachi - You mean the condiment!?

 Sayaka - Hahaha. Just kidding!

 She burst out laughing.

 Her earlier mood disappeared, replaced by the bright smile I'd quickly grown used to.

 But how'd it happen so fast?

 It was almost like a mask, like some kind of neutral expression.

 Anyway, we headed back to the dining hall to get something to eat before returning to our rooms.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Monokuma - Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then... sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...

 Today's already come to an end... But I swear... tomorrow I'm going to find some kind of clue! I swear! As my eyelids began to slide closed the conversation I'd had with Sayaka that morning began to replay. In a way, it's almost frustrating. Even if I understand where her desperation is coming from, I can't share in it. The pressure she's under is way different from anything a normal high schooler like me goes through. She didn't just stumble into this school the way I did. So I can't say I feel things the way she does. Compared to her... no, compared to everyone else here there's no doubt I just don't match up. I guess that might explain my own frustration...