Mitsuhiko sat against the wall, examining the ugly wound he had on his hand. It wasn't too deep, but it was painful and there was blood now on the floor and on the handle of the door. The hunter had tried to clean the door but hadn't done a very good job. There was nothing to be done.
"For how long am I going to be locked here?" he grumbled, standing to look through the slot of the door. Nobody was passing through but he could hear voices from the Lounge. It sounded like they were relaxed. Mitsuhiko closed his eyes, trying to listen to what they were saying.
"If you have to sleep you shouldn't do it against the door"
Mitsuhiko opened his eyes, seeing Sasuga there. He had been so focused trying to hear what was going on in the Lounge he hadn't heard the Roboticist approaching. "Hey there" the hunter greeted without enthusiasm. "I saw Lily. She seems to be fine now"
"I'm a very good on what I do. What else did you expect?"
"Forget that. What are you here for?" Mitsuhiko wasn't really in mood for idle chatter. Sasuga looked to the sides and passed a small box through the slot.
"Here. This should be of help". When Mitsuhiko opened the box he found several of the things that were in his bedroom. Weapon catalogues, magazines, assorted reading material and a notebook.
"You entered my room"
"You don't care, right? Also, I'm taking the gun you had. If you're ever left out contact me and I'll give it back. Since when you owned two different guns?"
Mitsuhiko didn't reply. It didn't make him happy to know both guns had been discovered and confiscated. Koshimizu had one and now Sasuga had the other. "Thank you for the stuff"
"Think of it as a reward. I liked how you argued in the trial, Hikari-kun. You reminded me of a character of a book I'm writing" Sasuga smiled hesitantly. Mitsuhiko, somewhat amused, left the box aside.
"Are you moonlighting as a writer?"
"I started recently. It's a murder mystery book. I'm a good writer, you know"
Mitsuhiko loved the mystery genre. It was a completely different experience to be in what sounded like a very long and character-filled story and to be honest he wasn't liking it. However reading mystery books was a great way to kill time. "Awesome! Can I read it?"
"Do you really want to?"
"Sure, why not?" It wasn't like he had anything better to do. He was willing to try anything to stop being so damn bored! Sasuga's eyes shined brightly while he lifted a bunch of paper tied together. Clearly that had been the reason he went there in the first place. He was looking for somebody to read the draft of whatever story he had written.
"Thank you so much, Hikari-kun! I have been looking for smart people to read this and you fit the bill. Please enjoy!"
"When I'm done we'll discuss it"
"It'll have to be when you're not locked in this cell, of course. This book is top secret" Sasuga said almost maliciously. Even if he wanted Mitsuhiko's help it was clear he wasn't exactly bothered the hunter was in a small cell. Tempted to throw the draft to his head Mitsuhiko awkwardly put his arm through the slot, but the thought of being entertained for a while was enough to deter him. Slightly cheered up he sat against the wall and started to read the first page.
It was a closed room mystery located in a stately minor at the edge of a cliff, involving an aristocratic family in the 1800 age. However with each page Mitsuhiko's expression changed from happy to concerned to frankly aghast. The crime was interesting in a sense; it wasn't something he had ever read before, but...
"This story is terrible!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, leaving the draft aside once he finished. The crime wasn't enough to cover for the lack of talent Sasuga had. "That guy better stay with the robots and the circuits. He has zero talent as a writer"
In that moment he remembered he was going to tell Sasuga exactly what he thought about his story. He had no problems with being blunt, that was something he was willing to do. The problem was that if he was honest it could bring a lot of trouble to his life in the Headquarters, even if he's out. Sasuga was a decently intelligent person, after all. Surely he'd manage to get Mitsuhiko in problems with the rest.
This is going to be ugly.
-oooo-
Somebody knocked at the door. When Mitsuhiko approached and opened the slot he saw nobody. He wasn't able to look much further than the wall in front of him, but he couldn't see anybody. "Not funny, guys. I'm not in mood for pranks"
"Who is doing pranks, Hikari-kun?" a very annoying voice said, one he didn't want to hear. Standing on the tip of his toes Mitsuhiko looked downwards through the slot until he saw the top of an ursine head he knew very well.
"What the fuck do you want?"
"I could get you out of here, you know" Monobear whispered. Mitsuhiko didn't reply, instead remembering Takayama's microphones. The bodyguard surely would be listening, wouldn't he? Surely at some point Takayama would arrive and get Monobear away of there. However not even if those microphones weren't there Mitsuhiko would not accept help from Monobear.
"I'm not interested. Go away" Mitsuhiko moved to close the slot.
