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Geez, Saihara-chan... Don't you know about exclusive suites, and things like that?

[ Ouma will just...continue running his mouth, even as they continue looking, waving his other hand a bit to emphasize his point. ]

Well, I guess you wouldn't have ever seen one with your own eyes. I've stayed in tons, though! Y'know, since I'm pretty influential.

[ Detectives just can't have the same perks!!

Ouma's a bit too comfortable with this entire place, clearly relishing this in contrast to Shuichi's apprehensiveness. When the door becomes visible, Ouma ends up letting go of Shuichi's arm just so he can make binoculars of his hands. ]

Ah, I think that's it! ... Probably.

[He...can't tell if Ouma is talking about fancier hotel rooms in general or specifically ones in places like this. It's almost definitely a lie either way, but he doesn't even want to comment on it for fear of drawing that topic out. Just thinking about it feels inappropriate. He is absolutely not gonna entertain the thought of Ouma visiting tons of love hotels, nope.

At least he's already kind of a flustered mess just being in here. It's probably harder to notice any additional flustering getting piled on top.

The door at the end of the hall is absurding intimidating for being what it is, bright red and outlined with a gaudy doorframe of heart shapes and gold paint. His arm feels cold suddenly, finally released from Ouma's grip, but that's fine because he really didn't need the added embarassment of someone hanging off his arm in a love hotel on top of everything else. Gripping the key tight, Shuichi just nods and marches forward down the hall to face it. Ouma will doubtlessly follow anyway.

There's indeed no card reader, but there sure is a keyhole, big and old-fashioned looking and set rather prominently in the door. The key slides into it all too easily, not even a hint of struggle in turning it to give him any hope that maybe it really doesn't match this door. Shuichi draws a breath, sets his jaw, and pushes the door open.

The room beyond is...something, to say the least. Far too red and ostentatiously decorated, heavily draped in sheer curtains. One side of the room seems like a bathing area, though the tub set against the wall is much bigger than necessary. Shuichi manages only a glance at the other side of the room before he's immediately averting his gaze, face furiously red.

Unfortunately, the only other thing to look at is the large bed functioning as the room's centerpiece, headboard framed by a giant heart and the whole thing set on a pedestal with a goddamn carousel horse circling it. Jesus.]

Uh...

Uwah--

[ Ouma moves up beside Shuichi and peeks around him to glance at the room, feigning some subdued surprise...although he mostly ends up looking at Shuichi's reaction moreso than the room itself. ]

You seem so cool right now, Saihara-chan.

[ He comments, sounding serious enough for all of .5 seconds.

And then he's snickering about it. ]

... But that's a lie! Your face is actually suuuper red. Did you think of something dirty already?

[He can feel Ouma's stare and it's worse than the room itself. Almost instinctively he reaches for the brim of a hat he hasn't been wearing for a while now, and when he only grabs air he settles for covering his face with his hand instead. He really misses that hat right about now.]

Who could walk into a room like this and not think of anything like that...?

[He'd ask Ouma to give him a break, but that would probably just encourage him. Shuichi sighs, hand sliding up to tug self-consciously at his hair which conveniently lets him hide his face behind his whole arm.]

Let's just look around quick and get out of here.

[As much as he wants to ollie outie right now, he can't ignore the possibility that there could be something important hidden in here. Like a flashback light. Steadying himself with a controlled breath, he forces himself to cross the room to check if there's space for anything under the bed.]

Seems like a you problem to me...

[ Ouma comments, acting fairly aloof as he waltzes into the room after Shuichi. He wonders what he should "investigate" for himself, if anything. For now, he'll throw his hands behind his head again in a relaxed way while he hovers a few feet from Shuichi, watching for what he's going to do.

-- He cracks a quick grin when he sees that Shuichi's aiming to examine at the foot of the bed. ]

Saihara-chan, you should be more careful! There could be a monster that eats virgins under there!

[It's so obviously a lie, but Shuichi doesn't have the mental fortitude right now to pick that apart on top of dealing with this room. He frowns, sighs, and gestures at the bed.]

Then you can look there.

[Hey, if Ouma's so "experienced"...]

Fine, I'll do it for you. But you're gonna owe me, okay?

[ Cue Ouma moving over toward the bed and placing his hands on the frame as he crouches down. He places one hand down against the floor after this to steady himself with as he ducks his head under and parallel with the floor to have a look.

...

After a few seconds, he'll push back up to his feet, turning to face Shuichi again before hopping up to sit on the edge of the (surprisingly comfortable) bed. Because he can. ]

Aw maaan, not a single monster in sight...

[ He lifts his arms out in dramatic exasperation over the fact before settling his hands down against the mattress and leaning back slightly on his arms, tilting his head as he regards Shuichi with more attention. ]

...So you're really a virgin, then?

[ Ouma's pretty choice at spotting a lie, but Shuichi didn't exactly confirm or deny!! ]

[He'd almost kinda be recovering from the embarassment of just being here, distracted by the focus of an investigation and Ouma's messing around. Shuichi just sighs while Ouma checks out the underside of the bed, debating whether he should check himself anyway just in case Ouma is lying, but the Ouma just sits on the bed and asks that and, well. Yep, the blushing is back in full-force. Boy, he sure didn't miss that for the maybe twenty seconds he'd been able to go without it.

