Komaru on Jabberwock Island

Hinata was trying to teach her the bassline to a song, but Komaru’s fingers were still wobbly from the day before. She kept missing the timing.

‘Sorry!’ she said, not for the first time, when she blunted the sound yet again. ‘I know I should get it already.’

‘Stop apologising,’ Hinata said. ‘You don’t need to apologise for being new to something.’

‘Yeah, but I’m making you help me …’

‘I volunteered, didn’t I? So you don’t need to apologise for that.’

Komaru tried again, probably pressing too hard this time, but at least the sound was better.

Focusing on that, Komaru didn’t notice the knock on the door until Hinata called out, ‘Who is it?’

Komaru resisted the urge to hide the bass behind herself – it wasn’t as if it was something to be ashamed of.

‘It’s just me,’ came the response. ‘Me’ being Komaeda. Hinata got a look on his face like this was something he always had to put up with, and he went to open the door.

Komaru rested the bass on her lap, and wondered if she should just hide altogether.

‘What is it?’

‘Actually, I was looking for Komaru-san,’ Komaeda said. Komaru squirmed on the bed. But when Komaeda saw her, his brow creased in confusion. ‘Komaru-san, I didn’t know you played the guitar.’

‘It’s a bass,’ Komaru said, and curled her fingers around the bottom of it defensively. ‘I’m learning.’

‘Does that make you the teacher?’ Komaeda looked at Hinata. ‘Well, I guess your talents should extend that far.’

‘Why were you looking for Komaru?’

‘Right, I’m being unnecessary. It’s actually Fukawa-san who was looking for you, Komaru-san.’

‘She was? Why?’

‘She didn’t really want to tell me. She’s in the old hotel building. I guess she needed help with something.’

‘Oh,’ Komaru said, and got to her feet automatically. ‘Sorry, Hinata-san, I should see what she wants.’

‘Sure, that’s fine. Take care.’

Take care? Komaru thought, as she left. She glanced over her shoulder at Komaeda, who didn’t seem to be leaving, and then decided not to think about it. She wondered what was so important that Toko had had to call for her. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Komaru was in the middle of something.

When Komaru got to the old hotel building, the entrance was empty.

‘Toko-chan?’

‘I’m down here!’ came Toko’s voice. Komaru followed that sound, padding through the halls.

‘Where’s here?’ she called back, but then she turned a corner and she saw Toko through a set of doors that were open wide on a large room.

‘What are you doing in here?’ Komaru said. There was only Toko in the room – except, that when Komaru entered the room, she could see that the walls had been marked with red paint.

‘What is this?’

‘I think it’s a logic puzzle,’ Toko said.

‘What?’ Komaru looked around, taking in the numbers that had been written, one to each wall: 2, 4, 5, 3, in Japanese numerals. A puzzle like the Monokuma children had set her in Towa City.

‘I see why you called me,’ Komaru said. ‘But why is this here?’

‘The first door should be locked now,’ Toko said. ‘Sorry.’ She was wringing her hands like she did when she was nervous, her eyes on the floor.

‘Why are you saying sorry?’ Komaru said. ‘Did you arrange this, Toko-chan?’

‘It wasn’t me,’ Toko said, ‘it was that white-haired creep. I think it’s meant to be a warning.’

‘A warning?’

‘That you shouldn’t get too close to that Hinata guy.’

‘Are you sure this wasn’t your idea?’

‘When have I ever assigned you a riddle?’

‘True.’ Komaru looked back at the numerals, noting them down in her mind, and then she went to check what Toko had said about the door being locked. Toko trailed behind her.

The door was locked. And, just like the old days, there was a laptop near the door with a password prompt up.

‘Be careful how you write it,’ Komaru read the help text. She looked at the lock on the door, which now she thought about it was incongruous with the old building.

‘It’s gotta be those numbers, right?’ Toko said.

‘Yeah, but in what order? It sounds like we might only get one chance.’

‘We’ll be trapped in here till someone comes to rescue us,’ Toko said. ‘Huh.’ She got a weird smile on her face, which Komaru ignored.

