Now let's have this very boring speech:

SO. I'm DONE WITH THE DISEASE CALLED LOVE. Whoa, it's been a rollercoaster of a ride guys. Holy heck. I can't thank you enough. (IMMA BE INFORMAL AND SPAM EVERYTHING WITH XD XD XD XD) Uh- actually I should be formal, shouldn't I? Anyway, I've got tons of people to thank, people to virtually shake hands with and peeps to hug.

I'd love to thank a few people who I can think of from the top of my head:

My first thank you goes to  ThatOneFujoshi-UWU who I clearly and really should thank with cookies and my love. For giving me virtual hugs and just spamming me with comments alongside sora_ouma , uwu i hang and Omasai_Trash (who, I also love, I didn't miss y'all out, man, you guys deserve my love too). I LOVE YOU GUYS. 💖 SERIOUSLY. I can't thank you guys enough for making me laugh. (XD AND. I need to know if I missed anyone out- there's other people I've not met in the group)

Second goes to MsNobody357 who inspired me to keep writing, for presenting me with the first fan art for this book, 🤟🏻 ILY :) (ew, I made that face). Thank you for fangirling with me through Amino, and giving me inspiration. 💖

Third goes to danganronpa_potato who looked out for me along with others and who I accidentally and unintentionally hurt. I hope your foot is feeling better now. >w< 💕 love you uwu

Another one goes to Just_Chara_ / JustChara_ for sticking by this book and with me on Amino! I love you too TwT you've been really supportive and I really appreciate it.

Basically, tons of other people are whatdafukdood , AriLovesKokichi , a_sinful_blueberry , xkokichix , shuweetchi , luvtofu , DanganronpaWeebOwO , plebstatus  , b0binsonr0binson , PeachesNccream , tellemnaegii (for spam voting, whoA) like, seriously. Everyone who read this, you guys need a big hug from me *group hug*. i love all of you equally! 💘💖💕🌸

And like, more people because why not
There's lots more I wanna thank, (theghostnobody , ApoclaypseArisen , KOKICHIOUMA1232 , LeFlam , SaltyCracker000 , defectiveoptimism ), aND IF I THANKED EVERYONE, we'd be here for hours (i would thank you guys but yknow- i can't since this is gunna be a short one) and it's gonna be super duper long. I would do it, but my brain has the memory of a sieve.

I HAVE TO THANK YOU readers, *hugs* and voters *more hug* and commenters *more hugs hugs*. And artists who gave me awesome fanart *even more hugs until I'm exhausted*. Okay, to those who I need to mention, but I accidentally forgot.. *lemme just hug you guys too*

This book is dedicated to my little nine year old sister, who gave me this amazing idea in the first place. Thank you Elena, you'll never read this because- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Thank you for the hours of fangirling, and figuring out most major plot points and 'editing'.

This is also dedicated to KaitoTheAuthor . You're my beautiful girlfriend and I can't thank you enough for introducing Danganronpa to me. Without you, this would never have happened, and you're the one who makes love come true. \uwu/ *hug* 💕🌸 i love you.

Okay! Now.. the funsies start now >>
[ Bonus content and an alternate ending chapter ]

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

    1.    Kokichi and Shuichi weren't supposed to be the Masterminds (It was just Izuru and Junko) (but along the way: "What if the main characters are the actual masterminds?!" Elena: "You're too cliche.")

    2.    My 9 year old sister's the one who made me write this purely because we were bored on the train while travelling to school. She's also the one who provides the ideas and she's insane when she cries about the deaths (but she also gives me stink eyes and tells me: 'you're too cliche') ^^^

    3.    I was about to give up midway and end it but hey, you guys helped me pull through. And music, and also Panic at the Disco uwu

    4.    Shuichi's parents weren't supposed to be in that flashback in the hospital. It was just meant to be just him.

    5.    The first flashback Shuichi had of Izuru and Mukuro was made because I was desperate for some backstory and rushed it. (Horrible x2)

    6.    D.I.C.E was supposed to be part of the Monokuma Traitor's prisoners to distract Kokichi, but as you can see, it was scrapped.

