Again, thank you all for your kind reviews! I'm glad you are loving the story thus far, and I hope I will be able to impress you when things go downhill. I'm glad everyone seemed to have a nice Christmas in one way or another too. Again, thank you all for the support!

ToonGuy: "Yeah, but there are a lot of beautiful mother figures in this that it's likely they won't survive... There is no positive side to anything the students do considering they are in a killing game! I'm glad I'm keeping you in suspense. Guess that means I did my job as a writer correctly so far! To be honest, I love all the characters and I hate to kill some..."

liammarklh88: "I'm glad the FTEs are very informative! I was scared I'd make it bland. Haha, the first case is going to come... Oh no! Don't worry, I'm sure you and your family will be fine! I'll cheer you guys on if it makes you feel better!"

Writer's Block Abundance: "Hello again! I'm glad you are following this story, you are a great person to interact with (well, through reviews that is, but still!). Aw, but then your username would be gone! Your username is very unique too, but yeah, writer's block is a huge pain in the arse."

AmaryllisGreen: "Hello, nice to see you! I'm glad my story is well enough for you to get excited over the updates! I'm glad Rin's free time event was convincing! I was afraid I'd make her a bit too talkative or blunt. Don't worry, I believe in you! And thanks ^.^"

TheRoseShadow21: "Nice to see you had a great Christmas! Monokuma is discreet about many things, huh. I'm glad I'm doing Saori well! Thanks ^.^"

PoisonBanana: "It's fine! All your reviews are very well-informed and detailed! I always love reading them. Oh no! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have a fine time this year at least!"

Agrael: "Aw, I'm glad you liked this chapter! Haha, I try to raise death flags for mostly everyone. I want to make the deaths a surprise at least. Oh, I'm completely shocked you love the cast! Thanks! Yeah, good for you ^.^ Haha, I know most of what happened during the game, and I found it enjoyable!"

Kukasabe Swift: "Oh, hey! I'm glad you were able to learn more about the characters in the last chapter. I'm glad I'm depicting your character wonderfully! Yeah, there should always be someone who doubts whatever the rest are doing, so Minori is doing that role. Well, at least you had fun!"

irwegwert: "Haha, well, poison can run through someone's body slowly over time. It varies between person to person, or so Monokuma would absolutely want. I want to blend in nice and serious moments, since we are close to Chapter 1's case. Interesting theories. Haha, I have Xenoblade Chronicles 2 myself. Their songs are awesome, though that's possibly because the composer is known for making awesome soundtracks."

DryBonesKing: "It's fine! At least you're reading the story! ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying the story and my style of writing, I would hope the story is engaging so far! I am glad you are loving the characters so far. It's interesting to see your comments and what you predict in the future. Those are really interesting ideas and theories, and they are intruiging as well! I hope you will like this chapter, and I hope you have a great day!"


The morning announcement had rang, yet with Monokuma's usual laughter and notification did he continue.

"Upupupu! As you bastards may or may not know, the deadline is today! You guys better get going and kill one another, or else the poison will kill you all! And, since I'm so beaaary nice, I'm gonna kill the lights off just half a day before the deadline! That means the lights are closed in late afternoon! Haha! It'll be easier to kill that way, though it could be a bit harder? ... Well, whatever you bastards do is up to you! Upupupu!"

The announcement had been shut off, and Minori was left shocked. He suddenly felt his heart beating, beating faster than ever. Never would he have expected to be thrown in such an incomprehensible situation, nevertheless that situation being a killing game. He didn't want to die.

Still, he would never kill someone either. Minori bit into his lips as he showered and changed his outfit. Although it was the same attire as always, he couldn't bother. He hated the sweat touching his clothes, then sticking to his skin. He hated it.

Minori opened the door as he saw a nearby door from the girls' side opening as well.

"Oh, Minori." It was the Ultimate Hypnotist. She was rubbing her eyes, a yawn having escaped her lips. "You just woke up too?"

Minori nodded. "Yeah. I am heading to the dining hall."

Amyto chuckled. "Of course. We all are-" She then stopped, then awkwardly laughing and scratching her head. "Well, not all of us. I don't think the rest could move with the poison and all."

The pseudologist nodded, grim. He decided to walk into the hallways, down into the dining hall. There were less people than ever despite everyone being present other than him and Amyto. He took a seat, noticing the four empty chairs as Amyto took her's. Kaniza passed the duo their meals. It was chicken noodle soup, a classic dish. Minori sipped into it and watched Seiga who began to cough.

"Ahem!" He spat out, cracking his knuckles. "We're gonna stop the evildoer!"

Asami was determined, nodding her head. A confident smile was on her lips. She was not deterred in the slightest bit at all. "Of course. What do you propose then, Seiga?"

Ryoichi raised his hand. "Mr. Kosoku, I don't mean to be rude, but nothing worked. None of the things we planned worked!"

"Hey, don't be so negative!" The stunt double frowned, shaking his head. "As the hero, I won't tolerate this!"

Sheina scoffed. "Exactly. You should shut your mouth, subject. You know that we are fine, right? The Gods are on our side."

Ryoichi rolled his eyes, but stayed silent.

It was then did the knight took a deep breath. "Alright! Let's all pay our respects to Seiga and listen to his proposal."

"Thanks, girl!" Seiga grinned widely at the knight, cracking his fists. He then reached into his pocket, taking out a piece of wire that was bent to the shape of a key. He showed it high and proudly, everyone taking a look at it. Some were confused, others gasping in shock and the rest nodding their heads knowingly. Seiga chuckled for a moment. The stunt double then coughed for a short second. "Ahem! I think we should try opening the lab room with this fake key I made! We only have today to do something, right?"

"True..." Sagiso nodded to herself. "Four of us are down already, so I think it's best to act now."

