A/N: Before I start the usual note at the beginning of the chapter, I must take a few seconds to speak about rape. This chapter contains mentions of it, and it will be a central topic. I don't want to seem like a heartless bastard, and try to make it sound like a messed up topic. I've never written something that contained rape before nor mentions of it, but as an author, I must branch myself out a bit and write a little of everything. As such, I have taken it upon myself to try a small portion of it. If any of you are suffering because of rape, or are being stalked by someone or harassed, please please please seek help. There are a lot of messed up people in the world, and I wouldn't want anything bad happening to anyone. It's the same for if you are suffering from Domestic abuse, or are being bullied at school, seek help from a counselor, your principles, your parents, don't be scared, because if you do get scared then the problem will only get worse.
Ahem...not that the serious bit is done, I will continue on with the note. I am about to do something to you guys so sinister that it will piss you all of for weeks to come. If you've gotten pissed off at any of the previous chapters, trust me, this one will be the cherry on top of the metaphorical despair laden Ice cream.
In the last chapter, we got to see a bit of what it was like for Yuno before everything went to shit. that is what that first part was, a memory, something that will become integral as the story goes on. Yuno will start trying to figure things about, and a really big hint was dropped in this chapter but no one seemed to mention anything about it, if you do piece it together, don't spoil it in the comment section, you can PM me your thoughts though.
This chapter will be the Class Trial for the Would be killer of Celestia Ludenburg, it's gonna be a good one, so I hope you all enjoy it, and if not well...eh, it's all the same to me.
Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 3 Act 4 has been edited. This includes some grammatically errors. There is also an extended ending which includes Class 77A and their reaction to the Class Trials...as of this update, all of part 1 has been re edited and re uploaded, please refrain from reading Part 2, I want all of you to read the cleaned up version...or if you're rereading this, please wait...I assure you the second part, which will be posted on this file as a complete story, will be way better than what is up now..
Danganronpa
The School Life of Mutual Killing
Chapter 3
Act 4
Buying their Despair
(Deadly Life)
(Class Trial Start: All Rise)
Yuno looked around the court room, glaring at each and every person there. All of them shared the same look of disbelief at what was going on. A trial with little to no investigation, trying to solve the potential murder of Celestia Ludenburg with only three things they had discovered, and yet he had been able to come up with a decent argument.
He had to do everything in his power to find the person who did this to her and have them executed. He didn't care anymore, anyone who attacked his friends didn't deserve to stay alive. Monokuma sat down on his throne, that sickly grin plastered on his face.
"Alright students, the trial of Celestia Ludenburg's attempt at murder shall now begin!" he announced, slamming his gavel on his arm rest. Byakuya cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Okay then, the victim in question is Celestia Ludenburg, who was found in the Boys Locker room at 8:47 am. She was strung up on one of the exercise machines, in her underwear with a knife plunged into her chest." he said.
"You got that wrong!" Mikan snapped at him, making the rich heir look her way.
The nurse herself seemed to be pissed, whether it was from lack of sleep of because of what was going on, it seemed to give her the confidence boost she needed to actually act in this case.
"The weapon that was used against her was a stone carving chisel. Did you not even look at the damn thing?" she asked.
"I didn't enter the room, so I didn't get a good look at the murder weapon. An honest mistake." he said.
Yuno was surprised that he had answered so calmly, instead of with a usual smart ass quip.
"The stone carving chisel can be a clue about where this event took place. There is only one place that has that, the Art room on the Third Floor. The attack would have happened there." Kyoko said.
"Someone would have to stab her in the Art room, and then drag her all the way to the locker rooms on the second floor, don't you think one of us would have seen that happening?" Hina asked curiously.
"Not really, not when everyone was focused on one thing, Yuno's wellbeing. Remember, everyone in the cafeteria was waiting for news about whether or not he would be waking up soon. Celeste said she would be looking for clues on who could have potentially attacked him. Did anyone see someone leave the cafeteria afterwards?" Sayaka asked, looking around the room.
"I wasn't paying attention, like you said I was worried about whether or not my friend would live or die." Leon said.
"Me too, sorry." Makoto said.
"It's fine. We at least have that to back up Hina's claim...no one would be able to see it because you were all in one place. Let's move on to the second thing I noticed, Celeste was strung up, hands above her head tied to the machine. I noticed that what was used wasn't rope, it was an extension cord." Yuno said.
"An extension cord?" Mikan asked, earning a nod from him.
"I can correlate this fact. I was the one that untied her and brought her down, her hands were indeed tied up with an extension cord, the same one that was in the library a few nights ago." Sakura said.
"There's only one person that stays in the library literally all the time, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Byakuya Togami." Nick said, pointing at the blond haired man. He chuckled, brushing a few locks of hair from his eyes.
"Do you honestly believe that I would attack Celeste of all people?" he asked.
"You surely can, and you could have a motive behind it. You two never got along, even if you both said some pretty fucked up things from time to time. Maybe you wanted to get even for something? Or it could be that you made a bet with her in the past, before all of this and lost a large sum of money, by which killing her would quench your thirst for revenge." Nick continued, a hand on his chin, his finger raised accusingly. Everyone looked at him, curious and angered looks on their faces.
"Seriously Nick? Do you hear yourself speak?" Hina asked, a little angry with the baker.
"Even if he had a weird way of saying it, it could potentially be true. Celeste is the Ultimate Gambler, and he is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. The Togami Conglomerate is large and they have billions...it wouldn't be hard for her to strip him clean of money." Leon said.
"Except, I have never met Celestia Ludenburg outside of this academy, so it is impossible for me to want to...quench my thirst for revenge, as you so eloquently put." Byakuya said.