    7.    The titles of each chapter is from the English cover of The Disease Called Love, (i know some of you figured it out in the latest chapters, *gives cookies*)

    8.    The idea of the magenta eyes came from the opening of V3. Where the cast is shown with magenta eyes. (Yeah, I'm purely original) *cough* (MsNobody357 pointed it out, you smart) XD

    9.    The system of the 'Reverse Serum' was completely changed throughout the book. (The patients were originally supposed to be strapped to a chair and injected with the serum, but heck, the Plexiglass came in and boom.)

    10.    I was supposed to make a cameo of myself but I decided not because it was cringy and cliché. (barf)

    11.    The mention of doppelgängers and the urban legends book Kokichi took down foreshadows a book I'm currently thinking of writing. (and- that's how i spell doppelgängers. uh- is it wrong?)

    12.    As my sister says, The Removal Serum is the gay serum because it was initially supposed to be coloured in rainbow colours. But we stuck to.. uh. What colour again? gold?

    15.    The serums affect you by changing your eye colour. Hence, Nagito, Kaito, etc. (I honestly forgot halfway- i'm a terrible planner)

    16.    Kaede was never meant to die. Really. I told myself: NO. But my brain was like: YES. So hence, she be ded.

    17.    Kaede's death is like Rantaro's from the original game. A blunt force to the head and resulting in death. *thonk*

    18.  I never intended to make Mukuro come back, seriously. But hey- Mukuro fans. *wiggle arms* _kuzuryuu (I'm looking at you)

    19.    Shuichi and Kokichi's personalities in the book mirror their beta, current and post game personalities. Beta: reckless and obsessive. Current: In-game personality Post-Game: Remembering

    20.    The ending was supposed to be different. Celeste was supposed to beat Kokichi in a game of chess as a revenge for Junko (though I don't know why, so that idea was scrapped)

21. The necklace Shuichi gives to Kokichi will be making its appearance in an upcoming book ;)

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Read the alternate ending for Chapter 72: (unedited)

The room was unusually bright.. maybe Keebo had forgotten to turn off the lights again..

I opened my eyes slightly to see.. the darkened sky, scatted with heavy grey clouds. The once clear blue sky was now a shade of deep indigo. The air was perfumed with the scent of a promising storm.

I moved my arm, realising that something was pressed against my skin. Then I realised that I had somehow fallen asleep, my head resting against the chest of Shuichi. It seemed like the slow rhythm of breathing was what had lulled me to sleep in the first place.

I sat up, smoothing down my hair and staring at the boy lying on the ground. His beautiful grey eyes were closed, despite the sun's weak rays beaming down upon us. Once again, I felt that strange flip in my stomach, followed by a wave of excitement. He had asked me to be his boyfriend. His BOYFRIEND? I didn't even expect him to ask me, it was so unexpected.

I felt a sudden stab of doubt, a cold uneasy feeling within me. What if he were just.. lying? Or was he drunk while he had confessed? Only I did the lying! Not him! And besides, my darling Saihara-chan doesn't seem to be the type to drink.

But.. I didn't know much about him..

I glanced at the sleeping boy once more, before reaching up and biting down on my thumbnail. What if.. my love was merely fake? So fuelled by Keeboy's words and stories that I fell for it, hook, line and sinker? Doubts crowded in my mind, making me feel foolish.

I was a liar, not the believer! But I wasn't a lie detector, who can sense every single lie.. honestly, some lies escape me, because I'm either too distracted by something else.. or too blinded to see though the untruths.

So.. was he lying to me when he told me he loved me? I stared at the sleeping boy, watching him sleep. I wanted to kiss his forehead, to hold him close, so I wouldn't lose him again.

▹⋇⋆*＊❀　❀＊* ⋆⋇◃

[ 8:09am // Roof Garden ]
[ Shuichi's PoV ] (Sorry I keep switching lmao)

I felt a hand resting against my forehead, making me stir slightly. A distant rumble sounded above, as something gentle hit my cheek.

"-raining- god damnit, Saihara-chan! Wake up! You're such a deep sleeper!"

I shook myself awake as another drop hit, only to be greeted by Kokichi's anxious face. It quickly morphed into annoyance, "Man, you're such a lazy ass.. I was about to abandon ya and make you sleep in the rain."

