Hey, I'm back!
Alright, so here's the long-awaited new chapter of today! I'm going to be splitting this in two parts, since the ending part to this investigation and first day of the Mutual Killing Game will be quite long... Well, don't fret! I already have a lot of things planned out for this story~
COMMENTS TO REVIEWS:
dashunterman: "Hehe! How about right now?"
Wolfnight3634: "Why, thank you for the review. You are just too nice to be expecting so much stuff from me."
Third Cosmic Velocity: "I guess I do? Well, Shi is quite particularly a cute guy, so I may just tease him a little~ Mizuki is quite energetic, isn't she? Well, you can't have all the nice people to call him out. Sora is quite the hard lady to crack open though. Aha, thanks for the review!"
Shyjoker: "Alright! Glad I don't disappoint! Oh gosh Kingsley, I'm sensing something personal from you!"
Strange Nothing: "Since it's a city I have more work to do though *sighs*. Thank you, I'm trying my best to differ characters from one another to make them all special in their own way."
TheRoseShadow21: "Yeah, I'll be trying, but I'm sure you can draw better than me! Well, I just don't want to kill someone off when you don't even know them well... I wanna make people cry- I mean... Oops."
SatokoHojo: "Nah, it's fine! I'm glad I portrayed Himeko perfectly."
Nemris: "Thank you, I appreciate it. *blushes* You're really going out of your way to compliment me. I feel honored. Yeah, and it's better to know the setting first before letting the action start in a rush. Honestly, I want everyone to have a chance in the spotlight. It's not fair if one person is the main character when there's more diversity in each cast. Aha, I guess you will love Saburo here then."
SongBirds-Lullaby: "Thank you. I appreciate your review."
ashDanLand: "No, it's fine! Don't worry, you'll get them soon..."
Episode 1: Monokuma's First Step to Despair
Part 1: The Glass Ball's City
Survivors: 16/16
Remember, your life isn't worth it here.
Remember, your life is nothing more than just a stepping stone.
Trapped inside of an enclosed space that slowly shrinks in size, will your mind break down first or your body? Will you be crushed by the walls surrounding you without your spirit even breaking? Will you commit yourself to suicide once you realize your ending lifespan?
Remember, your life is nothing to us.
It's nothing compared to everyone else.
A dream. Though it was a dream, those words inflicted great harm onto me. My whole body felt as though I was a mere mannequin playing by the strings of the person shadowing over me.
It was another dream I shared with the rest of them. Does that mean they're worthless? Worthless like me?
Ah, that's pitiable. Isn't that right...
Monokuma?
(Group 3 - Kingsley, Satoshi, Sora, Yuki - Northeastern Area)
"A swimming pool? Ugh, the water looks murky." Sora clicked her tongue, crossing her arms as she held her chin up high. Looking down at the swimming pool that didn't seemed to be cleaned since months, the appraiser couldn't help but gag in the inside.
The swimming pool was just miles away from where the group last started. The area around the pool were clean and sparkling, a few imprints of the groups' footsteps staining the area. There was one big pool in the middle of the area, another smaller, circular pool on the left side where the metal benches were. The smaller pool seemed to act as a temporary hot spring, Satoshi noticing bubbles popping and appearing every second. On the right end of the gigantic pool were various chairs, benches, slippers, and most swimming attire all bundled up in a heap of mess.
"Well, I'm sure we'll find a way to clean this unwanted mess up. Both the pool and that heap of mess there," Yuki replied, trying to cheer up the appraiser. Sora, however, simply scowled at her and turned her head away from the audiobook narrator's sight.
Kingsley bit into his lips, turning to the side. "... Like I can swim."
Yuki turned to the lawyer, stunned by his words. "Hm? You never learned how to swim since you were an infant? Not even when you were a toddler?"
Kingsley shook his head, heat rising into the back of his mind. "L-like I can swim!" He suddenly cried, clicking his tongue. "Haven't you noticed? Haven't any of you noticed why I never showed you my right arm? Haven't you ever questioned why I only use my left hand?"
Satoshi glanced at the lawyer, seeing the leather jacket that covered up Kingsley's body. He couldn't see much of his arms as they were hidden beneath the clothing, but his mind spring a few ideas in his head. "Are you injured by any chance?" He politely asked, meekly looking at him.
