Chapter Text
“So, uhm, if you don’t mind my asking… Why are your uhm proportions different in the 3D versus the 2D Miss Enoshima-dono?” Yamada asks.
“Did you seriously just ask me that?!” Mukuro asks in a pitchy tone, disgusted but not surprised by her perverted classmates' question. She knew stopping to listen to a question from Yamada would be a mistake.
He’s not worse than the weirdo upperclassman Junko used to get harassed by, but not by much. The murderous teen hopes he dies first in this killing game, but then again, the fat ones are harder to kill…
“I was hoping that with a classmate like you joining the school, I could have the perfect model to help me define my art! However, this is an unexpected development. PHOTOSHOP? Really? To think they would let a model who edits her pictures into this distinguished school… I guess I’ll have to ask Miss Asahina-dono instead,” the freak muses.
“Ew, seriously?" Mukuro questions, in a bit of disbelief at hearing his displeasure straight to her face. "Hey! What’s your problem? Who are you to make any type of commentary on my body?!"
“I’m sincerely sorry, Miss Enoshima-dono! I didn’t mean to insult you! Surely, you hear this once a day at least, right?”
An uncomfortable silence fills the hall, answering the question for her. Mukuro tries to make her face as expressive as possible, something that screams, ‘Really? Did you really just say that?’
“Go choke on some bacon and die, fatso,” Mukuro curses as she turns on the heel of her boots with weird-feeling gel soles on the inside that make her a couple of inches taller, headed in the direction away from his rude ass.
“I don’t mean to say that your smaller chest is inferior to larger chests! My favorite character has a smaller chest… I just sometimes like to draw her with larger proportions,” he wheezes behind her, panting the last part of his sentence.
What a prick. If someone doesn’t die soon, maybe she’ll ask Oogami to kill him first.
Seriously. When is someone going to die?
Mukuro has to lecture herself as she walks towards the school store not to march or walk too stiffly. How do models walk? Seriously? How is she ever supposed to pretend to be like her sister? Even Junko doesn’t act like Junko. She constantly changes everything about the way she speaks the moment she gets even slightly bored.
Oh well, Mukuro muses. Junko is smart… if she thinks she can do it, she can. Her sister put her trust in her; she can’t let her down.
Once in the room - thankfully, no one besides Leon was in the hallway, and he ignored her - Mukuro takes this opportunity to talk to said baby sister. Partly to complain to the only person who recognizes her as herself, but she's also been using her conversations as a way to get some more understanding… The mass murderer still doesn’t completely get the point of doing a whole murder game. If she wants them all dead, she could just kill them all herself. It would take less time, energy, and effort…
“Ha! Sis, did you hear him call you a flat-chested loser? It’s like, damn, we all know, but to say that to your face?! Did you feel the despair of not being able to rip out his tongue on the spot?”
Mukuro looks at the newly appeared Monokuma in front of her. Getting that fucker to appear anywhere they wanted was honestly the hardest part, according to Junko. …Of course, the older sister did absolutely nothing to help with that…
“Yes, would you let me kill him first? I know you’re frustrated by the lack of deaths so far…” Mukuro trails off, conscious of her words.
It's very easy to tick Junko off. If her sister stops talking to her, she'll be all alone in the killing game. ...All alone in the world. Mukuro quite literally offed almost everyone else who knew her and wiped the memories of the rest.
“Hell no! And don’t ask some dumb shit like letting Sakura-san kill him in your class, I know you’re boring like that,” the bear taunts her.
“I wasn’t going to ask that…”
“Yeah, right, Mukuro-”
As quickly as the bear appeared, he disappeared, leaving an awkward situation in his wake.
“Oh, sorry, Enoshima-san…” Makoto trails off as he characteristically scratches his cheek. He always does that when he’s embarrassed. It’s cute. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Mukuro shakes her head, her hair whips her in the face. “Sometimes when I’m stressed, I like to talk to myself to calm down. Do you have a problem with that?” she asks in an accusatory, defensive way.
“No!” Makoto shouts, raising his voice and hands in his fluster. “S-sometimes I do the same… Hey, anyway to keep calm in this type of situation, right?”
A small smile makes its way onto her face. “I guess so, yeah. Are you alright? I’m totally freaked out in this weird ass place.”
“I’m okay!” Makoto says brightly. His smile reflects the tone in his words. He looks so different than everyone else in here. He doesn’t belong here… but he’ll be fine; Makoto’s lucky.
The small boy who definitely looks like he’d be the first to go steps closer to her, hands still raised in a gesture of peace. “I’m just here looking to trade some coins I found in some desks for some gifts for everyone… Maybe it’ll ease the tension. Do you like anything in particular, Enoshima-san?”
