They enjoy Danganronpa together!

“Wow, that was… so crazy!” Komaru’s eyes were glittering as she lied on her stomach on Shuichi’s bed, legs kicking excitedly in the air behind her. She was staring up at Shuichi’s TV screen in front of her, which had just finished an episode of Danganronpa and was now playing the credits. “It’s sad and funny and weird and endearing all at the same time! I love it!”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Shuichi said as he sat next to her on the bed. “It’s been one of my favorite shows for the longest time.”

“Me too!” Kae said with a smile on the other side of Komaru. “I still remember trying to find ways to watch it when my parents weren’t looking when I was a kid!”

“I can see why! I definitely have to watch the rest of the show sometime! Although…” Komaru scratched her chin curiously. “Some of the characters seemed a little familiar for some reason. Like, is it just me, or did the protagonist of season one look just like my brother?”

“Really?” Shuichi blinked and looked back at the images on the TV. “I don’t see the resemblance at all.”

“Maybe they give off the same ‘older brother’ vibes or something, and that’s why he looks familiar,” Kae suggested.

“I guess…” Komaru stood up from Shuichi’s bed and started stretching her body. “Anyways, thanks for sharing that with me! I had a lot of fun watching it with you guys! And thanks again for teaching me how to be an escort!”

“It was no trouble at all, Mary.” Kae stood up and hugged Komaru into her naked chest. “I had a wonderful time with you too! If you ever need help again, or if you just want to hang out again, don’t hesitate to give me a call! Oh, that reminds me, we should probably exchange numbers so we can keep in touch.”

“Right, of course!” Komaru searched herself for her phone, only to realize that she didn’t have it. “Oh… I think I forgot my phone at home.”

“That’s fine! I can just write my number down.” Kae took a pen out of her own purse and wrote her number down on a small slip of paper, signing it with a smiling musical note. “What about you, Shuichi? Do you want to exchange numbers too?”

“W-what!?” Shuichi gasped and nearly fell over. “I-I mean, sure, I’d love to, I’m just… surprised is all.”

“What’s there to be surprised about? This way, you can just call me if you ever want to hire me again, and I can call you if I ever need another favor.” Kae explained as she wrote down her number again. “Plus, I’d love to talk more about Danganronpa with you later, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh…” Shuichi turned away to try and hide his obvious blush. “Sure… I’d like that too.”

Shuichi wrote down his number and slipped it to Kae, who copied it into her phone’s contact list with a proud look on her face.

“Can I swap numbers with you too, Shuichi?” Komaru spoke up.

“My, look at you, Shuichi! Getting girls’ numbers left and right! You’re becoming quite the popular bachelor!” Kae teased, nudging Shuichi with her elbow.

“Hey, it’s not like that!” Komaru insisted with a blush. “I’m just doing this so I can call him for help too!”

“If you say so!” Kae giggled. “Just remember to only give your name or number to people you really, really trust! Otherwise, they might start harassing you, and believe me when I say that you don’t want to be in a situation where you have to call the police.”

Komaru looked back towards Shuichi, who reflexively tried to hide his face behind a baseball cap that wasn’t there.

“Don’t worry, I definitely trust him~” Komaru smiled as she wrote down her number for Shuichi, who blushed as he did the same for her.

“Thanks, Komaru. That means a lot to me,” Shuichi replied. “I promise I’ll help you out whenever I can.”

“Prefect! Now, let’s get going so we can put you on the streets for real this time! Don’t worry, the girls by my corner are really nice so you won’t have to worry about them getting territorial or anything,” Kae said as she slipped her clothes back on shockingly quickly. “Now remember to be polite, but don’t be a pushover, and be sure to use all the techniques Shuichi and I taught you! Oh, and don’t worry if a client finishes with you early. It happens all the time, and it just means that you have more time for even more Johns!”

“Alright! I promise to do my best!” Komaru smiled confidently and took a step towards the front door, only to immediately trip on her high heels and land flat on her face. “Oww…”

“Don’t worry, Mary, I’ve got you~” Kae helped Komaru to her feet and held her hand as they walked towards the door together.

“W-wait!” Shuichi suddenly spoke up. “Before you go, there was just… something I wanted to ask.”

“Oh?” Kae turned back to look at Shuichi. “What is it?”

“Uh, well… um…” Shuichi tried not to stammer, but he couldn’t stop himself. He was clearly nervous, and the warm welcoming expression on Kae’s beautiful face somehow intimidated him more than her naked body had. “I was just wondering… since you gave me your number… that means that you trust me, right?”