"Come on! Don't you want to escape from this cell? To get your guns and get away?"
"Not if the price is doing anything for you"
Monobear pretended the hunter hurt his feelings, clutching his chest. "My poor heart! I can't bear your ungratefulness! This is how you pay me for being an accomplice in your murder plan two days ago?"
"…hypothetically…what would you need?"
"Oh, nothing, it's no big deal" Monobear said cheerfully "It's a little trade. I was an accomplice in your plan, so it'd be fair for you to be an accomplice in mine, wouldn't it?"
The hunter stared at Monobear, unsure of what he was listening. "You're not asking me to be a mole for you, right?"
"You'd get benefits! Diavolos Avante's days are close to be over now that the whole Main Board is out of commission. It'd be great to have a way out before the meltdown, specially if it means getting out of this building alive" the bear's red eye glistened threateningly "I have listened to what the other commanders have been saying in the cafeteria. Would you believe that they're hoping you're the next victim? It's matter of time before somebody tries to kill you"
Mitsuhiko subconsciously grasped tighter the doorknob. "I'm not going to let myself be killed. Don't worry about me"
"And here I was offering you a way to save yourself out of kindness. I have nothing else to say" Monobear turned around "If you change your mind call me. I won't mind to give you a paw as long as you follow my instructions" and after saying that he left, laughing quietly to himself. Mitsuhiko looked at the empty dishes and the tray to a side of the classroom. He actually believed he was a target. After all he had tried to kill Kobayashi! It was possible somebody was going to get to him somehow. However he had never realized he was in a very vulnerable state right now. Note to myself: sleep away from the door. Eat as little as possible from the food.
He was worried about Yurie, though. Although he had been the owner of the gun it was unmistakable that Yurie had a hand in the murder plan as well. That's what they had agreed and it had been revealed when Yasumoto died. If he was in danger…wouldn't that mean Yurie was in danger? He hadn't heard from his fiancée for two days, couldn't she have been attacked yet…or died? No, no. This floor would stink to high heavens if she were dead, she must be alive. For a moment Mitsuhiko wondered if she'd accept Monobear's offer, if he did the same to her. An urgent talk would be needed once he got out.
"You won't accept" Mitsuhiko turned his head to peer through the slot. Takayama was there with his arms crossed, looking at the hunter severely "You better forget about what the bear told you"
"There you are! Where were you? Why weren't you listening to your fucking microphones?" Mitsuhiko shouted. Takeyama raised his hands defensively.
"Wow, wait a second! I was listening! I heard everything he was telling you. I was curious to hear what you were going to reply"
"It would have been even better if you had stopped Monobear from talking"
"Why? Are you so weak-willed you're going to consider being Monobear's mole?" Mitsuhiko shook his head emphatically. Takeyama nodded, pleased. "That's what I wanted to hear. I hope your actions will fit your words" Takeyama stepped towards the Lounge, where Monobear had gone.
"Wait!"
Takeyama stopped and turned around with inquiring expression. Mitsuhiko took a deep breath, unsure if he should ask for that favor. "Please don't let Monobear tempt Yurie. She may consider accepting and…there's no way that can end well" Takeyama flashed a thumbs up before continuing walking away. With that settled Mitsuhiko allowed himself to sink onto the floor, somewhat relieved. Despite his flaws he knew he could trust Takeyama. There was no way the bodyguard wasn't going to keep an ear on Monobear's activities.
-ooooo-
Mitsuhiko was counting the number of bricks he could distinguish in the walls of the classroom. He had left the slot open to keep an eye on what was going on outside of his cell. From time to time somebody was walking there, but as their steps were soft and almost silent it was difficult to make contact with them before they got too far. He was craving some sort of interaction with…practically anybody except Koshimizu. The Medical Demon was pretty much the only person he didn't want to see.
While he was trying to decide if the farthest wall had one hundred forty three or one hundred forty five bricks Mitsuhiko managed to hear something coming from the hall. Sprinting from the corner he had been sitting on he threw himself against the door. A startled squeal was a sign he had gotten the attention of whoever was outside. "Hikari-kun!" It was Emiko.
"It's you" Mitsuhiko shrugged. May as well confirm a couple things. "Got a moment?"
"I'm not going to let you out" Emiko said defensively, straightening her cap.
"That's not what I was going to discuss!" Mitsuhiko spat, struggling to not to shout "Romi-san was here yesterday and told me about the video"
"Oh, that" Emiko nodded warily.
"She said something quite interesting about your reaction to that video…" Mitsuhiko looked carefully at Emiko's face to see her expression. The courier held his gaze without flinching but he could see a twitch on the corner of her eye. That wasn't enough to determine anything, though.
