Hello, Danganronpa fans! The Internet Explorer is here with another cultural note! As you all know, this story takes place in Japan, so there are bound to be some glaringly different customs and traditions when compared to other cultures, especially when Akihiko is involved. For this chapter, the students will be having breakfast-which they must prepare themselves-together in the mess hall. As most of the OCs are Japanese, what they consume in this chapter may come across as odd to many western readers, so I'll try my best to clarify.
In Japan, a typical breakfast consists of steamed white rice or okayu (rice porridge) and miso soup or clear broth paired with various side dishes. Some common side dishes are natto (fermented soy beans), nori (dried seaweed), tsukemono (pickled vegetables), tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), and broiled/grilled fish. What seems like a lunch or dinner to the west can be a breakfast in the east. Usually, the side dishes are eaten alternatively with rice and the soup is consumed straight from the bowl, without the use of a spoon.
There are two big Japanese terms used around meal time. Before eating, it is customary to say "itadakimasu" ("I recieve this food"/"I humbly accept this meal"), which is the equivalent to "let's eat" or "bon appÄ—tit". It expresses thanks to the person who has prepared the food. To show politeness and/or satisfaction with a meal, one should consume every last grain of rice. After eating, one says "gochiso-sama deshita", which means "it was quite a feast". This is, again, to thank the chef for his efforts.
Anyway, that's it for me! See ya at the end-of-the-chapter author's notes! :P
=Mononu Theater #1=
Hiya, hiya! This is your friendly neighborhood Mononu reporting for duty! Hey, aren't you boys so glad that you have me as your wonderful camp counselor instead of that nasty little Monone? She's just ab-SO-lute-ly dreadful! Like, as in, SO absolutely dreadful that I had to combine the two words to describe her! I feel sorry for the poor girlies stuck with that sourpuss...
Monone's always telling me to do this and that, and it sure does stink! "Be more cryptic in the damn Mono Theater skits", "yell at those little brats more often", "why the hell haven't you prepared the first motive", etc., etc. ,etc.! It's so annoying! Sometimes I just wanna shove a boot down her blasted mouth!
Anyway...Sorry for getting off track! Nyahahaha! Er, what were we just talking about again? Um, and why are you guys all staring like you expect me to foreshadow something important? Please don't put pressure on me like that! I-I'm just here to be the cute comic relief character!
I'm being totally serious about that last part, I swear! It's not like I've committed some sort of horrible crime-aside from maybe being too cuddly and huggable...So why don't you guys trust me, huh?
Why...
...wHy DON't yOu TrUSt mEEE?
"A-hem! This is a message from the head counselor of Camp Crescent's Divide's Canine Cabins' campers! Whew, there's a tongue twister for ya! Say that ten times fast and you get a piece of candy, kids!"
Mononu's squeakily cheerful voice rouses me from my deep sleep. I realize-from the sudden large time skip-that I must have slipped into dreamland almost immediately after collapsing into bed yesterday. My head is throbbing terribly from the stuffed animal's high-pitched announcement. I struggle to heave myself into an upright sitting position and warily face the monitor suspended above me.
Of course, the monochrome dog is displayed on the screen-but for some reason, he's lazily lounging in a fold-up chair with a juice box in paw. As usual, he's cheekily grinning as though nothing could possibly be bad in the world. Oh, how wrong he is.
"It is now 7 am, and night time is officially over, so I finally get to say my morning greetings for the very first time! Oooh, I'm SO excited! How 'bout you guys, huh? Huh?"
Just get on with it already...I groan at Mononu's over-the-top nature, wondering if our kidnapper has anything better to do than to go on needless tangents. It is both childish and frightening just how optimistic the camp counselor is about this entire situation. Then again, I suppose he's not the one that's being held against his will and encouraged to murder classmates.
"Alright...Gooood morning, everyone! It's time to rise and shine! Let's all get ready to greet another beeeeautiful day!"
The monitor then (finally!) manually shuts off and I'm left staring at a blank screen. It's the beginning of day 2 in Crescent's Divide, and I'm already feeling pretty anxious-partly because of Mononu, partly because of yesterday's events, and partly because of last night's dream.
A dream about dad.
When I was about eleven years old, my father and I had a talk that would ultimately serve to define my entire being. At the time, I was lost and confused. I was but a shadow of the person that I am today. I was not yet me.
It had started simply as a typical discussion between father and son, sparked by the quintessence of parent to child conversation starters. It had concluded with a shard of dad's burning spirit passing its flame on to mine. I can recall the entire conversation-from start to finish-verbatim.