Kingsley stared at Satoshi for a while, then sighing bitterly. He reached his left hand out from his jacket, taking it out slowly as he revealed his temporary secret to others. What was laid out in front of the trio was Kingsley's arm that was wrapped with an orthopedic cast. Yuki can only bit into her lips to hold back a pitiful gasp, Satoshi and Sora staring at his cast in shock. Kingsley, however, took no notice in their expressions. "Look, I can't use my right arm."
"... I can see that," Sora murmured, crossing her arms. Her lips then curved into a frown as she eyed the lawyer suspiciously. "Why do you have to hide it from all of us? You could've just told us from the start. Rather, why tell us now?"
Kingsley heaved a deep breath, eyeing the appraiser. "Well, I only told you now because it was a slip of the tongue. However, I wasn't trying to hide it from you guys. It's more that..." He stopped, averting his eyes to the ground. "I have this feeling all of you guys would take advantage of an injured guy like me. I would've told you if Monokuma hadn't popped up of nowhere."
Sora shook her head, walking over to the lawyer with an irritated look on her face. "You think we would take advantage of you? Ha!" She snorted. "Don't make me laugh. Only a coward would take advantage of the injured. I, however, take advantage of the dumbasses." The appraiser then turned her back away from Kingsley, taking huge steps away from him as she murmured under her sharp tongue. "I have no idea if you are a dumbass though, and that seriously pisses me off. It's like that coward of an archer and that overly confident mountain climbing brat."
"I don't think any of us here are malicious enough to kill," Yuki started, putting her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't listen to what that robotic bear named Monokuma has to say."
Satoshi nodded, agreeing with Yuki's statement. "... Still, you have to tell everyone else this." He walked over to the lawyer, offering him a hand.
Kingsley nodded, slowly putting back his jacket with the help of Satoshi who secured it firmly on the lawyer's body. "Yeah, you guys are right."
"Can we just get back to exploring this damn place?" Sora exclaimed, yelling from a distance. She was already leaving the swimming pool area, the distance between her and her own group widening by each passing second. "Hurry up and move your asses already. There's nothing of worth in this dump."
"O-okay..." Though the trio were left stunned by Sora's behavior, they quickly followed suit.
Sora led them hastily to their next destination, the local zoo. Yuki seemed a bit excited to enter into the zoo, Kingslet following her with Satoshi silently walking inside the area. Sora clicked her tongue, wondering about how the smell of dirt and grime will get to nostrils as she hesitantly entered into the zoo.
When they got inside, however, their faces were immediately twisted into confusion and disappointment.
Sora was the first to speak. "I can't say I'm terribly fond of this...child's play."
Kingsley nodded, Yuki sighing next to him. She couldn't feel her own mouth talking. She seemed at least hopeful to enter into the zoo, but her expectations had ran out dry in an instant. "What in the world is this? A prank? It has to be some infant's prank, right?"
Satoshi shrugged, eyeing the zoo carefully. "Well, it does seem badly designed..."
Though the zoo was as clean as the swimming pool area (minus the gigantic pool itself), what lies behind the many bars and fences were cutouts of various animals. Cutouts of elephants were shown behind a glass panel, others of birds and leopards on different cages. There was a wooden sign on each area that labeled the name of the animal, but the animal itself was nonetheless fake. It was basically cardboard for all they cared.
"This is so not funny," Sora said, clicking her tongue in disgust.
"... I feel like the world just turned against us," Kingsley replied, irritation starting to arise from the back of his head. He crossed his arms, turning away from the sight. "What a joke."
"Monokuma probably did something as ludicrous as this," Yuki started, trying to come up with a theory for the strange cutouts of animals. "Either that, or the people who are supposed to be living in this city have a mental dysfunction."
Satoshi sighed, shaking his head.
"There's nothing useful here anyways," Sora murmured, flipping her hair back in irritation. She could feel her nose wrinkling in disgust as she clenched tightly onto her umbrella. She held it with her hand, the umbrella protecting her from the sun's rays. "What's the next place we have to go to? The sports centre, right?"