Mukuro shakes her head, less forcefully this time. No hair hits her face. It’s rare for Mukuro to repeat the same mistake twice. “Unless it’s the key to get out of here.”
Makoto does the half chuckle he does and says nothing else. He’s probably nervous. And scared. He’s probably really scared. The mercenary’s heart sinks.
“Yeah, well, I’m beat. See ya', Neagi-kun.”
The soldier reminds herself once she leaves the room that she still can’t take a victory breath of relief. The battle is not over. But still… she did well, he couldn’t tell. Though, why would he? She made sure of that… Though… if anyone could…
Hope.
It’s a weird thing to feel. Mukuro honestly can’t say she’s ever felt despair. It’s still hard to define what it even is exactly. But hope? It’s all she’s been holding onto recently.
“Yo! Enoshima-san, I think it is?” Hagakure calls out to her.
It doesn’t surprise her that he’s still unsure of her name; it took him three weeks to commit it to memory during their school year together. Even though that was Mukuro, who is a lot more forgettable a person than her shining sister, it somehow took him longer to remember Junko than her; he's that much of an airhead. It makes the simple task actually kind of impressive that he’s retained it even after two days of this; maybe it means he’s taking everything a little more seriously than he’s letting on.
“Yo,” Mukuro says with a peace sign towards him as he jogs towards her. He’s probably collecting people for some sort of meeting.
“Ishimaru is calling everyone for a meeting in the cafeteria in a few minutes, just to let you know,” he says as she continues to run right past her.
Normally, a simple nod would do as a response, but she supposes Junko would do something a bit different. “Yeah, whatever, thanks, I guess.”
Is Junko that rude? She can be at times. She definitely is, but Mukuro suspects she’s laying it on a bit thick. She’s not representing her sister correctly at all. All she can do is hope that Junko isn’t upset with her.
As her anxiety builds, Makoto comes stumbling out of the room with so many things in his hands that he immediately trips. Mukuro has to stop herself from catching his fall; it would be so easy… She wishes-
“Thanks, Enoshima-san!” Makoto says with a sincere smile as she grabs some of the trinkets on the floor. “Did someone just mention something about meeting up in the cafeteria?”
“Yeah, Hagakure-kun did,” Mukuro informs him, continuing to hold the items in her arms for her one-sided crush.
“Want to go together?” the adorably clumsy boy asks.
Even in a situation like this, Makoto is still so cheerful and kind… He really took it to heart when people told him to never change.
“Yeah, I got nothing better to do. Let’s go.”
. . .
The meeting did not go well- by her classmates' standards. Mukuro is sure Junko got a kick watching them all argue. Day by day, it's becoming more and more apparent how stressed everyone is about the situation. Only a few students are really holding it together now…
Things might have been okay, but with Togami challenging Ishimaru’s authority, they’re all screwed. Now that the leadership has been called into question, the followers will crack. Throw in the motives Junko has up her sleeve that she's yet to reveal for some reason… A body will be found soon enough.
Mukuro just hopes it’s not-
“Hi!” Maizono approaches with a smile. Mukuro never got close enough with the girl to know her genuine ones from the false ones. All she knows is how dizzying it can be to be on the receiving end of one.
Smiling is foreign to Mukuro; there’s never been a point. However, it’s polite to smile back, right? So she does. Even though it feels unnatural and like her lips would crack from how wide hers is right now if she didn’t have this fucking lip gloss on.
How are people supposed to interact with pretty girls? It’s been a question on Mukuro’s mind since meeting the idol the first time. Typically, Mukuro would just ignore her or walk away, but Junko…
“Yo.” Mukuro peaces to her.
This is a person Mukuro wouldn’t mind seeing go first. If anyone could foil her and Junko’s plan besides Kyoko or Chihiro, she’d be a strong contender. Maizono is in a similar field to her sister… She's been avoiding her in case she wants to talk about something like stage lighting and posing or something... Any wrong move, and she’ll know she’s a fraud. Maizono Sayaka is dangerous to her.
“You look stressed, Enoshima-san. Don’t listen to what Togami-kun said… He’s just trying to get under people’s skin,” the pop sensation says with a disapproving look towards the door. Togami was the first to leave in a dramatic exit, with, of course, the serial killer following right after.
Sayaka’s expressions are always so animated. How does she do it? Mukuro suspects the girl has a poker face as strong as Ludenburg's or even Kirigiri's. It’s impossible to know what she’s thinking… Knowing everyone’s secrets is the only upper hand she has in trying to understand their thought processes.