"What about it?"
"Why were you sure the video was fake?"
"Because Monobear wasn't acting at all like he is!" Emiko replied instantly "He's...going straight to the point; there was no mocking, no 'upupupu', not even a laugh! I had never seen Monobear in person before being here yet it's like I'm the only one who knows how he'd act"
"You did seem pretty blasé about seeing a talking bear and a little girl fighting on a table, when you arrived here" Mitsuhiko noted. Emiko stood still for a moment before covering her face with her cap.
"Y-yeah, a courier shouldn't feel curiosity over what happens. My job is to deliver packages, not gawk at whatever's going on"
Mitsuhiko thought about what she had said during all the time he had known her. If she's in a company guarded by the Future Foundation it's possible she's used to Monobear, either way. Besides it wasn't like his face wasn't plastered around the world. "Right. Sorry to see you got involved in all this"
"It's the world after the end. I should consider myself lucky I have a job and can survive. I just hope...this ends soon. But I have a question" Emiko put on her cap and leaned on the cell door, making visual contact "Are you, Diavolos Avante, the bad guys in this whole matter?"
"What do you mean?"
"Should I make an effort to stop all of you, get rid of your organization? I want to know if you people want to fix Enoshima's despair"
The hunter looked away. "It's not that simple. We do want to get rid of the despair, it's just..."
"Just that you want to put your own brand of despair in charge of everything?" Emiko was sounding extremely serious. Much to his chagrin Mitsuhiko felt nervousness when looking at her. He hadn't expected her to get suspicious of them.
"No, it isn't that. We want recognition of our job when it's all over, though"
"...right" Emiko let out a deep breath, looking weaker now "I'm fed up with all this despair. I have been...despairing for way too long. Just recently I learned to leave it behind and focus on the future...but there's something still in the way. A loose thread" Mitsuhiko just stared, unsure of where this was going. Emiko was silent for a moment before asking the question she had wanted to ask since quite a while:
"What do you know about the mutual killing game that happened in a bunker two weeks ago?"
The hunter thought back. He didn't know much about it, but he did know that was what led to Volkos' death and therefore...their actual situation. That's what he told to Emiko, who closed her fists. "Are you saying DeeEy were responsible for that game?"
"To be honest I'm starting to suspect the Main Board had something to do with it" the hunter replied "Volkos' death is so...strange...it's said he was a traitor and had done that mutual killing game to kill candidates to the Future Foundation, but there are strange things in this whole story. I don't know, though"
"So it's true. DeeEy had a hand in this. I knew it"
"Why do you care about that? Were you there?"
Emiko stepped aside. "No, but I know somebody who did. I...I lost my sister there"
"I asked this before but I'll ask again: who are you?"
The courier walked away after Mitsuhiko a note. Mitsuhiko sat, thinking about what she had said. He was completely sure now the courier was hiding something big and that it was likely she'd try to destroy DeeEy. However...it didn't seem to him she had been the one to create Lily and summon them. The hunter read again the note she had passed through the slot:
'Tanaka is a false last name. My real name is...Emiko Hasegawa-Nakai'
-ooooo-
Mitsuhiko took the tray Kishio was passing him. It was dinnertime again and it marked the last moments of the second day of imprisonment. It had been two long, long days. The hunter had never realized how boredom could make minutes stretch until they seemed hours, and hours stretch until they seemed eternal. "Will I be let out soon?"
"No. You three are staying in your cells for an indefinite time" Kishio said bluntly. Mitsuhiko cringed, sensing clear hate towards him.
"That was Koshimizu-san's influence. Are you going to let him tell you, our leader, what to do?"
"I trust Koshimizu-san's judgment. A Leader needs to have a right hand, no lo crees?"
"You can't be a good Leader if you let other take decisions for you. How did you manage to be the most important commander in the country if you don't know that?" Mitsuhiko replied bitterly. The Linguist Demon shook her head, thoughtful.
"I discovered quite a long time ago that I'm not the most important commander because of my leadership skills. It's just...matter of convenience"
"Convenience?"
"How many people in DeeEy do you think speak eight languages? Only me. Who else would be fitting to be in contact with the commanders in other countries? Not all of them speak Japanese, after all"
The hunter nodded, that made sense. Still, he knew Kishio was a great commander and a good leader. That's why she was respected among the organization and that's why they had let her take the command of their situation. "So, what's our stance now? Are you all believing the video Monobear showed?"
"We are. It explains a lot of things, there's no way the Main Board would be behind Monobear. They got overtaken by a mysterious person and held hostage"
"Do you think they really are on the highest floor here?"