Yuki nodded, heaving a deep breath. "Let's all hope that there's something of use there. I personally dislike most sports that involve contact though."
Satoshi smiled a little. "I can see why."
Sora scoffed, holding her chin up high. "Of course. Why anyone would better playing such dirty sports is beyond me. Anyways, let's go. I, however, will not find of any use in that place."
The audiobook narrator forced a small chuckle. "Well... Let's just check."
Satoshi smiled subtly. "Agreed."
As they went into the sports centre, Sora was right on the mark. There seemed to be only machines used for physical education and various tools needed to play a numerous amount of sports. Nothing special was to be seen. The ordinary athlete would've said the same if they were to suddenly move into "MonoSports Centre" instead of their designated area.
Sora sighed, irritation reaching into her mind. "Alright, the last place to go to is the amusement park, right?"
Satoshi nodded. "Yeah."
The group couldn't help but feel an ounce of indifference as they forced themselves to move. From what they've seen so far were worth nothing of importance. Maybe weird, but nothing that hinted to where they exactly are or their means of escape.
(Group 4 - Nathalie, Kazuo, Ruekra, Hikari - Northwestern Area)
Ruekra grinned, his stomach growling as the group walked down the street that was lined up with numerous sort of restaurants and fast food places. "Man, am I starving!" He cried, laughing obnoxiously. "I can just eat a gigantic hamburger right now with some fries on top of it!"
"Why ya have to mention that?" Hikari asked, puffing her cheeks up. "Ya making me starve too!"
Nathalie nodded, her stomach beginning to grumble. Kazuo, on the other hand didn't seem to respond to their conversation. If otherwise he looked like he was stuck in his daydreams.
Ruekra grinned, petting Hikari who ducked down from his gesture, then appearing right behind the magician to steal his hat. The magician gasped in response, quickly grabbing back his hat. Hikari chuckled, Ruekra playfully rolling his eyes in the process. "Ahaha, that's funny. But honestly, I wouldn't mind living here if we weren't stuck in these conditions!"
"... It's not like we ever heard of this place," Kazuo commented, crossing his arms as the duo glanced at him in surprise. The game developer, however, went back into his daydreams.
There were numerous sorts of cuisines lined up in the street. From American food to Japanese food to even Indonesian and Filipino food, there were just many sort of dishes for them to look forward to. From what they've seen so far in the menus inside of each restaurant, they didn't cost any money surprisingly. It was basically a free-for-all.
The thief bit into her lip. "I wonder what we should eat later," she murmured, eyeing the colorful buildings as she patiently waited for Ruekra and Hikari to finish their little game. Though her group was playing around for a few minutes, minus Kazuo, they quickly went back to their job.
"That was fun." Ruekra hummed to himself, chuckling as he continued down the road with his group. He turned to Nathalie, kneeling down in front of her as a rose then appeared from his hand. He handed it to the thief who hesitantly took it. Ruekra's lips crept up into a small smile, winking at her. "Well, sweetie, wherever you want to eat I'll be there to gladly accompany you. You just have to pick your choice."
Hikari grinned, laughing loudly as she wrapped her arm around Nathalie's shoulder. Whether or not Nathalie seemed to care, it looked as though the mountain climber didn't take notice. "Ahaha! Aren't ya a ladies man. Ya may as well be swinging for guys if you're so laidback!"
Ruekra shrugged, then crossing his arms with a cocky smirk. "I sway both ways, honey. I can easily flirt with Kazuo here if I wanted to."
"... Huh?" Kazuo's eyes widened subtly, turning his head to the left and to the right in an endless loop. It was as though by hearing his name did the game developer snapped out of his daze. He looked lost as he fixiated his gaze onto the magician. "Um... Were you talking about me? Sorry, I was-"
"Thinking about another game concept?" Ruekra answered, smiling awkwardly at Kazuo who slowly nodded his head. The magician chuckled, spinning in an axis as imaginary sparkles appeared before his eyes. "Don't worry sweetie, I wasn't badmouthing you at all!"
Kazuo shook his head. "It's fine. I don't care much about that."
"But it wasn't what I was talking about!" Ruekra threw his hands in the air, abruptly stopping from spiraling in an endless loop. "I was just telling the ladies here that I can easily flirt with you! You're introverted personality makes you the more cuter!"