"Pfft, yeah right...and we're supposed to believe that?" Bryce asked, crossing his arms.
"You don't have to, but believe this...there is one among us who was planning murder on a grand scale, one who proposed to me a plan to escape this academy by forsaking the lives of everyone else..one who knows how to exploit a building and its weaknesses." Byakuya said, a sneer on his face. Everyone turned to Bryce, who started chuckling.
"He's right...I proposed that plan...there is no rule about how many people we can kill, so killing all of you wouldn't be so hard. Sure...it would eat at my soul for years to come, but better you than me~" he said in a sing song voice.
"Oh my God...you were actually planning on killing us all." Makoto said, fear coursing through his system. Mikan grasped his arm, hugging herself tightly onto him.
"God has nothing to do with it dearie, but you do know what does have to do with it? The fact that it would bring everyone despair." he said firmly.
"What...what the hell are you talking about?" Yuno asked, the architect tilted his head, shrugging.
"Nothing...nothing at all."
"We cannot brush this off...that asshole was planning to kill all of us...what are we gonna do about it?" Leon said.
"There's nothing we can do, at least not from here. Now that we do know that Bryce was indeed planning to kill us all, it would make a lot of sense for him to be the would be killer this time around." Kyoko said.
"How can you be so sure?"
She purple haired girl glanced at the baker, a single brow raised. She cleared her throat, looking back at Yuno.
"Well, for one it would make a lot of sense. I have also concluded that he may be a potential suspect for last night's murder attempt against Yuno. I noticed he has been spending a lot of time in the art room as of late." she said.
"Of course, trying to plan a getaway for myself. I can come up with blue prints easily, just by being in a room. I just wanted to find the weaknesses of this building, and the art room has the necessary materials." Bryce said.
"Including long wooden dowels, like the one that was used to bar the sauna door shut...as well as the tools necessary to nail it shut." She said.
"Yeah, you got a point there." the teen admitted, stroking his chin. He then smirked, looking back at her.
"But...I didn't do it."
"You expect me to believe that?" she asked.
"Guys, let's not keep at this. Arguing with him will get us nowhere, which is what he wants. Let's go back to the attempt at murder we're already dealing with. Now then, Celeste was found in the Boy's locker room, meaning only a male student could have gained access to it with their eHandbook. That narrows it down significantly...I was obviously out of it, so It wasn't me. Leon was also with me, Sayaka and Mikan through the night, so it wasn't him." Yuno said.
"I was in my room all night as well, I didn't sleep well so I decided to go to bed early." Makoto said.
"I was in the library reading a book, but I didn't hear anything." Byakuya said.
"Hmm...then that means the murder must have taken place after you left for breakfast...the attacker would have to go in there for the extension cord, and with you being there, it would make it harder on them. When did you leave?" Yuno asked.
"I believe it was around 8:30 in the morning when I left for breakfast. Seeing as the morning meetings are no longer mandatory, I have taken it upon myself to get some morning reading in before breakfast." the heir replied.
"This is getting more and more confusing as we go on, who the hell did what?" Nick snapped.
"Well we would be closer to solving it if people like you didn't make unnecessary outbursts." Sayaka snapped, making the baker cringe in fear. Yuno placed his hand on her shoulder, calming her down a bit.
"Upupupu, this is getting beary interesting!" Monokuma cried out, a malicious grin on his face.
"So, we established a possible timeline. The time in the Monokuma file was her estimated time of death, but Celeste was still alive at that point, meaning that there was a seventeen minute window for the attacker to work with, between the time Byakuya left the library and the time Celeste was found. Sakura, Chihiro and Byakuya were the ones that found her correct?" Yuno asked.
"Indeed, it was Chihiro who made the discovery. I told Byakuya as he was making his way back to the Library." Sakura said, her gruff voice sounding stressed.
Yuno looked at the nervous Programmer, who hadn't said a single word during this entire thing. Her clothes were wrinkled, and her face and hair were drenched with sweat, she was also clutching her hands together rather tightly.
"Chihiro, how was it that you discovered her body? You can't open the door right?" he asked.
"T-the door w-was open. I w-wanted to go s-swimming and saw it o-open." she said.
"You poor thing, you shouldn't be exposed to something like that." Sayaka said, wanting to hug the smaller girl against her.
"Were her clothes anywhere near her body?" Yuno asked.
"N-no. She was half naked when I first saw her." she replied.
"Hmm...that dress would have been an important clue. Any residue found on it could have potentially told us what happened and where." He said.
"You mean the fact that she was getting laid and someone decided to give her the orgasm of her life with a chisel instead of his dick?" Bryce joked.
Yuno was about to jump over his stand when Makoto and Leon grabbed his arms, holding him in place. The feral look on his face told everyone he would kill the teen with no second thoughts. Hina slammed her fist against her stand, the cracking wood echoing through the entire court room.
"You monster! How can you say something so horrible? How can someone like you act like this!" she asked, tears running down her cheeks. Bryce shrugged.
"It's simple my dear, I truly don't give two fucks what happens to any of you. We aren't family, we aren't friends and we are not classmates, hell the only thing we are, are Ultimate Students. Ultimate Students in the Ultimate Death Match. You best get used to it, lest you want despair to kill your hope!" he said, his brown eyes flashed red for a single second before returning to normal, something that seemed to unnerve the Ultimate Swimmer quite a bit.
"Yuno! You need to stay calm...I know she's your friend but goddamn it don't lose it now, he wants you to act like this, he wants you to attack him, do you want to risk becoming a blackened?" Kyoko snapped.
