Kaede x Piano

Kaede x Piano is the cargo ship between Kaede Akamatsu and her piano from the Danganronpa fandom.

Canon
After meeting Shuichi Saihara for the second time after regaining your memories in the game, Kaede tells him and the player about her past as the Ultimate Pianist.

She has been playing the piano ever since she was a baby. She would play the piano so much that she would forget to eat and sleep at times, as a result, she was given the nickname "piano freak." Soon, she began to win contest after contest and even played for important historical figures such as a European king, a representative of Juiliard, and other famous pianists. All the praise she gathered over the years granted her the title of Ultimate Pianist.

Kaede is seen in game to bring up classical pieces in her day-to-day speech, telling Shuichi that they should imagine Gymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie to stay calm. She may fall asleep imagining music often, as she falls asleep imagining Chopin's "Prelude" on her first night at the academy. During Chapter 1, after Kaede enters her research lab, she mentions she should play Claude Debussy's "Claire de Lune" for Shuichi once they escape.

Right After Chapter 1's class trial, Kaede is executed by asphyxiation while the Monokubs were using her body/feet to play the giant grand piano.

Soon after Kaede's execution, Shuichi goes to the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab and plays Claire de Lune on a radio and listens to it in memory of Kaede. The CG depicts Shuichi standing in front of the piano, and a semi-transparent Kaede sitting on the seat of the piano and playing the music. This may or may not be implying Kaede's ghost is there playing it in spirit.

During Kaede's Free Time Events while playing as Shuichi, the piano is mentioned a lot. She talks about Chopin, Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 and the three Waltzes, Op. 34. Later on into the Free Time Events, she teaches Shuichi how to play the piano so they can duet.

Quotes
"But...all the more reason why we need to stay calm. Oh! "Gymnopédie No. 1" by Erik Satie. Try to imagine that sorrowful melody filling your head and soothing your heart—"

- Kaede

"I thought we would achieve our goal as long as we didn't give up. That had always been my mentality whenever I practiced the piano...but...maybe playing the piano is easier...because I'm blessed...with that talent. With Chopin's "Prelude" playing in my head, I fell into a deep sleep."

- Kaede, mentally

"Chopin composed many solos, and was even referred to as The Poet of the Piano. That title might mean nothing to you at first, but you'll get it once you listen to his works. He always performed at concerts."

- Kaede during her First Free Time Event

Fanon
As every other cargoship, this ship is mainly a joke by the fandom because of Kaede's piano obsession. Even as a cargoship, this ship isn't as popular as others in the fandom such as Hinata x Orange Juice, Nagito x Hope or Hope Bagels. It's also rivaled by Kaede's more popular ships like Saimatsu and Irumatsu. It can be shipped along with other cargoships such as Shuichi x Hat. In most singular fan arts of Kaede, she is often drawn playing the piano. Some have even gone so far as to create fan fictions for Kaede and piano(s).

Fandom
FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * The song played during Kaede's execution, Der Flohwalzer (or in the Original Japanese, "ネコふんじゃった lit. I Stepped on the Cat) is played primarily on black keys, however, if you look closely you will see Kaede is stepping on the white keys. This could be hinting at the fact she was not the blackened.
 * Furthermore, you would need 2-3 Kaede's to actually play the song correctly; that detail actually represents Kaedes fear of playing wrong in public, which can be seen as people threw tomatoes at her