Another day, another breakfast meeting. The students of Gifted Inmates Academy were beginning to get used to this daily ritual. Though whether or not this was actually in their best interest was a question none of them really wanted to address.
Akamatsu stepped in to distract them from that thought. "Alright, everyone. It's been a couple of days now, and it's been uneventful. Now, I like that! We could use more days like that. However, I'm starting to get worried that we haven't really gotten any closer to escaping this place. Any thoughts?"
"If you try to put me through that real-life 'I Wanna Be The Guy' thing again..." Iruma started.
Among Monokuma's many attempts to break the students' spirits was the promise of an escape route at the end of a tunnel full of impossible booby traps. The class had been bold enough to try a few times, though eventually gave up when it became clear it was never going to work.
Akamatsu was quick to shoot that down. "No, no. I'm not putting anyone through Despair Death Road again. I learned my lesson."
"It does raise a valid concern," Toujou commented, "Most of our actions up to this points have been reactive. We've yet to make any forward progress since we first arrived."
"Most we got done was getting rid of Shirogane, and that was kind of an accident," Hoshi added.
"Hey, cool off, guys," Momota argued. "Akamatsu's been doing her best!"
"But her best just hasn't been good enough," Ouma snidely countered.
Harukawa scowled at the dictator. "And what would you do differently?"
Ouma smirked and turned to another student. "Angie-chan, I think it's time!"
"Mm-hmm!" The artist nodded and stood up and began to address the student body. "Everybody! God has totes spoken to Angie, and now what we need to do next is clear."
The other students leaned in out of curiosity. Aside from apparently Ouma, no one had any idea that Angie had anything new to offer. Even the die-hard members of the Art Club were listening in inquisitive caution.
"We just need to accept living here forever, and we'll all be fine!"
Angie's words echoed through the cafeteria. It was not an idea any of them had even begun to consider, and Angie was not done selling the idea.
"Trying to escape can only make things worse, y'know? If we all live trying to make that happen, then it's only a matter of time before someone snaps and kills again. Meanwhile, we have food and shelter and friends right here. God's given us our own little private paradise where we can live together in peace. Right?"
Akamatsu was taken aback by this claim. "So... you just want us to give up?"
"Not give up," Angie corrected, "Accept the new life we can live here. A life where we're happy and safe."
"But we can't just stay here!" the pianist argued. "What about our families, our friends?"
"Isn't that the kind of thinking that made you want to kill someone?" Angie struck.
The blonde lost her ability to speak. Though the others seemed to be willing to forgive her, it appeared she would never escape the stigma of what she had attempted.
"If none of us want to leave, then the those of us who are still alive have nothing to worry about. That's what God told Angie."
"I agree with Angie-san!" Kiibo chimed in. "The voice in my head also believes that is the only chance we have to survive."
"Gonta thinks so, too. Gonta just wants to keep everyone safe, and God and Angie haven't steered Gonta wrong yet."
The students body was beginning to consider Angie's rationale. The growing tension could only be eased by removing the desire to escape from the entire class.
Granted, not everyone was on board.
"You think we're all gonna agree to this bullshit?!" Momota exclaimed. "You think I'm just gonna stop trying to find a way out of here? Hell no!"
Angie shook her head. "Angie keeps saying, that attitude..."
"I am not dying in this fucking school!" the astronaut proclaimed. "Not before I see my family again. Not before I get to go to space. I can't die yet..."
"Yet?" Harukawa wondered.
Angie, however, chose to ignore the purple-haired boy and offered a small smile. "Well, we should put it to a vote, right? Who thinks it would be better to not try to leave?"
This was it. The moment that Harukawa had warned the others about. Angie's club had a large number of people in it, and it would be fairly easy for her to take the vote. Her hand went up. Kiibo and Gontas' hands soon followed. After a few seconds, Yumeno's did, as well.
Then Saihara's hand went up too.
"Shuuichi, what the fuck, man?!" Momota shouted.
Saihara didn't reply.
And with that, a few more moments went by before it became clear no one else intended to raise their hand.