Kirigiri’s is easy; it just means she’s distrusting. Her gloved, burnt hands mean she just isn’t interested in intimate conversations; any words from her are strictly business-related. Similarly, Ludenburg hides things about herself too… where she’s from, what she likes, her eye color… Everything is a guaranteed lie if she’s speaking to you.
But Maizono? Cyberbullying an idol to death is some hardcore shit. It means she’s definitely sharper than she looks, but that’s all it gives her. It’s hard to know whether to take everything she says with a grain of salt or not. If only Mukuro could have gathered more intel on her. Seriously, why was she so pussy about hanging out with her during the school year? It's really screwing her over now. Even if she embarrassed herself, it’s not like Maizono would have remembered. Maybe it’s because-
“Enoshima-san?” Makoto asks with a tilt of his head as he waves a hand in front of her face. “Sayaka-san asked if you wanted to come.”
“Come where?” Mukuro replies without thought. Damn it, she was distracted.
Maizono giggles, and it irritates the trained soldier. She definitely hopes she dies first; she’s been such a pain in the ass since she met her… the first time.
“Makoto-kun is going to spend some time with Fukawa-san because she looked pretty freaked, and she doesn’t… like my company. I wanted to know if you’d want to spend some time with me in my dorm? Maybe we could have a sleepover, I’m pretty freaked,” Maizono explains, looking rather vulnerable as she makes her request.
It’s hard to tell facade from reality… Mukuro would be a fool to accept such a bold idea, a complete idiot to fall for her sad gaze.
“I got some nail polish from the school shop!” Makoto volunteers.
What does nail polish have to do with anything? If he thinks some nail polish would make her accept such a thing, he’s dumber than he looks.
“That’s perfect, Makoto-kun! How’d you know I was looking for some?! Do they have it in pink?”
Maizono and Mukuro watch as Makoto lights up and drops the rest of his items back on the cafeteria table. He searches himself next, patting his right pocket before moving to the left at dramatic speed, before triumphantly holding up some pink glittery nail polish. Lucky her. The fact that she's whipped Makoto into blind loyalty within 3 minutes of meeting her cements the idea that this girl is the definition of dangerous; there’s no way she’ll accept now.
“Yeah, well, there’s no way I’m staying in a locked dorm with someone else, even if they are a girl,” Mukuro declines with a cross of her arms. A tactic she’s been told by Junko to make her chest appear larger. It’s unrelated, but now she can’t help but think she’s pushing up her breasts whenever she crosses her arms… She drops hold of herself quickly after, but retains her forced, uncomfortable pout.
Makoto frowns disappointingly at her, and Sayaka pouts in return. Both expressions don’t look intentional; in fact, Sayaka’s sad pout looks more like a depressed expression rather than her continuing to look upset for the sake of trying to convince her.
“I understand,” Sayaka concedes. “Sleeping in a foreign place like this is scary enough, let alone showering… I thought… Well, whatever, would you like to walk to our dorms together then instead?”
The mention of sleep confirms Mukuro’s suspicion about the idol not getting a lot of it last night. After a few lessons on makeup from Junko, it’s a little easier for Mukuro to identify it on others’ faces. Maizono does look like she has a bit more under her eyes than she did in school, typically…
“Yeah, sure, a pretty escort to my room is okay,” Mukuro agrees with a shrug.
Makoto looks happy they’re going together. He probably believes that the power of friendship will fix all of this… that it’ll prevent any murders. He's such a naive optimist, it's partly why she likes him so much. To have hope in a situation like this is inspiring.
He smiles like a proud dad at the pair of them for a moment before visibly remembering his task and pressing a heavy foot on the ground in a motion as if he’s ready to shoot off. He turns back to her and Maizono before beaming and waving goodbye while saying, “Well, I’m going to try to talk to Fukawa-san before she gets too far. Goodnight, you guys!”
Now it’s just the pair of them.
Maizono, Maizono. What to do about this girl?
“Ready to go, Enoshima-san?” the preppy girl asks, once again smiling at her. Why? It’s weird how much she smiles and how naturally she does it, too.
“After you,” Mukuro concurs.
Once Maizono starts walking, Mukuro follows suit, matching her stride as she walks beside her. Keeping pace with her is a lot easier than with Junko, whose pace can change depending on anything. Mood, hunger level, ...weather.
Coming up with something to talk about in the silence that follows is too difficult and with too low a reward for Mukuro to try. She’ll leave it up to the talkative idol that’s been following Makoto around; she’s been slightly curious about what there even is to talk about between those two. Maybe this conversation will give her some insight.