Yuno seemed to calm down. His lavender eyes fell onto the violet haired girl, who's calm demeanor seemed to have dropped, being replaced with one of worry and anger. His head throbbed a bit and he grit his teeth, returning his glare to Bryce.
"Alright then, we can move on to another very important thing. Celeste seemed to have been sexually assaulted. This is clear due to her undergarments being hastily put on. Also, someone had the audacity to write the word Whore on her with permanent marker, which can only be found in the Art room, which leads me to suspect that this crime took place there." Kyoko said calmly.
"It would make sense. Everything is coming back to the Art room for some reason...the maker, the tools that were used to lock Yuno in the sauna, the chisel...I'm willing to bet her dress will be in there too." Makoto said.
"I doubt it...if I were the attacker, I would get rid of the evidence. That dress was most likely disposed of, while everyone was worrying over Celeste, they made their way to the Trash room and disposed of it." Yuno said.
"You got that wrong Yuno!" Leon said, making everyone look at the orange haired baseball player.
"How so?" Sakura asked.
"The trash room is locked with a huge grate, no one is able to enter it without the key. And if I recall, it's Kyoko's turn to take care of the trash, meaning she has the key, and she was with us in the infirmary so she couldn't have burned that dress." He said.
"Unless she forgot to lock it." Nick said.
"Unlikely...I didn't start my trash duty until ten, so I didn't open it until then. There is no way I would have missed that dress being in a trash bag." She said.
"That is...well...what if someone just tore it to shreds?" Hina asked.
"I think we would notice a lot of threads on one of us don't you think?" Byakuya said, looking at the Ultimate Swimmer with a sneer.
"Not unless they used those super sharp scissors that Touko had. I remember storing them all in the Art Storage room. Those scissors are sharp enough to cut through flesh, cutting through cloth wouldn't be that hard." she continued.
"If they tore it to shreds, it would be easy to just toss it in something like the Kitchen trash, the bathroom trash, hell they could have flushed it down the toilet." Yuno said.
"Very clever, this is getting interesting." Byakuya said.
"That further cements Kyoko's theory of this taking place in the Art Room. That means she was also...taken advantage of, in there as well." Makoto said.
"Mikan didn't find anything inside her either, meaning anyone could have done it and disposed of that evidence as well." the archer said.
"Ew...god this is fucking horrible...I can't take this anymore." Hina said, her shoulders shaking. Sakura placed her hand on her shoulder, easing her up a bit.
"So, we got a missing dress and some missing spunk, as well as a missing killer...this is too funny." Bryce said, trying to rile everyone up, though they all chose to ignore it.
"I've been thinking...don't you think this is all suspicious?" Sayaka asked, getting odd glances from everyone.
"Well of course it is, this is a class trial and we are trying to solve a mystery." Byakuya replied, in his typical smart ass way. Yuno had almost missed that side of him, almost.
"No...what I mean is, don't you think it's odd that someone would try to kill Yuno and then Celeste right after? I think that the person who did this wanted to kill Yuno, which is why they used the Sauna. A person dying from dehydration and heat stroke, the sauna being hot would destroy any fingerprints within the room. Sealing him inside, it's the perfect crime, except whoever planned it, wasn't planning on me coming to search for him. That means they hastily tried to kill someone, and that someone had to be a person close to Yuno, and who's closer to Yuno than one of his close friends?" Sayaka said.
"So you are saying that, they attacked Celeste because they failed to kill Yuno?" Makoto asked, earning a nod from the blue haired idol.
"It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The attacker would need to think fast. Since she decided to search for clues, she would be the most likely target." Yuno said.
"That means someone must have followed her up to the third floor and struck while she wasn't paying attention." Nick said.
"The most likely scenario...it seems we have addressed everything we could, but we have yet to arrive to a culprit. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on dying today." Byakuya said firmly.
"Have truly addressed everything?" Hina asked.
"The permanent maker, her missing dress, her disheveled undergarments, the stone chisel, the boy's locker room and the extension cord, we've talked about everything we could talk about." Yuno said.
"We also discussed the wooden dowel and the tools used to lock Yuno in the Sauna, all of it points to this crime taking place in the Art room. My suspicions still lie with Bryce being the attacker this time around." Kyoko said firmly, looking at the architect.
"Why do you say that? You have no proof." Bryce said.
"I may not have proof about you doing it, but I do happen to have proof about an object that went missing after the last trial. The handgun that was used by Touko to mess with Taka's body. It was gone before the trial even started, meaning you still have it, I'm willing to believe you have been extorting someone to do your bidding for you." she said.
"Heh, how do you figure?" he asked.
"Have you forgotten what our last motive was? Our secrets are still being held hostage, it wouldn't be beyond you to find out someone's secret." she said.
"I don't have access to any of that stuff, and even if I did, I would just humiliate you for it." he said with a shrug.
"Are you sure about that...how many guys are in this room presently?" she asked.
"That's easy, there are seven guys in this room." He said, matter of factly.
"Are you serious? I thought you of all people would know how to count." Byakuya said. Bryce's eyes widened, realizing his mistake. He turned to Kyoko, a pissed look on his face.
"You tricked me you bitch!" he shouted.
"I didn't trick you, I asked you a simple question and you answered it right." she said.
"But wait...there are only six guys here, are you not counting right Kyoko?" Hina asked.
"No...she's counting right." Yuno said.
His eyes widened as he had a slip of the tongue. His eyes met with Chihiro's who was a second away from crying. He frowned, shaking his head.
"What do you mean Yuno?" the swimmer asked.
"I can't say, I promised not to tell anyone until they were ready to talk about it with everyone." he said.