‘Well, let’s go see if there are any other clues.’

In the kitchen, they found a camera left conspicuously on the bench. It didn’t have a memory card, which seemed like an impossibly small thing to find until Toko pointed out the shopping list stuck to the refrigerator, which just said ‘cinnamon’ on it. Thence they had to find the spice rack, only all the containers were unlabelled, and they all had a memory card in them, and only the dregs of spices.

‘I guess we have to work out which one had cinnamon in it,’ Komaru said, and lifted one container to her nose. It smelt slightly floral – not cinnamon, she thought.

Toko sniffed one too, and then she sneezed. ‘What’s this?’ Toko said, ‘are we planning to cook something? You know I don’t do that housewife crap.’

‘Just tell me what spice it is,’ Komaru said.

‘Huh? You think I’d know something like that. Dekomaru, you’re really –’ Toko suddenly narrowed her eyes. ‘What’s this?’

‘It’s a puzzle,’ Komaru said patiently. ‘We need to work out which container had cinnamon –’

‘Not that,’ Toko said. She laughed, in an uncharacteristically gentle fashion for her alter ego. ‘That girl really does surprise me sometimes.’

‘Toko-chan?’

‘Well, I’m not going to spoil it for her.’ She picked up another container, and sniffed it, and sneezed again.

Then, somewhat shame-facedly, she held it out to Komaru. Komaru inhaled the scent herself.

‘That’s it!’ she said. ‘Toko-chan, you’re a star!’

‘And you’re so hokey,’ Toko said, waiting while Komaru fished out the memory card and inserted it into the camera.

There were only four photos on the card, each taken in the big room during what looked like a party. They all featured the Remnants of Despair, smiling and enjoying themselves.

Toko looked at them beside her.

‘They’re all taken facing different directions,’ Toko said.

Komaru flicked through them again, and Toko was right.

‘This must be the order then,’ she said. She thought it through. ‘Komaeda-san isn’t in any of these, huh?’

‘He probably took them,’ Toko said. ‘You know who is in them all?’

‘Huh? Who?’

Toko drew her mouth tight. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘Let’s check the numbers again.’

They checked the numbers, and then went back to the entrance to put them in.

2-3-4-5, Komaru typed.

The screen gave an error.

‘What? That was the right order, wasn’t it?’ Annoyed, Komaru put the numbers in again, hoping she’d mistyped. Again, she got the error message.

‘I guess it wasn’t a one-chance-only deal,’ Toko muttered.

‘I don’t think I mixed the walls up,’ Komaru said. ‘Maybe I should try them in reverse?’

‘Hang on,’ Toko said. ‘Be careful how you write it. He used the Japanese numerals for a reason, right?’

‘Yeah, but I can’t input those here.’

Toko was thinking. ‘It’s not what number it is,’ she said, ‘it’s the number of strokes you write it with.’

‘Huh? Oh. Like four has five strokes and five four … so they’re the other way around!’ Satisfied with Toko’s brainwave, Komaru put in the new set of numbers, and was rewarded by the password being accepted.

‘We did it!’ she said. Only then, instead of the door clicking open, a new screen popped up.

Security question, it said. What does Fukawa Toko want to be to Naegi Komaru?

‘Well, that’s easy,’ Komaru said, and she input the word ‘friend’.

It was rejected.

Komaru glanced at Toko, who had gone stiff beside her.

‘I’m gonna kill that guy,’ Toko said.

‘Now now,’ Komaru said. ‘What about “comrade”?’ Again, the answer was rejected. A new warning popped up: You have three attempts remaining.

‘Ah … do you have any thoughts, Toko-chan?’

‘Only about how I’m going to murder Komaeda,’ Toko muttered. ‘Let me do it.’

Komaru let Toko step in front of her, but she stood so that she could see what she was typing.

‘Do you have to watch?’ Toko said.

‘Well, it’s about me.’

‘It’s not even … he’s just making stuff up!’ Toko looked down at the keyboard, and then, very quickly, she typed the word ‘lover’.

The answer was accepted. Komaru heard the door unlock, but Toko didn’t move. Neither did Komaru.