Amyto bit into her lips. "Yeah... I guess..." She slowly crept up a smile, eyeing Seiga. "I'm really glad you and Asami and everyone else are around. Everyone here is so optimistic, and it's really addictive! Honestly, I would've given up if I was alone..."

"Well, don't worry about that!" Kaniza laughed cheerfully as she patted the hypnotist on the back. "The stars have always been aligned in our favor, we just have to continue acting till the time comes when we are completely aligned with the star's glow!"

"I-I mean, we have nothing left to do..." Nezumi shook his head, having been fidgeting ever more than before. He was definitely afraid. He was definitely scared. "B-better to do something than nothing, r-right...?"

"Let's get started right away," Seiga said, now frowning. "We don't have much time left, right?"

Saori raised her hand. "Wait. May I speak?"

"Huh?" The stunt double turned to the Ultimate. "Yeah, girl. You don't need to ask."

The body broker nodded slowly. "Alright. I believe that we should check the infirmary. I have thrown out the poison bottles a few days ago, however when I was walking earlier I saw that the bottles had been restocked. I believe that Monokuma is restocking them."

"Oh, right! I remember you throwing them out." Asami cupped her chin, humming to herself. She thought for a moment. "Maybe Monokuma is restocking the bottles because of the motive. We should try throwing them out again, or at least drain them down the sink. Okay! We should check the infirmary out first."

The thief bit into his lips. "Um, a-are we gonna do something with the other people? Y'know, Ko and the others..."

Kaniza smiled brightly. "Oh, don't worry about them! I'm going to give them their food and medicine later."

"Woah, you're too kind!" Amyto laughed happily. "I wish I had a mother like you."

Minori turned to the knight. "So, we're going to check the infirmary out first then the lab room?"

"Yeah, but we should make sure all of us are fine so far and if Ko and the others are healing fine." Asami eyed the pseudologist with a kind smile. She was staring at Minori with a determined glare. That expression of genuine determination and optimism honestly scared Minori. He was simply stunned by how strong she was. "We have this entire day. We should be able to do this and prevent Monokuma from this whole killing game."

Minori was honestly jealous of it. Asami continued to try and try, and so did the others. Everyone continued to try and try despite failing. It was shocking to Minori, and he honestly wanted to do the same. He had to, for everyone's sake. He just had to believe in them. But, with how this entire situation is playing out, this feeling of doubt in my heart is continuing to overwhelm me... I can't help but feel like Monokuma is just watching us.

"Well, I'll go prepare the meals and bring the medicine for the others," Kaniza said, standing from her seat. "I'll be back."

Minori watched Kaniza moving into the kitchen, wondering about Haruko and the other three sickened- Fumio, Kakuma, and Fuwari. Four people have fallen unconscious, sick and faint. The pseudologist worried about them and the others, and he worried for his own safety. He didn't want to be a part of this. He didn't want to be in this. He didn't want to have anything to do with this. But, he had been forced to.

As Kaniza rolled down a plate full of drinks and meals, she left the room to the others to finish eating. Everyone was left to finish their foods, to continue to talk and speak and laugh.

However, it was obvious the conversations were forced. These conversations, the laughter, the words, the smiles- they were all forced. The Ultimates have been talking to one another in order to mask those feelings, those negative feelings of fear and doubt. Fear to the end of their lives, this killing game. Doubt to if the plan would be accomplished, or if it would fail. The Ultimates having been talking were merely to enforce the normalcy that had been in the room since days. Everyone had been masking their fear. Although some didn't hide their fear through their emotions and gestures, Nezumi and Ryoichi for example, it was obvious they were trying to listen to the voices of others. The others who had been talking to others, smiling and laughing- people such as Asami, Seiga, Kaniza... Everyone had been forcing that sense of normalcy.

Everyone had been hiding their fears. Yes, even Minori himself. Of course he had been lying to himself. To lie that he would be fine. To lie that everything would go well despite his initial thoughts- he continued to lie to himself that everything would be fine. He wanted to believe that.

The Ultimates waited for breakfast to be finished, then waiting for Kaniza who returned back safely as Sagiso and Kamui decided to wash the dishes. Minori silently sat from where he was, waiting for the duo to finish the dishes as he watched some others leave. Asami had left to check on the sick alongside Sheina and Amyto, the others either staying behind and speaking softly or worrying in place. The room was tense. The atmosphere was dense.

"Is this seriously gonna work?" Ryoichi had asked to himself, however he was near Nezumi and Saori who were eyeing the area. The investigator bit into his lips as he shook his head. "This won't work... We're gonna die."

Minori could hear the murmurs of worries continuing to spur inside of the room. He hated it. Those words of doubt resonated with him. He had to ignore it. He forced himself to ignore it.

The stunt double was laughing as Rin and Kaniza eyed him. "Haha! No, no, I don't know shit about the stars and whatnot!" He cried, cracking his knuckles. "But yeah, I'd love to go to those stargazing festivals you mentioned! Rin can join too!"

Rin eyed him in bewilderment. "Um, why me? I'm not interested. I'm usually busy shaping jewels-"

Kaniza had cut off the jeweler within miliseconds, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, do you guys want to know the best astrology couple? In my opinion, I think the love of Aries and Aquarius is soooo cute! Then again, there was this Virgo and Pisces couple that I really love~"

Minori was genuinely shocked to see the trio laughing so freely. Well, at least two of them. If anything, Rin looked like she did not want to have any say in the conversation. It didn't take long before the conversation finished, and then that was the time Kamui and Sagiso came out from the kitchen. It was also the same time Asami and the other women walked back into the room.

"How are the others?" Sagiso asked as she eyed the women. She had been drying her hands on a paper towel for a moment, then throwing it perfectly to the trash bin. "Are they all fine?"