"Yuno...it's okay...I think it's been long enough." Chihiro said, gaining everyone's attention. She took a deep breath, nodding her head, while wiping her tears away with her sweater sleeves.
"Everyone, I'm going to tell you my secret. I'm actually a guy." she said.
"Hehe...what?" Leon asked.
"It's true...I've been dressing up as a girl this entire time, because I am more comfortable as a girl. I'm weak, and frail...and I didn't act like how a guy should, so I decided it would be easier to be a girl. It's been like this for years now...I'm sorry for not telling you all sooner...I wasn't confident enough to do it. But now that one of our close friends has been hurt...I couldn't just sit back and keep it hidden." she said, bursting into tears.
"Is there a reason why you had to do that Kyoko?" Yuno asked, a little angry with the violet haired young woman. She gave him a nod.
"There is...It's sad to say, but the attacker this time around was Chihiro Fujisaki, someone who was taken advantage of by Bryce, due to him having that gun." She said.
"Wait...you mean that..." Sayaka stopped talking, eyes wide as dinner plates as she looked at the younger teen.
Time seemed to stop as they all realized the truth of what Kyoko had said. Yuno glanced at Chihiro, before looking back at Bryce, who was sneering at him. He felt dizzy, like everything around him was just blending together into one massive blob of colors and sounds.
"You...forced her to...stab Celeste? To...rape her?" Yuno asked, his voice low but firm.
He was trying not to have a mental breakdown. Bryce clapped his hands, the loud sounds echoing through the quiet court room. He lifted his arms up into the air, a grin on his face.
"Why yes I did...and you know why I did it? It was all just a simple rouse really...no one would be able to find out who had killed you or Celestia Ludenburg if the plan had gone accordingly. I would have been left Scot free of anything, I would be able to leave this academy, and I would be able to rescue my mom, who has been held against her will since we were brought to this hell hole. All of your lives don't matter to me, not when I could save the only person who actually gave a shit about me, about my presence. The only person who cares about me!" he shouted. His shoulders shook, laughter flowing through his lips.
"Sure, at first I felt pity for all of you, being locked up in this academy, your family and friends, brothers and sisters, lovers all of them must feel horrible about this. The fact that all of you are missing, presumed dead, hell, most of us are dead, never to be seen again. They won't feel the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze on their skin, the cold brisk winters, no one will feel it all again." he said.
"What the fuck are you talking about? What is wrong with you?" Leon howled, his hands firmly clenched on the wooden stand before him. Bryce looked at him, a twisted look on his face.
"What's wrong with me? Nothing is wrong with me...nothing at all...I'm just enjoying myself, the sweet taste of despair flowing through my veins, it's a wonderful feeling. Seeing all of you suffering about a person you've never met, watching the deaths of those who you condemned to living an eternal sorrow, it is all so delicious." He said. He stepped away from his stand, cackling as he stood next to Chihiro, placing his arm around her shoulders. She pinched her cheeks a bit, making her yelp in pain.
"You see, the little tyke made a mistake when he trusted Yuno with his secret. He wasn't paying attention to what he was doing and ended up bumping into yours truly, exposing himself to me. His secrets were all in the open, why he was always alone, it all made sense to me. That's when the plan started forming in my mind, I didn't need to kill anyone, as long as I could get someone to do it for me. Mondo proved it to me when he offed Fashion Girl. It all started coming together, so I devised a plan to seal you in the sauna, and once you were safely inside, I had him do the work for me, the barrel of my 38 special was more than enough to convince him to work for me." he said.
"I'm sorry...please I'm so sorry." Chihiro said, bursting into tears. Bryce wiped them away with his shirt, patting her head softly.
"After it was discovered that you were...in fact alive, I had to work something out. I couldn't exactly have you come back and potentially unravel everything, as you have been a key player in this game since day one. So, I started devising a second plan, one to eliminate you for good, when lo and behold, the opportunity presented itself to me. It was the perfect Gamble." he said, stroking Celeste's picture, as if she were there with them. He turned around, clapping his hands together.
"But, a problem arose, I couldn't be discovered, so I worked my charm and had my little buddy do it for me. It was so satisfying...seeing the little tyke plunge that chisel deep into her chest, watching as she gasped for breath and held the wound tightly, trying to force the blood to stop. Watching, as even after she was supposed to be dead, she just kept crawling, she wouldn't fucking Die. So, since she wouldn't die, and the little tyke here was going to be blamed, I forced him to have a little fun with her, while she was bleeding out. Oh the humanity, the sheer audacity of watching a girl being taken advantage of at deaths door, it was amazing, the smell of copper and sex was the best thing that I have ever had the pleasure to inhale."
"I'm sorry...please Yuno, you have to forgive me...I'm sorry." Chihiro said, almost shouting it.
Yuno was too shocked to even reply, he just wanted it all to stop. But alas, Bryce continued, prancing back to his stand, and leaning over it, glaring daggers at Yuno, while giving a smirk to Byakuya who backed away from him a bit.
"Afterwards, I felt for her pulse and didn't find one, so I let the tyke wash up while I disposed of the body. It wasn't so hard, I just waited until our favorite heir left the library and strung her up like a pinata. She looked so beautiful up there, the lingerie she picked to wear clashed so well with her skin, it was to die for, and she almost did." he said. Then he turned to Yuno, his happy face turning into one of pure anger. He clenched his hand so hard his fingers cracked.
"But then...then was when she was discovered, and you found her alive, the bitch didn't die! I was so angry, so fucking angry! I wanted nothing more than it all to end, to taste the sweet outside world...but then it came to me, while everyone was distracted, no one was investigating, it gave me the perfect opportunity to rid myself of the evidence against me. So, no matter what you all do, I wasn't the one who tried to kill Celestia Ludenburg. That's the beauty of it, manipulation isn't against the rules, and knowing that, I was able to use it to may advantage, to bring you a giant dose of despair." he said cheerfully, eyes flashing between brown and red, before finally settling on brown.
