[MONOKUMA THEATRE]
"I have a special offer for those of you who have already figured out the killer!"
"If you can figure out who the killer is right now…"
"I'll give you ten milli- hold on, I'm getting a word in from our sponsors."
"Oh, we've done this one before."
"… That's a shame. A real darn shame."
"Though I do kind of remember it, and my annoying little sister Monomi…"
"Eh. She's old news now."
"We're back to just me, baby!"
[MONOKUMA THEATRE]
[CLASS TRIAL – RESUME!]
There's still a lot to discuss, and I don't know anywhere near as much as Pinaix or Tano on the case.
But… could Yuri really have done it?
It's true that he was active all day, and it's true that he could easily create an alibi for any time of day. But did he really kill Yakumo?
"The fact Yuri was running around all day doesn't necessarily mean he killed her," Tano said.
"But he'd be able to make an excuse no matter when he killed Yakumo," Venison replied.
"He could just say that he was giving someone their clothes," Shayne added.
Isayama rapidly shook her head at the two, and… I doubt that she'd stand against her own brother.
"We do need to consider all possible options," Akira said.
"I feel we should, too," Yuri said.
"That's because you're the one being accused," Fei Hong said.
Pinaix… still hadn't recovered. It was worrying… but if she still needed time, then she needed time.
"I agree we should investigate all possible options, but Yuri is certainly a suspicious party. Let's investigate that possibility," Faol said.
"Y-Yeah…" Paul said. "Yuri is pretty suspicious."
"I'll certainly agree with that," Ethan said.
"Upupupu, looks like you guys are split down the middle!" Monokuma said. "You know what that means!"
"No more heights!" Shayne said. It didn't matter.
Monokuma stuck a key into the panel in front of him, and once more, our podiums were raised into the air. Most of us gripped on, Pinaix's grip turning her knuckles bone-white.
God, the odds don't look good for us… Isayama doesn't speak, and Pinaix's not speaking.
Still… we can't give up here! If Yuri isn't the culprit, and we accuse him, we're all gonna die!
[SCRUM DEBATE – START!]
Yuri IS THE CULPRIT
Yuri MAY NOT BE THE CULPRIT
"Yuri was in and out of the Fashion Lab all day," Fei Hong said.
"…" Isayama didn't give a worded reply, but made a box with her hands to indicate Yuri's lab, and motioned herself walking into his lab, before holding up 4 fingers.
"He had all the time he needed to kill Yakumo," Shayne said.
"Most people have a time for when Yuri came to visit them," Tano said.
"Totally pointless if we don't know when the murder took place!" Venison said.
"We know that the murder must've happened before 3pm," Akira said.
"My alibi and testimony doesn't mean that Yuri is innocent," Faol said.
"Anybody with no real alibi could've done it, not just Yuri!" I said.
"B-But what other option is there?" Samara said.
"Just because you don't have another option in mind doesn't mean I'm guilty," Yuri said.
"What other evidence do we have?" Ethan asked.
"We've still got a lot of evidence that we haven't discussed regarding the case," Tano said.
"And this is our answer!" I shouted.
[BREAK!]
"Look, Yuri might be the culprit. But we can't decide that based on some random accusation!" I said. "Let's go back, and look at the evidence, and we'll think about this properly."
"I'm…I'm sorry. But… Yakumo… she was so sweet, and kind, and she cared for all of us…" Samara said. "Why… why did she have to die? I want to know, more than anything else in the world! Why would someone take Yakumo away from us?!"
"Samara… it's okay. Calm down," I said.
"We'll find the culprit. I promise you that much," I heard Pinaix's voice again, and glanced over at her. "I… I'm okay now."
"Alright. Hopefully, you can shed more light on the case than I can," I said.
"You're doing great, Shiro…" Pinaix said, and I knew her words weren't hollow.
[POV CHANGE – Pinaix Shotman]
I… I haven't completely calmed down. But I have calmed down enough to keep going on the case.
"So, where are we?" I asked.
"Yuri's being accused of the murder by Samara," Tano said. "That's basic enough to understand after a panic attack, right?"
"Y-Yeah. Um… Yuri was giving people their clothes all day, right? So he should have an alibi for most of the day," I said.
"I think that's something we need to discuss further," Akira said.