The game developer eyed Ruekra for a moment. He slowly turned his head away from the magician, shyly covering his head with his hoodie. "... Just do whatever you want," he murmured. He couldn't meet anyone's gaze. The game developer cupped his hands, biting into his lips as he felt his cheeks blush a little. He couldn't believe it. It was as though he were embarrassed by what Ruekra had said.
Ruekra didn't seem to take notice of Kazuo's reaction, simply tilting his head before turning back to the ladies at hand. "Er... Anyways, what else are we supposed to look for?"
"I gotcha." Hikari took out her e-Handbook, soon powering it on as she swiped her fingers onto the screen. The map laid out before her eyes, she slowly observed each titled area. "The closest one from here is the supermarket."
"That's just full of food!" Ruekra cried, shock overwhelming him. He could hear his stomach growling profusely in response. Ruekra groaned, clenching onto his stomach. "Ooh! This city just loves to torture me!"
The group walked down the road till they reached the supermarket. The words that titled the name of the store was "MonoMarket". Though it did reference to Monokuma himself, the name was nothing more than ordinary. There was no creativity behind such a name. The group, however, weren't so much bothered by the name and walked into the store. The doors automatically opened for them in the process.
Hikari cupped her chin, examining her surroundings from her line of vision. "Mm... Looks normal."
"Normal? Of course not!" Ruekra cried, squinting his eyes as he slowly looked around the market. He then stopped, a certain object then catching his attention. It was sudden that he then flailed his hands about, screaming. "W-w-w-what the heeeeeck?!"
Hikari frowned, eyeing Ruekra. "What the hell's wrong with ya- Woah!" She raised her hands up, her eyes fixiated on the place Ruekra motioned her to. "What're weapons doing in this place?!"
Nathalie gulped. "N-no idea..."
Ruekra and Hikari sighed in sync to one another, trying to wring out the shock inside of their heads. Ruekra was the first to speak. "So... Let's keep looking inside."
"A-agreed." Hikari nodded.
The group serperated themselves, investigating the supermarket that contained various strange things. From Kazuo's end not only did he find old retro games but also broken radios and game consoles. On Ruekra and Nathalie's side they found toolboxes, guns, and knives of many kinds. Hikari's side seemed to much more normal, having beautiful paintings to lighten the mood and storage of numerous food in different aisles.
"Is this really a supermarket?" Kazuo asked as they regrouped, the three high schoolers shaking their heads in response.
Hikari frowned. "Of course not. Why would there be weapons here?!"
"... This is just insane," Nathalie muttered, putting the palm of her hand on her forehead.
Ruekra simply shrugged his shoulders, rubbing off the weirdness that continued to irritate his nerves. "Well, one thing's for certain. This certainly implies that the mall will be far from normal."
The three others turned to one another, realizing what Ruekra had meant as they all groaned in displeasure. "Oh yeah..."
Hikari could only frown in response. "Let's just all get going already. We still need to report back to the other lackeys."
The trio nodded, heading back out to desired destination. It wasn't too far away for them to see, the mall having a huge icon of Monokuma on top of the building's title. "MonoMall"- it was called. The exterior of the mall was rather strange itself, painted in white on one side and black on another. The group looked at each other in unease as they continued going down the road.
(Group 2 - Zen, Ren, Saburo, Himeko - Southwestern Area)
"That was annoying," Saburo started, striking up a conversation between his group as they headed to the bank.
"No kidding..." Himeko murmured under her breath, recalling the incident at the hotel with Monokuma.
Ren simply shrugged, frowning. "Well, we shouldn't worry too much about it."
Zen nodded. "We'll find out sooner or later."
The group continued to walk down the road till they reached their destination, the "MonoBank" as it was called. It looked just like an ordinary bank, but it was colored in a dark blue hue and instead of money it was "MonoCoins". The group looked at one another before Saburo decided to check his own bank account at the "MonoATM" machine.
Saburo immediately frowned, eyeing his currency. "Ten MonoCoins? Isn't that too little money to spare?"
"How did you even get MonoCoins?" Zen asked, tilting her head curiously.
