Another warm-up piece I decided to post! Again...for some reason...
Basically my baby brother became addicted to the first Danganronpa game and he went in totally and completely blind. He believes the huge twist of the game is... well, this, basically. I thought the idea was fascinating and complex and well-thought-out and just so perfect for Danganronpa, how could I not write about it? I mean, just think about it. Doesn't it make a lot of sense?
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Sayaka slowly opened her eyes, glancing around the bathroom. Her 'blood' had long since cooled and dried and it was starting to chaff on her. She stared down at the scene in slight disgust. Anything for the realism, he had said, but she had forgotten she agreed to do literally anything. Sometimes, she genuinely disliked her job with all of her heart.
She sat up, adjusted her position, and yanked the rubber knife out of her stomach, sighing. It hadn't even penetrated her slip, let alone her skin. If her timing was correct, everyone would be watching the execution. She would only have a few minutes, but that was all she needed.
A few quick steps, the soft jingle of keys, and soon she found herself in a darkened control room, several televisions all set up. The televisions truly were the focus of the room, but a few desks were lined up against the walls, a remote control and laptop set up on one. A large wood door in the back led to their minuscule kitchen. Everything was dimly lit. Anything for the illusion. Things were tight, but it wasn't supposed to look like someone actually lived there.
She groaned as she peeled off the stained, too-tight uniform and slipped on a much more comfortable outfit consisting of black slacks, a blue turtleneck, and of course her white coat. She pulled a notebook out of her bag and tapped a pencil against it, watching the monitors.
"Will Mr. Kuwata be joining us soon?" She questioned curiously, watching a freckled woman with short black hair carry a tray full of coffee mugs into the room.
"Yes. Once he is given the okay," The woman set the tray down on a large table and sipped from one of the mugs, turning a few of the screens off. Sayaka nodded in understanding, staring at her notebook. Once Leon showed up, then she could write down the current mental status of their subject.
"How long do you think it'll take this time?" The woman, named Mukuro, asked, earning a shrug from Sayaka.
"A few more days maybe? He's far more gullible than some of our other subjects, but also more optimistic. Studying him further shall be a delight. At least, that's what I think," Sayaka explained just as Leon strolled in, planting a kiss on her lips.
"Hey babe! I got the results right here," He explained, handing her a packet of papers. She nodded and started to go through them, her pencil at the ready. As she wrote, she found it interesting how this time, he was picked to play her killer and she was the person he killed. She often played a murderer; a few times he was a murderer, but most of the time they were both killed at the hands of others.
The fates and talents and appearances changed, but they were always together in their experiments. This time, she was the beautiful and doll-like idol, adored by millions, and he was the hot-headed and stubborn athlete, doomed to a talent he had little interest in.
She saw nothing wrong with getting immersed in her current role, even if it was just that. She mused to herself as she quietly wrote.
Day Four. Subject still remains quite optimistic and helpful. However, Miss Kirigiri reported a few cracks in his exterior. Further observation will be necessary.
####
"Ugh, oh my god!" Chihiro gasped, kicking his feet up on one of the desks. His girly shoes had been replaced with heavy black boots and the rest of his outfit was similar to how Leon often dressed; he even had a silver stud piercing in his nose. "I am sooooo glad I can finally take that skirt off! Like, talk about busting my balls! And that stupid weak bullshit I had to pull? Gag me with a spoon!" He mimed the action, making Leon and Mondo laugh. Sayaka rolled her eyes slightly.
"But you made an amazing actor. He fell for it completely," Mukuro reminded Chihiro. "Same for you. Both of you played your parts splendidly," She addressed Mondo.
"Turning into butter? What was up with that?" Chihiro carried on.
"Just a little touch. It wouldn't have much of an effect if he didn't question himself very much, now would it?" Mondo reassured him.
Sayaka started to write more things down in her notebook as Mukuro watched the cameras, zooming in on Makoto; sitting in his room currently with an unreadable expression on his face.
Day Eight. Subject seems to have broken down even more. Some hopefulness and optimism remain, but more cracks have appeared on subject's exterior. More stress may be needed to fully test the endurance of subject's sanity. More observation is definitely necessary.
####
Celestia managed to fit a giant card table into the room, currently playing a game with Hifumi, Kiyotaka, Mondo, and Chihiro. It seemed Chihiro was currently in the lead, after all, all of her stories about being a master gambler were complete and utter bullshit. Mukuro sipped more coffee as she watched the monitors, leaning back slightly as Makoto's face lit up upon seeing Alter-Ego.
"It's just like that age-old saying of the stick and carrot. That kid got a ton o' sticks, now he's getting a carrot," Mondo explained. His leather jacket was gone and so was the ridiculous hair style; instead, his appearance had become much more refined and polished. Same for Hifumi. Those were just roles they were playing, after all.
"But his mind is already baloney! He's gonna go fucking crazy soon!" Celestia, or, as she liked to be referred to, Taeko, snickered meanly. All of the fakeness and glamour were gone; now she kicked back in purple leggings and a black sweatshirt with purple details, her hair short.