It's a frequently recurring scene, playing in my head during my first night in Crescent's Divide. Maybe my subconscious is trying to encourage me to keep going. Maybe dad is trying to tell me something. Either way, I wake up each time from the dream knowing exactly how it played out. This time was no different.
"How was school, champ?" Dad glances up from his paper, his reading glasses propped on the bridge of his nose. His gaze is a double-edged sword: they are kind because he obviously cares for me, but also intimidating because I know that I can never match his brilliance.
"It was okay, I guess." I'm low and quiet, shamefully staring at my feet. One of my sneakers is untied.
"Just 'okay'? And why is that, Ryo?" At once, he sets aside his paper and gives me his full attention. There's no escaping from him now-his eagle eyes have locked on to me.
"It was just okay." I reply, pursing my lips into a straight line. It's technically not a lie, but it's technically not a truth either.
"Come on, you can tell your old man, can't you?" He laughs, his voice sincere and reassuring. I would give anything to hear it again, but it's only a fragment of the past now. "Chin up, Ryo! Papa's all ears! Say what's on your mind."
I reluctantly give in. "Sensei asked us what we wanted to do after we graduate, and I had no clue how to answer."
"Really?" Dad says nothing more than that.
"Uh-huh." At that point, I my head droops in shame, afraid to meet my father's discerning eyes. My perfect father, whom I have always admired, who had never once failed at anything he set his mind to, is a constant judge that I want to please. I think I've failed him.
"Hmmm. I see, I see...And you're worried about this?" He strokes his chin with a free hand, the other resting in his lap-something he always does when he's deep in thought. It's a sign that he's about to launch into philosophical mode.
"Well, yeah. 'Cause I dunno what I'm going to do with myself. I don't really excel at anything."
I believe myself to be a big disappointment. I just don't have the guts to say it to dad's face-to my genius of a father's face. I am nothing but a coward.
"That's not true, Ryo."
"I'm not super strong or super smart or super anything like you, dad." I protest, furrowing my eyebrows. "I'm not a success-I'm just average."
"Ryosuke. Do you really think that being strong or smart makes you a better person? That it makes you successful? That it makes you happy? Because if so, you'd be wrong, mister."
"But...But I thought that I has to be talented at something-anything-to be like you. I'm not gonna go anywhere as I am now."
"You are not like me, and nor should you attempt to be like me-you are your own person, a completely separate entity from myself. You are Ryosuke Kinji, and you always will be."
"I'll also always be your son. That's all I'm known for at school-for being related to the 'ace attorney'. They expect me to be like you."
Dad abruptly changes the subject-or at least I think he does.
"Ryosuke, why do you think I defend others?"
"Huh? Well, because it's your job. You need to take on cases to keep your clients safe." I give dad a quizzical look. "That's right, right?"
"No. Just the opposite, Ryo. I do not protect in order to fight. I fight in order to protect." He recites it with such certainty, such vigor, that I think I would have believed him if only I understood what he meant.
"What? You don't protect in order to fight? You fight...in order to protect? Aren't those the same thing, but with the words reversed?"
"No, they are not. Victory and talent do not make a content man, Ryo. It is up to the man himself to become content by obtaining that which he seeks. Weak and deplorable is the one who says that 'I can't' when it's not at he can't, it's just that he won't.
"Do you understand, my boy?"
"Nope." Honesty is the only thing I have to boast of.
"That's alright, Ryo. You will someday."
"I should understand it now." I insist stubbornly, frustrated with myself.
"You're young-you still have time to decide your fate. Don't be impatient and rush to find yourself. Just focus on the present, let your instincts guide you, and you'll be fine."
"So where does that leave me, dad? What should I do? I still don't know where I'm headed with my life, or what I want to do."
"Ryosuke, what you become is irrelevant. Who you become is much more important, and no one can decide that identity but you."
"That's never stopped anyone else from telling me what...uh, sorry, who...I should be."
"Expect others to comment and criticize-but in the end, the final choice is up to you." I feel dad's hand resting on my head. A comforting, warm hand, washing away all of my fears, smoothing down my insecurities...almost like a miracle.
"Dad?" My voice is near a whisper, unsure of what to anticipate.
"Ryo..." His voice trails off, his gaze growing distant. He's contemplating something of vast importance. Finally, dad continues.
Here comes his famous line.
"The reason people judge people is because people are people.
"It is in human nature to doubt. We are afraid of getting hurt in the process of believing. It's easy to doubt, but it is nearly impossible to believe.
