To Serve...and Protect?

Monokuma's daily morning alert woke me up. As usual, all it said was that it was 7am, and Nighttime was officially over, meaning the Pool, Trash Room, and Dining Hall were once again open. I rolled out of bed, and promptly went down to one knee. I guess I must've slept funny, or maybe overdid it at the batting cages or while bowling, because the right side of my neck hurt like hell!

I tried massaging it a bit, but it didn't seem to help much. Grimacing, I made my way to my bathroom, but there were no painkillers in there. Half-sighing, half-groaning in annoyance as much as pain, I decided there was nothing for it, and made my way outside.

As I passed Kirumi's room, Mikan opened her door, and her eyes went wide open as she saw me.

"Shurinku? Are y-y-you hurt?" Mikan half-stammered, half-asked.

I tried to nod, but that hurt my neck more. "Yeah, I think so. Just woke up with a stiff neck, that's all."

Mikan's eyes went wide. "Oh, no! If...if it's ok, I'd l-l-like to take a look. It could be serious..." Mikan trailed off, looking off to the side.

Seeing no harm in it, I agreed to let Mikan check my stiff neck out. I followed Mikan to her room. She had two beds in her room, so I sat on the end of one of the beds, and she started her examination.

First, Mikan shined a small flashlight into my eyes, which I didn't react any differently than I ever do. She then took my temperature, which came out to 99.3*F (roughly normal for me; I tend to run around 99.1*F).

Mikan nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied, "Well, th-there is no fever, and your eyes reacted normally to the light, so I...I think we can rule out meningitis."

I was unaware that meningitis was even a possibility, but was happy to see I didn't have it. Mikan then walked over to a medicine cabinet on her wall and opened it. She pulled out a syringe, read the side of it, and then approached me. I could faintly read "Corti" on the syringe, but her hand covered the rest.

Mikan took the cap off the needle, and showed me the syringe. "This is a cortisone shot, with a fast-acting painkiller mixed into it. It's a very small needle, so you shouldn't feel too much pain from the shot. The painkiller will work now, and the cortisone will work more long-term. Is...is this ok?"

Trusting Mikan, I nodded and rolled down the collar on my shirt. Mikan moved carefully, wiping the sore area with an alcohol wipe. She then instructed me to be still, and I felt a tinge of pain in my neck, from the needle. After a few more moments, Mikan moved away, grabbing some gauze and some medical tape. She made a bandage out of them, over the shot location, by placing the gauze over my neck and taping it in place. I sat still for several moments, while Mikan made sure the shot site didn't bleed too much. After she was satisfied, she sat down on the bed, next to me, and we talked about her traumatic childhood. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, a lesser person would have offed themselves if faced with the same things Mikan dealt with.

After I was convinced I wasn't having any side effects from the shot, other than some soreness at the site of the injection, I thanked Mikan, gave her a hug, and then made my way to the Dining Hall for breakfast.

Kirumi made bacon egg and cheese omelettes, with maple syrup and orange juice. I had two helpings, then offered to help with dishes, mostly to test out my neck. It was still a little sore, but nowhere near as bad as it was when I woke up. Kirumi washed the dishes, with elbow-high yellow gloves on, and I dried them and put them on the rack. Hand drying can help prevent spots on glassware, Kirumi claimed, and I was in no position to contradict her.

After finishing up dishes, I started to leave, but decided that I wanted to talk to Kirumi some more first. I asked Kirumi if she would sit with me at the Dining Room table, to discuss some concerns of mine. Realizing that Kirumi would take this as a request, I already knew she would agree, and we sat across from each other, at the end of the table nearest the kitchen.

"I'm concerned about Kokichi and Nagito, particularly Kokichi," I started. "I feel like they're up to something, and I've got a particularly bad vibe with Kokichi."

Kirumi didn't really respond, at least not in the physical sense, but after several moments of silence, she finally replied to me. "I think I understand what you're getting at, Shurinku. Are you worried that, perhaps, the two are plotting against us somehow?"

I shook my head. "Not against us, per se, but they're definitely planning something. I talked to Nagito the night of Ibuki's death, but even he didn't seem to know much about what Kokichi has in mind." I went silent for a few moments, then continued. "That...really concerns me."

Kirumi nodded. "I can understand your concerns, Shurinku. Is it your request to have me monitor them?"

I shook my head. "No. You may watch them, if you wish, but only if they are already in your vicinity. I don't want them tipped off any more than they might already be."

Kirumi agreed with me, then added that she had no other information on this topic. I helped her wipe off the Dining Room table and chairs before taking my leave of her.

I went up to the Library to speak with Byakuya on a few matters. He completely dismissed Kokichi and Nagito, and cared even less about the Eating Contest tomorrow. However, he seemed even more convinced that the "hidden room" was being used as an HQ, and was certain that the mastermind knew we knew about it. However, no one has shown up to stop him, and Monokuma hasn't really said anything about it, either. Therefore, either the mastermind was confident we couldn't get in, or they didn't care if we did or not. I wasn't sure which scenario I preferred, and I knew better than to ask Byakuya that question.

I spent the rest of the day taking it easy on my neck, reading a book on personality disorders popularized in Japan. Yandere, tsundere, and several others.

The next day would be the Eating Contest between Akane and Hina. Kirumi would be cooking the food, Nagito would be the server, and Peko and Maki would be in charge of keeping times, one on each contestant, though I didn't know which girl would be watching which contestant yet. The timer would start on Nagito's command, and would only stop when the plate was clean and the contestant showed an empty mouth. I figured Akane would win, but I was eager to watch it happen.

I never expected the end result, though...