Yuno swallowed hard, brushing his sweaty locks from his face, his knees were weak, his arms were heavy and if he wanted to vomit, he would have done it already. He looked over at Chihiro, a defeated look on his face.
"Is this all true?" he asked.
"It is...I'm sorry...I was afraid...afraid of death, of being blamed for something so horrible. I was afraid all of you would die because of me." she said.
"It's okay sweetheart...it isn't your fault, so you aren't to blame." he replied.
"But I am, I did all of those things against my will." She cried out.
"Monokuma, isn't there anything you can do? Aren't you the judge here?" Hina cried, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry kiddos, but the rules are absolute. I can only add rules not change them, and the rules were made without counting on manipulation as a possibility." he replied.
"So no matter what, we have to vote for the culprit." Byakuya said, for once looking sad at the events he was witnessing. Chihiro sobbed a bit, her cries filling the room, she wiped her tears looking at everyone.
"I've made my peace...please just end this already. I'm tired of suffering, I just want to leave." she said.
"If you kids are ready, it's time for the vote!" Monokuma said firmly. Yuno grit his teeth, looking away from the lever in front of him.
He didn't want to vote, but he knew if he didn't there was a chance everyone could die. He pulled the lever, not looking at the paneling. The slot machine next to Monokuma came to a stop on Chihiro's face, loud cheers echoing through the room.
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner. The would be killer this time around is none other than the Ultimate Programmer Chihiro Fujisaki. What a shame...I had a motive for all of you that you simply would have enjoyed, I worked beary hard on it. Upupupupu!" the bear cried.
"No...we can't." Hina said.
"We have to figure something out! We can't let her die...she was innocent in all this." Leon cried out.
"I don't know if you noticed or not, but attempt at murder, rape and destruction of evidence is all punishable by law, that's why she...or should I say He is getting the boot. Any last words kid?" Monokuma asked.
Chihiro nodded to herself, and walked up to Yuno, sticking her hand in her pocket. She pulled out a single sheet of paper, which was folded in half, handing it to him. When he opened it, all he saw was a bunch of Binary numbers. He looked at her in confusion.
"You'll figure it out, you are an Ultimate Student, I know you have what it takes to get them out of here. Don't let Bryce intimidate you, or you'll end up playing his game." she said. He nodded, placing the paper in his pocket before wrapping his arms around her.
"I'm sorry I won't be able to save you. This isn't your fault." he said.
"I'm at peace Yuno. I realized who I was, and I have to say I enjoyed the life I was given, I'm not weak anymore. I'll embrace death with confidence, because I know you'll lead them all to daylight. You'll lead them all to hope." she said.
"Alright, enough of that bullcrap. I've prepared the Ultimate Execution for the Ultimate Programmer, it's Punishment Time!"
The sound of the gavel alerted the students that the next execution was about to begin.
Chihiro's World:
Chihiro was suddenly dropped into a trap door, with Yuno reaching out for her, screaming her name. Everyone watched in horror as a large computer screen seemed to come out from the ground.
It was glowing bright green, and on it the name Chihiro's World was written. It cut to another screen, the name World 1-1 appearing on it. Chihiro appeared on screen, looking around in confusion. The screen started pushing her forward, forcing her to move. Suddenly several lines of code started shooting at her, as she was trying to avoid being hit by them. It turned out that Monokuma was the one in control, moving her all over the screen. She started running, as several digital monsters started chasing her.
In front of her was a golden MonoMono coin, and she reached for it, trying to get it's power. She breathed a sigh of relief when she did, only for one of the blocks above her to fall, crushing her entire body out of existence. A sad death jingle was played, and the screen read, lives remaining 0. The screen turned off and disappeared.
"Well then, I hope you all enjoyed the demo of Chihiro's world. I'm sad to say we won't be getting a console release any time soon, the main character seems to have run out of lives." he joked.
"Shut up...just shut up. How can you allow this? How can you be so Goddamn cruel?" Yuno shouted, anger flowing through him. Monokuma laughed, tilting his head back.
"I've told you before silly, I want nothing more than enjoying the sweet taste of despair. And it seems as if one of you is at least seeing things my way...now run along, I'm sure there is someone in the infirmary who wishes to see you."
The elevator doors opened shortly afterwards and everyone stepped on to it, making sure to stay as far away from Bryce as possible, since the Ultimate Architect seemed to be in his own little world, cackling to himself like an insane person.
Yuno wanted to get revenge on him, he wanted to just snap his neck, make him pay for what he had done. He felt Sayaka's hand taking his own, and when he looked at tear soaked face, she just shook her head, telling him silently that it wasn't worth it. Whatever the case, their situation had gotten worse, a lot worse.
Xxx
"Simply amazing. That was truly beautiful!"
Junko spun around in her chair, absolutely adoring what she had just seen. The single most despair inducing class trial yet. It had her on the edge of her seat, goose bumps all over her skin. She had to pinch herself several times just to make sure she was actually awake. Bryce declaring his love of despair was amazing as well, for a long time she wanted to bring him to her level, and she had finally successfully done it. She was absolutely giddy about it.
She heard a knock on her door, and swiftly turned around, a groan escaping her lips. She pressed a single button, unlocking the security system. A lone figure stepped in, wearing a long doctors coat. He was only a teenager, being around eighteen or so, and had long brown neck length hair. He had a tired look on his face, his eyes glowing a fierce shade of red. His shoulders were slumped, but he had a proud gait in his walk.