[NON-STOP DEBATE 6 – START!]
"Was Yuri really giving out clothes most of the day?" Akira asked.
"You were just saying that he might not be the culprit!" Shiro said.
"We've determined Yakumo was murdered between 12pm and 3pm," Ethan said.
"Nyeh… but there's no way that we can narrow that down further," Shayne said.
[TRUTH BULLET – Yuri'S TESTIMONY]
"That's wrong!" I shouted.
[BREAK!]
"We can narrow down the time frame for the murder further," I said. "And this piece of evidence could also prove Yuri's innocence!"
"Then present it, we're waiting," Venison said.
"I-I'm getting to that!" I protested. "Yuri, you told me earlier you went to Yakumo's lab at 2:30 to deliver her dress."
"That's correct," Yuri replied.
"You told me that she didn't reply, right?" I said. "The door went completely unanswe-"
"That proves nothing…" Shayne interrupted.
"Huh?" I asked.
"… Yakumo not answering her door when Yuri showed up is your decisive evidence of a smaller time frame for the murder?" Shayne said. "That's ridiculous."
No… Yakumo had to be dead by 2:30. I need to prove it!
[CROSS SWORDS 2 – START!]
"Yakumo was dead before 2:30," Shayne began.
"Because she didn't answer her lab's door?"
"… You can do better than that, Pinaix."
[ADVANCE!]
"No, Yakumo was definitely dead before 2:30pm," I replied. "We can shorten the time frame!"
"There's more reasons than Yakumo already being dead to not answer the door," Shayne said.
"She could've been busy cooking food,"
[TRUTH BLADE: BURNT FOOD]
"I'll cut through those words!" I shouted.
[BREAK!]
"No, her just cooking food would make no sense!" I said. "After all, the food in her lab was burnt. Isn't that right, Ethan?"
"That is true. When I investigated her lab, I found a lot of the food on the stove was burnt. Not bad enough to cause a fire, but enough to make it smell horrific," Ethan said.
"It's possible she just burned it by accident," Venison said.
"N-No, Yakumo wouldn't burn her food! She never burned it before!" Samara protested.
"And would the Ultimate Barista really make such a careless mistake?" Tano said. "Her killer, on the other hand…"
"… We still don't know," Shiro said.
There must be someone's testimony that's not adding up.
One person who was on the second floor all day, has nobody to cover for them at any time of the day, and though they told the truth in their testimony, considering its contents and the crime scenes …
… I think I've finally figured it out.
[SELECT SOMEONE!]
Pinaix Shotman
Isayama Reororka
Yuri Reororka
Fei Hong Zialoyu
Loki Trickstar
Tano Dayu
Yakumo Yamuro
Shayne Cooke
Diddy Konglyn
Shiro Umehara
Venison Vealio
Faol Guy
Ethan Hashuma
Paul Bunyun
Samara Takaki
[Akira Yamamoto]
"You're the only one!" I said.
[BREAK!]
"… I think I might actually have some idea of who the culprit is," I said.
"Really? Who?" Akira asked.
"Funny you should be the one saying that… because I think it's you, Akira," I said.
My words were met with a giggle from Akira.
"Oh, Pinaix. Now's not the time for jokes," he said.
My stern face didn't budge, and neither did my mouth. It didn't need to.
"… I see. You are serious about this accusation," Akira said. "How peculiar."
"I know Akira's not the most pleasant of us, but what makes you think he's the culprit?" Faol asked.
There were two things that, if matched up… they connected him to the crime.
[SELECT TWO TRUTH BULLETS!]
[TRUTH BULLET – Akira'S TESTIMONY]
[TRUTH BULLET – Venison'S TESTIMONY]
"These two testimonies contradict each other…" I said.
"Hm? How does my testimony contradict Akira's? I was on the first floor all day and I never even saw him," Venison said.
That's… true. They don't connect together or connect Akira to the crime.
Damnit, I messed up in front of everyone…!
[TRUTH BULLET – Akira'S TESTIMONY]
[TRUTH BULLET – Isayama'S TESTIMONY]
"These two testimonies contradict each other…" I said.
Isayama shook her head silently.
Actually, that… doesn't connect right. They never saw each other, as far as I know, and Isayama's not saying otherwise…
Damnit, I messed up in front of everyone…!