‘Like I said,’ Toko said, ‘he’s just making stuff up.’

‘But you knew the answer.’

‘Yeah, well …’ Toko made her hands into fists. She wouldn’t meet Komaru’s eyes. She was embarrassed, Komaru thought. Was it that embarrassing?

‘What about Togami-san?’ Komaru found herself asking.

‘What about him?’ Toko said. ‘Aren’t I allowed to – to change my mind? I’m not a teenager any more.’

‘But I really had no idea.’ It never would have occurred to Komaru, because she knew how Toko felt about Togami. She’d thought she knew. And now everything they’d ever done together … the affection Toko had grown to show for her –  the way Toko had got so worked up thinking Komaru was interested in Hinata … Komaru saw those things in a new light.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Toko said. ‘It doesn’t mean anything.’

‘How can it not mean anything?’

‘Because,’ Toko said, ‘if I let it mean anything, then you’d have to reject me, and then we couldn’t be friends any more and I … I don’t want to be alone.’

Toko took a deep breath; she was trembling. Komaru thought that if she reached out a hand to steady her, Toko might break.

‘Why,’ Komaru said, ‘do you think I would reject you?’

Toko was silent a moment. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’

‘Why would it be obvious? We’re always together.’

‘That … that doesn’t mean …’

‘Why would it be obvious?’ Komaru repeated, more distressed. She felt like disappearing into the ground. Not because of what Toko had revealed, but because of the way she’d said it. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean anything. Isn’t it obvious? ‘Why would you ever think I could reject you?’

‘Because you’re normal,’ Toko said. ‘You like guys.’

‘What sort of an assumption is that? You’re the one who’s always been “Byakuya-sama this”, “Byakuya-sama that”.’

‘When was the last time I said anything like that?’

When Komaru thought about it, she didn’t know.

‘It’s not like I expected to end up like this,’ Toko said.

‘You mean gay?’

Toko scowled at her then, and Komaru laughed. ‘Not that it matters either way.’

Except it mattered to Toko, or she wouldn’t look so unhappy.

‘Do you want me to beat up Komaeda-san for you?’ Komaru suggested.

‘What are you saying? Trying to sound tough –’

Komaru took a step closer to her, and Toko stopped talking. Her face had gone red. Komaru touched her hair, to brush it back from her face, and trace the line of her jaw.

‘What are you doing?’ Toko lifted a hand between them, like she might be about to push Komaru away. She didn’t quite get there.

‘I thought it would be cool,’ Komaru said. ‘Like the hero in a romance manga.’

‘That drek will rot your brain,’ Toko mumbled.

Maybe Komaru had a contrary heart. Hadn’t she just been excited about seeing Ibuki that evening? But there was a difference. There was a difference between a crush, and the girl who had pushed you through the worst time in your life, who had stuck by you, who had chosen to stick by you … and also, Toko looked cute when she was embarrassed.

‘Hm,’ Komaru said, ‘I guess we’ll skip the date at the amusement park, then.’

‘What?’

‘And you won’t end up taking care of me when I’ve got a cold …’

‘I already do that!’

Komaru laughed. ‘No wonder you were so worried about Hinata-san. Even though you had the wrong idea …’

She didn’t think Toko needed to know about her thing for Ibuki right now. Maybe she’d tell her later. When they were back home, and it was safe for Ibuki.

‘You don’t even know that I was wrong.’

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. I should probably let him know that everything is okay, though.’

‘Right.’

Impulsively, Komaru leant forward and pecked Toko on the lips.

‘Komaru!’ Toko clapped her hands over her mouth, somewhat belatedly.

‘Haha, did I steal your first kiss?’

‘You – you took me by surprise!’

‘Good,’ Komaru said. ‘Shall we go?’

---

When Komaru stopped by Hinata’s room again, it was Komaeda’s voice that told her to come in. Komaru glanced at Toko; Toko pulled a face, but nodded for Komaru to open the door.

Hinata wasn’t inside. Komaeda was sprawled on the bed reading, and when Komaru listened, she could hear the shower running in the bathroom.