Sheina smiled widely, huffing her chest out. "Hmph! Of course, since I, the Pharoah, was in their presence! Fuwari and Kakuma have woken up and are currently eating. My subjects Ko and Fumio did wake up, but they wanted to rest a bit more."

"Oh. Alright." Sagiso nodded as she eyed the Ultimate Egyptologist.

"Well, since everyone is all here, are we ready to move out?" Asami eyed the group with a smile. A wide, determined smile. "We're gonna go check out the infirmary room first per Saori's suggestion, then we are going to do what Seiga planned. Is that fine with all of you?"

There were murmurs in the room. Murmurs of worry and doubt. They worried, but nonetheless they agreed to her words. If anything, they wanted the killing game to end as soon as possible.

Asami smiled. "Alright! Let's go check the infirmary first then."

The group moved, heading down the dining hall and moving over to the infirmary. The students spoke to one another down the way, Asami stating her worries about the sick. Nezumi wondered if they would become sick soon, the more extroverted people stating him to not think so negatively. They continued to walk until they reach the infirmary, from there Saori opening the door and the group heading inside.

"Huh. Everything here looks the same. I wouldn't have expected that Saori dumped all the poisonous bottles out." Amyto eyed the shelves, looking at the bottles of poison. "Wow, there's a lot of poison here. So Monokuma really is restocking them?"

"Not to be mean," Kamui began, coughing. "But you are not lying, are you?"

Saori frowned, but seemed to understand his suspicions. She nodded her head. "I'm not," she answered, blunt and straightforward. "I have Asami and Minori to back me up."

"Oh, right. She's right." Minori smiled awkwardly at the mortician who nodded slowly. The pseudologist eyed the shelves as he looked at the poison bottles, eyeing the labels. He could faintly see the contens inside of each bottle, everything seeming to be filled to the brim. None have been used, he would think.

Ryoichi bit into his lips, grabbing ahold of a bottle and eyeing it. "You think Monokuma is using these for the motive? If he's able to restock them, wouldn't that mean he has a plentiful of them?"

"Oh shit, that's right!" Seiga's eyes widened. He took ahold of one of the bottles for a moment, but he then laughed and quickly shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. None of them seem to be used. Besides, I remember that Ko and the others' symptoms aren't the same as what's said on a lot of these labels."

"Huh? Really?" Ryoichi raised a brow.

The stunt double nodded. "Yeah, dude. The labels behind the bottles said so."

Minori decided to take a look himself, taking ahold of one of the bottles. 'Type B Poison' was the name of the bottle he took. He eyed it for a moment. No, it didn't seem like it has been opened, whether recently or not. The contents inside of the bottle were the same, nothing had been used. He then looked at the back, eyeing the labels. From there, he saw a list of ingredients and warnings. Let's see...

Symptoms were the following- enlargment of the pupils, excessive drooling, increase of heart rate... Although they seemed to be the common symptoms of a horrid tragedy, the symptoms were vastly different from what happened with the sick. Minori realized that while the symptoms from the Type B Poison included the decrease in temperature, Haruko's body was different. Symptoms from the Type B Poison was different from the sick's symptoms, and once Minori took a look at the other bottles of poison, he realized that Seiga was right- Monokuma wasn't using the bottles for the motive.

What's more interesting is that the contents inside of the bottles are only in work if taken directly. They cannot be fanned or whiffed, strangely enough...

"Okay, I see..." Ryoichi slowly placed the bottle back into the shelves. "Maybe Monokuma's actually using some sort of alien drug?!"

Sheina shook her head, deadpanned. "No."

"So, Monokuma isn't restocking these simply for the motive." Sagiso cupped her chin. "Then is he restocking them simply to give us a means of killing? Is he restocking them to give us an easier oppurtunity to kill someone?"

Rin frowned at the thought. She couldn't help but eye the shelves full of poisonous bottles, disgusted. "He's sick..."

"Actually, where is Monokuma?" Nezumi continued to fidget from place, unaware that he had stolen a bottle of pills. He didn't even realize when Kaniza took it from him, placing it back from where it was. "Where does he sleep? Is he watching us from somewhere...?"

Amyto shivered, shaking. "Oof. That's a scary thing to think about." She forced a giggle. "Well, let's just hope he doesn't watch us when we shower!"

"I assure you that I am not thinking about that," Kamui replied, shaking his head. He thought for a moment, then looking back at the group. "I have a suggestion."

The hypnotist tiled her head. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"I want to know if we throw the bottles away in the trash again if Monokuma will restock them within hours. I want to see how exactly does he appear and restock them, and if he does appear if we are able to ask him questions." He looked towards Saori. "Have you actually seen him restock the bottles, Saori?"

Saori shook her head. "No. When I was walking I have already noticed that the bottles have been restocked. I'm not entirely sure when he had restocked them."

Seiga grinned widely, cracking his fists. He grabbed a handful of the poisonous bottles and embraced them tightly. "So all we have to do is throw that shit away, right? So let's just throw them in the trash!"

"I'll help," Sagiso said, walking over to take a handful of bottles. "Where should I throw them?"

Saori thought for a moment. "I threw them away in the trash can in my room. However, I think throwing them in the dining room's trash can would be faster."

The stunt double nodded proudly. "Alright! Let's go, Sagiso!"

The duo headed out, Seiga running down as Sagiso strided by. The group was left eyeing the room, some continuing to eye the poisonous bottles as others murmured to one another. Minori eyed Asami who focused on her work, looking through the medicinal bottles.

"What are you doing, if I may ask?" The pseudologist moved next to the knight.

Asami turned to him with a smile. "Oh! Hello, Minori." She had grabbed one of the bottles, eyeing the labels. "I am making sure Monokuma is not tricking us. I am making sure that these bottles are actually filled with medicine and not poison. I mean, I am not sure that these pills are medicine or not, but it's worth a look."