Taeko and Chihiro were used just as often as Leon and her; Chihiro was one of the best programmers of their generation despite being in his mid-twenties and Taeko was the welfare queen of acting. Give her a role and she would completely immerse herself in it. It was no wonder the two often found each other in the other's bed; they had to act as disgruntled classmates for the act to be convincing but Taeko evidently had a hard time concealing how attracted she was to her rich little 'friend'.
Sayaka twirled the engagement ring around on her finger, taking a sip of her own coffee before starting to write down more observations.
"Like, I just hope our boss gets here soon. She's the one running this fucking thing, and she doesn't even wanna participaite?!" Chihiro groaned.
"But she is the most important piece in all of this," Sayaka reminded him gently, briefly looking up from her notebook. She took a quick glance at the monitor, seeing a small smile on Makoto's face. She felt her cheeks warm up slightly before she turned her attention back to her notebook. No way she was letting her fiancé see her current expression.
Day Twelve. Subject is slowly starting to lose both hope and helpfulness. The reality of his current situation is finally starting to weigh him down. Almost all of his classmates are dead and the school is still locked-up and empty. More cracks have begun to appear. Total mental breakdown is surely not far now. More observations are required.
####
"What a close one! He almost found that picture of us, man! He almost became suspicious!" Leon gasped. "Who just left that lying around?!"
"Wasn't me," Chihiro blew some smoke out of his mouth after taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Babydoll, can't you fucking smoke that shit outside? You're gonna make me get lung cancer in my thirties!" Taeko glared at Chihiro.
"Why don't you make your mouth useful and suck my fucking dick?" Chihiro took another drag.
"I think leaving the picture out will end up being a great idea in the long run. It might make him even more paranoid," Mondo reassured them, nodding. Hifumi sighed as he set the remote control down on an empty desk.
"Please never ask me to do such fast and sharp maneuvers again! My fingers aren't what they used to be!" He adjusted his glasses.
Sayaka waved some of Chihiro's cigarette smoke away from her, not wanting her paperwork to reek of the stuff when she had to take it home at the end of the day. She turned her results in early today since later on she was expected to go shopping for wedding dresses. Her cheeks turned warm again as she found herself wondering if Makoto would find her to be beautiful in a wedding dress.
####
Sakura strolled in the room, dressed in her own purple suit and white coat as she gave a nod to everyone present. They all nodded back at her as she took a seat at one of the desks. Sayaka started to write down the next report, her pen moving slower than usual. She winced slightly. The others all eagerly talked amongst themselves as Mukuro cut up a large sandwich for them all. She was hesitating to report the results. How silly of her. She hastily scribbled them down, then shoved her notebook aside and got in line for a sandwich slice.
#####
"Six left! Do you think they'll blow it?" Taeko laughed. "I sure freaking hope so. It'd be funny!"
"No, it wouldn't be. All our time and money would be wasted," Kiyotaka reminded her.
"They won't fucking blow it, they wouldn't dream of it! They have the best fucking person there! So good, she should've made her secret talent be the Ultimate Actress!" Chihiro laughed, quietly typing away on a laptop.
"We already had one slip-up. We can't afford another one," Mondo reminded everyone.
Sayaka finally set down her pen. "I'm taking a lunch break," She announced, leaving the room.
"But babe, it's not time yet! Babe?" Leon questioned, running after her.
####
"The apocalypse? What a fucking riot! And he bought that, hook, line, and sinker!" Chihiro laughed.
"And those fabricated pictures. A very good job indeed. Lots of praise and thanks must be given all around," Mukuro nodded in agreement.
"It was all thanks to our assistants," Taeko sipped some of her coffee just as a buxom blonde woman arrived, her hair in a ponytail and glasses on her face.
"Yes. They were such good little actors, were they not? I look forward to promoting them to higher positions next year," Junko nodded in agreement. "Of course, it helped that I myself am capable of filling so many roles at once. Without me, the whole thing would've just fallen apart," She tapped her glasses. "Now come, come, celebrate, then head outside once the subject has cleared the area. Several reporters already wish to speak to us,"
And sure enough, Sayaka and her group were hounded by the press almost as soon as they left the building; she shielded her eyes from the bright flashes of the clicking cameras.
"Mr. Fujisaki, how did you make such a complex A.I. for Monokuma?" A reporter asked the blonde man, who scoffed.
"Piece o' cake! I modeled it after a cute bear, cuz everyone thinks stuffed animals are cute, but then bam! I made the other side super fucking scary! I made it self-sufficient enough that it could do certain things on its own, but someone still had to control it with a remote control if it got stuck. Hifumi-san did that honor," He then stuck his tongue out for the camera.
"Miss Yasuhiro, what was the point of the experiment?"
"I dunno, I was just one of the many actors hired to play a part in this. Yeah, I'm like a physiologist too or some shit, but this ain't really my area of speciality," She pulled Chihiro over to her. "Come on, babydoll, we're going home,"
"Look, it's the head of this establishment!"
