It was the end of the week. Their chores were done, the island clean, and many of the hope shards found. The Class of 77 saw fit this time to have a party at the Old Lodge, one with food, fun, and a few games thanks to Chiaki bringing over a system.
But, putting sixteen teenagers in the same room as one another, and one way or another, a special game would come up in discussion.
"So, we're playing Truth or Dare now?" Hajime questioned, taking his seat next to Chiaki as everyone sat in a big circle. In the center was an empty bottle that had once been filled with Juice Cocktail, namely because none of them could really drink without Usami getting wind and putting a stop to it. Sonia nodded to him, already pleased and happy with the turn of events.
"Oh yes! I had read that teen parties accommodate something like this quite often, so there was no reason to leave it out."
"Sounds good to me Miss Sonia, whatever you say." Souda expectedly chimed in, as did many others. Not wanting to go against it Hajime shrugged and moved to spin first, as per Sonia's request for him to 'get the party started' as she loosely put it; someone needed to get her up to speed on proper lingo.
The bottle whirled and spun, and everyone waited in anticipation to see who it'd land on, and what things could be dredged up to make that player either spill their beans, or do something horrific.
The bottle came to a stop moments later.
Mahiru took notice that it was on her.
"…just to be on the safe side; truth."
"Alright," Hajime tried to think up a good question for this…so far he had nothing big so he went with the best option. "Have you ever had to replace a broken camera?"
"At times, they either wear out from constant usage, or break through…circumstances." She sighed and looked away briefly, but none the less moved to spin the bottle again to see who it landed on.
Mikan eeped in fear when it landed on her. Hiyoko had already jumped at the chance to sick some tormenting things on her but Mahiru quieted down the small girl…she wanted to keep this simple.
"Um…t-truth…?"
"Okay, have you ever had to use your medical skills on someone to save their life?" The timid girl folded her hands a bit, and after a brief delay nodded.
"On a puppy I found…got hurt badly in a fight with some neighboring cats. I did the best I could to help the dog but…"
"If you gonna say that dog died shut the fuck up." Fuyuhiko interjected…seemingly to be visibly disturbed by the knowledge of this and was against hearing the outcome. The nurse squeaked, but rapidly shook her head to his outburst.
"N-N-No, he didn't die! I managed to stabilize him before I could find an animal shelter to take care of him! When we get off this island I should go check on him though."
"…you're alright, Mikan…" Fuyuhiko settled down, Mikan moving to spin the bottle a few moments later.
It came to a stop once again, this time on Chiaki.
"Huh?" She closed the screen to her portable game system, paying complete attention to Mikan, already saying truth as she knew Mikan would be hesitant to ask the question herself.
"U-Um…have you ever played a…bad game…please don't get mad at me."
"It's okay…and I have before. I think it was an older game I played; had a really good idea about a civil war going on. It was set on a futuristic city in the middle of the ocean, with the security and the resistance clashing…the idea being that no one is truly the bad guy. But the gameplay was repetitive, the mechanics boring, and the story promised being nothing of the likes." She shrugged, not at all bothered by disclosing the information. "But, every game has its pros and cons to people." She spun the bottle and resumed her gaming, Hajime making a note to alert her when it landed on her.
"Ha! The glass container knows who it's true lord is!" Gundham…this could be amusing. Chiaki looked up as he spoke. "Give me a dare, mortal fool, the ice lord shall destroy it and all who dare oppose him!"
"…mhm…I dare you to let someone of your choice pat your hamsters." The breeder obviously wore a grimace of disgust and fear.
"Are you mad?! The Four Dark Devas would destroy them on the spot for daring to caress their fur! You're dooming your classmates to a fate beyond death!"
"For fuck's sake just let someone see a hamster. Jeez at this rate I'll have to get a penalty bucket ready." He wasn't kidding, right next to him was…really just a fedora filled with little slips in case someone wanted to chicken out a dare. Gundham sighed…and moved to Sonia, the princess already making a light squee of joy when she was handed one of the gerbils.
"Out of those here, the lady of darkness is the only one the Devas trust the most." He sat back down and waited long enough before the gerbils climbed off Sonia and returned to him, one of them shoving the bottle to spin it for him.