[TRUTH BULLET – Akira'S TESTIMONY]
[TRUTH BULLET – BLACK METAL POLE]
"This should prove it!" I said.
[BREAK!]
"Akira, when I interrogated you, you said you were in your lab all day, right?" I asked.
"I did. Why is that strange?" Akira asked. I ignored the question, for the time being.
"And you said one of your lights had broken, right?" I asked.
"It did. Answer me, Pinaix. Why is this strange?" Akira asked.
"Would it be safe to suffice-" I asked.
"Why is it fucking strange, Pinaix?" Akira hissed, and I felt myself back up slightly.
"Calm down, man! She'll explain, and you can-" Shiro said.
"Leave it be, Shiro! Let Pinaix fight her own battles," Akira said.
"He has a point. Cool yourself, you're acting strange," Ethan said.
"I said, leave it be! For once, shut your mouth!" Akira said.
"S-Seriously, I've never seen you swear or yell at us before!" I said.
"… You're right, I don't swear or yell at you often. Meaning, you've tried my patience just one too many times, Pinaix. Now, kindly explain. Why the fuck is my testimony so strange!"
"I'm getting to th-" I said, only to be cut off.
"Exactly. There's nothing strange about my testimony, so be quiet," Akira said.
Akira's not listening to me…
So, I need to hit him with cold evidence that he's the culprit!
[PANIC TALK ACTION – START!]
"Me? The culprit?"
"How preposterous."
"You've no evidence to support it."
"Be quiet, already."
{Tempo Up!}
"Absolute nonsense."
"Silence."
"How could I have done it?"
"There is nothing odd with my testimony."
{Tempo Up!}
"Shut your mouth already!"
"What's so fucking strange about my testimony?"
"Answer me!"
"Fucking answer!"
"So, how about it, Pinaix? What is so strange about my fucking testimony?!"
|LAB|YOUR|POLE'S|FROM|
|POLE'S|FROM|YOUR|LAB|
"This is the end!" I shouted.
[ BREAK! ]
"The metal pole we found in the balcony room!" I shouted, before I could be cut off again.
The courtroom fell silent – even Akira fell silent. I quickly took advantage of it.
"The metal pole we found was probably what was used to knock Yakumo out, right?" I said. "The pole is black in colour, thin, and about a few centimetres in circumference."
"That… doesn't explain a lot," Paul said.
"I know, it doesn't, not on its own. The pole probably came from Akira's lab. It wouldn't be strange… if he wasn't apparently in his lab all day."
"And how do you know that the pole wasn't taken before the day began?" Akira asked.
"You said, specifically, that your light was broken, not that the pole was missing," I said. "And if the light's pole was taken, and it wasn't your fault, I think you'd have been a little more confused."
And… once more, Akira fell silent.
"But how did Akira avoid everyone? There was almost always somebody wandering around the second floor," Faol asked.
"Wh-what if he stealthed around everyone?" Samara suggested.
"This isn't the time for your jokes, Aek-" Fei Hong began.
"No, I agree with her," Tano said.
"… What?" Fei Hong asked.
"If Akira was on the second floor most of the day, he could get a general idea of when everybody was set to move around. Because you weren't moving around spontaneously, that's for sure," Tano explained.
I agreed too… but when exactly did everything go down?
Before I could put everything together… I had to solve that mystery.
I needed to analyse everything… and come up with the route.
[SHADOW BLADING – START!]
…
…
…
[QUESTION 1: When did the culprit kill Yakumo?]
Before 2:30
After 2:30
…
…
…
[QUESTION 2: When did the culprit first go to Yakumo's lab?]
Before 2:30
After 2:30
They didn't
…
…
…
[INCORRECT ANSWER.]
[QUESTION 2: When did the culprit first go to Yakumo's lab?]
Before 2:30
After 2:30
They didn't
…
…
…
[QUESTION 3: When did the culprit put Yakumo's body backstage?]
Before Shiro and Pinaix left the room
Time between Shiro and Pinaix leaving
After Shiro and Pinaix came back
…
…
…
"It's all coming together!"
[BREAK!]