"The main boss herself!"
"Miss Kirigiri!"
Kyoko sighed as she stepped into the sunlight, still dressed in her school uniform. The other 'survivours' were behind her, all happily waving to the cameras as they dropped their fake personalities.
"Was the experiment a success?"
"Yes. Our subject has been effectively driven insane by all of the events he believed he was witnessing, as well as the general hopelessness of the school around him and the state of the world. My only regret is that we cannot monitor him after releasing him into the real world," Kyoko ran a hand through her hair.
"I have written daily reports on his deteriorating mental state," Sayaka announced, stepping forward with her notebook.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kuwata,"
"How did you do the executions? After all, those looked pretty real to me!"
"A whole lotta special effects," Mondo laughed.
"And the people were just wax figurines. You know, the murdered people? And the blood is just dyed chocolate syrup!" Leon laughed.
"Another successful experiment!" Hifumi cheered.
"The fact he thought he truly was just a lucky student who got a break to attend a school like this...as if!" Touko snickered.
"That should've been his first clue that something was amiss," Byakuya nodded in agreement.
Jin Kirigiri then appeared on the scene, grinning and shaking the hands of all his esteemed psychologists and actors.
Aoi Asahina, Mondo Oowada, Sakura Oogami, Yasuhiro Hagakure, and even her beloved Leon Kuwata weren't actually scientists of any kind; merely just actors payed to play a certain role to make the location more immersive and the set-up more believable.
Byakuya Togami was from a family of esteemed bankers and he agreed to fund the project if he were allowed to partake in it. Why he wanted to, Sayaka had no clue. But, she supposed she couldn't talk.
On that subject, Kiyotaka Ishimaru was an esteemed member of Parliment and was commissioned by Mukuro in order to keep an eye on the experiment to be sure everything ran smoothly and it was all perfectly legal.
Touko Fukawa and Hifumi Yamada were not lying when they introduced themselves as authors; both had written very prominent books and studies about social experiments and the state of the mental health community as a whole. Touko especially was best known for her semi-autobiographical book concerning split-personality disorder.
Chihiro Fujisaki was a force to be reckoned with in the programming world, having had various successes with A.I. production under his belt. He was often referred to as 'the devil programmer' due to having the innocent appearance of a bunny but the foul mouth and sharp tongue of a demon. He was difficult to work with and did not work cheap, but Sayaka knew she was prepared to shell out every cent of her own money if it meant making sure the experiment was successful.
Taeko Yasuhiro was a welfare queen; a spoiled little tramp who adored Fine culture and aesthetics despite her next-door-neighbor being a garbage dump. Her true career was a mystery, but her acting skills were well-known and sought after. Sayaka managed to entice her with the promise of playing a literal Victorian maiden. Taeko jumped at the chance and flew in just a few short days later.
Junko and Mukuro Ikusaba were twin sisters who often worked behind the scenes alongside her, both famed psychologists with several successful character studies under their belts. Junko was notably hard to work with as well, due to a rumored personality problem of some sort, but Sayaka never found any issues with her. Mukuro did studies on mental disorders, namely PTSD after her younger sister got diagonised with a case due to being homeless for so long.
And then, of course, there was their benefactor and boss for this current experiment; Kyoko Kirigiri herself. A mysterious ice beauty, she was one of the most famous scientists of their generation; specializing in social experiments such as their current one.
And then there was herself; Sayaka Kuwata, née Maizono. A budding therapist and psychologist herself, she and Kyoko worked alongside each other to see how certain types of people reacted to lawless and hopeless suitations. Two years ago, she put herself on the map by watching a group of teenagers stuck on a tropical island with no rules to see how their mental statuses deteriorated with each passing day. At that point, she was disguised as Ibuki Mioda. In a few weeks, she would be shipped off to investigate another school alongside Junko; disguised as a pianist named Kaede Akamatsu.
What could she say? Evidently she had a thing for musicians.
"Special praise to Chihiro and Taeko. Your supreme acting skills were top-notch even for my assisstaints. You truly sold your roles well. And of course. A very special thank you to Chihiro again for putting together all of the technology we needed to pull this off," Junko tapped her glasses again.
"The subject will likely be put into the hands of the 'Future Foundation', that prestigious mental health hospital," Mukuro explained into the cameras.
"Yeah! My brother was recently discharged from there! They do great work!" Aoi nodded in agreement, posing for some of the shots with the other 'survivors'.
More pictures were taken as the scientists celebrated another successful experiment. Junko and Mukuro left early to attract potential new subjects, while Sayaka took another long look at the school.
"Makoto-kun..." She whispered to herself. She gently slipped out a barrette shaped like a kitten that he had given her only their second day there. She wasn't lying when she said she adored it.
"Come on, babe, I wanna catch the game on TV before it's over!" Leon called to his wife, and Sayaka nodded and pocketed the barrette, running over to her husband. They kissed and she got into his car. She looked at the school once more.
Sometimes, she genuinely disliked her job with all of her heart.