"You are really dedicated," that was all Minori could say as he watched Asami.

The knight chuckled. "It's no problem. I prioritize the safety of my friends, after all."

Minori nodded slowly, now watching the knight continuing to eye each bottle. He was silent as time passed by, hearing murmurs and the tapping of the feet sound off in the room. They were waiting for Seiga and Sagiso to finish, but before the duo was able to return, something miraculous happened.

A bright light flashed inside of the room, blinding everyone. Screams and gasps were heard, but within seconds did the flash disappear. Everyone was left confused and bewildered, blinking as they spoke in place. They didn't know what had happened, only speaking in dabbles until Asami's voice resounded.

"What?! The bottles... They've been restocked!"

Everyone quickly crowded around the shelves, looking to find that the poisonous bottles have been restocked. The poisonous bottles that should've been thrown out by Seiga and Sagiso were now inside of the shelves. It was shocking. It was mindblowing. How can this happen? That was all Minori could think as the door was slammed open.

"You guys alright?!" Seiga asked, worried and sweaty. "I heard screaming!"

Sagiso rushed into the room. "You guys are all fine, right?" She then moved her way into the crowd, then eyeing the shelves. Her eyes widened. "Huh? They've been restocked already?"

"Really?" Seiga quickly took a look. "Woah, dude! That's sick! Did Monokuma appear from thin air or something?"

The E.T. investigator was the first to answer, his voice falling flat. "No, it was the work of aliens..."

The stunt double frowned. "Huh?"

Sheina scoffed. "No, subject, it was the work of the Gods themselves!"

Seiga slowly turned to Minori, bewildered. "Can I ask for an explanation, bro?"

Minori sighed. Although he was as shocked as anyone else was, he couldn't believe the words of Ryoichi and Sheina. He wondered if aliens and Gods were an explanation to everything, though he supposed their reasons weren't at all stupid. Considering Monokuma and this whole situation, he couldn't exactly blame them for their eccentric reasoning. "I'm honestly not sure," he answered, making Seiga frown. "There was a bright light that flashed and blinded us, and after a few seconds everything inside of the shelves have been restocked. Monokuma wasn't anywhere to be found."

Seiga cupped his chin. "Huh. Really? That's really weird."

The body broker herself was confused. "So Monokuma doesn't restock the bottles?" She thought to herself, pondering. She was deep in thought, her eyes brimming in concentration. "How does this work? This isn't a case of technological advancement, right?"

Kamui shook his head. "I do not think there would be a teleportation device somewhere. Well, at least we are sure that Monokuma himself isn't present when the items are restocked, albeit how they are restocked is a bit strange."

Saori nodded. "Alright."

"I guess we should check the lab room now." Asami crossed her arms, deciding to not think too much on what had happened. She walked over to the stunt double's side. "Do you have the key?"

Seiga nodded, reaching into his pockets and taking out the molded key. "Yup. Let's go then. I'll lead the way!"

With Seiga leading the way, everyone headed straight to the direction of the lab room. It didn't take long before they reach their destination, just a few steps away from the infirmary itself. The stunt double quickly inserted the wire into the keyhole, manipulating it silently before he heard a clicking sound. A victorious grin escaped his lips as he turned the doorknob, the door creaking open. Seiga turned to the group of Ultimates, proud and mighty.

"Thank me, for I have opened the door!" Seiga laughed boisterously for a few moments, but then cleared his throat, abruptly stopping. "Okay, let's go."

With the rolling of the eyes, the group headed inside. Within seconds did the pseudologist realize that something was off.

"Holy shit!"

Those words completely conveyed Minori's expression at the moment.

Seiga couldn't help but laugh in complete shock. He strided over to the center, looking down what seemed to be a staircase leading into a tunnel. It was deep inside, almost endless as the flight of stairs continued even admist the dark. The stunt double shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Monokuma's been hiding some secret lair!"

"No way. That can't be possible." Amyto was bewildered. She herself walked towards the center of the room, eyeing the flight down the stairs. "You think Monokuma's hiding in there?"

Minori silently shook his head, thinking to himself. Pondering. No way. It can't be this easy. Monokuma can't be hidden just down these flight of stairs. I doubt he'd make himself available so easily, especially if he's the one conducting this game. Is Monokuma trying to lead us somewhere?

But before the pseudologist could speak his doubts, Ryoichi began to speak. "Hey, what about the door in the MonoLottery room? Maybe he's hidden there?"

"Well, the door can't be open with just a key. You need a code." Seiga scratched his head. "I mean, I'm not some code genius, am I?" He then eyed Ryoichi for a moment, then throwing a huge smile as he slapped him upon the back. "Dude, calm down! We're gonna go down this obviously suspicious flight of stairs and stop the villain! I'm not a hero if I can't even assure that."

"Then we don't know anything about the other door..." Ryoichi murmured underneath his breath.

"It looks really dark down there though," Kaniza said, speaking her thoughts. She was walking around the room, eyeing the line of tables which held desktops in front of each open seat. She took a seat down one of the rolling black chairs, curiously tapping onto the mousepad to the side of one of the computers. "You think there's light down there?"

"Never hurts to try," Asami answered, smiling brightly. "Besides, this room is bright enough. I think we should be able to make this work as long as we're close to one another."

"S-so all of us are going down there..." Nezumi chuckled nervously, shivering. "A-alright. I'm just worried there's some monster down there."

"I'm more worried about spiders," Amyto admitted. "Just thinking about spiders crawling on my back gives me the shivers! Eep."

Nezumi frowned. He eyed Amyto silently. The thief then tilted his head, confused before quickly averting his gaze. He whispered under his breath in an almost disappointed sigh, "I like spiders though..."

"Alright, so we're all gonna go in and investigate what's below!" Seiga cried as loudly as he could, trying to gain the attention of everyone. "We should also keep a look out for the evildoer Monokuma. He might try to attack us down below, so be careful! Just holler at me if you need help, I'll happily save you."

