Chapter 10

After a night of good sleep, I woke up feeling refreshed. There was nothing that can beat a good quality sleep. The heavy feeling I felt yesterday, almost disappear completely.

Then, the bell sounds rang ruining the quiet and peaceful morning, then the monitor screen in my room lights up. It was the Monokubs giving a morning announcement. They were not making any sense as always. I realized that every day, morning announcements will be broadcasted at 8 AM, and nighttime announcements at 10 PM.

Yesterday, we promised to meet up at the dining hall at 8 AM. I know I'd be late if I dilly-dallying here, but I want to take a bath before leaving.

After taking a bath and changing my clothes, I felt like I was reborn. I was ready to head out when I heard the sounds from the intercom.

Ding dong.

Hmm?

Somebody's pressing my intercom. Everyone should've gathered at the dining hall around this time. Who could that be?

Slowly, I opened my door and found Rantaro standing in front of me. "Rantaro?"

Rantaro looked explicitly relieved upon seeing me, "You are here. Great."

"What's wrong? Don't we have a meeting at the dining hall?"

"Yeah. Everyone had been gathered for some time, but you didn't show up, so everyone got worried about you. That's why I thought I should come and check on you."

Rantaro said he came to check on me, not to pick me up. I felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of them having assumed something has happened to me. What did everyone think had happened? Me getting murdered in my own room?

Well, if I think back on how we parted ways yesterday, I could understand why they may think that way, though.

"I am sorry for worrying you. I think I may be more tired than I thought last night. I overslept a bit, but I am ready to go now." I said, sincerely feeling apologetic. I should've gone to the dining room immediately instead of taking my time showering.

"That's good. Shall we go then?" asked Rantaro as he flashed me his usual smile.

After locking my door, we walked together to the dining hall. As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I felt a gentle breeze grazing my cheeks. Actually, minus the killing game, this academy was a pretty good place to live.

"Yesterday was pretty rough, huh?" said Rantaro, starting the conversation.

"Yes, it is. I know the possibility is slim, but I did have a slight hope it could work out."

Rantaro chuckled, "I bet everyone was like that. It's just people have different coping mechanisms. However, if you ask me, I say everyone's hearts are in the same place. We want to escape from this place."

"I believe so too," I said, as I stretched out my arms. "It makes me feel reassured to talk leisurely with you like this. With everything going on yesterday, we barely had any casual conversation."

"The situation doesn't give us much choice after all. It's good to just spend some time talking like this, though. Let's do this more often," said Rantaro, with a relaxed expression.

I beamed at his offer, "Really? I'd love to talk to you more!"

Seeing my enthusiasm, he chuckled with a tint of embarrassment on his face. "I didn't expect you to be so happy. It should be pretty boring to talk with a person who barely remembers anything, right?"

I shook my head. "That's not true at all! I bet everyone would also like to know more about you."

Rantaro's expression stiffened a bit. "I wonder about that."

There was something in his expression that made me wonder if I just said something wrong. While I was pondering about that possibility, Rantaro smiled again at me and said, "If anything, the person whom everyone would love to talk to is probably you."

"You think so?"

Rantaro nodded his head. "Yeah. I don't know how to put it, but talking to you feels so calming. You are open-minded and naturally a warm person. It makes people want to divulge their secrets to you and rely on you."

I didn't know he thought of me as someone like that. Somehow, I felt so happy. "You are exaggerating it. You are the cool one, Rantaro."

"How so?" asked Rantaro with a surprised face.

"You always pay close attention to people, and you have a quick mind. Even in the middle of chaos and panic, you keep your calm and pull everyone forward. Even yesterday, you helped us greatly. You shielded me from Exisals, gave Kaede advice, and you helped neutralize situations when fights about to break out. You are amazing!"

Rantaro stared at me in silence for a moment. Then, he gave me a bashful smile. "Now that's kinda overpraising, don't you think? I just think that I should show my usefulness here and then. After all, nobody would want to have anything to do with a person who can't remember his talent and is useless, right?"

He was talking in such a self-deprecating way. Was Rantaro the self-conscious type? If yes, he must've been pressured as he felt the need to prove himself. He might feel estranged from others since he couldn't remember his talent.

Thinking like that, I couldn't help but wanted to cheer him up. "Rantaro, talent is something imprinted in you after doing it again and again. Even if you can't remember it, doesn't mean it wasn't there. Your talent is a part of your identity. Knowing Monokuma, there must be a valid reason why you're the only one who can't remember your talent.

And you're not useless at all. You might not believe it, by I relied on you a lot. You're the first person I met here, and the fact that you can't remember your talent ironically made me want to know more about you, rather than keeping my distance from you." I said as I giggled. "I want to believe in you, Rantaro. You are not alone in this."

There was that silence again. Now that I think about it again, what I said maybe too presumptuous. Everyone must have one thing or two they didn't want to talk about right? I just wanted to cheer him up, but what should I do if he feels offended instead?

Hesitatingly, I glanced at him while smiling awkwardly. "Ah, I'm sorry if I offend you, Rantaro. I didn't mean to lecture you or anything. Please just forget what I said."

I was too ashamed to face him, so I stole a glance using the corner of my eyes. I was pretty shocked when I found him staring hard at me. Many emotions flashed through his eyes simultaneously. He looked touched at first glance, but there was a doubtfulness and vigilance mixed in it.

Like I thought, he didn't trust me. At least, not fully. I guess it's understandable since it's dangerous to believe someone so easily in this situation. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel disheartened by how circumspect he is.

"Rantaro?"

Rantaro flinched as I called out to him as if just awakened from his daydream. He scratched his head awkwardly, and his eyes wandering around like he didn't know where to look. He had a conflicted expression on his face. "Ah no, I didn't feel offended at all. I was just a bit surprised to hear that from you. I didn't expect that to come at all." He paused a bit before adding, "I never thought about it that way. You have a refreshing way of looking into things. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Mirai."

I was relieved when I heard that. He might not fully trust me yet, but I was glad to hear I didn't offend him with my words. I absolutely didn't want him to feel even more depressed than he already is. Without realizing it, we have arrived in front of the dining hall. "You're welcome, Rantaro. You can talk to me every time. Now shall we go in?"