She suddenly remembered what Toko had said about the person who was in all the photos in the old hotel hall.

‘I was starting to wonder if you’d got stuck,’ Komaeda said, dismissively.

‘That was a dirty trick,’ Toko said. ‘I should cut you up for that.’

‘I didn’t think Komaru-san would have a problem with it.’

‘It did make me feel kind of nostalgic,’ Komaru admitted.

‘Komaru! Don’t listen to him.’

‘But it turned out okay, didn’t it, Toko-chan?’ Komaru looked back at Komaeda, and bit her lip. If Komaeda had been jealous about Hinata – it was so petty that Komaru couldn’t really feel scared of him any more. ‘I guess Hinata-san is busy now. I’ll catch up with him later.’

‘You do that.’

Komaru grabbed Toko’s wrist, and backed away with her, letting the door shut behind them.

‘Well,’ Komaru said, ‘I guess you really didn’t need to worry about me and Hinata-san.’

‘That creep,’ Toko said, fuming. ‘I can’t believe he used me in his plan to get laid.’

‘Do you really think that’s what it took?’ Komaru started walking back toward their cabin. ‘They’ve been living on this island a while now.’

‘Yeah, and you sleep in my bed.’

‘So?’

‘So I don’t think you can talk.’

Komaru considered that. ‘So what you’re saying is, maybe his plan was also for you to get laid?’

‘Komaru! You don’t have to be so crude.’

‘Huh? But you said it first.’

‘I wasn’t talking about us!’

‘What’s the big difference?’

‘The difference is like the difference between a porno and a romance novel that happens to be a bit steamy! They’re completely different things.’

‘I’m not sure Komaeda-san would appreciate that comparison …’

They got back to their room, and Komaru let them in. ‘It’s a shame about my lesson, though,’ she said. ‘I wanted to show Mioda-san what I learned.’

Toko accepted the change of subject. ‘You can still do that, can’t you? Bass guitar, was it?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘I hear that’s pretty simple. Probably even you can learn it well.’

‘Toko-chan!’ Komaru thumped her hand on Toko’s shoulder. ‘You should be nicer to me, you know.’

‘Or what?’

Komaru flomphed on the bed. ‘Not “or what”,’ she said. ‘Just because.’

Toko’s lip twisted. ‘I’m just having fun.’ She sat gingerly beside Komaru.

‘Is being mean fun?’

‘Yes.’ Toko stared steadfastly forward. ‘You – you might have ended up with a terrible girlfriend.’ She stumbled over the words, too nervous to be brazen.

‘Well, I already knew that,’ Komaru said. She caught Toko’s arm and tugged her downwards to lie beside her.

‘Hey!’ Toko said, but Komaru just smiled back at her, until Toko blushed.

---

Komaru put off Ibuki that evening, and the next day, Toko came along to their ‘band meet’.

They’d originally planned to meet at Ibuki’s room, but after a brief conference with Hinata, Komaru had gotten that changed to the old music venue on the other island. It was pretty rundown after all this time – Komaru was pretty sure there were animals living there that weren’t just rats and mice – but it had room, and more importantly it had a drum kit.

‘Are you sure you want to stay?’ Komaru asked Toko. Hinata had shown her how to plug her bass into the amplifier, and the first note Komaru played had startled her and Toko both. They were still waiting for Ibuki.

‘I’ll cover my ears if I have to.’

‘Maybe we should find you some ear muffs,’ Komaru said. ‘Maybe something in a cute bear design –’

‘Don’t even joke about it!’

‘I didn’t say anything about it being a two-toned bear.’

‘One colour is bad enough!’

Hinata politely pretended not to hear. Komaru was tempted to ask him about Komaeda, but she couldn’t do that while Toko was here. Maybe if Toko got sick of all the noise …

‘Omigosh!’ Ibuki said, when she arrived. ‘What a shock, what a shock. When did you guys arrange this?’

‘It didn’t take much arranging,’ Hinata said.

‘And what’s this? Fukawa-chan came along too?’