Asami cleared her throat. "It may be best to tread carefully, like Seiga has mentioned. We are going to face this problem directly and stop the killing game, and how the headmaster may have poisoned Ko and the others may be different to what he may try to do now. I believe he may try to influence our bodies as we tread down as well, so we should also keep in mind of each other's well-being!"

Nezumi's eyes widened. "W-wait, what happens if we end up getting sick then?"

The knight thought for a moment. "I think it is best for whoever has fallen to call for assistance. I believe we should tread together as a group and not go ahead or stay behind in order to look after each other. If someone does end up falling, it is the responsibility of whoever's close by to help them as soon as possible."

"O-oh. Alright." The thief nodded despite trembling. He was obviously worried.

"I think it is best that Sagiso should be one of the people leading the group," Kamui suggested, looking at the psychogeographer. The Ultimate nodded her head as the mortician continued to speak. "Seiga, you're going to lead the way as well, if I have to guess?"

Seiga chuckled and cracked his fists. He was pumped. "Yeah, of course. I'll face any terror that comes your guys' way!"

Kamui hummed in response. "Asami, you should handle the back for extra precaution. Hm..." He looked at the group, looking through each person for a moment. He thought for a moment, then nodding to himself. "Sheina, can you help her?"

"Hmph!" The Egyptologist huffed, haughty as she always was. "Of course! I will embrace her with my presence as the Pharoah!"

Kamui didn't seem to mind how Sheina spoke, most likely used to her by now. He simply acknowledged her words and looked to Seiga for the go signal. The stunt double decided to take the first step, gesturing Sagiso to follow. "Alright," the stunt double began as he was heading down slowly alongside the psychogeographer. "Everyone behind me! Stick close!"

"Remember to stay at the back," Kamui reminded, looking both at Sheina and Asami. The two understood their roles well and waited. The mortician headed next down the flight.

"Guess I'll head down next! Hope I don't trip down the stairs, haha!" Kaniza laughed and smiled at the group. She winked at them before heading down, almost as a way to reassure them that they would be fine. They would be fine. They would be completely fine and safe- Kaniza had assured herself of that. She walked down after Kamui, speaking out to the mortician to prove her status as being the one behind him.

The E.T. investigator frowned to himself. "I seriously hate the dark," Ryoichi mumbled. He was just about to head into the stairs after the astrophotographer before a sudden crackling sound was heard.

Crackle!

The lights were flashing on and off. The sounds of electricity sounded off, seconds passing by each segment of crackling. The Ultimates were left in terror and wondered what was happening, the lights finally shutting off. It was now dark. Completely, a hundred percent dark.

"Aaaaaaah! This can't be happening! What's happening?!" Ryoichi screamed, his voice shaky. "Is this some prank?! Aliens?!"

"Hey, the lights aren't turning on!" Amyto cried from a distance, most likely close to the door. The sound of clicking was heard. The hypnotist was trying to turn the lights on, but to no avail. "Why aren't they working now?"

Asami was heard close by. "Someone open the door!"

Amyto, having been the closest to the door, quickly searched for the doorknob. She creaked it open, however, it seemed like nothing had happened. Everything continued to be dark, completely dark. Nothing was to be seen. No, nothing at all. "I can't see anything!" The hypnotist cried, fearful. "Why is it so dark?"

Minori realized instantly what this meant. "The morning announcement!"

"Guys!" Kaniza called from down the stairs. "What happened? Why is it darker all of a sudden?"

"We're halfway down the deadline," the knight answered, calm as she could force herself to be. Her voice was firm. "Monokuma said from the morning announcement that all the lights would be shut off when we're halfway down the day."

"Are you kidding me?!" Ryoichi groaned. "This is the stupidest-"

WOO-WOO-WOO!

"Thrice-Damned Servant of Seth!" Sheina cursed, angry. "I can't hear with this blasphemous sound! Who's damning the Gods?!"

WOO-WOO-WOO!

"Why are sirens blaring off?!" Nezumi cried, sounding more fearful than he had ever been. The slightest sound of his teeth clattering was heard, although it was barely audible with how annoyingly ridiculous the sirens were ringing. "W-what's happening?!"

"I think this is Monokuma's doing!" Minori cried, trying to explain the situation as loudly as he could. He swore his throat was already burning. "I think he's trying to drive us insane alongside the darkness!"

"What?! Why?!" The thief sounded desperate. "He didn't even tell us in the morning announcement!"

"Hey! We still have to keep moving!" Saori yelled, moving her way as she cautiously moved down the stairs. She gained Kaniza's attention as she bumped into her, the astrophotographer shocked. The body broker was yelling from the stairs, Minori realizing she had moved down. "We have a few hours left! Let's go!"

WOO-WOO-WOO!

"S-she's right! Let's just hurry up and go!" Minori decided to move down as well, moving slowly in order to not trip himself. He could feel the cold air beginning to touch him as he cautiously moved his way down, Kaniza and Saori down further. Shit, it's gonna be harder to hear the others if the siren keeps sounding off like this! Minori could hear the faint sounds of footsteps from above, him only able to conclude it was Rin's from how relaxed her footsteps always sounded whenever she walked. It really is hard to see anyone like this... It's not too tight in here, yet it feels like I'm being choked by how dark this place is!

Minori felt his hand across the wall, feeling the concrete as it began to get colder and colder. Slowly and slowly did he feel like he was being driven to insanity, the sirens blaring off as the darkness continued to envelope him. He couldn't hear. He couldn't see where he was. He didn't even know if he was lost or not, wondering if the path was actually leading him down in a linear path or if he was being tricked into certain death.