"When I look at you, my boy...I know that you are the kind of person who will believe, no matter what. Now all that's left is for you to embrace who you are with open arms."
"The kind of person who will believe, no matter what"..."embrace who you are with open arms"...those words ignited my spirit and have continued to burn since then. They have driven me to accomplish great feats, to tackle the impossible, to bring me to Hope's Peak.
Dad has always been there to reassure me. Now that he's not around anymore, I need to take on that responsibility myself.
"I'm fine." I say out loud, addressing my reflection in monitor overhead. I hope that if I tell myself those words enough times that the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach will go away, so I say it a second time. "I'm fine."
Yes. I'll be fine because I have faith in my friends. My friends...That is the one thing that gives us an edge over our kidnapper-strength in numbers. So long as the Ultimates stick together, we will be able to escape from this place.
No one has to die. No one has to kill. Nothing bad has to come from this. Just smile and press onward. Be 'the kind of person who believes, no matter what'.
"I'm fine." I take a deep breath and steadily exhale. "I'm fine...Dad."
Somewhere out there, I know that Monone and Mononu are watching and listening-there are cameras everywhere. They must be having a good laugh over my little mantra, mocking me behind my back.
I shake my head.
I decide to let them laugh.
My father was a protector, but I am a believer.
I am...a believer.
In reply to my wit (or lack thereof), my stomach lets out an urgent growl.
I sigh, my epic moment ruined by the most mundane thing. I suppose I should remedy my hunger before I plan on doing anything else-not that there's much I need to do today, but still...Food would certainly help with what is sure to be another stressful, strained day here in Crescent's Divide.
Consulting the minibar yields no results-the darned thing is empty aside from a crayoned note authored by (I assume) the monochrome camp counselors themselves. There is a crude drawing of some misshapen building and a bowl of what appears to be kibbles and bits. Under this, nearly illegible writing trumpets two messages:
'Snacks not included in minibar. Sorry, sorry! You can bring what you like back from any eating establishments and vending machines, though!'-Mononu (XP)
'Go get a real meal at the friggin' mess hall, ya lazy, hormonal teenager! You can't expect us to always cater to ya!'-Monone (D:)
Not cool, guys. Not cool.
My stomach complains again, and a hand flies to silence its vapid protests.
I realize now that constituting a single bowl of matcha and a few wagashi as a meal was a big mistake. As I loll about in my cabin doing nothing in particular, my belly snaps sharply at me, demanding a proper meal. This, along with the fact that I'm tired of tasting my own spit, prods me to pay a visit to the mess hall.
I decide to bring only the bare minimum with me. Kai's origami dragon will get crushed in my jacket pocket, so I leave it as it is on my desk. It's a fitting guardian-and perhaps a good luck charm-to watch over the small space that I now grudgingly call my own.
Armed with only the dreaded lead ball that is the E-Handbook and my (recently recovered and much preferred) tape recorder for luck, I leave the safety of my cabin and plunge outside.
The day is young, but the sunshine is still alarmingly bright.
I'm greeted by a rather pleasant sight when I step inside the mess hall-an abundance of food coupled with a lack of monochrome camp counselors.
Some tables have been maneuvered together so that there are sixteen seats in total within a close proximity of one another. A big meal is laid out before the vacant chairs-there's fragrant tamagoyaki, grilled fish, spiced vegetables, bowls of miso soup, and mounds of rice for each student, all tantalizing and beautifully arranged on pristine white platters. An elegant centerpiece of violet wildflowers stands innocently amongst the various dishes, welcoming all that gaze upon the breakfast banquet-and at once, I know who is responsible for all of this.
"Hibiki-san?" I call tentatively, my anxious voice filling in the empty gaps of the mess hall. As if on cue, the ikebana artist glides out of the kitchen with a plate of natto and nori. Our eyes meet.
"Ah, Kinji-sama. Good morning." Akihiko greets, placing the dish in his hands down on a table. He gestures toward the sea of vacant chairs before him with a graceful hand. "Please, sit down."
"Mornin', Hibiki-san." As I slide into the first seat I can find, I ask the obvious in an attempt to generate conversation. "Did you make all of this all by yourself?"
"Why, yes, I did. I believed that we would be in need of someone to handle the matter of meals, so I took it upon myself to do so." Akihiko explains, sliding two bowls to me-one of soup and one of rice-followed by silverware. It smells warm and comforting, like home.
It occurs to me that Akihiko went through a lot of trouble to prepare all of this and that I should first pay my respects to him, but my initial thought is to just chow down regardless. I'm happy to say that I manage to restrain myself in the presence of a Hibiki, waiting to first be granted permission to eat. Luckily for me, Akihiko reads me like a book.