What was especially interesting was the fact that the Art Club had a holdout.
"Kokichi, aren't you, like, gonna raise your hand?" Angie asked.
Ouma turned his gaze to her and shrugged. "Nah."
"Ouma-kun, do you not agree with Angie-san's plan?" Kiibo inquired.
"Nishishi..." the short-statured boy chuckled. "Of course not! Staying here? That's what we were building up to? Boooooriiinggg!" He sighed and took his leave. "Well, that was pointless..."
Angie was at a loss. "He... he didn't mean it. He didn't care about God at all..."
"I could've told you that," Harukawa muttered.
Saihara was a bit more comforting. "It'll be okay. Maybe... maybe he'll come around."
Angie found her smile again. "Yeah! Okay! Angie's got some projects she's been putting off, so Angie's gotta get going. Just don't forget what Angie said. Bye-onara!"
With that, Angie, too, left the cafeteria. And the students were left to ponder, would the day come when they would choose to stay in the school?
As Saihara went over his notes, he was shaken from his review of what he knew by the sound of someone beating down his door. The rather confused detective opened the threshold and was greeted by a rather disgruntled Momota.
"Do you wanna tell me what that was about?" the astronaut questioned.
Saihara let his friend in, and replied, "What are you talking about?"
"Your vote earlier! You actually think we should stay here?!"
"Of course not!" the black-haired boy protested. "I was just trying to maintain my cover."
Momota scoffed. "Time and place, man. After what she threw at Akamatsu, you were gonna take it lying down?"
"I... I don't know what I could've said," Saihara admitted. "I've told Akamatsu-san before that I don't blame her. I can't control how everyone else feels."
"Yeah, whatever. Doesn't change that you left her in the lurch and stood by Angie instead," Momota argued.
"What should I have done?" Saihara asked.
Momota sighed. "I dunno, man. I'm just getting sick of all this crap. This political bullshit's just gonna make it harder for us to work together, y'know?"
"I think we can move past it soon," Saihara reassured. "From what I've determined, Angie-san's not up to anything bad. Her methods are shady, but her motives seem genuine."
"Good to hear," the astronaut acknowledged. "Sooner we're all on the same page, sooner we get outta this dump."
"Right," the detective agreed.
"And the sooner you and Akamatsu can get together, eh?" Momota teased, nudging his friend's arm in the process.
Saihara's face went beet-red. "Kaito!"
"C'mon, man! She's clearly into you! What's stoppin' ya?" the purple-haired boy asked.
Saihara just shook his head. "Let's... let's just do something else, okay?"
"Right. Casino time! I'm feeling lucky!" Momota cheered.
Saihara smiled. Watching his friend lose horribly might buoy his spirits a bit.
Kiibo couldn't help but be nervous. Or some semblance of nervous, given his robotic nature. It was not that he didn't trust Iruma, not at all. Iruma was a good friend, and was clearly knowledgeable, but the way she was treating this maintenance check was... odd, to say the least.
"Kiibs, I hope you get how lucky you are. Not every guy gets to be serviced by a gal like me, y'know?" the inventor smugly proclaimed.
"Y-yes. I am quite fortunate to have you," the robot replied.
"Have me, eh? You're so forward!" Iruma joked.
"You will be cautious, yes? I've never had anyone work on me other than Dr. Idabashi, so..."
Iruma gasped. "I'm gonna be your first! And you came and asked, you charmer!"
Kiibo's face grew stern. "Iruma-san, are you taking this seriously?"
"Serious as shit, pal," the busty blonde remarked. "I can't have a buddy of mine walking around less than 100 percent."
"Good," Kiibo said in relief.
"But, I may wanna do a little experimental stuff with ya, if you're cool with it," she suggested.
"Experimental?" he repeated, confused.
Iruma chuckled and began to play with a loose strand of hair. "Well... I've got a lotta toys I may want to try out, if you're interested..."
If Kiibo could gulp, he would. "I... think I will enter sleep mode for the duration of this maintenance period. I will wake up in approximately 45 minutes. Hopefully that will be enough time."