The speech writer can only shake his head in response, making Zen frown in return. Himeko and Ren glanced at one another, wondering that as well. "Honestly, I have no idea."
"Let me have a try." Ren walked over to the machine, Saburo silently stepping away from the process. Ren typed in his name, the "MonoATM" machine signaling a green light as it then scanned his face. Approving him as Ren Furude, the screen switched to his account. Ren smiled a little upon noticing his own worth of MonoCoins. "I see. I have ten as well."
"I guess it's safe to say that we all have ten MonoCoins," Zen concluded, cupping her chin. "Did Monokuma gave us these?"
Ren nodded. "Most likely. However, I see no reason to use them."
Himeko clicked her tongue, annoyance overwhelming her as a thought ran through her head. "Tsk. ... It's bullshit if we have to use them to pay for stuff here."
"Obviously!" Saburo exclaimed, hearing Himeko who eyed him in shock. "Ten MonoCoins wouldn't even be enough to pay for taxes and incomes."
Ren shook his head. "It's not like we'll be living here. We still need to find a way out from this place."
The abstract artist rolled her eyes, cupping her hands together. "... If there is an exit, that is."
"Don't be so pessimistic about it. I'm sure they'll be at least something," the archer replied, eyeing Himeko who simply scoffed at her. Zen smiled awkwardly before turning back to Ren and Saburo. "Where is our next destination?"
Saburo smirked, crossing his arms with a prideful expression. "Isn't it quite obvious? The library, of course."
Zen chuckled. "Oh? You seem rather...happy."
The speech writer chuckled silently to himself. "Why, of course I am. This magnificent resource of power you call a library is full of information concerning this world and people with an immense amount of power. Quite helpful when you need details on something, such as the Cold War and the buildup to World War Two."
Ren and the others can only glance at each other, then turning to Saburo. "Um... Sure."
"It's a disgrace for anyone to even think that becoming a leader of power is a child's play. It takes one's entire lifespan just to get to their position, as I am here right now." Saburo grinned, holding his chin up high. "Now, lead me to the library, soldiers."
Zen tilted her head. "Soldiers?"
Saburo nodded, turning to the archer with a pleasant smile. "That is the positions I will give you. It's higher than a mere civilian."
Himeko sighed. "Whatever."
Ren smiled a little in response. Not only did this imply that Saburo feels closer to the group, but he at least considered them more than just mere strangers on a whim. "Alright. Let's get going."
The group went down the road where the library was just a few kilometers away from their sight. It was a two-story building in which its design seemed beautifully carved in spirals and patterns. Unlike your ordinary public library, the library in the city seemed more like an indoor office from a politican's mansion. Saburo chuckled softly to himself as they walked inside.
Zen can only hold her breath, her eyes sparkling in excitement as she surveyed her surroundings. "W-Woah. This looks...fancy."
Saburo nodded, spreading his arms about as though he were embracing the cool air. An amused expression crept up from his face. "Yes, how magnificent!"
The trio watched Saburo silently as he walked into the gigantic library, chandeliers and beautifully crafted glass windows on the top of the first floor, the windows serving as an overview of the second floor. What lied in the first floor were different topics of interests from nonfiction books, novels, classics, and historical bibliographies. The rest lied on the second floor where most manga and comic books were stored alongside magazines and picture books. Near the end of the second floor were a few rooms that were titled, "Study Room". Besides the last of the four study rooms were a restroom, each for male and female.
"There's so many books here," Ren commented as he investigated the area alongside Himeko and Zen, Saburo ahead of them with a smirk. "It looks like one of the biggest libraries in the world."
Zen shook her head, smiling sweetly at the swordsman. "Maybe, but the Bibliothèque nationale de France is quite bigger than this. C'est interresant, n'est-ce pas?"
Ren glanced at Zen, wondering what she had just said. He turned silently to Himeko who frowned in response, wondering what Zen had said. It wasn't in Japanese nor English. It was a completely different language.
The archer took notice of the duo's reactions, quickly covering her mouth in shock. "Ah! S-sorry. It was just a slip of my mother tongue."
"French, isn't it?"
Zen turned around, finding Saburo walking towards them with a confident posture. She nodded slowly. "Y-you know?"