"Why don't you go ahead and partake in breakfast?" He tilts his head to the side and gently beams. "You must be quite famished by now."
Well, I guess now there's no shame in digging in.
"Don't mind if I do!" Before bringing a single grain of rice to my lips, I add, "Itadakimasu." Unfortunately, I immediately regret the (big) bite I take when a jarringly familiar voice pierces the mess hall.
"Hello, gentlemen."
"Ah, salutations, Ms. Kramer."
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Time out! Ms. Kramer?!
A piece of nori falls out of my mouth.
I must have awful luck, because it seems that fate has chosen to bless me with a Kramer's presence. Rylie makes her way over to the tables in dangerously sharp high heels-without Reese, thank god (sometimes I swear those two are surgically attached to one another)! She's wobbling a little because of her bandaged feet, but Rylie still holds her head up high like dignified royalty, her hair like spun gold, her eyes a steely blue.
The manager stops short of taking a seat, taking note of the dried seaweed that has been saved from an untimely death in my stomach acids. Rylie slightly grimaces, her voice sickeningly sarcastic. "Charming. You do that all the time, Kinji-kun?"
It takes me a moment to process her words and make a snappy comeback. Maybe it's because it's still pretty early in the morning, or maybe it's because (for once) Rylie has addressed me by name. Either way, it's a mild shock-but something tells me that she's only being slightly more polite because her brother isn't present to bring out the worst in her or because Akihiko is there observing.
"Sure I do-and pigs can fly." I muster up a strained smile. However unpleasant the Kramers may be together, one twin doesn't seem nearly as bad as both in the same time and place.
"I see. I appreciate your vague attempt at humor." Rylie replies, nodding curtly at me to acknowledge my existence. She then turns to Akihiko and beams brightly, displaying all of her luminous pearly whites. "I hope you don't mind if I join you for breakfast."
I would be more bothered by the blatant discrepancy in Rylie's behavior if only Akihiko wasn't a serving as a distraction from her verbally abusing me. Maybe she's just more comfortable around those of equal or higher status than she was. I shrug and casually resume with my meal, taking a sip of miso soup from a bowl.
"Not at all, Ms. Kramer." Akihiko responds with hospitality and a small smile. "You are free to eat your fill, though I do apologize in advance if the food is not to your liking. I'm afraid that I am not well-versed in the western culinary arts..."
"That's quite alright. It's a nice change of pace." Rylie drawls out sweetly, sweeping aside a stray lock of golden hair from her face. She selects the chair farthest away from me to dine-not that I expect anything less-and pats a vacant seat adjacent to her. "Why don't you sit next to me, Akihiko?"
It takes all of my willpower to not spray out the soup in my mouth when a realization hits me square in the jaw. The friendliness, the constant smiling, and (most glaringly of all) the sudden first-name basis...Is is just me, or is Rylie flat out flirting with Akihiko? My head whips to the ikebana artist to view his reaction.
"That won't be necessary, Ms. Kramer." Akihiko insists, completely oblivious to Rylie's wiles. He looks slightly uncomfortable as he puts rice and soup before her-perhaps because of suddenly being referred to by first name-but manages to maintain his serene smile. "I will be leaving to fetch the other students for breakfast, as it would be a shame if the food went cold."
"Oh...Well, if you say so." Rylie pouts a bit, but doesn't make any further advances. "Don't take too long, though. It's not very courteous to keep a lady waiting."
"I'll try my best to be back, as you say, 'ASAP'." Akihiko replies out of pure politeness, interpreting Rylie's flirtatiousness as just a simple request and nothing more. "I shall return shortly-until then, please enjoy yourselves." Waving farewell to us, he sets off to gather the remaining Ultimates, leaving me alone with Rylie.
It's the last scenario I want to be in at the moment-and apparently, Rylie shares the same opinion. As soon as Akihiko is out of sight, she lets out a deep sigh, tossing me an irritated look from her seat.
"Can't you take a hint, Kinji-kun?" She demands, sounding an awful lot like Reese whenever he addresses me, with venomous thorns littering her honey-hued tone. "No one likes a third wheel, you know."
"Well, I think it was pretty obvious that you scared him off, not me." I counter, mopping up the nori that had fallen out of my mouth earlier (before the other students arrived and questioned its presence on the otherwise pristine tables).
"Oh, please. Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, muckraker."
"It's hard to do that when something's happening right in front of my own face."
