Ouma's POV:

The second we agreed on the deal, don't laugh at me, I was expecting some kind of witch-like magic to magically solve our problems. Yes I know this sounds dumb, but what else was I supposed to be expecting in a situation like this?

Instead, we found ourselves in the room, nothing in the room changed, except for the ominous-sounding of a clock ticking in the background. There was no clocks in the room for me to see, the sound was clearly not from a tiny alarm clock though, no this sounded like a grandfather clock. Just booming somewhere in the distance for what seemed like every hour we spent here.

Three times it struck, we made small talk in the meantime, or just looked everywhere but each other. Finally, it seemed he had enough of what was happening.

"So....w-what do we d-do now?" He asked as I shrugged. "Do you think I know how this meta experience thing where I talk to myself works?" I asked. The other Ouma looked down embarrassed.

"Sorry...." they mumbled. I rolled my eyes, "didn't I nearly die cause of you?" I reminded. He looked at me confused, I didn't feel like explaining it should be obvious.

I could still remember it clearly...

~♤~♡~◇~♧~

I was walking towards my death, with every step I took I could feel my mind racing with thoughts I couldn't understand, thoughts so tangled I doubt anyone could. My heartfelt heavy in my chest, beating loudly and methodically, I was scared. 

The press stood right in front of me, I looked up as Momota was walking up towards the machinery before gazing back at the press, the air around us was cold, and my back was still stinging from the wound, I could feel my legs wobbling, just about to collapse from the bloodloss, or maybe the fear?

It will be over quickly...just suck it up. Everything will go according to plan, it will be fun, I will be fine. It...it will be ok.

I kept repeating that to myself as I crawled into the press, it was a tight fit and Momota's jacket barely helped against the cold metal of the press. Momota was up there, I couldn't see his face but I noticed the way his legs seemed to be trembling as well.

Don't get cold feet on me.

I closed my eyes refusing to look at the press when it came crashing down, will he warn me? He warned me when he was taking the arrows out of my back and arm...will he do the same thing here? 

I'm going to die.

That's the moment it sunk in as I felt my palms sweating, I felt my whole body wanting to move, the urge to scream, I couldn't do this, I can't do this, I don't want this, please don't make me die like this!

No....no.....NO NO NO GOD PLEASE NO!

I could feel the strike nine poison slowly spreading throughout my body, it ached and screamed at me as I could feel the cold metal of the press on my back. It was a lot more apparent, any sort of determination I had crumbled as I felt myself losing my composure, am I really going to lie even at the end?

The press that was about to slowly approach me, I could feel myself sweating as I stared at it, debating whether or not closing my eyes would make it any easier.

I don't want to die.

That single truth made some tears finally fall from my eyes, as I saw Momota hesitating, he wouldn't even look at me. Maybe it was my imagination, but he looked just as scared. He was scared. Don't have cold feet...I repeated, but I don't know who I was saying those words to.

Just do it already...please...stop drawing it out...

Finally, he pressed the button and the hydraulic press roared back to life.

Hey...DICE...I'm sorry...I became a murderer...and I'm going to do without ever seeing you again...Saihara...you better not ruin this, you better make our deaths mean something...

"I don't want to die..." I mumbled, it escaped so fast I could even acknowledge it.

*CRASH*

The pain was unimaginable. I felt like I was on fire, that every single limb was being compacted into a tiny box or being torn apart from me, I wanted to scream, I wanted to move but the pure agony was unbearable, and I couldn't help but scream, but I don't think anything came out.

The world disappeared just as fast, I don't know what I was reaching for, some kind of heavenly light, only what came from the inky darkness the world collapsed into was a world covered in black and weird numbers that I was falling into, I felt so tired...

Is this hell....?

I'm not surprised...

I closed my eyes and just accepted the torment waiting for me.

....

.....

.....

.....

♤~♡~◇~♧

...

.....

*BEEP* *BEEP*

What...? What's going on...? Why...why am I awake? I thought I was dead...? So why....?

I opened my eyes fighting the urge to fall back asleep, it took a few minutes for me to fully wake up. My body...I couldn't feel my legs...I then noticed a breathing tube along with the sound of a heart monitor.

I'm....I'm.....alive? My eyes widened, as I looked around more, where am I? This isn't the academy....how am I even alive?

"H-Hello...?"

My eyes widened as a headache erupted.

"Hey Kichi!"

"Run! Run you, coward!"

"I love you...Kokichi"

"Hey Shuichi, I- $#%@&*"

AAGHHHHHH!

The heart monitor went wild, as my headache erupted further, images flew in my mind and I couldn't even understand what it was.

It hurts...

"Help me! Somebody! Help me!"

The world faded back to black.

~♤~♡~Present~◇~♧~

"You nearly killed me," I said bitter, the other Ouma looked sad, "how do I even know that wherever this place is and us talking like this, isn't killing us-me?" I asked. His eyes widened at the mention of us, "that's...that's true...b-but how dow-we get outta here....?" He asked.

Oh yeah, that's a problem. I sat up and walked around the room, looking for any sort of exit, "that's a problem isn't it...?" I asked.

"M-Maybe...m-maybe we should s-sort w-what we can...then m-maybe w-we....y-you can wake up?" He suggested. I looked over at him. Well...there's nothing else we can do...

"Ok, let's talk about DICE, that's what got us into this mess right?" I asked. He nodded, "c-can I s-start?" He asked. I nodded, I wasn't in the mood for sharing. The room then showed a door. It was a wooden door and was small enough to where I nearly hit the top of it.

I looked at him and he shrugged, confused as we went through the door. There was a street with a lot of houses, seeing them gave me a slight headache. A sense of nostalgia.

Running around the street were groups of kids running around the sidewalk, along with others watching on the sideline as they kicked a can around. I didn't take much notice till I saw a familiar pair of pigtails, the bored expression on a tall blonde, the familiar purple hair of a kid running with them.

I looked at him, he seemed close to crying, "what's this?" I asked, he quickly wiped his eyes of tears. "That's DICE" he choked out, I looked at them, "so they're real..." I mumbled, he nodded.

"Yeah...my DICE...I met them at different times, some through the others...some I lived in the same neighborhood as...or our parents introduced us" he said as he walked around, a small smile on his face.

"It was really fun" he mumbled, "we played a lot as children, and hung out in our classes, even though...." he stopped as he looked down.

"Are you sure we want to talk about this?" He asked seriously. I nodded, "believe it or not I want to be able to live without passing out because of your memories" I reminded.

"Ok...m-maybe...they can help us g-get along...."