Hajime needed to ask just how trained those things were.
The bottle landed on Hiyoko.
"Dancer of the devils…what is your pick?"
"…truth."
"Very well," He closed his eyes and seemed to think…before finally having an idea. "Who here do you detest the most? And it cannot be the nurse." She thought on it for a good while, before pointing sharply at Souda.
"He smells like grease and sadness."
"Hey!" He was about to retort, but a firm glare from Sonia made him fall silent, not wanting to risk a fight between them. The small girl spun the bottle before sitting back down.
Hajime noticed it was on him.
"Yay! Big Bro Hajime's gotta do something for me-"
"If he picks dare, Hiyoko." Mahiru spoke up…as a means to calm her down before she got power hungry.
Because right now she was literally holding all the marbles and all the nightmares.
Hajime was bold…he had to do something.
"...dare." A silence fell over everyone as he said that. No one expected him to take a dare, especially with the likes of Hiyoko being the one to issue and give it out.
That was what he wanted; she'd be so off guard she wouldn't have anything cooked up to get him.
"Wh-huh?! L-Lemme think of something…"
"Five seconds." Fuyuhiko cut in, not keen on waiting. This spurred on the confused Hiyoko, before she finally spoke.
"G-Get me some gummy bears!" And she clamped a hand over her mouth, swearing silent considering she missed her chance to actually do anything, though Hajime just smirked at her frustration.
"Gotcha…you want everything but the yellow, I take it?" He was just fueling the fire, watching her saunter back to her spot borderline fuming. His hand moved for the bottle, spinning it with a light flick.
It landed on Teruteru.
"My my! The bottle's so kind today. Alright Hajime, what sorta dish ya got prepared for lil' old me."
"Spend an hour not trying to get into someone's pants." His face darkened seconds later.
"…c-can I take the penalty?"
"...no." Fuyuhiko pushed the hat of penalty cards behind him, glaring the entire time…
"…fine." He begrudgingly spun the bottle, seeming a bit down until he saw who the bottle landed on; his face brightened up in seconds.
"Ohoho! I have something perfect in mind-"
"Truth." Surprisingly, that didn't deter the cook.
"If you had the choice, would you take Peko for a night of raunchy fun?" Both the swordswoman and the yakuza's face exploded with blushes; the former looking away and clearing her throat.
"…" Fuyuhiko had nothing, and Hajime could see everyone waiting for him to answer. He finally cleared his throat, and answered the best way he could.
"If I wanted to, why the fuck would I tell you fuckers?" Essentially, he did answer the question.
Nagito only smirked from where he was; he knew that was a yes. The yakuza spun, and the bottle finally landed on Nagito.
"Ah, the bottle landed on trash? You should spin again, I don't wish to waste everyone's time-"
"Hey, truth or dare asshole?" Nagito seemed…actually content with that.
"I pick truth; a dare would be weird."
"…why do you like hope so much?" The pale teen rubbed his chin in thought.
"Hope is the one thing that keeps us all together despite being trapped on this island together. It gives someone the strength to keep going when life crushes everything they do. And it keeps people from losing all sight when everything they know dies around them."
"…hey…Nagito?" Souda caught his attention. "You're crying."
"Huh?" He tapped his face, feeling tears streaming down his face, but he simply shrugged and wiped them away with his sleeve. "Oh…well this is new. I guess I got carried away there."
"…yeah…go ahead and spin." Nagito nodded, hand moving to flick the bottle, spinning it slowly.
It landed on Souda in seconds.
"Kazuichi, truth or dare?"
"I pick dare! I gotta be confident for Miss Sonia."
For a mere second Hajime swore he saw Nagito smirk, with a very sadistic glimmer.
"Good, we may need to take a walk for you to do the dare…
"THIS?! THIS WAS YOUR DARE!?" Souda was…essentially screaming and trying to get away, but the ropes around him ensured he couldn't. The entire class of 77 was gathered at the Roller Coaster, with Souda tied up and slung over Nekomaru's shoulder. Nagito had a dare that made even Hiyoko cringe in terror and fear.