I'm wary of Rylie. She has never indicated any interest in Akihiko before, so it's somewhat suspicious that she's suddenly showering him with affection. I feel as though she has some sort of ulterior motive, though there's not much evidence to back me up on that hunch. I can't really come to any sort of definite conclusion, only a few deductions.
Rylie and I stare at each other, basking in the uncomfortable silence. The tension is so thick that you can hack at it with a chainsaw and still not make a noticable dent. It's difficult to read her stormy eyes, but at least we're not at each other's throats like a cat and a dog-or worse...
...like Monone and Mononu.
The mess hall definitely perks up a bit when Akihiko returns with the remainder of the Ultimates. Without any sort of predetermined seating chart, the students flock into their own little cliques to chat. Various groups sit in small clusters, whispering to one another while eating.
It's not an ideal situation-I'd much rather that we all be unified-but it's better than nothing. I should be glad that we're still talking to each other despite Reese's scathing warnings from yesterday.
Oh, and speaking of Reese, he, of course, immediately claims a seat next to Rylie upon his entry. Akihiko, like the urbane person that he is, entertains Rylie's request from earlier and occupies the other seat near her. They occasionally exchange a few words, but they never escalate to anything more than that (though Reese does give Akihiko a few odd expressions). I have to wonder if Reese is aware of his sister's coquettish ways, but think better of it and don't bring the subject up.
On the bright side, Kai, flashing me a cheeky grin and a boisterous greeting, is able to snag a seat to my right. He strikes up a friendly conversation with me in between bites of breakfast. "Feelin' better today, Ryosuke?"
"Yeah." I reply quickly, avoiding the gazes of certain students-namely Kishi and the Kramer twins. "By the way, I got your cool origami dragon. It's on my desk as a decoration."
"Good, good! Glad ya liked it, man! Lemme know if you ever want any more!" Kai offers, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll make enough to fill up your entire cabin!"
"Thanks, but no thanks..." I hold up a hand to cut the inspirational speaker off before he goes off on an extended tangent. "Then there'd be no room for me."
"Huh, that's true! It would kinda be hard to sleep without getting a paper cut, and when you open the door to enter your cabin, origami'd fly out at ya."
"Wait, you were being serious about that?"
"Nope! I was just screwin' with ya!"
"You could've fooled me..."
"Men are noisy." Across from us, Arisa huffs in disdain, pushing away her empty dishes. The poetess vaguely nods in Akihiko's general direction to thank him for the meal. "Gochiso-sama deshita."
She then raises her voice, addressing the rest of the Ultimates as a whole. "What we should be focusing on now is finding a way out, not dilly-dallying as we currently are." Arisa stares at Kai and I when she mentions 'dilly-dallying', although plenty of other students are guilty of the same exact crime. "There is but no time to waste, only time to plan escape."
"Bravo, Ito-san." From beside her, Shigeko claps softly in admiration of Arisa's elegant lines. I suppose that I would be impressed too, if only the poetess hadn't reminded me of our dire situation.
"You're bitin' off more than you can chew, Ito!" Nayato snorts, unamused with Arisa's suggestion. The miner props her muddy boots onto the table, earning a frown from Akihiko. "How many times do I gotta say it before ya understand? As of right now, we have no way to leave this goddamn camp!"
"Kougane-san, please remove your footware from the table." Akihiko advises her, only to have Reese interject.
"Don't be surprised at their lack of sophistication." The socialite sighs, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Commoners are always this crass." Beside Reese, Rylie has settled back into a more passive state, her lips pursed in a straight line.
"I disagree, Mr. Kramer. All sixteen of us must cooperate if we are ever to leave this place." Akihiko replies simply before turning back to Nayato. "Kougane-san, your boots."
The miner grudgingly does as Akihiko requests, muttering, " Whatever..." under her breath. "Anyway, you can talk big all ya like, but there's not much we can do to get out. Might as well kick back 'n wait for the right moment to strike."
"E-E-Escape is obviously i-i-impossible for us!" Shiori wails pessimistically, digging her nails into her scalp. The architect frantically glances at a surveillance camera mounted on the ceiling before returning her dilated pupils to the rest of is. "I-I-It's not s-s-safe to talk about a-a-anything here! It's not s-s-safe to talk about a-a-anything ANYWHERE!"
"Kasaya-san, calm down." Arisa orders coldly, but Shiori continues ranting.
"Th-They're always watching, a-a-always listening! There's n-n-nowhere to ruuuuun!" The architect screeches, raking her shaking fingers through her hair.