Shuichi frowns, glancing away and tuggin again at his hair in place of his absent hat.]

We're high schoolers. It's not weird.

[He knows better than to try lying to Ouma. He always seems to know. Hell, even when Shuichi tried during the trials and Ouma didn't say anything about it, he still couldn't shake the feeling that the other boy knew.]

[ Ouma snickers at Shuichi's reaction, kicking his feet back and forth a little off the edge of the bed. While he's mostly messing around for exactly that kind of reaction, it's also fine to get a better peg on Shuichi in general. ]

But isn't that when you're supposed to get raging hormones or something?!

[ This is some scrum debate material right here.

Even though Ouma is definitely That Guy who's all talk -- but that's his schtick, okay! And because this is all too entertaining, of course he won't let the topic slide, either.

He might be fishing. ]

Well, you've at least kissed someone before, right?

I thought you were the "experienced" one.

[It's a remarkably dry response given how generally horrendously embarrassed he looks and feels just being in here. Hell, he might kind of sorta enjoy the dynamic normally, this back-and-forward of lying and digging for the truth, getting tripped up and doing his level best to stand up to it sometimes. It probably says a lot about him as a person that he's kind of intrigued by it all -- surely it's gotta be kinda masochistic to be drawn to this shit.

But adding their current locale to the mix is pushing things a bit more into "uncomfortable" than he's normally willing to bear. Shuichi sighs, covering his face and pointedly not looking at the other boy acting far too innocent just sitting on the bed and kicking his legs like a little kid.]

Can we just finish looking around and get out of here? You can make fun of me later.

Who knooows? I'm not telling!

[ Even though he's presumptuous enough to ask...

-- But at Shuichi's response, Ouma's brows knit and he suddenly switches to a mock-offended tone. ]

More importantly, that's so rude! I would never make fun of you... In fact, I'm looking out for you! What if you got killed without ever having kissed someone?! That'd just be the worst!

[ There's so much here to unpack. ]

I think just getting killed here would be the worst.

[Hand still hovering over his face in the attempt to hide, his fingers drift over his mouth, knuckles brushing over his lips at the thought. It's not like it's something that could be changed here anyway. The options for doing so are kinda limited, and those options are...

Nnnnnope, nope. He's not thinking about that. Not here. That is a dangerous game to play. Fighting down a blush, he forces himself to drop his hands to his sides and stand a little straighter.]

And I'm not gonna get killed, anyway. No one is.

[He's got to believe that. He'll go crazy if he's constantly thinking on who might die next, who might be driven to kill next. He's got to have faith in everyone here. Akamatsu would have.]

[ Ouma's expression evens slightly as he processes what Shuichi's just said. It'd be nice to be able to rely on those words, but it's unmissable how much he sounds like Akamatsu talking like that...and they all know how that turned out.

Ouma tilts his head back a bit with a sigh, eyeing the tacky Monokuma-embellished chandelier above the bed...christ. ]

I'm totally gonna get killed from boredom if that happens... Do you want me to die, Saihara-chan?!

[ But the pseudo-whininess is lost when he suddenly snaps back into a more upright position, pulling his legs up to cross them on the bed and grabbing his ankles as he leans forward a bit with a grin. ]

-- Well, I guess it's okay if you take responsibility! Promise you'll keep playing lots of games with me, okay?

[Die of boredom if Shuichi dies? Or if no one does? He's not sure he wants to ask for clarification on that point. Either possibility is scary in its own way.

Still, this is...probably a good sign. He thinks. It might just be that he's the only person who humors Ouma like this, but he'd like to think the way Ouma pesters him for games and attention means something sincere under all the posturing and misdirection. Maybe it's because of Ouma's childish manner at the moment, all that body language, but Shuichi extends a hand with all the fingers folded in but the little finger.]

I'll promise, okay? So you're not allowed to die either.

[Pinky promise, bitch.]

[ Ouma wasn't expecting the gesture at all, and he blinks for a second at Shuichi's finger in front of him as he processes what Shuichi's just said. His heart totally skips a beat too, and he's not sure why, but he's lowkey annoyed with that. He's not the one who's supposed to be getting discomfited here!!

Although he's certainly not going to show it, since he's simultaneously feeling all around pretty pleased at Shuichi acknowledging him like that. His grin returns wider than ever as he lifts his own hand up to wrap his pinky around Shuichi's. ]

Nee-heehee... Of course I won't die. And that's not a lie!

[ He is going to win this game, after all.

When he's withdrawn his hand back, he's going to place it back on his ankle, rocking slightly in place where he's sitting like he's gotten a bit more excited. ]

... Oh yeah, but you should definitely promise to join my organization while we're doing this.

[ There he go. ]

I can guarantee that you'd finally get laid!