“I’ve got to say, it’s fortunate that there’s food here. Being trapped and starved to death would make this situation a lot worse, don’t you think? So, I guess it’s not all bad,” Sayaka rambles with her hands behind her back as she looks at her. Observes her more like. She’s probably trying to poke around inside her head about how she feels about being here. It's invasive.
What does the idol even know about food anyway? The lack thereof would probably make little difference to her either way; she’s rather thin.
“While it’s true, I would know how to ration our food supply if it did get thin. Food and water are basic needs of survival, aren't they? We’d be pretty screwed if we had no way to access them.”
Mukuro forgot about Maizono’s weird intuition. It’s honestly a pretty terrifying skill that she has, even for the soldier whose own intuition and gut feeling have saved her a multitude of times throughout her life. It makes her wonder what she’s been through to have trained hers so well.
For the second time, Mukuro oddly laments not speaking with the idol more before the killing game. How does she operate? She’s such a wild card, Mukuro is sure Junko has high hopes for her in this game. Her chances of shaking it up and surviving are pretty strong.
“Hey!” Mukuro whines, her voice sounding uncanny in her ears. “Don’t read my mind like that, it’s an invasion of privacy. A girl’s gotta have some secrets, ya' know?”
Sayaka giggles at her words; it’s the same giggle she gave Junko the first time her sister said that herself. Surprisingly, the idol didn’t consider her thoughts as incredibly rude…
“Sorry,” Mukuro apologizes, before regretting it. Would Junko apologize? Usually, if she wants to gain something from the relationship, but there’s nothing for Mukuro to gain here. Junko likes crushing people’s spirits; she should have doubled down. “I guess.”
She shouldn’t have said that either, fuck… She’s doing it all wrong…
“Don’t worry about it,” Maizono replies airily before following it up with a wink.
They’re at Junko’s dorm now. She’s free!
“Well, it’s been nice talking to you. Feel free to hit me up for a chat tomorrow," Mukuro concludes. She hopes she won’t take her up on the offer. “Goodnight.”
The door to her room shuts as quickly as it opens-
“Hey, Enoshima-san? Do you remember me?” Sayaka suddenly asks.
…Is what Mukuro would like to say. Instead, the door lingers halfway open, with her face and expression still visible from the opposite side of the frame.
…Remember her? Does Junko know Sayaka?
Why would her sister not say anything? Is this some sort of test? From whom, though, Maizono or Junko? Mukuro’s heart races, but no one but her would know that. She needs to get a grip; a Fenrir soldier The princess of despair shouldn’t be as afraid of her as she is. It’s pathetic.
“Honestly, I have no clue what you’re talking about, Maizono-san,” Mukuro confesses in a way that makes it sound like a casual misunderstanding and not like she’s impersonating her sister, the actual model.
Did they meet in a shoot or something? What the fuck, Junko?
Maybe it’s her fault for not going through all of Junko’s shoots… Is this karma for being a bad sister? Punishment?
Maizono hums a tune of disappointment. “I see,” she says, sounding downtrodden. “It makes sense, we did a shoot together a few years ago when I was just starting to take off, so I can understand you not remembering me. It’s my fault for not making a stronger first impression.”
Mukuro swallows. Maizono’s taking the blame? She looks upset about it, too.
The Junko look-alike shakes her head too hard again, slapping her wig against her cheek. Stupid Mukuro, the discomfort she gets from the false hair in her eyes is only fair. “It’s my fault for not remembering you. At the time, I was swamped with shoots, so it was probably just another day to me.”
Maizono smiles at her, one of her stronger ones, wider, prettier even as she holds her hand out. “My name’s Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you.”
Mukuro frowns; she’s heard this before. …Like three times now. “I know,” she says a little too flatly. It’s hard not to be a little annoyed with the girl. Everyone knows her fucking name, why is she needlessly introducing herself again?
Said girl’s smile doesn’t fade at her tone; however, she even smiles brighter. It’s hard to believe Mukuro could be on the receiving end of such a smile, but it makes more sense when she remembers that she could never. These are probably things Junko gets a lot of… only Makoto would bother to smile at the real her.
“Please remember me this time! We’re classmates now, which means we’re going to be friends for life, especially after going through something as insane as this.”
The irony of her statement is lost on her, but not to Mukuro. ‘Please remember me.’ It’s hard not to wish for the same thing somehow. What’s harder is her trying not to regret her choice of not staying with her tonight.
“Well, I’ll be off. Goodnight, Enoshima-san! I’ll see you tomorrow," Sayaka says with a gentle smile.
“See ya’ tomorrow, Maizono-san,” Mukuro parrots before closing the door.
…Classic Sayaka, always so good at reading everyone but her.