I sat up, rubbing my cheek to get rid of the rainwater. Though that was no use, seeing that the rain was continuously pelting on us. "We better take shelter then.." I got up, grabbing my shoes and moving towards the door.

"Saihara-chan."

The small voice made me stop, turning back to see Kokichi, his hair getting wetter from the rain so it plastered against the sides of his face. Thunder rumbled overhead once more, but it held no significance.

"What's wrong?" I asked, the rain getting heavier. He must've noticed as well, since he shook himself out of the doubtful expression he had and gave me a wide smile.

"Nah, it's fine, darling! Now let's go before we get sick!" He rushed forward and grabbed my wrist, dragging me along.

It must've looked strange to other people who were minding their own business. Two boys, so different in height, stumbling pass the hoards of students, rain soaked. But I didn't mind the stares as much as I used to. With Ouma by my side.. he was the person who attracted attention wherever he went. So I didn't mind if he had the spotlight.

"No time to talk, fans." he waved a hand at a senior, who was followed by two others. One had a strangely styled hair, and the other with intense red eyes and furrowed eyebrows.

"Go and get yourselves cleaned up! You're dripping rainwater in the halls!" he barked as the tallest male with the strange hair rolled his eyes humorously. The shortest boy with rather pretty caramel brown hair just waved at Ouma and I, clutching a tablet in his arms, following his friends.

"Ya know, I still can't believe Fuji-chan turned out to be a Traitor!" I heard Kokichi mumble to himself as we brisk walked to my dorm room.

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind!" The boy flashed me a grin, as we finally arrived, "Don't pay attention to little ol' me. I was just talking to myself. Now go get cleaned up! I wanna tell everyone that Saihara-chan is now my boyfriend!"

For a moment, a flicker of anxiety crossed his face, and I realise he was waiting for me to correct him. I just smiled, reaching over to tuck a strand of his damp purple hair behind his ear. "See you, Ouma-kun."

It took him a moment to process, before giggling and running off without a goodbye.

"Interesting."

A voice spoke up behind me, and I knew my roommate had overheard us. However, instead of seeing Kaito, a girl stood in his place.

She had a small smile on her face, glossy red shone on her lips, which matched her piercing red eyes. Her hair was tied into two long ponytails, curled in an elaborate spiralled shape I knew would take a fortune to be styled. Though from my point of view, the hair appeared to be fake.. but I knew it would be rude to bring that up in conversation.

The girl wore a simple white bonnet on her head with two flowing satin ribbons by each side. She had on a black jacket, over a simple white blouse and an elaborate patterned red tie. Ribbons adorned her figure as well, trailing from her laced black skirt and even her sleeves.

"Are you done looking at me?" the soft voice spoke up, making me realise I had been staring at the girl for too long.

She fixed me with a small frown, annoyance flashing in her scarlet red eyes. "I thought a man of a profession such as yours would not be rude to stare at a lady.."

I turned away, "Sorry.. I was just-."

"Save your excuses.."

I blinked at her interruption, feelings strange desire to apologise profusely and kneel before her like a servant would to a queen. But of course, I held myself back.

"Um.. what were you saying earlier? Something.. interesting?" I asked, wanting to see what had intrigued the girl. She smoothed down her skirt once more, before tilting her head up to stare at me in the eyes, which I turned away from.

"What's interesting, you say? I thought you would have more common sense.. Shuichi Saihara.."

She said my name with sympathy.. which made me wonder what I had done wrong. "First of all.. let me introduce myself." her eyes flashed with amusement, "My name is Celestia Ludenberg. But please, call me Celeste. Second, I find your boldness quite.. amusing. Why are you enjoying the presence of a simple boy as Kokichi Ouma?"

At his name, her tone turned bitter, as though he were a rival to something I didn't know. I focused on the white satin ribbon tied around her neck, not looking into her intense red eyes. "He's done nothing wrong.. so why do you ask as though he did?"

The girl gave a small tinkling laugh, much like a bell. "He did nothing wrong?" she repeated, "Honestly, are you very sure about that? He's a liar, so do you really believe he has feelings for you? Poor thing."