[It's kind of satisfying to see Ouma thrown for ever just a moment. A little victory in whatever this constant game they have going on is. But mostly that interaction just felt...good. Nice. He feels a bit more at ease now, enough that he bears Ouma's comments with minimal redness, lips quirking with faint amusement mixed with a touch of exasperation.]

What kind of organization is this, exactly...?

[Relaxing again, he steps on past Ouma to keep investigating while humoring that particular bit of ridiculousness. He can't help but suspect there really isn't anything to be found here, but he can bear being in here for a few minutes longer to be certain. It's really not that bad.

Moving to the head of the bed, he lifts up a pillow and...immediately flushes again upon finding a pair of handcuffs hidden underneath like a stealth hotel room mint. He hastily replaces the pillow, shoulders hunched up around his ears. Nevermind, this room is apparently just full of things to be found.]

[ Of course Ouma will take the opportunity to wax on about his organization, so he's glad Shuichi asked!! Even if he's reiterating and not really ever revealing anything (top secret, okay), he likes talking about it.

He stretches his hands out a bit while he's talking. ]

A huge, evil one! You'd probably feel sorry for me if you knew about the kind of depravity I have to deal with on a daily basis--

[ He trails off when he sees Shuichi react like that with the pillow though, tilting his head questioningly. ]

-- Ah, did you find something?

[bro don't say the word "depravity" right now, his brain can't deal with that.]

No.

[That was...way too quick a denial, dude. Please work on your lying skills outside of literal life-and-death matters. It's probably a stupid thing to lie about anyway, but the idea of Ouma in possession of something like a pair of handcuffs is a little unnerving in the best of situations. Here, it's doubly unnerving and comes with implications he's trying very hard not to think about, thank you very much.]

[ ...

It's such a bad lie that it's almost funny, and the corners of Ouma's mouth twitch as he forces an unyielding smile about it. ...But the sudden interest is so obvious in his eyes as he looks over at where Shuichi is.

Only a second or two later and Ouma's turning over to put his weight against his knees on the bed so he can crawl closer. ]

Weeeell, it won't be a big deal if I look then, right? Yoink--!

[ He is definitely going for that pillow. ]

[It's definitely not that big a deal. He doesn't care. Nope, nnnope...

Fuck, it absolutely feels like a big deal right now. Ouma grabs for the pillow and Shuichi instinctively dives for the pillow to block him, ending up sprawled over the mattess on his stomach with one hand reaching to hold the pillow down, the other trying to pin down whichever one of Ouma's hands was closest to grabbing it.]

[ So much is happening.

Ouma's a bit thrown off by Shuichi's sudden movement, and he stares for a second at this predicament of Shuichi's attempt at keeping him from looking. Instinctively, he'll be trying to yank his hand away from Shuichi's attempt to pin it. ]

C'mon, no fair! I wanna see, too!

[ He has two hands, though!! So while Shuichi is presumably preoccupied with the one, he'll be trying to slide the other up underneath the pillow in spite of Shuichi holding it down to make a grab for whatever's under it. ]

It's not important!

[Like hell is that argument gonna do anything to convince Ouma of all people, but hey, he's gotta try.

He does have the advantage of being bigger, if only by a little. Shifting himself to get more body weight over it, he can hold that wrist down even with the struggling. It's comes at the cost of additional effort on the other hand, though. He tries to press down harder on top of the pillow to pin Ouma's other hand beneath it, but he can't get the grip needed through the fabric and cushioning to actually restrain Ouma's hand properly, especially without the force of his concentrated efforts.]

[ As if Ouma is going to let this go, especially when Shuichi is so adamant about not letting him see -- obviously that's just going to make him want to even more.

He grins when he feels the metal object against his fingers, making quick work of getting a grip on it so that he can jerk it right out from underneath the pillow and hold it up, immediately looking pleased just by virtue of having swiped what he was after. ]

Ha! Got 'em.

[ It quickly becomes much more amusing when he notices it's just a pair of handcuffs. Ouma is getting way too much of a kick out of this now. He admittedly expected something worse from Shuichi's reaction, but in a place like this it's pretty clear what their intended use is probably for. ]

So these are what you didn't want me to see...? Wow, Saihara-chan! Just what are you thinking about?

[It was probably hopeless from the start, thinking Ouma might just leave it alone or that Shuichi could keep him away from anything he's determined to get into. But he'd had hope even still. Shuichi groans, dropping his head against the matress and the fight goes out of him. At least he can just hide his face against the sheets in the absence of his hat.]

I'm more worried about what you're thinking about...

[It's a little muffled against the sheets, but his voice sounds pitifully defeated.]

[ Ouma laughs when Shuichi resorts to burying his face in the sheets -- not that he's going to complain about that, because if Shuichi's not paying attention then it just makes it that much more easy for him to pull shit.

-- Like snapping one of the cuffs around Shuichi's wrist on the hand that had just been trying to pin his own down only seconds ago. ]

It's your fault, you know. 'Cause my head was only full of innocent thoughts before this...

[ The other part of the handcuffs, as Ouma will make evident by lifting up his own wrist and moving his sleeve down, is already attached to Ouma. He's grinning big about this, too. ]

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