Chapter Text
Ouma is on her millionth sketch of Amami Rantaro, a new contestant in V2. She's obsessed with him, not sure whether she's rooting for him to win or hopes to see him executed, but she will be devastated if he's a victim.
She's always lost in her own thoughts when she visits the Danganronpa collaboration cafe, but she's especially contemplative today, the muscle memory of shading in Amami's hair not enough to distract her. She's been in the cafe for quite a while now, and a waiter forced her to order a drink if she's going to loiter. She sips it slowly, knowing the longer she takes to finish it, the longer they'll let her stay.
She tends to keep her eyes averted from the other patrons of the cafe. Since Danganronpa began live auditions, the fanbase has taken a dark turn, and she doesn't like being perceived as a fan in public. She's content to engage with the community exclusively in fan forums and the handful of zines she's participated in.
And yet, she glances up on impulse when the door jingles to signal a new customer, and recognition hits her immediately. It's the new girl in her class who started just a few days ago. She thinks she remembers her name being Saihara, and she just moved here from the eastern countryside. From the moment Ouma laid eyes on her, she radiated awkwardness, like it's her first day in her own skin.
Ouma didn't expect her to be a Danganronpa fan. She's soft spoken, overly polite, and feminine in the ways Ouma isn't; makeup, her hair done, her skirts ironed. Maybe she's still trying to make good first impressions at school in the hopes no one finds out about her secret interests. Ouma has a hard time imagining her being into something as depraved as Danganronpa.
And yet, she stands at the front door of the cafe, looking around, eyes twinkling with wonder. She absorbs every piece of decor with delight, clearly starstruck. Ouma felt the same when the cafe first opened and she saw it for the first time, so she can’t fault her. Surely Saihara didn’t have anything like this out in the country.
Unlike Ouma, she makes a point to observe the cafe patrons as well, and Ouma averts her eyes too late to avoid Saihara's gaze. Before she knows it, Saihara is making her way over, albeit sheepishly.
“H-hello… you’re Ouma-san, right…? I’m Saihara, I think we’re in the same class…” Her voice is willowy, high-pitched, and soft. Almost forced.
“Yep,” Ouma agrees with half the grace of Saihara’s introduction. “Is this your first time here?”
“Yes! It was the first thing I wanted to do when I moved here, but… with school, and unpacking, I’m only now getting a chance to check it out…” she continues to gaze around, her hands awkwardly fiddling with the back of the chair across from Ouma. Ouma has no plans on offering her the seat. “D-do you mind if I sit here? I don’t have to, sorry, that was probably presumptuous of me–“
“It’s fine,” Ouma cuts her off, trying to stop her awkward rambling. She sits down swiftly, still looking around, and catches the eye of the waiter, who begins to make his way over.
“Oh, um, do you have any recommendations, Ouma-san?”
“Just get the stuff themed after the characters you like,” Ouma says mindlessly, and Saihara seems stung by her dismissiveness. Regardless, the waiter approaches and Saihara easily orders a Kirigiri drink.
“Ouma-san, would you like anything?”
Ouma already has her own drink, but she’s not one to turn down anything for free. “How about a Celes chocolate fondant, y’know, to go with the Kirigiri drink?”
“Oh, that makes sense… we’ll take one of those as well,” Saihara tells the waiter, turning her attention back to Ouma once he departs. “So… do you like Celesgiri?”
It’s an excruciatingly awkward conversation to be having verbally, Ouma only used to talking about it online, but she can’t deny the excitement that comes along with discussing something she loves. “For sure. It’s my favorite ship. I think I draw them the most.” She clutches her sketchbook protectively.
“Y-you draw, Ouma-san? That’s amazing… I’m more of a writer, actually, though I don’t think it’s really any good…”
Something clicks in Ouma’s mind at Saihara’s temperament. “Have you written for any zines before?”
Saihara’s eyes widen, and she lowers her head. “Um, yeah, a few… they’re usually more art-based, though, so I tend to get paired up with artists.”
Ouma has a sneaking suspicion, despite a few details not adding up in her head. She looks around to make sure there’s no one in close earshot and leans in to speak as quietly as she can. “You didn’t happen to do the Celesgiri omorashi zine, did you?”
Saihara’s head shoots up, staring at Ouma in abject shock, and Ouma flushes hot, realizing she just gave herself up, and now Saihara thinks she’s a freak–
“How did you know?”
Now Ouma is the one in shock. “Just a lucky guess… for a second, I thought maybe we had been partners on it, but I was paired up with a dude, so…”
Saihara is quiet for a moment, but by the time Ouma looks up at her, she seems to find her words. “And the person I was paired up with had neutral pronouns…”
Ouma’s blood runs cold. “That… could have been me.”
“Oh… do you go by that?”