He couldn't tell, and he continued to walk and walk down the flight of stairs until he almost fell. "Ack!" Minori tripped upon his own feet, almost losing balance as he realized he had reached the bottom of the ground. There were no other flight of stairs or holes that he could feel, yet he continued to move cautiously.

WOO-WOO-WOO!

His speed began to quicken as his mind rested on the fact he was walking in a linear path, him realizing that he was walking straight. The sirens continued to sound off as loudly as ever, and Minori's head continued to ache.

Minori walked, but felt a chill running through his skin. He couldn't pinpoint it for a moment, him walking down the pathway. The chills continued to grow and grow, and soon he realized that a gust of wind was blowing through his face. He frowned. Why is there wind in here? Minori continued to walk for a moment, some time passing before he realized the cold burst of wind was now breezing through his enitre face. He almost felt lightheaded, his body numb. His scarf was moving, the flaps hitting him directly in the face. Ugh! Minori balanced his feet, but as he took another step forward his heel hit a small pebble and his balance now shifted. He suddenly found himself falling forward.

"Wooooaaah- oof!"

"Hey, watch your step, man! You almost tripped- Oh, Minnie, bro?"

Minori realized that there were arms around his head, and he quickly stepped back in shock. He realized that he had fallen forward, his face now lighting a bright red. He was also thrown with a feeling of relief that the darkness masked his embarrassment, however the sirens continued to ring into his ears. He almost felt as if he was deaf. Still, he tried nonetheless. "S-Seiga, is that you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." The stunt double's voice was loud, however now with the sirens blaring, there was also the matter of the howling of the wind that seemed to blast through them. Minori almost felt like he was being blown away, however, Seiga had stood his ground. "Dude, I think there's a gigantic fan in front of us! I think that's the shit that's blowing poison right at us!"

"Wait, what?!" Minori quickly ran to the side, almost hitting the wall if not for a hand reaching out to him.

"Yeah, should've told him that sooner, Seiga!" It was Kaniza's voice. "Minori, you should stay back. Seiga's gonna try facing the fan and walk towards it."

Minori was dumbfounded. "What? Why?"

Another voice spoke, that voice seeming to belong to Kamui's. "He's gonna find the switch to turn it off."

"Hey!" It was Amyto who came into the scene, having been pulled to the side by Sagiso who walked by. "We're not going to help him?"

Sagiso was the next to speak. "Seiga says that he doesn't want us to risk our lives. He says he rather end up getting sick and saving the 'world' rather than seeing us fall unconscious."

"That's selfish!" The hypnotist complained, whiny. She let out a disgruntled groan and began to move. "I'm gonna help him too!"

"What? Hey!" Sagiso quickly pulled Amyto back into the side. "I don't think that's a wise idea."

Amyto frowned. "Huh? Why not?"

"Seiga has the most athletic talent out of all of us. I think he's the most suited for this out of all of us." Sagiso began to speak, albeit her voice was worrying as well. "I don't want him to do it himself either, but he's the only one who has such a talent that will allow the possibility of him succeeding. I want to help him too, but I think we should wait here and tell the others. We especially need Asami's and Nezumi's help too."

The pseudologist looked towards the way where the stunt double seemed to be. Seiga...

"Where are the others?" Minori asked, having to make his voice louder as the noises continued to sound.

"I don't know!" Amyto cried, tone desperate as the seconds rolled by. "I tried to call out for them, but I couldn't find them anywhere! I only know that I went after Minori did..."

"Hey, what's going on?"

Amyto's feet shuffled, her possibly having ran over to the new voice's direction. "Rin?!"

Rin let out a exasperated sigh. "Seiga told me to not come near him. He told me to go to the side. Is he planning to turn the fan off?"

Minori nodded. "Yeah, he wants to stop it himself."

Suddenly, a loud, long cry escaped the darkness. A long, exaggerated warcry. Somehow, that warcry was louder than the noises of the sirens and wind combined. It was louder than Minori could've ever imagined.

"LET'S PAAAAARRRRRRTTTYY!"

The pseudologist instantly realized what was happening. He could hear Seiga's footsteps rushing down towards the direction of the wind, the sounds of the fan clattering in the nearby distance. Seiga's really exaggerating things...still, please be careful. The pseudologist found himself sweating despite the coolness of the wind. His hands were numb. Shit. Where's everyone else though? Did they get lost?

Minori looked back where he came from. Strangely, he felt like it was empty. He knew it was dark, but he felt emptiness. Did everyone else seriously lose their way? Maybe they fell sick? I'm worried...

It was then did a loud thud resounded near him.

Minori's eyes widened as he quickly turned to the direction of the sound, his movements quick as he moved down. He felt his hands to feel the hotness of skin. "Hey! Rin!" Minori's voice grew shaky as he quickly grabbed ahold of the Ultimate's shoulders. "Wake up!"

His voice was desperate. His voice was loud, the others hearing his voice as they moved towards his way.

"What happened?" Kaniza asked, worried until she realized what happened. She kneeled down to feel Rin's head, her hand making contact with the warmth of the jeweler's skin. "Oh no, not now. Come on, Seiga's gonna fix this! It won't take long before he turns the fan off! Hey, what are we gonna do?!"

"Maybe she was exposed to the wind too much!" Amyto cried, tearing up. "Seiga, please hurry and turn it off!"

The astrophotographer moaned sadly. "What do we do, Kamui?! Do we bring her back to her room and treat her?!"

"We should keep her away from exposure as possible." Kamui groaned, unable to believe what had happened. He moved a hand to the pseudologist's shoulder, squeezing it. "Can you and Sagiso take her back to her room? I don't want to risk her health if she stays here."

Minori's heart pounded. He didn't know what to do, how to react in this situation. "Um..."

He had been cut off as he suddenly felt an increase in temperature attack his body. He could hear the faint sounds of screaming as he involuntarily fell to the ground.