"Can't someone shut her up?" Hideki groans, clutching his forehead. "I can feel a migraine coming on from her excessive whining."
"I-It is kind of loud..." Atsuko adds, picking at the remains of his breakfast with chopsticks. He has become too jittery to polish off what is left of his rice.
"...Too noisy." Daichi chimes in, punctuating his terse remark with a yawn. His tone matches that of a half-dazed zombie.
From the far end of the tables, Misaki nods in agreement with the three.
"V-V-Volume is the LAST th-th-thing we should be w-w-worried about!" Shiori sputters, her face flushing pale with fright. "N-No matter what the h-h-hell we d-do or s-say, th-th-the damn cat and d-dog will k-know what we're p-p-plotting!"
"But that doesn't mean we should give up!" Kai counters, attempting to alleviate Shiori's worries. "Let'em spy on us if they want, but they can never break the strong bonds we have as classma-"
"B-B-Be quiet, d-d-dumbass! Th-They're hearing every w-word y-y-you're saying!" Shiori spits with contempt, stuttering furiously. "A-Are you TRYING to g-get us all in t-t-trouble?!"
"What, are you still pissy over some friggin' cheap-ass cameras?" Madoka scowls, leaping up from his chair eagerly. "Fine, then lemme smash'em up for ya!"
Kishi glares venomously at the vandalist. "Still that reckless tongue of yours, Kurosawa-san. Did you not read the rules and regulations of the camp? The E-Handbook explicitly bans the destruction of property."
Madoka's single champagne eye burns furiously at the chess master. "It's just one piece of junk. Those 'camp counselors' won't miss it! They've got hundreds of 'em planted all over the place anyway!"
"Saki-chan ships it~ Saki-chan totally, totally ships it~ Ultra Tsundere Kishi-chan with Bad Boy Madoka-kun!" Sakiko chirps, her random outburst (once again) earning her queer looks from the rest of the Ultimates, including me.
"I'm going to ignore that." Kishi declares stubbornly, her piercing gaze trained on Madoka. "Go ahead and do as you please if you hold absolutely no value for your life."
"Screw you, shorty! I don't need to be told what to do!" The vandalist glowers, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of demolishing the surveillance cameras. Kishi sighs in irritation and proceeds to ignore him.
"Kurosawa-san, I believe that you should pay heed to Naoki-san's words..." Akihiko begins, only to be abruptly interrupted.
"Shut the hell up, girly man!" Madoka retorts sharply, causing Akihiko to recoil in shock. "The last thing I need's a naggy pretty boy tellin' me what's right and what's wrong!"
"Yo, dude! Let's think about this logically! No need to get hurtful or violent!" Kai hollers, though he looks as though he might fly at Madoka at any moment to properly restrain him.
Oh no. This is getting way out of hand.
I find myself suddenly on my feet, madly pursuing Madoka. "W-Wait, Kurosawa-san! Th-This is bad! You shouldn't damage anything!" My hand latches onto his shoulder in a lame attempt to cease his advances.
"Don't try to stop me, Kinji!" Madoka growls menacingly, tearing away from my grip. He's enraged-nostrils flaring, mouth in a deep scowl, and face completely contorted. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead man. "Ain't no way a couple of lame-ass stuffed animals can intimidate ME!"
Then the most horrifying thing happens: squeaky voices pipe up out of seemingly no where.
"We told you kids-we're NOT stuffed animals! We're your camp counselors!"
My god, they're back.
Monone and Mononu in the flesh.
There's something mildly disturbing about having a murderous pair of monochrome mammals standing on the same tabletops that you were just eating off of. Gee, Monone and Mononu sure know how to make an entrance-that is to say, an entrance out of thin air. The two chuckle in unison at our gaping, dumbfounded faces, but start conversing with one another as though we students were mere museum exhibits up on display.
"Well, lookee here, Mononu! Looks like your rotten flea-bitten boys are fighting yet again!" Monone snickers, her crimson eye radiating pure malice and ill intent. "My campers never give ME any lip, y'see...just goes to show how stupid you dogs are!"
"One of your stinky campers brought up leaving the camp in the first place, and it was ALSO your dumb girls that incited fighting!" Mononu counters angrily, surprisingly jumping to our defense. "All my campers have been trying to do is promote harmony and friendship!"
"Oh yeah? How 'bout Kurosawa-kun over there, huh?" Monone points accusingly at the Ultimate Vandalist with a paw. "He said he was gonna 'smash up' some surveillance cameras! Is THAT supposed to be 'promoting harmony and friendship'? I don't think so!"