"I think I know how Akira could've done it!" I said. "If he timed his movement right, nobody would notice him. And as for when Shiro and I left the recreational room-"
"You left the recreational room?" Venison said.
"Yeah, we did. We left for about fifteen minutes at around 4:30pm to put our clothes on." I replied.
"So, you weren't together the whole time," Faol said.
"W-Well, no, not the whole time, but we were both getting dressed, and we know the murder had already happened," I said. "So no, neither of us could've done it. And more importantly, that doesn't erase the fact that when we left the recreational room, there was a fifteen-minute window for when it was completely unattended."
"And Akira could've easily placed the body in there in that window," Tano said.
"So, how about that, Akira? Did I miss anything?" I asked.
Akira… he just giggled.
"Then let's finally fucking end this," Shiro said. I nodded… this had gone on long enough.
[CLIMAX INFERENCE: START!]
"Yakumo announced her plans for a party after breakfast and Monokuma's new motive, saying that the group didn't need to get back their old memories and could make new ones. This… was yesterday morning. We were all on board… including the culprit, who must've been planning their murder then, too. The following day, the culprit begins setting their murder into motion. After everyone had settled in, at around midday, the culprit disassembled one of the lights in their lab to obtain a metal pole. This wasn't their intended murder weapon – just a tool they'd use to get the victim, Yakumo, vulnerable.
"The culprit spent about an hour scoping out the situation and how often Yuri came out of his lab with new clothes, determining it to be about every half hour he came out, for ten minutes, before going back inside. The culprit also observed Shiro and I enter the recreational room at 12pm and not come out. Samara came in every two hours with some decorations for about five minutes.
"At around… I think, 1:30, the culprit began to make their moves towards the victim, Yakumo. After Yuri went back into his lab after giving Venison her clothes, the culprit snuck out into Yakumo's lab with the pole in hand.
"The culprit managed to get into Yakumo's lab without her noticing, and while she was distracted with her cooking, hit her over the head with the pole hard enough to knock her out. With her unconscious, the culprit turned off the oven and left the rest of the food where it was – however, the pans were still hot, and burned her food, which helped leave behind crucial evidence to determining the timeframe of her death.
"The culprit then waited for Yuri to give out another set of clothes and go back into his lab, before dragging Yakumo's unconscious form to the balcony overlooking the pool. The culprit then went into the love hotel and grabbed an important item – the rope that would be used to suspend Yakumo in the water, and then hang her in the recreational room afterwards.
"The culprit tied Yakumo's ankles together and her arms behind her back, before tossing her unconscious body into the pool, face-down, keeping hold of one end of the rope so they could easily recover the body. Even if she woke up, she wouldn't have been able to throw her body right-side up. Yakumo didn't wake up, and instead, she… drowned.
"After the culprit was absolutely certain Yakumo was dead, the culprit pulled her body back up with the rope pulley they set up, which soaked the railing and left behind a puddle. The culprit waited for Yuri to enter his lab again, and once he had, dragged Yakumo's body back to her own lab.
"The culprit then untied the rope around Yakumo's limbs, and instead tied a noose around her neck. Something unexpected happened while they were doing this, however – Yuri knocked on the door, announcing he had Yakumo's dress ready. The culprit must've panicked, before quickly locking the door before Yuri could investigate any further. Yuri stayed outside for about 3 minutes waiting for an answer, before just leaving the clothes folded neatly on the floor outside and returning to his lab.
"The culprit took the clothes once they were certain that Yuri had gone back to his lab again, and switched Yakumo's normal clothes over with the fancy dress clothes for the event. This might have tricked us that she died later than she truly had, but… we never discussed things that way. The culprit then unlocked the door and waited once more for their opportunity to go move the body.
"Eventually, the culprit saw Yuri enter the recreational room to give Shiro and I our clothes, and for us to all leave the recreational room – leaving it completely unattended. The culprit knew they had to act fast to avoid being caught, which is why they already tied the noose around Yakumo's neck. The culprit, after making sure the coast was clear, went into the recreational room and went backstage. From there, they tied Yakumo's corpse to the rafters. They didn't have time to mess the room up to make it look like a suicide – Shiro and I could've returned at any second.
"The culprit then went back to their lab, waiting for their own clothes to come through. They let the rest of the afternoon and evening proceed like nothing happened, and whether they really took their light back to their room or not is a mystery that we'll only be able to solve by going inside their room.