"...I think they are. They made that incentive so we kill each other, but I won't consent that. We can't use our deaths as our way to get to them"
"But several of us are ruthless enough to try to get into the free spot in the Main Board. I already tried" Kishio narrowed her eyes at obvious displeasure to being reminded that.
"Thank heavens I still have Takayama-kun with me as my partner. As long as he's with us nobody is going to fall into despair or into the temptation of killing. In fact...Takayama-kun is the most loved person in this building, after me!" Mitsuhiko raised his eyebrows. The bodyguard never seemed to him like the kind to be liked by everybody "You should have seen him last night. He's...taking care of all of us. Making sure we're all right, forcing us to say what we're thinking...we're united. If it had been up to me we would be paranoid and ready to defend ourselves at the slightest attack, but he has managed to calm us down"
"To me it sounds like he's in charge, not you"
"I'm fine with that. Let others be in charge, it'll give me time to rest. I have been a commander for so long...I have forgotten what it is to sit and see others take charge of the problems. I want that"
Mitsuhiko passed back the tray with the empty plates, finally having finished dinner. "You want to do nothing, I want to do something. Let's change places"
"Hahahaha, in your dreams, asshole. I'm happy not being locked for crimes against us. Enjoy the rest of the month, Hikari-kun, the walls of your cell are the only thing you'll be seeing for a long, long time" It was discouraging to know that almost everybody wanted to make sure they stayed in those cells. While he hadn't made the best first impression the first day he never expected to be in this situation.
I spent the next hour meditating about the consequences of my actions.
-ooooo-
It was 4:00 AM
Outside in the hall of the cells the First Accomplice shook a bottle containing the mixture. They knew what they were doing would likely tip off everybody about the presence of Accomplices among them to Monobear, and while that made the First Accomplice nervous; the Second Accomplice had made clear it didn't matter.
The plan was simple: usher a murder. The to-be culprit was ready; they had been for quite some time. They had managed to contact the Main Board and convince them of giving them a hand, and the First Accomplice was tasked with being the help.
The to-be culprit was ready. The victim had been chosen and in an hour they'd be dead. The plan was convoluted but the to-be culprit was confident they'd be able to carry it out.
And it was time.
The First Accomplice opened carefully the slot of Mitsuhiko's cell and threw the bottle inside, hearing the impact. The gases inside that bottle would keep Mitsuhiko asleep no matter what happened, everything was safe now and it was just matter of continuing.
-ooooo-
Mitsuhiko awoke with a horrible headache; somebody was shaking him with a lot of strength. The hunter groggily opened his eyes, trying to focus. 'W-What...what's going on...?' When he was able to see properly he saw it was Yurie. The happiness of seeing her overwhelmed him, he threw his arms around her and they both kissed passionately.
'A-HEM' somebody nearby cleared his throat. The couple turned their heads around, seeing Koshimizu "Don't do that. Hikari-kun needs to rest; he inhaled a dangerous gases mixture"
"Dangerous mixture? What?" Mitsuhiko inquired, confused. Yurie dried her tears and spoke gravely.
"Somebody threw a bottle in here, the remains of whatever chemicals were inside...got him to that conclusion"
"It's an anesthetic that went through a process to turn it into a gas. Not hard to do"
"I was so afraid, I thought you'd be...you'd be dead..." Yurie said softly. Mitsuhiko, still confused, asked why she'd think that. The hacker sniffed and pointed to the door. Even from his position Mitsuhiko could see the problem.
The door knob and lock were haphazardly dismantled. Completely broken. "That's not enough to think I'd be dead, right?"
"No, but a murder is. We thought you could be a second victim"
"Second victim? I want to see" Mitsuhiko tried to stand up but Koshimizu put his hand on the hunter's chest, stopping him "There was a murder. Somebody is falling into Monobear's schemes again. I must get involved in this"
"Should he, Koshimizu-san?"
"With my supervision I suppose he could at least know the basics. Let's go"
With Koshimizu's help Mitsuhiko managed to be held between the Medical Demon and Yurie. The three of them walked towards the Lounge, where many commanders were fathered. "Where's the body?" Mitsuhiko asked and was shown the door to the crime scene. It was the Theater Workshop.
The three of them stood on the entrance, looking inside. Face down on the floor, with his feet inside one of the cabinets, laid a dead body, one Mitsuhiko recognized, even though the clothes were different from what the victim usually wore.
The only thing that stayed the same was the hair, and that was what tipped off the identity of the victim.
Mamoru Takayama had been murdered.