"Naoki-chan was the one that provoked him! SHE'S the meanie at fault!" Mononu cries, his customary grin replaced with a huge frown. "Besides, Kinji-kun tried to stop Kurosawa-kun from violating rule six, 'cause Kinji-kun's a good little boy!"
Aaand somehow the topic switched to me. Great, just great. That's exactly what I need right now.
"Aw, shut the pup up! Defendin' the smart ass when all he's done is piss me off...This is why I can't stand you!"
"Ditto for me! Those crummy girls of yours will never be on par with us!"
"Hmph! I LOATHE YOU!"
"Hmph! AND I LOATHE YOU TOO!"
"Uh...why are you guys here?" I demand, intervening into the camp counselors' chat warily. They would've probably continued on for the rest of the day if I didn't cut in.
"A-Ah! That's right! How could I have been so forgetful? Please forgive me, everyone!" Mononu pauses. "Uh, it's okay to blame it all on Monone, though!"
"Whaaaaat?! Don't try to pin everything on me, ya numbskull!" The monochrome cat hisses, slapping the back of her partner's head. She whips around to face us Ultimates. "We're just here 'cause you dumb kids seem to have forgotten the rules that we've put in place!"
"We have not broken any of your silly rules." Kishi points out airily, her eyes shifting slightly in Madoka's direction. His resolve to do as he pleases seems much weaker with the camp counselors present. "Well, at least not yet..."
"Oh, you'd better not!" Monone warns, eyes narrowing into thin slivers. "There's a naaasty punishment in store for any violators! These rules are in place for a reason, ya know-to keep order, a key component of civilized communities!"
This is definitely not a civilized community...
"Actually, kids, we're here to remind you about the Camp Check-Out Clause!" Mononu clarifies, cocking his head to one side curiously. "I think it's a great opportunity to get outta Crescent's Divide, ya know? All you gotta do is sacrifice your classmates for freedom! So how come no one's taken advantage of it?"
"It's obviously because we're not willing to murder!" I cry angrily, fists clenched. Not this crap again. "Who on their right mind would?!"
Monone glares at me with utter contempt, but Mononu just giggles.
"That's the second reason why we're here!" The monochrome dog explains, a twisted smile etched on his snout. "To put you kids in a more murderous state of mind...that is to say, we've got a motive prepared!"
"M-M-M-Motive?!" Shiori echoes, the word seemingly alien coming off her tongue. "W-W-What the hell...what the h-hell is th-th-that supposed to mean?!"
"No...you can't be serious!" I sputter, knowing very well what the Monos intend to do. "Y-You have no way to drive us to kill one another!
"Oh? You sure about that, smart ass?" Monone challenges, her voice squeaky and ominous. "We know everying about you brats! All your strengths, weaknesses, memories, loved ones, fears, dreams, aspirations, secrets and strange fetishes...You're completely under our thumbs!"
"Uh, if we had thumbs..." Mononu corrects timidly. "But all we have are stubby lil' paws...cuz we're a cat and dog."
"I...I do not believe that the technicalities are important in this matter." Arisa points out, her expression stoney. "What is this so-called 'motive' of which you speak of?"
"That's for us to know and for you brats to find out!" Monone chuckles, relishing in our submissiveness. "Head over the the camp reception hall immediately after breakfast for the motive, kiddies!"
"And no skipping! Attendance is mandatory!" Mononu adds, shutting down any attempts to miss out on the motive. "Oh, and remember that those that don't follow the instructions will be strictly punished!"
The very moment Mononu finishes speaking, he and Monone are seized and lobbed against the walls at an almost superhuman speed. They land on the floor with limp squeaks, limbs twitching from the impact. Madoka Kurosawa is the guilty party.
"Kurosawa-san! Wh-What have you done?! Violence is NOT welcome in this kind of enviroment!" Akihiko cries, gaping at the vandalist with a pallid face. Madoka promptly snubs him and instead stomps over to where the two Monos have landed, looming over them like a dark cloud.
"He has a death wish." Kishi notes calmly, observing the scene with mild amusement. "What a fool."
"Listen here, you SHITTY stuffed animals!" Madoka barks, face mere inches away from those of the Monos. Flecks of spit paint their snouts as the vandalist yells at them. "There's no way in HELL we're gonna listen to your crap! You'd better let us go RIGHT NOW 'fore I put ya in a WORLD of hurt!"
"M-Me...owchie...Me-o-o-owchie... is all Mononu can stutter weakly.
"It...h-hurts...I-It...hurts..." is what Monone chokes out.