"Once everyone had arrived and the party was about to begin, Samara was the first one to notice that Yakumo was missing. Samara went out to her lab to look for her, while Faol offered to search the kitchen. The culprit offered to search the recreational room itself, in case Yakumo was just playing a little joke on them. However, showing everyone the body was exactly what they wanted – they wanted all of us to be in absolute shock with the situation.
"The culprit then went backstage, pretending to investigate, before they pulled the curtains leading backstage back, and unveiled Yakumo's body and their crime, for all to see… triggering the body discovery announcement.
"This is your crime, isn't it, Akira Yamamoto, the Ultimate Model?"
[BREAK!]
"So. Is my explanation sufficient? Did I miss anything? Is there still something totally normal and unsuspicious about your testimony?" I asked.
Akira… just smiled.
"F-Finally… Yakumo can rest in peace," Paul said.
"And so can this class trial," Ethan said.
"Huh? We're done? Okay! Everyone, take out your student phones and get ready to vote! Your classmates' names are listed on your phone. Double-tap the classmate you wish to vote for! Also, not voting is such a sad thing… It shows you really don't care about who the culprit is and about your own life. It's also against the rules, so be sure to vote!" Monokuma announced.
I took out my phone, and with only slight hesitation, selected "Akira Yamamoto" as my vote. I heard a set of chimes above me and looked to the screen… it tallied 13 votes for Akira Yamamoto. A unanimous vote.
[CLASS TRIAL – END.]
"Thirty, love! Two to zero! You got it right again, and you guys don't even have a detective!" Monokuma announced. "The killer of the Ultimate Barista, Yakumo Yamuro, is the Ultimate Model, Akira Yamamoto!"
"Truly, a shame…" Yuri said, and with how his voice sounded… I didn't think he was being sarcastic.
"Perhaps. But it's true. I'm the bastard who killed her," Akira affirmed.
"B-But why?! Why would you want to kill Yakumo?!" Samara asked. "She was so sweet, so kind… Why?! Why would you kill her?!"
Akira… still giggled. His giggling turned to chuckling, and then laughing…
… and then, he was in absolute hysterics.
"A-Akira?" I asked. "What's gotten into you?"
"Oh… it's just so hilarious. I'm sure you're expecting some grand motive. Some grand final memory that finally caused me to snap and become the cold-blooded killer I am. Some big ultimate confession of how depraved and sadistic I truly am, and how Yakumo tried in vain to stop me, but lost her own life in the process!" Akira began, before calming down almost instantly, all giggles and joy vanishing from his voice along with his smile. "Truthfully… I just wanted the same as what she wanted. To leave this place, more than anything else in the world."
"… She?" Tano asked.
"So, I'm the only one who has reobtained their memories… I believe, anyway. Well, at the very least, I am the only one here with a relative that also played this dastardly game," Akira said. "My emotional attachment to my family members must've overpowered my amnesia."
"… I don't understand at all!" Paul said.
"Then I will explain, as I owe you at least that for taking such a sweet, kind girl away from you all," Akira said, with a smirk. "My dearest cousin played the killing game before us, the game that took place within Hope's Peak, and like us, was forced into it. She, too, tried to kill to escape… and be glad that I only killed one. She killed two."
"B-Be glad?!" I stammered. "You still killed somebody! You killed our friend! And now, you're going to die too!"
"That is regrettable, that I am to also die… I thought I would succeed where she failed with a little more ambiguity. But, I suppose that failing killing games is something that'll run in our family forever, or at least until Monokuma's antics are finally ended, for good," Akira said.
"This talk about your cousin… god, it sounds borderline incestuous. Can we just skip to the punishment?" Venison asked.
Akira frowned, lips curling in disgust. "I assure you, while I love my cousin, it is not in that disgusting fashion."
Samara… had gone completely silent. She just stared at Akira, with the most hatred I've ever seen her look at someone. Her eyes were like ice.
"Samara, such hostility… I guess it cannot be helped. I proved to be quite horrific, didn't I?" Akira said. Though he was moments from death… he still smiled, once more. Sickeningly sweetly.
But… I could see the corners of his lips trembling, and eyes blinking quickly.
