Shuichi Saihara

"Wait, Monokuma!" the detective shouted, turning the corner just a step behind the mischievous bear. Of course, that search turned out fruitless. Shuichi knew it was pointless to even bother looking for the seams that might reveal whether Monokuma had disappeared into the floor, the walls, or the ceiling. Even if he could follow Monokuma, what was he even supposed to ask?

"Seriously?" the pale young man muttered to himself as he stared at the key in his hand, asking the question even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Unless he treated it as metaphorical, the function Monokuma described sounded like magic... very ethically suspect magic. "It forces people to love you? It transforms both them and you? B-body and mind? That has to mean, uh... No. There's no point in thinking about it too hard. For now, it's probably best to assume it really does change a person inside and out. And Monokuma's giving me a key like that? A key to turn someone into my perfect partner... If I screw it up, I could be ruining someone's life along with my own!"

The responsible part of Shuichi's brain that told him he needed to hide or destroy the thing was at war with the curious part of him that demanded to investigate it further. For reasons unknown to the young man, the latter part currently seemed far stronger. "If Monokuma has power like this, I have to see it for myself. I mean... if it turns out I don't want it, I can just abort, right? ... Right?" Monokuma hadn't said anything about Shuichi being to use it and keep using it, but why did it feel like he didn't have a choice?

"Okay, so if we start with the premise that I have to use it... Who would be the right person to use it with? I mean... th-that person... I'll have to pleasure them?! And then they're going to transform..."

The detective tried to put effort and hard thought into the decision, but he felt like his feet were going to start dragging him in a direction if he didn't make up his mind fast. "If I pick someone who's already close to being my ideal partner, both of us would be to change a minimal amount. If I put it that way... there's at least one person I'm close to that comes to mind," he admitted to himself, tugging his newsboy cap down and looking sheepishly to either side. His guilty conscience half-expected that person would jump out at him just for thinking about them... if that happened, what would Shuichi even say?

If he was thinking that way, maybe the better thing would be to pick someone he wasn't close to, rather than someone he was? "No, pull it together, Shuichi! You're going to pull in a random innocent bystander to have an unrefusable 'night of passion' with? That's even worse! Sheesh... What do I do...?"

In spite of the Key's influence, and in spite of the promise of a night of passion with his perfect partner, the indecisive young man was struggling to make a move.