"M..."

...

"...ori! Min...!"

Huh?

"Minori!"

What happened...?

A groan escaped his lips, his eyes slowly opening as a faint light hit him. His vision was blurry, but he could see a few blurred faces. He continued to groan, pain overwhelming his body as he forced himself up.

"Ugh..." Minori felt his ears ringing. His head was aching. He shook his head slowly and tried to make out the situation. He looked around his surroundings. Minori had been lying flat on the dirt ground, surrounded by the people he was with beforehand- Sagiso, Kamui, etc. He even noticed Seiga who had ran towards him, face emotive of worry and anxiety. Strangely, even when his ears were ringing, there was nothing to be heard but voices. No sirens. No howling of the wind. No, nothing. The pseudologist slowly looked to Kamui. "What happened?"

"Seiga turned off the fan. Apparently the fan was blowing a small opened bottle of poison inside the middle of the core. Seiga quickly broke it into bits though after turning the fan off," the mortician answered, sounding much more joyous than the white-haired man had ever heard from him. "You suddenly fallen ill after Rin, and we worried for a few minutes until we heard the fan turning off. That's when Rin regained consciousness like you did now."

Minori's eyes widened. The motive... The time... The pseudologist quickly darted his head around, noticing something off. He was inside of the tunnel. He could see the staircase from away, then noticing the humongous fan which held a control panel just towards the right side. Minori could even see a patch of grass from the far right side as well, however his thought was focused on one thing- "It's bright."

"I think we've succeeded," Kaniza said, smiling widely. "See? The lights are on and the sirens aren't blaring anymore! You guys all gained conscious too, so I think it's a victory!"

"Really...?" Minori couldn't believe it. He was speechless. He was at a loss for words.

We really did it. We really did it... right? We did it, did we? Is this right? Did we actually stop the poison from spreading and this whole entire killing game? Where's Monokuma? Where is he?

Did we actually do it? No way, is it really this easy? No, there's no way... right? Right?

"Let's go out!" Amyto cried, joyous as she pumped her fists high in the air. "Maybe Ko and the others are awake too! We need to tell them the news! Oh, and also laugh at the people who lost their way down here."

"That's mean of you," Seiga commented, laughing.

Minori was silent. No way. They're acting like they actually did it. They're acting like we actually stopped this. Did we actually win? Did we actually beat Monokuma? I don't... I don't know.

Still, the pseudologist stood up. He watched as Amyto and Kaniza ran down the tunnel, laughing and screaming out of joy as Seiga followed suit. From the background he could hear their voices, them joking as other voices filled the air- most likely the other voices being the lost. He watched Rin and Kamui who were much more calm, however they walked down as well, leaving him alone. Minori felt his chest beating, his stomach churning. He didn't know why, but something was off. There was something wrong with this entire situation.

Minori took another glance at the fan. The fan was shut off, the control panel at the side having been smashed closed. It was most likely Seiga who had smashed the panel. The pseudologist noticed pieces of glass down the center, realizing a pool of liquid leaking into the dirt. Most likely, that was the poison itself. The Ultimate's heart continued to pound, and he decided to move his way.

It was an instant did Minori realize the way from the lab room to the tunnel was short. The darkness and noises from before had hindered his sense of time, and it didn''t take long before he reached the lab room where he heard a long string of conversation taking place.

"Hey, it's not my fault I got lost!" Ryoichi yelled, annoyed as he felt Seiga's hand ruffling his hair. The investigator groaned loudly to himself, trying to make his groans sound as exaggerated as possible. "It's too dark!"

"W-wait, so we actually did it? We survived?" Nezumi sounded ecstatic as Kaniza did, his eyes shimmering in that one emotion- hope. "Wait. No way! We actually managed to do it?!"

Asami smiled as widely as possible, standing proudly. "I'm so proud of us! We did it guys."

"Well, Monokuma isn't saying anything..." Saori thought to herself, cupping her chin. She hummed, pondering. "If we stopped this, wouldn't he be forced to listen to our needs now since he'd be on equal footing with us?"

"Ah, I see!" Amyto grinned mischeviously. "He'd feel like we've threatened him! Since we stopped one of his ploys, he has to listen to us!"

Seiga chuckled. "So, is the new plan gonna be escaping outta here?"

The knight acknowledged the man's words with high confidence, nodding her head. "Yes! I believe anything is possible as long as we continue to try our hardest! We managed to stop Monokuma from pulling this ploy, and now if we force him to listen to our pleas, we might be able to escape from here!"

"Alright!" Kaniza clapped her hands excitably. "Let's go tell the others what happened! They should be awake!"

The group nodded, deciding to stay together united as they headed out of the lab room. They were all talking excitably, some planning what to do. Should they throw a party? Should they throw a feast? Should they plan their escape plan as soon as possible, or should they search for Monokuma now? They wondered and wondered, moving their way into the dormitory rooms. First, they headed straight into Fuwari's room.

"Hey!" Kaniza opened the door excitably as she realized Fuwari was awake. The spirit medium was confused, eyeing the group in bewilderment as they headed inside. The astrophotographer was the first to speak. "We did it, Fuwari!"

The spirit medium pondered. "Might I ask what you mean? What happened?"

The astrophotographer was too excited to explain. She grabbed ahold of the spirit medium's hands, eyes bright as the stars. "Basically, in one whole sentence- we stopped the killing game."

Fuwari's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Kaniza jumped from her spot. "Oh my god, I have to tell the rest!"

The astrophotographer ran out of the door, surprising the rest of the cast who eyed her in shock. Amyto and Seiga chased after her, excited as well as Asami decided to follow suit. Kamui looked at the spirit medium with an awkward nod of the head. "So, yes, Kaniza is right in what she said," the mortician began, trying to word himself as well and articulate as possible. "We have successfully stopped the poison from spreading."

