2. I think I'm gonna kiss a mass murderer

"Go." He didn't have to say anything else. I pushed through the crowd, running down a dark alley. A few guys followed me, but I outran them. At least, that's what I thought. I turned once to see a dark mist following me. Only one guy was left, but he didn't seem to be chasing me anymore.

I ran faster. And faster. I rushed past dumpsters and trash bags, boxes and old toys. On a normal day, I would look through some of them so I could give them to my little step-sister, Kotoko. But not today.

Eventually, me and the guy stood at a dead end. The gas was now blocking our way out. I pressed my back against the wall, holding my breath. The gang member did the same.

I saw a shadow walk through the mist. A man wearing a gas mask walked closer to me. He got closer and closer. I stood there in fear, still holding my breath. He reached into his bag and brought out a spare mask. Then, he placed it on my face, and I breathed in the fresh air as he secured the mask on my head.

Unfortunately, I recognized his dark suit and his navy, night-sky hair. Saihara pulled me into a hug. I looked to my right and saw the poor gang member choking on toxic air. All I could do is watch in fear as he scratched at his neck, helplessly. Eventually, he stopped moving and his hands fell to his side. Saihara still held me in his warm arms.

"W-What... what just happened? Saihara...did you....are you...I..." Words failed me at the moment.

"Shhhh..." Saihara's voice was muffled under the mask. I started to sob in his arms. He held me tightly.

After a while, he let go of me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I have to clean this up. Stay here, okay?"

I nodded, having no desire to move. All I wanted to do was sit and cry. So that's what I did. I slid down the wall and hugged my knees. Saihara left me for a few minutes to "clean up", as he put it. Guess I wasn't imagining things earlier. So much for this guy not having issues. He's a fucking serial killer.

I felt a hand on my head. When I looked up, I was met with his warm smile.

"It's okay to take the mask off. Do you want-"

I cut him off by shoving the mask in his chest. I pushed his hand off me and stood up. "Thanks for the help, Saihara. B-But I need to go now."

"The rest of the alley is still full of gas, are you sure?"

I stared at him. He sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I know this looks bad, but please, let me explain-"

"You don't need to. I know a-already. You kill people. I've seen your w-work on the news."

"Oma-chan..." He stared at me with miserable eyes. "They were going to hurt you. You haven't done anything wrong, and they were going to hurt you. I won't allow that."

"So y-you killed them?"

"They would have killed you. Or worse. I won't allow that."

"Why not? People g-get hurt all the time. Doesn't mean you should k-kill people..."

"...Because I hate it. I can't stand the thought of people hurting and taking advantage of weaker people. It's sick. And the fact that I wasn't doing anything made me part of the problem. So I did something."

"...W-What are you talking about?"

"If you really connect the dots, you see that all my victims...were rapists. And pedos. And sex traffickers. Cat-fishing young people online and kidnapping them. They would take advantage of people, even small children, and use them for their own selfish desires. It's sick. I hate it. They ruin innocent lives for momentary pleasure, or monetary gain. I won't forgive them for it. So I did something."

"...oh..." I said quietly.

"...Oh, did I scare you? Sorry! I just get...really passionate about these sort of things."

"Y-You kill people, Saihara. Passionate is a b-bit of an understatement."

He laughed his delightful laugh again. Not fair. How come a serial killer has such a nice laugh? "Looks like you still have your blunt sense of humor."

"...I...still don't u-understand...why did you let me live? I-I'm a witness..."

He cupped my cheek and sighed, his kind gray eyes meeting mine. "You haven't done anything wrong. That's why. You don't deserve hell for being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"...B-But..."

"Are you...protesting?" He gave me an intrigued look.

"...Not n-necessarily."

"Good, that would be kinda sad."

"...You say that l-like you care about how I feel."

"Is that supposed to be an accusation, or..?"

"No, u-usually people don't care about s-strangers..."

"We're not strangers though."

"Eh?"

"We're lost together buddies, silly!" He gave me a warm smile.

I blushed. Get over your feelings, dumbass. He's a murderer. "Right..."

He looked at me with concern. "I'd ask if you're okay, but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that. What's wrong?"

"...I just have h-horrible luck, that's all. I mean, one of the first p-people I meet other than H-Harukawa-san that could be my friend, and they're a m-murderer."

"We could still be friends, y'know."

"I...g-guess we could. I'm not all that b-bothered by murder, because of D-Danganronpa, but i-if any officials ask me, I-I don't know how long I can c-cover for you without it becoming a c-crime."

"Wait, hold on a sec." I stayed silent. He looked at me with wide eyes. "Someone's coming. Shit, uh..."

I thought about what to do for a moment, then looked him dead in his lovely gray eyes. "Kiss me."

"W-What?"

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