"Geez, maybe it really does run in your family," Monokuma remarked. "Though memories? She just wanted some cash! At least that motivation had some pizazz to it!"
"My cousin's murders are separate from my own, of course." Akira smiled bitterly, before tossing his ponytail behind his head with a flick of his hair. "Well, I don't have much else to say. I made many enemies in my short time here, nobody wishes for me to stick around longer, and my coffin and Hell await me. So, how about we don't prolong this longer than it needs to be?"
"Well, if you insist!" Monokuma said. "I have a very special punishment planned for Akira Yamamoto, the Ultimate Model!"
"Well, this is where we part ways," Akira said. He gave one last smile to us.
"Let's give it everything we've got!"
"May we all meet again in the next life."
"IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"
[Akira Yamamoto HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.]
[TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!]
Akira was instructed to sit on a gothic-looking chair, as various Monokumas emerged nearby, all holding cameras so strange that they barely seemed like cameras at all. Metal clamps attached themselves to Akira's feet, knees, arms, and ankles, and the faintest glimmers of sweat could be seen on his forehead, his smile trembling, but remaining.
[Ultimate Model in: Photo-shoot!]
Akira's arms and legs were forced into a new angle by the clamps, with a slight flinch from him. There was no noise, until…
BANG!
A gunshot went off at the same time as one of the Monokuma's camera flashes, and a new bleeding wound had appeared in Akira's right leg. It prompted a larger flinch from him. His limbs were then forced into another position, this time with the slightest sound of tearing flesh.
BANG!
Another gunshot and another camera flash went off – this time, the wound appeared in Akira's left arm. It prompted another flinch – one that finally tore away his smile. He gave nothing more than a look of apathy.
The process continued.
His body was ripped into a new position.
Another gunshot to an extremity.
Moving his body – Akira's right leg snapped broken at the first gunshot wound as his body was moved again.
BANG!
A bullet tore into Akira's shoulder.
Akira's body was finally held up, arms crossed over his chest and ankles together.
Monokuma took one of the cameras, stood on one of the other Monokuma's shoulders, and held the "camera" up to Akira's face.
Akira gave one last smile.
BANG!
Akira's body fell back.
…
We were all completely silent this time. No screams, no words.
Akira…
He might not have been a classmate we all enjoyed the company of, but… he was still our classmate. He was still one of us…
I looked towards Samara. I expected to see a smile on her face. After all, Yakumo's killer was dead now… we'd served justice.
But when I looked at her face, I could see her trying to hold back tears.
"A-Samara…?" I asked.
"Yakumo… Akira killed her, and now he's dead, but… why am I still…" Samara asked.
"… If you want to let your feelings out, feel free to do that." Shiro placed a reassuring hand on Samara's shoulder.
"B-But… I'm not supposed to be like this… I'm supposed to be happy…" Samara said. "I said I'd enjoy watching her killer suffer, b-but… I didn't. And I don't know what to do…"
"If you just bottle your sadness up, it'll make you feel worse over time," Faol said.
"That's right… and besides, Yakumo… I don't think she would want you to bottle up your emotions," I said. "Or at least, I don't."
Samara...
She finally let the tears fall from her face.
"Yakumo…! M-Loki! Diddy! E-Even Akira… Why?" Samara cried.
"It's all this fucking bear's fault! But, everyone who's died so far would want us all to keep going!" Shiro said.
"And… we're going to work hard, to make sure that a murder never happens again!" I added.
"Knock it off already," Fei Hong said.
"Kn-knock it off?" I replied.
"She's got a point. You said that we wouldn't murder when there were sixteen of us. You said that when there were fourteen of us. And now, there's only twelve of us," Venison said. "When are you going to understand that in this situation, murder is unavoidable?"
"B-But-" I stammered.
"Your idealism… it keeps jinxing us, and we keep having to come back here," Shayne said. "I know my opinion's not worth much, but… seriously. I want to see what happens if you're quiet, and don't talk about trying to prevent murder."
"I-" I could feel my heart racing and my face breaking out into cold sweats.
"… Stop harassing her!" I heard a voice say, and I turned my head to its source. Samara's head was raised, still tearing at the eyes.
"A-Ae…" I choked out.