‘I … Komaru kept doing suspicious things. So I’m just here to …’ Toko glanced at Komaru, trapped.

‘She’s here to cheer me on,’ Komaru said.

Toko hung her head.

‘Ah-hah! Our first fan.’

‘That’s not right –’

‘I get it,’ Ibuki said, tapping the side of her nose. She smiled at Komaru a little ruefully. ‘With any band, there’s always someone’s girlfriend gotta come along to all the practices.’

‘I’m not her – I mean, we –’ Toko’s face got hotter and hotter.

‘Don’t worry,’ Komaru told Ibuki. ‘You haven’t misunderstood.’

‘Ibuki has a nose for these things!’ Ibuki said. ‘Chin up, Hajime-chan, we still have each other. Let’s show these lovebirds how singletons have fun!’

‘Uh –’

Komaru and Toko both looked at Hinata.

‘You can’t let her down, Hinata,’ Toko said, with the pleasure of someone who’d found a way to take the spotlight off themself. You better show us …’

‘We’re going to show Mioda something,’ Hinata said, and, ignoring Toko, he went to sit down behind the drum kit.

‘Hajime-chan, you’re really setting Ibuki’s heart aflutter.’

‘He just sat down!’ Toko said. ‘You don’t even know if he can play them yet.’

Hinata only glanced at her, and then he started to play. A simple beat at first, but then the rhythm became more complex. As he lifted the tempo, Hajime lost his cool expression and started to frown, as if he had to focus. Only that was a cool expression too.

Ibuki lifted her guitar with delight, but then she pointed at Komaru.

‘Komaru-chan, show us what you got!’

‘Uh … I can really only play a few notes,’ Komaru said, as she hurried to get the strap of the bass on over her shoulder.

‘We only need a few notes! Let’s get going!’

---

In the end, they made a lot of noise, Toko tried to bury her head in dishcloths behind the bar, and Komaru could barely keep time, let alone change the note she was playing.

Still, somehow, with the pleasure on Ibuki’s face, the intensity on Hinata’s – it was still a lot of fun.

‘Ah!’ Ibuki said, collapsing on the floor afterwards. ‘I should kidnap Komaru-chan so she can’t leave again. Having six months between band meets is gonna suuuck.’

‘What’s this “six months” figure?’ Toko said. ‘We haven’t said anything like that.’

‘Huh? That’s the schedule Makoto-chan set up.’

‘We were just filling in this time,’ Komaru said, before Toko could become too worked up. ‘Still, I wouldn’t mind coming back. Right, Toko-chan?’

She thought for a moment that Toko might disagree, but something passed over her face, and she said, ‘It didn’t turn out that badly.’

‘And I’ll make sure to practise and get better before then,’ Komaru added. She ignored the double-take Toko did – it didn’t seem very flattering to Komaru.

‘You can take that with you,’ Hinata said, gesturing at the bass.

‘Oh, is that okay? I’m sure I could find one back home …’

‘No-one’s coming back for it.’

Komaru held the body of the base with both her hands, and she thought about that. The people who had lived on this island, like the people who had been lost in Towa City, and before then, who would never be coming back. The parents she’d probably never see again.

It wasn’t wrong to still be happy.

Even for the Remnants of Despair, she thought, it wasn’t wrong to still be happy. She could tell her brother that.

It wasn’t as if any of them would forget.

‘I’ll take good care of it,’ Komaru said. ‘For the sake of its former owner.’

‘Ibuki bets they’d be happy to hear you say that,’ Ibuki said. ‘Next time you’re here, we should be sure to put on a performance!’

‘I don’t think I’ll be ready for that …’

‘Then you gotta train harder! We’re all looking forward to seeing Komaru-chan look cute and cool on stage! I bet Fukawa-chan’s looking forward to it too.’

Komaru looked at Toko for her response.

‘I’ve already seen Komaru look cute and cool before,’ Toko said, ‘so it’s not really necessary.’

Ibuki laughed.

---

In the end, Komaru and Toko’s boat home was delayed by a storm, and they had to stay a week longer anyway.

Somehow, Toko couldn’t even bring herself to complain.