Scoffing at the counselors' disheveled states, Madoka kicks Monone and Mononu, taking his time to dig the soles of his shoes into them. I cringe at the sight-it looks like it hurts, though I should feel no sympathy for a few psychopathic toys.
Finally satisfied at having seemingly broken the toys, Madoka snaps around to the rest of us with a triumph look plastered on his face. "See? They weren't such tough shit after all. Now we can finally get outta this goddamn hellhole without-"
"T-There was no need to go that far!" Akihiko protests, frowning. "Even if they were by no means polite, violence is never the answer!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?!" Madoka growls, shoving his bandaged hands into his pockets. "C'mon, it's over! We can leave this dump!"
"L-Leave...We can leave?" Shigeko repeats warily, looking quite distressed, a hand to her heart.
All I can do is stare at Madoka in disbelief. Just like that, he had attacked the camp counselors without any hesitation. My eyes trail to the heap of Monos on the floor, and for a moment, I feel kind of sorry for them. I avert my gaze, happy that the whole traumatic experience is over.
We're free...right?
"...N-Not so f-f-fast, you b-b-brat..."
"R-Rule vio..violation...rule violation..."
Oh, god...
I whip back to the Monos to find that they're up and about, approaching us like killer sharks. Their movements are now creaky and robotic rather than smooth and silly, making them appear all the more threatening-but I'm not their target. Madoka is.
"W-What the hell?!" The vandalist cries, veering around to find a wobbly Monone and Mononu clutching onto either of his pant legs. They wear large, sickeningly sadistic smiles. Madoka completely freezes up, unsure of what to do.
{6. Violence against the camp counsellors Monone and Mononu is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of private property.}
"LeT's PunISh YoU, sHAlL wE?"
No. It's not over. It's just beginning.
Hello again! :D Guys, I'm not gonna lie...this chapter was by far the most difficult one that I have written. The problem was that I knew exactly what I wanted to happen this chapter, but it was so hard to put it down into words without having awkward transitions between scenes or extended dialogue for some characters. I also really wanted to introduce the motive this chapter, but once again, some scenes turned out much longer than I had originally anticipated, so the motive has been pushed to chapter 8. Terribly sorry for that, everyone... :(
I PROMISE that chapter 8 will include the formal motive introduction, okay? Most (if not all) of the motives for OTTT will be original ones (that is, different from ones shown in the game canon), so I'm very excited to write them. :3 There will be lots and lots of twists and turns...
Okay, so something I've noticed through reading the reviews (which, again, I am very thankful for! :3) is that (for the most part) everyone seems to desire an OC to inflict physical pain unto Reese and/or ships Misaki x Ryosuke.
Reese definitely seems to be the most "snobbish" character of the group, doesn't he...? I love writing him regardless. TwT What do you guys think of Rylie when she's not hanging around her brother? She's starting to seem quite flirtious without Reese there to hawk on her, huh? He tends to bring out the worst in everyone...(Meanwhile, Akihiko isn't quite catching on to this foreign thing known as "romance"...Well, I guess you can't blame him. He did grow up in an exclusively female household, so that sort of obliviousness makes sense.)
As for Misaki x Ryosuke, I guess I should have anticipated that, given that a majority of fans ship Chiaki x Hajime and Kyoko x Naegi. (*coughcough*Hinamikisthebestship*coughcough*) My beta reader thinks Misaki's blushing and sketchpad shield are cute. In fact, as I write this author's note, I'm having a conversation with my beta reader about the implications of the Misaki x Ryosuke ship. She says "it's never too early to ship" (and she's also pretty proud for guessing the Rylie x Akihiko thing correctly, even if right now it's one-sided)! Sometimes she acts so much like Sakiko, it scares me...
Right now, it's hard to give equal amounts of lines to each character, but I'll try to keep it up so you guys get a taste of everyone. Really, Madoka and Rylie got a lot of lines this chapter...Hopefully I can squeeze in more prominent dialogue for the others in future chapters as well. ;) The next free time events will star Sakiko Imamura and Misaki Taiga! (My beta reader recommended two free time events with females, since Ryosuke hung out with two guys last time.) We'll see how well our dorky protagonist can handle being around the ladies (he's kinda awkward around them, isn't he?)...
Well, that's it for now...See you all (hopefully!) next chapter!
P.S. A special thanks goes out to ShadowDude90, who assisted a great deal with writing Rylie's...er...flirty behavior in this chapter, as well as giving pointers on her coquettishness in future chapters. I couldn't have gotten it done on my own! ;D