“No! Not in person, it’s just an internet thing for me…” The internet is the only place she can get away with it, at least. She would be the laughing stock of the whole school if she tried to be anything other than the petite, pale, skin-and-bones girl she is now.
“I used to feel that way too, but then at some point it overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t keep going about my life without living the way I wanted to.” Saihara is more comfortable now, and Ouma finally understands.
“Let me guess, your classmates in Hyuga didn’t take so kindly to a trans girl?”
“No better than people in Kyoto accepting nonbinary people, I guess…”
“I’m not– I don’t think the people here love a trans girl, so I would be careful with who you tell.”
“I wasn’t planning on telling anyone… the whole point in me moving was to get away from people who knew. But I didn’t expect to run into someone I knew here… someone who likes Danganronpa too. Can you keep a secret?”
Ouma shrugs. “It’s not like I have anyone to tell. I don’t really have friends.”
“I guess that makes me feel better…? I can’t imagine someone as pretty as Ouma-san not having any friends, though…”
Saihara blushes more than one should while just giving a simple compliment– but Ouma also blushes more than someone receiving one should. “You don’t have to flatter me, y’know. We both know each other’s secrets now, so we can just be friends, I think.”
Saihara’s eyes sparkle. “Really? You want to be friends with me?”
“Um, yeah? It’s not a big deal…”
Despite Ouma’s hesitation, Saihara seems relieved, and relaxes into her seat in time for the waiter to appear with their order. He kindly drops off two spoons for the fondant, and Ouma has to restrain herself from taking the whole plate.
Saihara notices. “I don’t really like overly sweet things, so you can have the fondant, if you’d like…”
“Then why did you agree to order it?”
“B-because I was grateful you let me sit with you…?”
That seems like a fair enough answer. Ouma shrugs, sets the second spoon aside, and digs in. It’s not a meal, but she knows this is the last thing she’ll be eating today, and can’t even bring herself to savor it. She hardly tastes it, only stopping herself when she realizes Saihara is staring. “How’s your drink?” Ouma asks curtly, and Saihara snaps out of whatever trance she was in.
“Oh, I haven’t tried it yet…” She takes a sip, contemplates, and sets the glass back down. “It’s good… I think I would like anything with Kirigiri’s name on it, though.”
“Is Kirigiri your favorite?”
“Definitely, and not just for the original, but all of the casts too… she always has been. Is yours Celes, then?”
“Hmm… nope! My favorites change all the time. I like Celes, but right now I like Amami.”
Saihara deflates, oddly. Is she really that picky with characters? “Amami? From the new cast? How can you even like him? The season hasn’t even started yet.”
Ouma senses Saihara’s tone and decides to get defensive. “Uh, he’s gorgeous? The Ultimate Adventurer? I think he’s a shoe-in to win this season. And he’s fun to draw.”
Saihara obviously disagrees, but doesn’t bother discussing it further. She takes another sip of her drink, giving the cafe another glance. Ouma wants to continue digging into the fondant, but feels bad for whatever mood shift she just caused.
“What time does the cafe close? I went back to my apartment to change out of my uniform before coming here, but I was worried I would get here late, and it would close…”
“It’s still open for another two hours. I usually come here right after school and stay until it closes.”
“You don’t do any clubs? Or go home to change?”
Ouma thinks that answer is obvious– she’s still in her school uniform. “Nope. Will you be signing up for clubs soon?”
“Not as long as the cafe is open… I want to be able to come here after school, too.”
Ouma understands the sentiment, but she has her own reasons for spending the bulk of her time here. “Won’t your parents get mad that you’re not doing any extracurriculars?”
Saihara’s eyes fall. “My parents travel for work, so they don’t really keep up with what I’m doing, as long as my grades are good… and I didn’t have anywhere to go after school back in Hyuga, or any friends, so I went home and spent most of my time online… but what about Ouma-san?”
To Ouma, the pursuit of clubs is an exercise in getting in good academic graces and securing a happy future. Neither of those things matter to her. She also doesn’t have any parents to get on her case, so what’s the point? “Not my speed,” is her simple answer. “Are you alone in your apartment, then?”
“Yes, it’s just me… that’s why I’m happy I have places like this to go to now, even by myself. It’s still lonely, but there wasn’t anything like this in Hyuga.”
“Saihara-san should invite me over sometime if she’s so lonely.”
She’s mortified at her own boldness, but her survival instinct has no regrets in looking for places to stay that aren’t where she lives right now. Saihara seems harmless enough, has an apartment all to herself, and shares Ouma’s one and only interest.
“O-Ouma-san is welcome over anytime,” Saihara responds after a beat of surprise.
“You better be sure about that, because I will take you up on the offer.”
"V2 is starting on Saturday, isn't it...? I usually watch it alone, but it would be nice if you wanted to come over, and watch it with me..."
Ouma wants to run and hide, but the idea of having someone to share something she's so excited about with is impossible to pass up. "That sounds great."