I felt my heart skip a beat, feeling confused. "Of course he likes me. I do." I wished I had the confidence to say it in her face, but.. those piercing eyes were making me uneasy. "He'd never lie to me."

"Think about it, dear Saihara.." her voice turned steely, sharp and painful, "You just met him a week ago, how much do you know about him? And you proclaimed your love for him just because he claims you've met in another life? How absurd is that? It's a child's lie. And you're a fool to believe it."

"Why are you saying these things to me?" I raised my eyes to meet the amusement in hers, "If you're so unhappy with Ouma and I being together, why not you leave us alone? We're going to do what we want."

The girl didn't even move her eyes away from my glare, she just smoothed down her skirt again without breaking her eye contact. "It seems that your spirit isn't broken.. well done. But if I were you.. think about it." she turned and walked away, her high heels clacking against the tiles, "I was merely saving you from those rumours he's been spreading.."

...

In situations like this.. this was when the main character of every story would call for the antagonist to stop and explain what rumours were flying about.. that was what Celeste wanted. And I wasn't going to call her back. I just let the sly smirk on her beautiful face fall slightly as I let her walk.

I let out a breath and placed a hand against my chest, feeling my heart thudding rapidly against my ribcage. I wasn't going to doubt Ouma. I refused to believe he was spreading rumours about me, but one thing I learnt from the girl's words.. I needed to find out more about him.

▹⋇⋆*＊❀　❀＊* ⋆⋇◃

[ Kokichi's PoV ]

"I don't think he likes me very much, Keeboy." I told my roommate, who was tapping away on his computer, imputing codes and numbers which seemed perfectly illogical to me. (Technically, I do understand what he's doing, but I pretended not to understand in case he'd launch into another one of his fanboying where he talks to me about his codes)

"Nonsense.. now, thanks to the gadget Iruma-san had gifted me, I can patrol the whole campus without getting out of the room." There he goes again, talking about Iruma like she was the best thing in the world.

I reached up and dried my hair with a towel. I can't believe I had fallen asleep with Saihara-chan on the rooftop. Even Keeboy didn't know, which was surprising because he claimed to know 'everything'. Yeah right. I wonder if being half robot had somehow fried his last remaining brain cells.

I took out my Monopad, unlocking it with my fingerprint and staring at Saihara's profile. He and I were so different. While he was quiet, logical and patient, I was bold, quick to judge and.. tons of other negative things I seldom thought about myself. My lies were just a facade, after all. I couldn't trust anyone easily.. and that was my weakness.

A message appeared on the side of the screen.

"Have you thought about the deal?"

It was that annoying Celestia Ludenburg again. She called herself the Queen of Liars, and no one wanted to overtake her since she was a senior. Well sorry, there can be only one liar around here.

Whatever the case. She made a deal with me. If I win a round of chess with her, she would leave Saihara-chan and I alone. And believe me. She wanted to get rid of him badly, something about getting revenge for someone. I wanted to protect him at all costs.

However, if I lose, she would get me expelled as quickly as I lost. It was a risk, but hey, I wasn't going to let her hurt me so easily.

We had picked chess, seeing that I had no experience playing Blackjack. I kinda lied about that, I do know how to play, but not as good as that witch. And besides, I had to admit, she was the best at that game and I'll surely lose to her in a heartbeat.

Chess was something I could play, and something I was confident in. So perhaps that could give me an advantage. Though that snake was probably messing around with me when she said that she knew how to play chess.

A new message appeared: "Tonight. No excuses, and if you want, bring your boyfriend. I want to see his shock when you lose and when he realises that you have to get sent away.."

I rolled my eyes at the message and deleted it. If she was trying to intimidate me, it's not gonna work. I turned my attention to Keebo, who was mumbling something. I didn't want to tell him, since.. I knew he would forbid me to go.

But Saihara-chan? I knew I had to tell him about this. And prepare him if I ever lost.

Something gentle hit my chest when I moved, making me realise that my DICE necklace was hanging there. My old friends.. they would tell me to play. But with sheer luck and sneaky tricks. Which gives me an idea.. I left my room, a plan in my mind and a burning hatred for that witch.