Have Souda ride the coaster by himself, at full power, in front of everyone.
"Seriously Nagito…what the fuck man?" Fuyuhiko asked, as the coaster came to a stop at the bottom of the ride. "You're making him ride the roller coaster alone?"
"Why? Is it too weak for something like you?" Mahiru questioned, hands resting on her hips with an annoyed look on her face. However, his response was nothing of the sort.
"No, just surprised he's making Souda face his biggest fear on the island by himself while we all watch him mentally collapse and probably shit himself. I never took him to be that sadistic." The yakuza grimaced as Souda was set down, seeing him entirely pale and shaking as if he had seen a ghost of some sort.
"It's a way for his hope to shine to the fullest, and what better way for that to happen than for his friends to all be here to support him and-"
"You want to see him soil himself in terror, don't you?" Peko finally asked, arms crossed. Nagito only shrugged, that smirk never fading.
"Peko~ You know me too well."
Hajime did the wise thing and untied Souda, doing his best to keep him from running for his life.
"Hey, Souda! Calm the hell down!" He shook the mechanic's shoulders, already seeing him borderline having an anxiety attack. "You can do this! It's just a coaster!"
"I have severe motion sickness and a fucking fear of heights man! Wait! I can take a penalty! Fuyuhiko, hand me the hat!"
"…you might not want it." The Yakuza handed him a slip drawn from the hat, handing it to him.
Spend an hour locked in a room with Mikan hopped up on soda.
"…so it's either ride that roller coaster, or borderline get sexually assaulted. When Mikan's hopped up on sodas she gets grabby...and then grabby becomes really messed up things." Hajime concluded. Souda looked about ready to shit himself at this point.
Hajime had to do the right thing, or rather do the option that kept Souda from bolting and hiding somewhere forever.
"What about Sonia?" That snapped the mechanic out his stupor. "What'll she think if you run off on this? She'll laugh at you forever man."
"B-But, I-"
"Look, in a man's life he's gonna have a moment where he's gotta face something he fears. And right now, you're being that man. So go up there, ride the ride with confidence, and come down a badass capable of daring Sonia to make out with you next turn if you land on her." His words worked, Souda nodded with confidence, and started walking, seating himself at the front seat of the coaster and crossing his arms, a determined look on his face.
"Light this bitch." And the second the ride was launched everyone could hear screaming.
"My, he certainly got some pep in his step." Sonia mused, watching the roller coaster zoom at full speed, Souda flailing the entire time up there. "I wonder how he'll be when he gets down." The ride came to a stop a few moments later…and Souda was a wreck. He was panting, beanie lost at some point during the ride, his skin paled from sweat as tears streamed down his face from the wind. The secure rail lifted and he took one step out…
…and collapsed, vomiting where he stood. A few people looked away, wincing at his misfortune, whereas Fuyuhiko just sighed and rubbed his face.
"Can someone get a mop…and…probably Mikan? He might need a medic…"
Took at least an hour to get everyone back up to speed, though Souda was laying on the ground when they formed up in a circle again. The mechanic had to get some pills from the infirmary to calm his stomach down…as well as some food from Teruteru so he could replace the stuff he vomited, considering he didn't eat the entire day.
Based on what he said he just forgot; busy working. He even needed to get another jumpsuit, because god forbid if he wore the previous one after the ride.
"Okay, Souda you good?" Fuyuhiko's question was met with a hesitant nod. He sighed, and spun the bottle, waiting to see who it landed on and probably hoping Sonia came up.
It came to a stop on Twogami.
"I'll elect for truth, if you don't mind…the previous dare seems like a good incentive to avoid from taking one."
"A-Alright man…who…like…who are you really?"
"Togami; that is the identity I have taken for myself, and it is the one I shall pursue until the time comes up where I no longer need it. And when that comes I will take on another one and work as that until the time is needed to shift once again." That was the best answer they were going to get from him, and he moved to spin the bottle himself.
Akane came up.
"Hell yeah! Gimme a good dare! I betcha can't think of anything good at all!"