"Mistress Junko, the procedure has been completed." he said lowly.
"Hmm, thank you Akihiko. Are you sure she can't recall anything about herself?" she asked.
"Indeed, I have asked her several questions only she would know but she has given me the same reply, she doesn't know who she is. I couldn't replicate the original Ryoko Otonashi, but she will suffice. Her memory wipe will also last longer than that of my fellow classmate Yuno." he said.
"See to it that she is ready for action, the following days will be important after all. The ugly duckling has finally blossomed into a beautiful Swan." she said with a warm smile.
"Yes Mistress...before I take my leave, I wish to inform you that Tsubaki Yamada has made contact with a person of interest, one of the students that belongs to Class 77." he said.
"Who pray tell is that?" Junko asked, her teacher persona taking over. Akihiko swallowed hard, looking away from her briefly.
"Well...she was that annoying blonde girl who absolutely loved bringing despair to the Nurse. The Ultimate Traditional Dancer." he said.
"Hiyoko Saionji, the bane of my existence. How she is still alive is beyond me...see to it that they are both taken care of, I wouldn't want our little friends in the Future Foundation to make contact."
"Right away ma'am. Kazuichi and Takane are on standby, so I shall give them the message. It also seems that Erika Del Rio making contact with Musashi Togami, the remaining Togami Heir had supposedly joined the Foundation months ago, so I shall be taking care of it personally."
"Good, don't die on me Akihiko, I need my Ultimate Surgeon on standby should I need him. It pains me to have to change my looks, but it is vital that I do if I want to keep despair flowing strong." she said.
"As you wish, I shall be the utmost careful. Until I return my Mistress." he said, closing the door behind him.
"Oh Akihiko, my sweet boy...I don't care if you return or not, it makes no difference to me...sadly, my plans would derail without you." she whispered to herself, playing with a strand of hair.
She focused on one of the cameras, seeing her sister along in a white room, a room that was located in the Neuroscience lab across campus. She was familiar with that room, as it had been where she spent a lot of time planning everything. She shook her head and looked toward the other screens, seeing all of the remaining students in the nurses office, all but Bryce who had returned to his room. She grinned, cracking her neck.
"Time for business."
xxx
"That was absolutely amazing...all according to plan...it seems that I have finally started seeing things under a different light. The Programmer is gone, and he was a great tool to use, but now is when things will start getting tricky. I can't wait to unleash this next plan...I'm sure I will get out of here this time around...and soon I will be free, free to look for you, to tell you how much I love you mom." he said, cackling loudly.
"Well, I can see that you are enjoying yourself." Monokuma said, entering his room. Bryce turned around, greeting him with a smile as opposed to his normal tirade.
"Monokuma, what brings you here?" he asked.
"Me? I'm just strolling around, figured I would say hi to my favorite student...how is the despair treating ya?"
"It's amazing...if I had seen things this way from day one, it would have made everything much better." Bryce said.
"How about I make you an offer? One you can't refuse?"
"What did you have in mind?" he asked.
"Well...if you off one of the students in the following days, you'll be absolved from all crimes, and will be free to walk a free man. Then you can search for mommy dearest." he said.
"Really? I'll be able to leave? What about the others?" he asked curiously.
"Them? They don't want ya here, they see you as a monster for what you just did. They'll be living their lives here, after you kill off someone else, there won't be a need to have anymore class trails. There won't be a reason for them to leave. Even if someone else gets killed, there won't be a class trial." He said firmly.
"No way for them to get out huh? That would be the Ultimate Despair inducing scenario. Having to live in the grounds where their friends were put to death, forever...I like the way you think, I accept this deal." he said.
"Good, I will deliver another motive soon enough, and after that feel free to strike. Oh, and I left a little something on your eHandbook profile, something you'll definitely enjoy, but no sharing with anyone else. Ta-ta" he said, taking his leave.
Curious, Bryce grabbed is handbook from his night stand, flicking through it until he found his profile. It glitched for a few seconds, bright green squares appearing on the screen, before finally disappearing, he grinned at what it said.
Bryce Kotenok: Ultimate Despair
"Heh, I think I like the sound of that!" he said, a malicious grin on his face. He would get his revenge, the archer would pay for humiliating him and he would walk free. It was only a matter of time.
Xxx
Everything was hazy when she awoke. Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears, and the air around her was still. The scent of antiseptics assaulted her senses, waking her a bit more. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, only to have her memory return to her. Everything that had happened to her that day, being stabbed, dragging herself across the floor in an attempt to escape..having her virginity taken from her...she started to hyperventilate, the noticeable beeping filling her ears. She heard a faint voice, telling her to calm down, and she looked up, seeing the hazy figure of the Ultimate Nurse, taking her vitals and barking orders at someone.
She seemed to calm down a bit, laying back down on her pillow, her tears now becoming apparent. She didn't realize she passed out until she was greeted with darkness.
She awoke once more, now being calm. She wanted to desperately return to her gambler persona, the woman that she had created, but wasn't able to do it. Celestia Ludenburg had been shattered like the porcelain doll she was, and now the only one that remained was Taeko, the weak little girl she was hiding within. Everything came crashing down on her, but this time she had been prepared for it. She heard foot steps heading toward her, and looked up, only to see Yuno, who looked devoid of happiness. She gave him a warm smile.
"Yu..no."
Her voice was hoarse, and she realized then that her throat had gone dry. He wordlessly handed her a bottle of water, which she started drinking. She noticed the bandages on his hands, and remembered what had happened to him the night before.