"Ah, right. I have been poisoned..." Fuwari felt her head, then moving down to her chest. "Strange. I don't feel sick anymore."

"Yeah, isn't that great?" Sheina smirked, standing as proudly as possible. "I told you, the Gods have certainly blessed us! May Monokuma be damned now for his sins!"

Fuwari noded her head slowly as she sluggishly moved out from her bed. "I guess so. I feel perfectly healthy now. Are there others who have fallen ill as well?"

Kamui bit into his lips. "Ko, Fumio, and Kakuma."

The spirit medium acknowledged his words as she stretched her body for bit, ridding of the cricks in her neck. Her body was stiff, unfortunately. A downside to sleeping too long. "I see. We should greet them a good morning then."

Kamui nodded. "Ah, yeah."

The rest of the group headed outside, moving back out into the dormitory halls as they walked over towards the boys' side. They walked until they noticed Kaniza and the others running straight towards them.

"Have you guys seen Ko?" The astrophotographer asked, her voice now anxious. "He wasn't in his room!"

Minori felt his heart shattering into distress as Kakuma and Fumio ran straight towards them. Ko...

"Ko's not with you guys?" Fumio urgently scribbled into his notepad. He seemed much more worried about the Ultimate Chocolatier than himself. He didn't even notice that his hair was messy, his lips chapped.

"You can't be serious," Kakuma began, still as arrogant sounding as ever. "Did you people seriously leave that child by himself or something?"

"Nice to hear your voice again," the stunt double commented in the background.

"Whatever." The wedding planner rolled his eyes. "I seriously cannot believe that I allowed myself to fall under Monokuma's grasp." He cursed under his breath before looking back at the group. "So, now what? I don't know what's going on, and next thing I hear is that someone's lost. What's happening?"

Nezumi looked at Kaniza. "I-is Ko seriously g-gone...?"

The astrophotographer was silent. She was off. Her eyes were widened, her mouth agape.

The thief gulped. "K-kaniza...?"

"O-oh!" Kaniza jumped and eyed the thief. "I-I'm sorry about that... Ko's fine, right? Maybe he just wandered off!"

Asami was silent. "... Well, we should look for him, right?" She eyed the group and nodded. "Ko is probably just looking for us. We should look around. We should be able to find him easily."

"R-right." Kaniza nodded. "Alright, I'll go look!"

Kaniza ran off down the hallways. The hypnotist eyed the Ultimate sadly, then looking at Asami. "I'll look as well!" Amyto began running down the halls, leaving the group to their lonesome.

"Let's split up," Asami said, determined.

Minori couldn't help but bite into his lips as he began to rush down the halls as well. He was looking everywhere, from inside the dining room and into the kitchen. He looked through the library and laundry room, his heart continuing to race and his thoughts continuing to cycle. Oh no. This can't be. Ko's fine.

The pseudologist opened the men's bathroom. He looked into the lab room, running into the tunnel and then running back up. Ko's fine. He'll be fine.

Minori slammed open the infirmary room.

He's definitely not-

His body froze. His heart stopped. His mind was now empty. His face was now devoid of thought.

He was silent. He was silent for a split moment. Yes, he was silent, but that moment of silence was slow and steady. Yes, slowly. Time had seemed to move slowly. Time had moved slow, too beautifully slow.

It was too beautiful, unfortunately. That moment of silence was too beautiful to be true. Time should've stopped right then and there. That moment of beautiful silence was captured perfectly. It should've stopped there. However, it didn't.

That man. That teenager who had a heart of a child. That Ultimate whose title is Ultimate Chocolatier.

Haruko Yoshikawa. That man named Haruko Yoshikawa was now-

-dead.

He's dead.

"Minori, did you find Mr. Yoshi- Aaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Hey! Ryoichi, what's wrong- Oh my god!"

Minori couldn't even fathom who was screaming. He didn't know who was screaming, who was crying. He could only look silently at the person in front of him. He could only look at the Ultimate Chocolatier who was on the ground in the middle of the room, dead.

He was dead. Haruko was dead.

That face which should've been smiling as brightly as can be was gone, his lips curved into a pained frown. His eyes had been closed, thank God, but it was obvious Haruko had been in pain moments before death. There were red rings around his eyelids. Horrible, horrible sick red. Haruko was lying down on the ground on his back, his body laid flat. The chocolatier wasn't bloody in any way, his death more akin to that of a worm having infected his entire body. He was dead, yet the only symptoms of any damage to be seen were a bump to the back of his head and fluid trickling down the corner of his lips.

Minori's eyes travelled slowly down to the left side of the corpse.

The poison bottle... Poison... He had been poisoned.

Minori's legs weakened, his body falling to the ground. "Uuu..."

Tears began to fall from his eyes. Tears that never ended. He couldn't even hold back his sobs, his voice shaky and tragic. He sobbed and sobbed, his sobs escalating into moans before finally falling into pained screams.

Those screams were left ignored as Monokuma's voice echoed into the air.

"Ahem! This is a body discovery announcement! A body has been discovered! I repeat, a body has been discovered! Please head into the infirmary for further announcements!"


Chapter 1 - Part 1 END

The Undesirable Beginning

Survivors: 15


Would you like to save?

[YES] | NO

Save completed.


And here we have our official first death of the series! This chapter should've taken longer to upload in all honesty, but y'know that thing called flow in psychology? Yeah, I had that despite catching the flu. Rip, my health. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you have plenty of theories in mind on who killed our victim and how our killer was able to kill him!

Now, I'm glad you're still reading so far, and I know you have a lot of ideas on who the killer could be... So! Do you have any idea on who the killer is? Please state your thoughts in the reviews and feel free to vote in my new poll!

The next chapter will be on our investigation... I hope you will like it! Thanks for reading so far! You guys are honestly the best!