"Pinaix's been trying her hardest to keep everyone unified and happy since we got here, and all half you guys have been doing is putting her down for it!" Samara shouted. "If the options are the chances of going back here, and just sitting on our buttcheeks doing nothing but being sad and depressed and cruel… then I'd rather come back here!"
"How on earth could you say something like that?" Faol asked.
"It's not like I want to come back here… no, I don't want that at all. I want us all to live, and happily! That's what Yakumo would want, too! For us all to be happy!" Samara said. "So… I'm going to keep moving forward, for the sake of everyone who's died! Keep my head high, and face the day with a spirit wilder than… a frickin' tiger with… I don't know, lazer beams for eyes!"
"… Y-Yeah!" I stammered, trying to steel myself to support Samara. "T-Thank you, Samara…"
"No, thank you! You… if it weren't for you and Shiro, I'd still be holding back all my emotions… but from now on, no holding back!" Samara shouted, wiping her face, before pumping her fist. "You can count on me from now on!"
"You… recovered quickly," Tano remarked.
"I know, but… that's what Yakumo would've wanted, right? She wouldn't want me to be crying. That's not how she knew me!" Samara said.
"I know. I apologise, I didn't mean for it to sound rude. It was an observation," Tano said.
"Well, if we're done here, we've got somewhere to return to," Venison said.
"That's true," Ethan said. "Though I suppose… tomorrow may not be as lively as it once was."
Unfortunately, despite all Samara's punchiness returning… Ethan was right.
We stood inside the elevator a few moments later as it rocketed back up to the asylum. Samara stood by the elevator's doors, a look of firm determination on her face. Paul stood with Ethan, just waiting quietly for the elevator to return. I wasn't surprised to see Yuri and Isayama together again. Fei Hong stood in the corner of the elevator, a cigarette already in her mouth for when we arrived back. Faol stood with Shayne, though the two weren't interacting. Venison leaned against the back of the elevator, just waiting for the elevator to arrive back at the surface.
And… I stood with Tano and Shiro once more.
"… Any more ideas as to the mastermind?" Shiro asked.
"I'm… not a detective, and I haven't seen anything that would rule someone out," Tano admitted. "But I know this game isn't going to support them. They're at risk here, and as more die, or more time goes on, they're either going to be murdered or be found out."
"Then… why set up this game in the first place?" I asked.
"My guess? They're not here to 'win' this depraved excuse for a game," Tano said. "They want something out of us."
"Didn't Akira call this shit a game?" Shiro asked.
"He did, but… is there any other way to describe this?" I asked.
"Hell! That's what it is!" Shiro said.
"… I don't see the point," Tano said.
"If we start calling this a gam-" Shiro was cut off.
"No, not that. Honestly, I don't mind what you call this, and I see why you don't want to call it a game. But… if we assume Faol is the mastermind, why erase your memories to the point of not remembering your talent?" Tano said.
"So… you don't think Faol's the mastermind?" I said.
"It wouldn't make sense to erase your memories so thoroughly if you needed to run something like this," Tano said. "When we arrive back… one of us should talk to him. We can't exactly keep our meetings secret, but if we had him on board… we'd be able to rule out a third of us left as being the mastermind."
"Alright, I'll talk to him… should we meet up?" I asked.
"My room, if that's okay," Tano said.
"Fine by me," Shiro said.
We stood in silence for a few more minutes, before the elevator finally arrived back. Everyone… looked exhausted. I felt exhausted. But I couldn't sleep yet.
As we all walked back out to the hallway, I tapped Faol on the shoulder.
"Hm? What is it, Pinaix?" Faol asked.
"I… Tano said she wanted to speak with you, me, and Shiro, in her room," I said.
"Very well. I'll also admit, I've… been trying to create some breathing exercises. They're not the best, but I think they may help with your anxiety… especially considering your-"
I cut Faol short. "Y-Yes, I know, I broke down at the trial again." I was about to protest him, say I was fine, but… honestly, if I could manage my anxiety better… I'd probably be better at rallying everyone together, too.
"… Alright, after we meet with Tano, I'll try them out. Okay?" I said.
"Seems fine by me," Faol said.
And... with that, our meeting with Tano, and a small club of people who weren't the mastermind, was begun.
[CHAPTER 2 – END]
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