"…I have one. I dare you to actually button your shirt up properly; your breasts are spilling out mostly and it's been bothering me for the last few days. I just never had the incentive to actually tell you until now." She took a moment to think, and glanced down to her shirt, giving an honest attempt to button and fix her shirt…
…a button flew off and pelted Souda's face.
"FUCK!" He collapsed seconds later, to which the Gymnast just shrugged.
"None of my shirts go all the way." It was an honest answer, and the bottle was spun again.
"Woohoo! Ibuki's next for this game! Finally! Dare me, I got all the courage in the world!"
"Uh huh…I dare you to…huh…I dare you to take one person into that closet over there and…I dunno…do something in there." Teruteru was the first to perk up. He was about to raise his hand, but Ibuki had already shot off for the closet…
…dragging Twogami with her.
The class waited for a good ten minutes before they both emerged, amazingly enough nothing was out of place and nothing was wrong.
"…so…what happened?" Nagito was first to ask, and Twogami answered.
"Not what Teruteru is thinking judging from his nose bleed over there; I talked with her about things and time came to a conclusion after we spoke. She merely wanted to know my tastes in music."
"He likes all the musics! Ibuki's gotta show him some really good songs!" She sat down and moved to spin the bottle herself.
Sonia came up, and she practically beamed.
"I shall choose dare! I wish to see what you can come up with for me, Ibuki!"
"Gotcha! Spend seven minutes in that closet with Gundham; worked out for me and ham hands over there!" The breeder immediately sported a blush, whereas Sonia was completely calm; standing and making her way towards the closet, beckoning Gundham to follow her.
The door was closed, and the timer set.
"Maaan…what the hell're they doing in there?" Souda was already growing skeptical and concerned, though Hajime had to stop him at least seven times from going over and putting his ear to the door. "I just bet they're gettin' all mushy in there. That should be me! I was the guy who went through hell for her!"
"And did rather well until you got off the ride, I might add." Nagito chimed in, and Souda nearly strangled him. The timer went off and the two students emerged, though only Gundham sported a mildly amused look, whereas Sonia was practically giddy.
"We exchanged stories of the old days, and I enjoyed it a lot!" She spun the bottle herself and it came to a stop on Peko.
"Truth."
"Very well, why do you always carry your sword around you at all times? We are all friends here, are we not?" Peko shrugged a few moments later.
"I must always be prepared in case something happens here. No matter what we must always be prepared for something none of us could possible foresee." They all noticed the time…they had to wrap this up, and one last spin would be order.
"Kazuichi, it has selected you." The mechanic perked up. "Truth or dare?"
The mechanic stared at Sonia eagerly laughing and speaking to a few people…and made his mind up.
"Dare."
"Very well…fight Gundham with a metal pipe in a sword fight for my amusement." Fuyuhiko glanced to her, and noticed a slight smirk on her face.
She was actually having some fun…that's good.
Gundham however had some claims against her dare.
"Are you mad woman? If I were to use my powers against a lowly fool like him it'll be a mockery of everything I stand-" Souda had already drop kicked him, holding a metal pipe and screaming like a madman, both of them clashing and fighting, the clang of metal against metal resonating in the room. After a while the fighting got out of hand and Nekomaru had to break them up before they managed to hurt each other even more than just smashing someone's hand.
…Hajime just sat in the back, shaking his head. And this is how they delve into idiocy again. But, at least everyone had fun and things didn't get out of hand…that much.
"Hajime I got a high score again."
"Great job."
(So someone reviewed the King's Game and asked me to write this. So I pulled an all-nighter to make this happen. Really I don't regret it; turned out well. Hope you all enjoy it and with Halloween coming up I hope you guys have a safe holiday and don't murder too many people this year. I'm not sure about any more teen games that can come about so I think this'll be it before I resumed Dangan Hunters and the Battle for the Islands. And this would have been longer but my goal was actually to have everyone have a turn in the game at least once, and we missed Nekomaru namely because I ran out of ideas and the wheel refused to have him come up. But, aside from that little problem I think we're not too far off from a good story. So leave a fav and a review, and I'll get to work on the other stuff.)