▹⋇⋆*＊❀　❀＊* ⋆⋇◃

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shuichi whispered as we walked along the darkened hallways. It was nearly eleven, and Celeste had told us to meet in the billiards room.

"Don't say that now, Saihara-chan! Of course it'll be a great idea! I won't let her hurt you." I added, making the boy blush faintly as my heart went double the speed. "Now.. shut up and stop trying to convince me to change my mind. I'm confident I can win against that stupid- good for nothing-."

His fingers laced my hand making me shut up instead. All I could focus on was his gentle touch. He was as scared as I was, and that wasn't good. I needed his confidence to help me.. god damnit, Saihara-chan. Can't you be more confident around me? I need you!

"Is that her-?" His soft voice cut through my thoughts, making me realise that we had finally arrived. Standing by the door was the one and only Celestia. She appeared to be alone, slowly shuffling a deck of cards.

"So you did heed my advice and bring your.." she fixed Shuichi with a gleam in her eyes, "Boyfriend. How sweet. Now, step into my lounge, and-."

"I'm waiting for someone else." I interrupted, making both Shuichi and the girl look at me. Oh right, I forgot to tell him.

"If you're planning to delay the inevitable, Kokichi Ouma.." Ludenberg tilted her head to the side, her blood red eyes glinting with eagerness. "I'm afraid it won't work. You'll play, whether you like it or not."

I grinned at her, "Okay. Whatever you say, Ludenberg-chan. Or is that even your real name.?"

A flicker of anger flashed through her eyes before regaining the regal composure. Beside me, Shuichi touched the back of my hand, a small wordless encouragement. "You better watch yourself, Ouma. I have other ways to hurt you."

Despite the threat, I continued smiling. "I sure hope you say your prayers, because I'm going to win this-."

"There you are.." a new voice spoke up, making the three of us look at the newcomer.

"I didn't expect you to bring your boyfriend, Ko-chan." I said, pretending to sound disappointed as both Hajime Hinata and Nagito Komaeda joined us.

"I only came to keep you guys in check." Hajime sighed, his olive green eyes narrowed at Celeste, who gave him a serene smile in return. I realised that they didn't seem to correct that 'boyfriend' statement I made.

"Why are you even here?" Celeste asked the albino, "I didn't expect an audience to witness Ouma's failure."

Nagito and I exchanged a look, his grey-green eyes dancing with humour. He then turned back to the girl, "I'm merely returning Ouma a favour. A mere, meaningless spectator like me should be allowed to watch, right?"

Shuichi looked surprised to hear Nagito say that about himself but he kept quiet. Smart.

"I don't see a reason for you to interrupt our game," the girl replied hesitantly, giving Hajime a small look again, who returned it with another narrowed eyed expression. "You can stay. Now enough meaningless conversation." she turned, pushing the red and gold door with a flourish, to reveal a standard casino like setting.

At the corner of my eye, Shuichi was looking around, interested in the many machines and tables. "Have you not seen a casino before?" I whispered to him, giving the boy a giggle at his wide eyed stare. "I've been to tons.. though this one's not as impressive as the one in Las Vegas."

He hit my arm, smiling faintly, "You're probably lying.. I don't think you've been to Las Vegas."

"Oooh you saw through my lie, huh." I smirked, before finally turning my attention to both Hajime, Komaeda and Celeste. The three were arranging a chess board on the table, and the longer I watched them, the more I could feel the growing anxiety. I had to stay in Hope's Peak. For Saihara-chan.

"Ouma." Komaeda walked up to us, but Shuichi kept holding my hand as though he didn't want to let go. I found that kinda cute. "It's ready. You know what to do.. right?" he asked.

I smirked at him, "Duh, all I have to do is beat her in a game of chess! Easy peasy!"

However, he shook his head. "This isn't going to be easy, Ouma-kun. She may be the Ultimate Gambler, but she's very good at pulling tricks and-."

"You're the Ultimate Luck! You have to lend me some of that!"

Shuichi raised both eyebrows at Nagito. "So you're the Ultimate Luck.. I've heard a lot about you-."

"Now's not the time to talk about talents, Saihara. Now focus, Ouma. You have a game of chess to win. See through Celestia's lies, and-."