“Of course it does!” Kae giggled and tilted her head. “I wouldn’t give my number to any random guy, after all!”

“In that case, I was wondering if… perhaps…” Shuichi looked away, unable to keep eye-contact with Kae. “If you trusted me enough to tell me your real n-name?”

“Eh!? Kae’s not your real name!?” Komaru gasped in shock.

“Uh… yeah, it’s not. Sorry, I thought that was kind of obvious.” Kae rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. “I’ll tell you my real name once we get to the red light district, Komaru. But as for you, Shuichi… I’m sorry, but I have a strict no-name policy with my clients, even they’re my friends. It helps keep our relationships from getting too… complicated, you know?”

“O-oh… that’s fine.” Shuichi’s shoulders slumped. “I understand.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, Shuichi. Just because I said ‘no’ doesn’t mean you have to get all down in the dumps.” Kae gently lifted the office boy’s chin and moved his gaze meet hers. “Real confidence isn’t about getting what you want all the time, after all. It’s about being able to keep going strong even when you fail or are rejected. Besides, we can still be pals even if you don’t know my real name, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Shuichi replied, still a little sullen.

“That’s the spirit!” Kae playfully ruffled Shuichi’s hair before turning back towards the exit. “Have a good night, Shuichi! I’ll talk to you again soon, okay?”

“Yeah… you two have a good night too.” Shuichi waved weakly at the door as it closed behind the two women.

“Wow… that was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Komaru asked Kae as they walked down out of the apartment complex.

“There’s nothing wrong with having boundaries, Mary,” Kae replied with a teacherly finger pointed up in the air. “And if someone doesn’t respect them, they aren’t worth knowing as clients or as friends.”

“I know that, it’s just… I can’t believe you’d rule out telling him entirely,” Komaru said as she twiddled her fingers.

“Well, I’d tell him if we started dating or something, of course, but unless that happens then he’s just going to have to stick with my street name,” Kae replied as they reached the sidewalk.

“Really?” Komaru’s head perked up curiously. “Does that mean you’re not thinking about dating him either?”

“Hmm… well…” Kae paused for a few moments as she considered the question. “I’m not so sure about that. He is kinda cute, and considerate, and hanging out with him is pretty fun. I don’t know, I’ll have to give that some more thought before I decide. Maybe get to know him better first.” Kae then playfully poked Komaru in the side, causing her fellow escort to squirm. “Why do you ask? You’re not scoping out the competition, are you?”

“H-hey, I said I don’t like him like that!” Komaru blushed bright red once more. “It’s just… he’s a friend of my family, so I’m just looking out for his feelings.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about that!” Kae pat Komaru on the back as they reached a bus stop. “Shuichi’s a rational guy, after all. He knows that relationships take time to build, and that I didn’t mean anything personal by keeping my name secret. In fact, I bet you he’s over it and back to normal already!”

“I screwed up,” Shuichi mumbled into the pillow he was pressing down over his face. “I can’t believe I asked Kae such a dumb question. She probably never wants to talk to me again, and she was just being nice because Komaru was there. I bet she’s going to change her number the moment she gets home.”

Shuichi removed the pillow and let out a depressed sigh.

“Oh well… at least our time together was fun while it lasted. I guess I’ll just have to hire other sex workers from now on, like Hina, or Koko, or Reol-” Shuichi suddenly sat up so fast that he nearly fell off his own bed. “Reol! Oh no, I almost forgot about our date tomorrow! I’m not ready at all!”

Still dressed in just his boxers, Shuichi ran over to his closet and began to look through his clothes, only to find row after row of business suits.

“Come on, come on! I have to own something more casual than this!” Shuichi stopped once he reached the back of the closet, where he found his one tracksuit sitting against the wall. “L-less casual than that! I have to go out and buy something to wear right now! A-and a gift too! I just hope I can find something she likes…”

In a panic, Shuichi burst out of his apartment and ran down to his convertible, though he had to run right back when he realized he left without his wallet – and his clothes.

“It’s okay, Shuichi, you can do this,” the dark-haired boy said to himself in his bedroom mirror as he hastily threw on his tracksuit. “It’s just a date… with a beautiful girl… who can easily kill you in hundreds of different ways… there’s no need to overthink this. I just have to stay confident, and everything will turn out fine… Right?”

Shuichi took a few deep breaths as he tried his best to calm down, though his hands were still shaking as he put his baseball cap on and headed back outside to his car. There, he sat down, turned on the engine, and drove off towards the glowing setting sun.