"You've been asleep for a week." he said.
"Huh?" she asked. He gave her a nod, sitting down on the chair beside her bed.
"You woke up three days ago, freaking out. You threw the covers off of yourself and started screaming bloody murder. Mikan had to sedate you just to get you to calm down. She said it was PTSD, and I don't blame you for it, after everything that's happened." he said.
She pulled the covers off herself, seeing that she was wearing a tacky hospital gown. Taking a peek, she saw the large bandage wrapped around her body. She reached for the spot where she had been stabbed, almost expecting it to start bleeding.
"Christ...you had me so worried...I haven't been able to sleep well, and I've been a mess after Chihiro's death."
Her head jerked toward him, eyes wide with shocked.
"Chihiro is dead? Who killed her?" she asked.
"She was executed."
Her breath hitched. An execution meant there had been a class trial, a trial she hadn't been apart of. That meant the person who had done that to her was...but it couldn't..she swore Chihiro was a girl the whole time. She looked up at Yuno, who just shook his head, before going into a long explanation of everything that had happened.
During the week she had been asleep, they had all been keeping watch of Bryce, in pairs just to be safe, and they even had weapons with them just in case. The teen didn't seem to mind, not even getting mad or anything. It was all just too much for her to take.
"I can't...what is going on with the world right now?" she asked, not bothering to use her accent. What was the point, if her persona was already broken?
"I don't know Taeko, but what I do know is that we have got to do something. It won't be long until the next murder takes place, and I'm really scared. I'm stressed out, can't even sleep and all of this just keeps adding up...hell, I think I would welcome death." he said.
"Don't dare say such words." she snapped, glaring daggers at him.
"Yuno, you may not be perfect and you may not be able to save everyone, but goddamn it you are everyone's ray of Hope. You have kept it together, solving each murder case to the best of your abilities, wishing for death now, that's just giving up. That's what Monokuma wants you to do, to fall into despair, and we cannot let him win that easily." she said.
"You're right...sorry if I seemed like a let down just now."
"Don't you worry about it sweetie, it's all due to the situation. I frankly don't blame you." she said.
"Well, I guess I should help you to your room. Monokuma said the instant you were conscious and alert, I had to take you back to your room. I tried talking him into letting you stay here until you were fully healed, but the best I could do was get him to lift the Sleeping in your own dormitory rule, so I guess I'll be bunking with you for a while." he said.
"Oh, is Sayaka alright with me stealing her man from her at night?" she asked, a smirk on her face. He laughed, giving her a nod.
"We talked about it, and she's alright with it. Mikan and her are sharing rooms now, and so are Leon and Makoto. You can't be too safe." he said.
She nodded and threw the covers off herself, seeing the pale skin of her legs for the first time in a week. She wanted nothing more than a hot shower, but she knew it would be a while until that happened due to her stab wound. She swung her legs off the bed, standing up, only to fall forward and into Yuno's arms. She groaned in pain, almost wanting to scream.
"How about I just carry you?" he asked.
"No...you can't embarrass me like that." she said, though it was muffled due to his shirt.
"Oh Taeko, no one is going to laugh at you! Now come on." he said, easily lifting her up. She eeped a bit, not expecting him to be able to pick her up so easily. She blushed bright red, her black hair falling around her face.
"I like it when you are like this you know, just a regular girl." he said.
"Maybe I should let Taeko Yasuhiro stay out a little longer. It will be a while before Celestia Ludenburg is back anyway...I don't think she'll be able to handle this anymore, after what happened to her." She said.
"Yeah, but she'll be fine. Celestia Ludenburg is tough, and strong...but she isn't Taeko, she's stronger and tougher than her, having to deal with twice the amount of bullshit Celestia handles. In all honesty, she's the better of the two." he said, giving her a wink.
He was at least glad Mikan had unhooked everything from her earlier that morning. Taeko smiled, finally feeling free of her persona, at least for the time being that is. She couldn't stop thinking about what has happening though, the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, had become darker as of late, and it would take a lot of hope and wishful thinking if she wanted to make it out of the academy alive.
End of Chapter 3 (Buying their Despair)
Remaining Students 13
Epilogue
She still didn't understand any of this. She had been a victim since the very beginning, and yet she couldn't believe it. One second, everything was peachy, the world was just fine, and the next morning everything had gone to shit. How someone could convince so many people to commit mass murder was beyond her, and yet she had been a witness to it all. 267 Reserve Course Students had jumped off the roof of Hope's Peak Academy, as a prelude to Despair and no one had done anything.
What would they have done? Nothing at all..the police couldn't handle the upcoming despair, and after awhile just feel for it all, and the few believers of Hope were all slowly killed.
In the absence of Hope, Despair started to sprout, until it had over taken the planet. The skies were constantly blood red, smoke and fires could be seen world wide, and there wasn't a sign of it ending. The Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy had caused havoc on a global scale, and it had even spread to the other sister academies located over seas. It had seemed to be the that the last rays of hope had been eradicated.
But then there it was, the hope of the world, those who would lead the future into a new hopeful light, the Future Foundation. They had risen from the ashes of despair, and promoted hope world wide. An organization composed of those who had graduated Hope's Peak Academy and survived the Most Despair Inducing Tragedy in Human History. And she had been lucky enough to be a part of it.
But now, two years after it, she had regretted ever joining the Future Foundation. They didn't do anything to save her friends, her upperclassmen, the current Ultimate Despairs who had domination of the entire globe. The only ones she actually talked to anymore were the Ultimate Doomsday Prepper, and of course one of the major benefactors, Musashi Togami. Sadly, she wasn't able to talk to them often as they were to busy tracking down the Ultimate Despairs.