Saburo grinned. "Of course I know. I have the courtesy of being a speech writer, and since I am interested in politics and the history behind the world, this should be a no brainer."
Ren chuckled to himself. "So, did you find anything?"
The speech writer shook his head, crossing his arms with a frown creeping onto his lips. "Hm. Well, nothing of use concerning our chance for escape. There seemed to be nothing about this city as well."
Himeko sighed. "It's not like we even checked out every single book."
Ren shook his head. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time to read everything. We still need to investigate the warehouse."
Zen bit her lips. "That's right."
"There's nothing of use their anyways..." The abstract artist clicked her tongue. "Idiots..."
Still, the group had no choice but to investigate the warehouse that was down the very end of the street.
(Group 3 - Kingsley, Satoshi, Sora, Yuki - Northeastern Area)
Yuki was the first to set foot in the amusement park, joyful music playing from the various speakers around the entire area. Though the rides weren't working at all, Yuki could tell from a glance that the amusement park would be the best place for the whole group to hang out if they were on a break from school. She sighed. "Too bad that isn't the case," she murmured to herself.
"Huh?" Sora turned to Yuki, baffled by what she said. She quickly disregarded it, looking at the amusement park keenly. "No one in sight, like always. It's creepy. There's music playing, but none of the rides seem to be working right now."
"... Not like I wanted to ride on any of these." Satoshi shivered a little, imagining how tall the rides would take him. Even the Ferris wheel would've scared him to death. He hated heights, which led to his dislike for most of the rides.
"That isn't what we're here for anyway," Kingsley said, sighing a little. "We need to find a way out of here."
"In this big place?" Sora chuckled bitterly. "It'll take a while till we finish searching this area. Why don't we split into pairs?"
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Yuki replied, smiling as Sora clicked her tongue in disgust. The audiobook narrator eyed her awkwardly, wondering if the appraiser disliked her or if she always did such things.
The group decided to split up into pairs. Yuki and Sora hesitantly paired up and walked towards the left, Kingsley and Satoshi towards the right.
The left side of the amusement park had most of the extreme rides. Drop towers, roller coasters, water rides, etc. Sora had to admit, the amusement park would've been the perfect place for people to spend a day in. If they weren't in their current situation and met each other differently Sora wondered- will they ever hang out like normal high school students?
Yuki chuckled nervously, eyeing the appraiser as she tried to strike up a conversation with her. The silence was nerve wrecking. "I guess that means Kingsley and Shi went to the kids' area."
Sora grinned. "It's like a match made in hell."
Yuki tilted her head as they continued walking, finding nothing but game booths and rides. "Shouldn't it be a match made in heaven?"
"No, of course not," the appraiser replied, frowning. "Shi hates riding on these sort of rides, so he's perfect for the kiddie rides. I'm not sure about Kingsley though, but I have a hunch that he hates roller coasters. In fact, the hip hop dancer and..." She scoffed. "...the mountain climber would be excited to ride the roller coasters. Hmph. Brats they are."
Yuki chuckled, then spotting a small stage in front of her. Sora turned to her direction, finding a gigantic stage behind six rows of metallic, foldable chairs. She crossed her arms. "Is that for some magic show?"
Yuki shrugged. "I think so. It seems to be perfect for Ruekra."
Sora chuckled, twirling her umbrella. "Like I'll allow that flirt to show off."
"Doing magic tricks is his talent though..." Yuki murmured under her breath, staring at Sora who inwardly smirked to herself.
As the duo continued walking, the music abruptly stopped, static then echoing throughout the entire area. Sora and Yuki quickly covered their ears, eyeing the nearest speaker in shock.
"W-what the hell?!" Sora cried, yelling as loudly as she could. "What's happening here?!"
Yuki shook her head violently. "D-don't ask me!"
The static continued to echo throughout the area, but within ten seconds began to gradually disappear. It was then followed by a high-pitched voice. It was Monokuma's voice that stopped the uncontrollable noise, yet what he said made no sense at all.
"The MonoAmusement Park is in the process of officially opening! Anyone who snuck inside the park should be careful of bumping into our employees on the way out! They're busy working, so please don't bother them!"