"Yeah yeah," I frowned, feeling disappointed, "I know. Jeez, you guys are giving me way too much pressure."

"Three rounds to win. That's what she told me to tell you.. now good luck." Nagito informed me, before walking back to Hajime. I sighed, glancing at Saihara, who was looking visibly upset.

"You didn't have to agree to this.." his voice sounded tired. "Your parents paid for your education here-."

"They didn't." I turned away from him, focusing on the flashing lights of the pinball machines. "Komaeda was the one who paid for me to attend Hope's Peak. Not them. And besides, I can't let Celeste ruin your life, Saihara-chan."

▹⋇⋆*＊❀　❀＊* ⋆⋇◃

[ Shuichi's PoV ]

"-And besides, I can't let Celeste ruin your life, Saihara-chan."

...

I can't believe he said that. He was risking his education just to protect me. But why? Why would he do such a thing just for someone as insignificant as me? All over again, I felt that same pang of guilt, followed by anxiety as the thought of Ouma getting kicked out of school plagued my mind.

"Ouma." I said his name, loud enough for him to hear me over the loud sounds of the machines around us. "You're going to win this. You don't have to do it for me. I don't want you to throw your title away just for-."

"I want to do this because I LOVE YOU!" he spun to me, tears in his eyes. I froze, his red face tilted up; burning with anger and frustration. "I'm not letting that witch hurt you. So I'm playing this.." a tear escaped the corner of his left eye. "For you."

I stayed frozen with shock at his outburst, even as he hastily wiped his tears away and stormed off to Celeste. She was poised and ready, a steaming teacup of tea by her side, red eyes surveying our conversation with an interested smile on her pretty face.

I wanted to go up to her and flip the chess pieces in her face, take Ouma's hand and run away with him. His words kept replaying in my mind. 'I want to do this because I love you.'

Alright Ouma-kun.

I watched as he sat on the red armchair, inlaid with gold decals which matched the walls and the carpet.. he took a deep breath, and smiled, hiding away any discomfort.

I believe in you.

So play.

And win.

▹⋇⋆*＊❀　❀＊* ⋆⋇◃

The game went on for awhile, Celeste making her first move, since she was using a white set. No one spoke. Everything was silent except for the soft, elevator-like music playing in the background and the uneasy shifting of my shoes against the carpet.

Ouma's face was a mask of pure concentration, each move he made was out of confidence. Despite the growing pile of black pawns Celeste had collected, he maintained his cool and soon, captured one of her knights with a simple pawn.

I knew the basic terms of each piece, but never played, so I didn't understand his strategy and technique. I didn't know what was he doing. Once or twice, he hesitated, glancing over at me before turning back to the game with newfound confidence.

I wondered if I were somehow giving him encouragement..

However, his playful purple eyes were gone, and was now laced with poison and hatred for the girl relaxing before him. Celeste smiled pleasantly at me, and I wondered what did I do to make her hate me so much.

"Checkmate."

Kokichi said this word, moving a rook so that it was placed beside the girl's king.

Celeste raised both eyebrows and gestured to the board with a gentle smile. "Best out of three Ouma, well done. However, this was merely a warmup so I won't go easy on you after this... would you want to continue?" her tone indicated that there was no room for negotiation.

♥ End of Alternate Ending ♥

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

As you can see, there chapters were terrible before I edited them, and some scenes were cut. (There was a scene with just Kaede and Maki hanging out but nooo. SAIOUMA) YEY.

So, I think I have to end this here. Thank you so much for reading, voting and commenting. I really really loved writing for you guys, and to see a project like TDCL come to an end.. well, actually, it's not the end. There's more Saiouma books out there, and like Keeboy said, their love story won't fade as long as we keep writing.

So, thank you for exploring this world with me, and I'm glad to have you guys by my side through it all. I'd love to thank my best friends, (Nobody, (who I still wonder what your real name is), Destiny, Sora, (Ouma, Lord Owl, and everyone from Discord, I need to be more active there istg,) and of course, Ava, you guys are the best people in the world and I can't live without you.

Thank you for reading The Disease Called Love,
And I'll see you around ;)
Love, Ellie 🥳💕🌸💖