But then...that's when everything hit the fan, when they had all received that incoming message, and the Broadcast of the School Life of Mutual Killing had initiated. She didn't want to believe it, especially when she saw her friends and fellow students of Hope's Peak Academy, who had volunteered to be locked in there for the rest of their lives, were being put into a death game. She didn't want to believe it, and yet she had been tuned into the live broadcast.
She had seen her friends, killing each other, acting harshly to one another and recently, manipulating each other. The activity between the Ultimate Despairs had risen, and due to that it had lead her to act, but she wasn't receiving any assistance from the Future Foundation. Their attempts to gain access into the academy were for naught, as they always ended in failure. So in order to make her way into the school, she had to apprehend the ones responsible for building everything that had been used to seal the school, a person who up until a year ago, was thought to be a survivor, and not an Ultimate Despair.
Yes, she had to make contact with Hiyoko, else her friends weren't going to survive, especially her precious friend, the one who was acting completely different for whatever reason. She had to find a way into that academy, or her name wasn't Tsubaki Yamada.
Xxx
Oliver didn't know what to say...what to do or how to react. He had just witnessed the third class trial. The results of it made him sick...how can someone be so evil, to force someone so sweet and caring to do something so horrible? He started at the screen, the bright pink blood still present on it. He swallowed hard, only for his mouth to fly open, a stream of vomit and bile to fly out. It had been the third time in the last two minutes that he had emptied his stomach.
Rika was trying her hardest not to cry. She wanted to do something, she needed to find a way into the academy. So far, twelve students remained in Junko's sick game...she didn't know if anyone would make it to the end of the month. She glanced at her missing arm, cursing herself and her luck to the depths of hell. She heard someone move behind her, and glanced behind her back, seeing the stern face of Emma glancing at the screen.
"I understand that this is hard...trust me, I am trying my hardest not to break apart right now. But we cannot give up, we must try our hardest to help our friends out of this situation!"
"Shut up, what the fuck can you do? There is nothing that will bring them back!" Oliver snapped angrily, wiping his lips with his shirt. Emma grit her teeth, her hold on Rika's rifle tightening.
"Don't you think I know that? I live every goddamn day of my fucking life knowing that. But guess what, we are still alive, and so long as we are we can fight this! We have to be here for when they leave the academy."
"But, what if they die? What if Junko kills them all?" Aquamarine asked, earning a frown from Toshiro.
"We can't think that way...Hisashi is clearly working hard toward finding out the mastermind. Even with his amnesia, he's going to bring them out of there alive...and if he doesn't, Kyoko will."
"Pfft, and if they die?" Oliver asked.
"But they won't, remember they were the ones who were investigating all of this before it happened. Junko wouldn't kill them so easily, they are the biggest enigma in her game...and she would be too damn bored if she killed them off this early on." Emma said.
"She's right...for now let us all work together to find a way into the academy." Keiko said, pulling on the thread of her doll. She had found a pretty porcelain doll on the street and had been fixing it for the better part of a week.
The sudden sound of screeching tires filled their ears, and all ten students suddenly huddled up. Emma trained her gun on the vehicle slowly approaching them, seeing as they were all rapidly surrounded. A single man stepped out from within.
He was tall, and had a firm look on his face, with a white bowl cut hair style. He was wearing a pressed white suit, with a light blue button up shirt, and a vibrant red tie. Around his waist, he had a sword strapped to his belt, his long white slacks tucked into matching white boots. He stopped in front of the group, eyeing Emma's weapon.
"You don't have to be wary of me. I have been keeping my eyes on you for awhile, Class 77A of Hope's Peak Academy." he said firmly.
"Who the hell are you?" Oliver asked, aiming his pistol at the man. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"My name is Kyosuke Munakata. I am the 2nd Branch Manager of the Future Foundation, previously I was the Ultimate Student Body President of Hope's Peak Academy's 74th Class. We're an organization created to fight off this despair...currently we're trying to find a way into Hope's Peak Academy. We could use your various talents in our organization. What do you say, would you like to join?"
They all looked skeptical, not exactly wanting to believe the man's words. Emma glanced at her friends, all with varying degrees of shock on their faces. She shook her head, lowering her gun.
"My apologies, but I will not be joining your organization. I want to fight despair my own way. However, if my friends wish to join you, then it will be up to them." She said.
"Emma, are you insane? He's asking us to join them...he wants our talents, we can finally have a good place to rest, and food in our stomachs!" Aquamarine said firmly.
"Being able to breathe without the scent of smoke in my nostrils would be nice." Toshiro added.
"If they can get the others out of the academy, it would be great...I believe my talents may aid them." Sona said firmly.
"Screw that shit, I'm not tying myself down to some organization I know nothing about...I'm sticking with Emma. You guys are on your own." Oliver said.
"As will I, I cannot find myself trusting them." Keiko added, earning a nod from Rika.
"It seems we have a pretty split decision. We aren't going to just leave you out here however, if you do not wish to join us that is fine. But at least let us accommodate you...you may change your mind later on. Besides, I can tell you want to strip out of that old uniform Emma...I've seen various pieces of your work, and I know how your mind works. Think about it alright?" the man asked firmly. Emma narrowed her eyes, giving him a nod.
"Fine, I can use some new clothes, and a fresh shower...but after that I am gone. I haven't the time to waste on fruitless efforts, not when the world is in such a shitty state." she said, lips pursed in a pout.
"If you would follow me then, we will transport you to our nearest facility. I hope you all change your minds later on...you'll be safe, trust me." he said, nodding to the soldiers beside him.
Emma didn't know why, but she didn't trust this man...not a single bit.