"W-what the hell does that mean?" Sora bit her lips, glaring at the speaker in disdain. "This is sickening. Why isn't this city that's based on a robotic teddy bear in the verge of death yet?"
Yuki shrugged, slowly putting her hands away from her ears. "At least there's no more static here."
The appraiser nodded, scoffing. "Of course. Thank you for the obvious statement." Before the appraiser had anything else to comment slyly on Yuki's words, her eyes subtly widened. Her eyes were fixiated on the view in front of her very eyes. Her lips curved into a frown, but it wasn't out of disgust. It was more of a disheartened and baffled sort of expression. "What in the hell is that doing here?"
Yuki followed Sora's gaze, looking to find a robotic bear smiling at them with strange blue uniform-like suits.
—
"Why is there Monokumas here?" Kingsley asked, his heart pounding fearfully as he and Satoshi were surrounded by a bunch of uniformed Monokumas touring about the area. They were smiling at the duo, waving at them in an almost friendly gesture. The lawyer couldn't help but cringe at the sight of them. "... W-why...?"
Satoshi shrugged. "No idea, but it probably has something to do with the announcement?"
Kingsley sighed, his mouth hanging wide open as the Monokumas walked around the amusement park. Some had brooms on their tiny paws and were cleaning the area. Others were strolling about the area, balloons and goodies in their paws. Even so, the sight was truly unimaginable. "I... I guess...?"
Satoshi and Kingsley slowly strolled the area, taking extra caution to not bump into the bears. Though they were confused by how many Monokumas were there in the world, they couldn't force themselves to ask. It was simply useless at this point.
They continued investigating the area, finding nothing but arcades, game booths, and rides for young children. One of the Monokumas came up to them, handing them a bear-shaped blue balloon with a small giggle. Satoshi and Kingsley glanced at one another, the strategist deciding to take his offer. "Thank you."
"Yay! You're welcome! Upupu!" The robotic bear nodded excitably, blushing as he was running back to a few Monokumas who seemed to be his friends.
"Well... That was weird," Kingsley murmured, eyeing the group of Monokumas who happily strolled away from their sight. "Don't they want to kill us?"
Satoshi shrugged, eyeing the balloon with interest. "... Well... Maybe they aren't the same as the Monokuma we saw at the centre park...?"
The lawyer frowned, cupping his chin. "... Maybe." He was still confused as to where they came from. Did the Monokuma they met at the centre park had something to with this? Did that same Monokuma built duplicates of himself for some specific reason? The answers were unknown. "... A-Anyways, let's go back. Sora and Yuki might be waiting for us."
Satoshi nodded, following Kingsley as they headed back to the entrance. As expected, Sora and Yuki were there, the appraiser glaring at them impatiently as the audiobook narrator smiling at them.
"Took you guys long enough," Sora started, clicking her tongue. She eyed the balloon Satoshi had in his hands and frowned, but decided against commenting on it. "Tsk. Well... Screw this! I've had enough of these stuffed teddy bears!" She scoffed and turned her back towards them, taking a step out from the entrance.
Kingsley and Satoshi turned to Yuki for an answer. She bit her lips, awkwardly scratching her head. "Typically, after the announcement on the speakers, Monokumas appeared out of nowhere around the area. Sora got irritated at their presence and kicked one of them to the ground, but was forced to stop after the Monokuma she had kicked down started bawling its eyes out."
Kingsley could hardly believe what he was hearing. "... What."
Sora seemed to hear everything from the trio, fiercely eyeing them with annoyance in her eyes. "Can we get out of here already? I feel like suing this place when I get out of here."
Satoshi nodded, then feeling something touch his hand. He turned back, finding himself staring down at a Monokuma. "Eh...?" He gulped, his face growing pale as the Monokuma simply stared up at him.
Sora was the first to notice Satoshi. "Shi, what's wrong- W-what the hell is that stuffed teddy bear doing here?!"
Yuki and Kingsley turned their bodies around, looking towards the scene unfolding between their eyes.
Satoshi could hardly feel himself breath. The Monokuma continued to stare at him, moments passing before his voice started to pierce the air. "Upu!" He cried, his left paw pointing at the balloon Satoshi had in his hand. "It's me, it's me!"