As the robot's eyes flashed, Iruma was left confused, asking, "Wait, what does that..."
Kiibo's body made a whirring noise, and his eyes shut. The mechanical student gave no indication that he would respond to any sort of external stimuli.
"Man... Sleeping Beauty'd my ass," Iruma complained. "Aw well... easier to work with, I guess..."
Iruma cracked her knuckles and prepared to begin.
Then everything went dark.
Throughout her life, the one constant Akamatsu had was piano. Inevitably she would turn to it in times of need. And after her little spat with Angie earlier that morning, a good jam session as it were was precisely what she needed. She plucked away at the keys fiercely, a tune that she felt emphasized her emotions.
watch?v=bxBiemVVkLg
The song captured the frantic desire to escape from her troubles. That the piano would capture her soul as it had done a million times before, and leave all the bad things behind. Maybe if she kept playing it would cause her regrets to disappear into the ether. Faster, louder, playing and playing until there would be no reminder of the poor decisions of the past. But it was for naught.
Though it did attract some attention.
"Welp, I'd say you earned your title."
Akamatsu turned to see two unlikely listeners who had snuck in behind her.
"Not that I had any doubt of that, mind you, just saying," Hoshi continued.
"I couldn't make music like that even with high-level audio magic," Yumeno added.
"What are you two doing here?" the pianist asked.
"We were gonna head up to my lab," Hoshi explained. "Yumeno's been asking me to do some physical drills with her, but then we heard you playing and she said we should stop by."
"I thought... maybe you needed someone to talk to," the mage reasoned. "You've always been so nice to everyone else, I didn't want you to think no one would be nice back."
The two's kind words mustered up a smile from the blonde. "Thanks."
Hoshi, suddenly feeling the third wheel, worked his way back into the conversation. "So... maybe... you'd like to do some drills too? I've got nothing else going on."
"Yeah, sounds good. Saihara-kun's been doing art stuff, and Momota-kun's been cutting out, so I haven't gotten anywhere near as much exercise as I feel I should," Akamatsu agreed.
"We'll train hard and get stronger," Yumeno declared, "and we won't let anything stop us. For Tenko's sake, and our own."
Akamatsu smiled again. If Yumeno could keep up a bold face in the face of what she had gone through, continuing the fight would be child's play for the pianist.
Though as the group found their way up to the 3rd floor, on their way to Hoshi's lab, Akamatsu noticed something. Something innocuous, though significant enough to make her stop in her tracks.
"Something wrong?" Hoshi inquired.
Akamatsu walked slowly toward the offending image. "Toujou-san's lab door is open."
The other two, equally confused, followed Akamatsu toward the opened entryway, and were stunned by what they saw.
*BING-BONG, BING-BONG*
"A body has been discovered! Everyone please gather to the location of the corpse, the Ultimate Maid's Research Lab."
Before them lie two bodies. One, slumped over in a chair, covered by a blanket. The other, near an overturned table, surrounded by flatware and shards of fine china.
Akamatsu, horrified at the prospect of what she was seeing, ran over to the body in the chair. "Toujou-san! Toujou-san! Please! You can't be..."
"Ugh..."
To the delight of the others, the silver-haired girl stirred awake, revealing that though she had been unconscious, she was indeed still alive.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Akamatsu couldn't be bothered to give a proper answer. "You're alive! Thank goodness!"
Though the fact that Toujou was alive brought a sigh of relief to the trio, it was tinged with the bitter taste of reality. The other body they had found was a corpse. A fellow student was indeed dead.
Said student being the Ultimate Entomologist, Gonta Gokuhara.
A/N: Fun fact, heard that song on the radio the day before I posted this. Serendipity is a beautiful thing.
So, once again, I must retreat to the writing cave, as I cannot post the investigation until after I've finished writing the entire trial. I hope to see you all again when it occurs, and hopefully the revelations won't cause as much backlash as the Shinguuji thing...
Also, no double murder! I live to throw you guys off...