The strategist was stunned. He eyed the bear-shaped balloon in his hand, then eyeing the uniformed Monokuma. "You're...the one who gave me this?"
The Monokuma nodded violently, then jumping on top of Satoshi's shoulder. The bear then threw his paws around the strategist's head, embracing him affectionately. "Yup, yup! I'm Seifukuma!"
Sora couldn't do anything but stare in shock, gagging at the sight. "W... What is happening?" She started, dumbfounded. "D-did you manipulate one of the Monokumas?"
Satoshi quickly shook his head, talking through Seifukuma's arms. "I... I don't know."
Seifukuma, however, continued to speak in his high-pitched and rather childish tone of voice. "Seifukuma's job is to help you all escape!"
(Group 4 - Nathalie, Kazuo, Ruekra, Hikari - Northwestern Area)
Ruekra smiled confidently as he grabbed the microphone that was connected to the booth, serving to be a karaoke station with over a hundred selections of songs to choose from. Kazuo was busy looking around the arcade, fascinated with the amount of consoles and games there were to choose from. Nathalie was simply watching Ruekra and Hikari who had decided to sing a duet to pass the time before they continue their search around the second floor of the mall.
The magician twirled in place, the first few notes of the song playing throughout the arcade. "Are you ready?" He called out, pointing to Nathalie and Kazuo who couldn't bother to respond. Ruekra, however, didn't seem to care about their lack of speech and continued. "I'm going to be singing a duet with Hikari over here to pass by this five-minute break!"
"Ya!" Hikari threw her fist in the air, a wide smile on her face. "We're gonna be singing ya'll a song from Danganronpa's Animation... Never Say Never!"
Ruekra and Hikari grinned as they held out their microphones, each of them swaying to the beat as they managed to perfectly sing a duet with one another. Nathalie couldn't help but be impressed by how well their voices tune in to one another. Though they were off-pitch and a bit iffy at times, the thief could tell that they were better than the average person. Even Kazuo seemed to notice, simply turning to eye them for a moment.
As the song came to a close (with Ruekra and Hikari dramatically posing with the spotlight lighting their way), the duo of singers cheered as loudly as they can. The two of them high-fives each other, looking back at the karaoke box to see their scores. An A for the both of them.
"Woo! That was fun!" Hikari exclaimed, stretching her arms out. She smiled widely as she eyed the magician. "Ya rapped pretty well."
"I'm even more surprised by well your voice fits in to the song," Ruekra commented, winking at the mountain climber who chuckled. "You hit the high notes almost perfectly!" After complimenting Hikari for a while, the magician turned to Nathalie, also winking at her. "So? What do you think of our performance?"
Nathalie didn't know how to respond. She knew the duo had done an excellent job, but she didn't know how to say it. She simply cupped her hands, fidgeting in place as she said, "You two did well..."
Ruekra couldn't help but smile, giving Nathalie a thumbs-up gesture. "Great!" He then quickly folded his arms, a serious expression overwhelming his face. "Anyways," he started, his tone of voice hilariously deeper than usual. "I think it's time we should continue searching about the mall. There's the second floor we have to explore, dear."
"Ya might say that-" Hikari scratched her head, turning to Kazuo who was indulging himself in an arcade booth. He was quickly pressing buttons as his eyes were fixiated on the bright screen. "But I don't think Kazuo's willing to go for a while."
Ruekra shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyways. Most of the stores here are closed for now, and it mainly consists of fashion stores and other useless objects. I don't see anything else that we can be missing other than the usual stuff. This is simply a regular outlet."
Hikari nodded. "I guess, but ya never know."
The magician chuckled, then walking over to pet Kazuo on the head. "Oi," he called out, trying to get the game developer's attention. Kazuo didn't seem to take notice of the magician, staring at the shooting game he was currently playing. "Our break time's over already, sweetie. We still need to go to the second floor and check the cinema."
Kazuo didn't hear the magician, murmuring chants under his breath. "High score, high score, high score..."
Ruekra tapped on the game developer's shoulder. He couldn't help but feel sweat trickling down his forehead. "Um..."
It took five whole minutes before Kazuo's avatar was shot by one of the galactic battleships.
