AN: And the gameshow continues...
Also, I recommend reading this chapter more than once, since it is very fast paced. I assure you though, THERE IS REASON for this chapter to be fast paced.
Shadowplayer360: Oh don't worry. Whenever I'm writing, I never feel like I'm being forced too. In fact, when I feel that way, I just stop. Thanks for the review! Hopefully this chapter manages to keep you interested.
Reven228: Thanks for the review! I know right? How could she still be alive.
Ode 30: Monokuma has done some shit things though. And whaddya mean don't kill someone good? When someone does die, it wouldn't be DANGANRONPA if it weren't DANGANRONPA.
MizunashiFuyuko: Don't worry, don't be scared. Just take a deep breath...Thanks for the review!
AnimesWorld: Thanks for all your reviews! Hope you don't get unsatisfied.
FateOblivion: A lot happens in seven days...thanks for the review!
Gingericus19: Well, thanks for the reviews! Glad you still liked the second trial!
As you can tell I'm not really up to snuff for replying to reviews right now. So sleepy...
Location: The Infirmary | Time: 7:03 AM | Chapter Three | 23 DAYS LEFT
…
...Sniff...
"...W-who's is that..?"
"M-master..?"
Soundtrack: Welcome to Despair Academy
It took awhile for me to realize where I was. Surprisingly, I didn't feel sore at all. My body felt...great. Did Monokuma do this to me..?
I know what I did to get here in the infirmary. I remember pushing Mirai out of Meowykins' volley of bullets – yet I didn't expect to survive that at all. How...how am I alive right now? And feeling this good? Or at least "good" compared to how I should be feeling – absolutely terrible from being nearly shot to death.
"M-master..!" Mirai cried out. "Y-you're alive..?!"
"O-of course I'm alive," I stammered. "And...I feel good too."
"B-but that's not possible..!" Noah said from across the room. His face was a bit shocked, and I couldn't say I wasn't shocked back. I got up from the bed and looked around the room. Everyone was there; their eyes red, soaked with tears.
"What's going on..?" I asked, nervous of their response.
"I-I didn't know what to do..!" Mirai said softly. "T-this machine thing, over here..!"
Mirai pointed to the monitor to the left of me. A heart monitor. My heart was operating just fine...
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"What about it?" I asked.
"...When Monokuma allowed us to see you," Shougo started, "the machine flatlined."
"What?!"
"I-in short, you died..!" Unmei said, coughing through her tears.
"I died..?"
"I didn't know how I would react if you died because of me..." Mirai said sadly. "W-why did you come and save me..? I told you that I would take it! I didn't...want you to get hurt..."
"...But I'm okay now," I said. "Really...guys, I feel fine!"
"This...is extremely abnormal," Noah said.
"If the machine flatlined..." Kaito thought out loud. "Did Monokuma really save you..?"
Soundtrack: Monokuma Sensei's Lesson
"Um..." Monokuma said as he popped from the doorway. "I admit, I didn't do anything to save her..."
"What the hell?!" Unmei cried.
"S-so, she just came back to life..?" Noah asked. "Is that how it worked..?"
"Don't know!" Monokuma growled. "This is some weird shit, man! I was all embarrased for killing someone here breaking the rules, and I was prepared to excuse Mirai and let him back into the gameshow!"
"Y-you still expect us to participate in that?!" Kirei yelled.
"Of course I do!" Monokuma yelled. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I almost died!" I cried out. "Apparently I flatlined!"
"And I have no idea how you came back to life either," Monokuma said. "Man...you must be the real Super Highschool Level Good Luck. The first guy I met with that title wasn't lucky at all."
Monokuma hopped up onto my legs. Careful not to hit him, I swiftly brushed my legs aside as he wobbled onto the bed.
"Of course, you're an exception," Monokuma sighed. "I don't expect you to participate in the gameshow at all anymore. I don't think your condition is well enough."
"But she said she felt fine," Mirai said, tilting his head.
"Mirai..!" Shougo snapped. "Why would you tell him that..?"
"Hmm...then think of it as a gift," Monokuma said. "Upupupu...I feel divinely bad about almost murdering you, so there's no need for you to participate in my wonderful gameshow anymore! Though, we do need a representative for Team Keiko, so Mirai will do just fine!"
"What?!" I gasped. "He still has to participate?!"
"I-it's okay, Master," he said. "I can do it!"
"That's verb confusion!" Kaito snapped. "Why would it be a gift not to participate in something wonderful?"
"Don't execute your talent now!" Unmei scolded.
"Then again, I still wonder how you apparently sprung back to life like that," Monokuma said. "Maybe this heart monitor is broken. If it flatlined and you weren't really dead, then I need a new one, don't I?"
"So...are you saying I didn't die?"
"No, I'm saying it might have broke," Monokuma said. "I never said it was actually broken. It's actually more likely that you did die and come back to life! This infirmary uses state of the art technology to treat you bastards with the highest priority in mind. This heart monitor isn't just some cheap machine that I built out of cardboard! We spent good money for that stuff!"
"For her sake, I hope it's just that the heart monitor broke," Noah sighed in relief. "Anyways...it appears that you're fine for now."
"M-master, don't do that again..!" Mirai whined. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me..."
"Upupupu!" Monokuma laughed. "That line's been done to death! I don't even want to hear it anymore!"
"B-but do we really have to continue the gameshow..?" Kirei asked nervously.
Monokuma tilted his head. "Hmm? Honey, I thought I just told you that."
"W-wait a minute!" Ryoko gasped. "What about the others with those insane injuries?"
"O-oh!" Kirei noticed. "My...my arm is a bit better now."
"My eye doesn't...feel as bad either," Furo said. "What's going on..?"
"W-well, I thought maybe the first part of our gameshow got a bit out of hand," Monokuma said, stuttering a bit. "So I thought as a consolation prize, that I'd heal all of your injuries early...besides, I think you'll participate better with no real injuries, don't you?"
"You mean I still gotta do it..?" Ryoko sighed. "Man...those green beans were a pain."
"Shut up, you," Furo sighed. "If you haven't noticed, Kirei got her arm crushed, I got my eyes slit, Unmei had her feet burned, and Keiko was nearly shot to death. Don't complain about green beans."
"But I hate green beans!" Ryoko yelled. "Me and green beans do not connect at all!"
"Anyways, now that we know Keiko is okay, I expect you bastards to arrive at the drama room extra early today! As in right now!"
"I don't have to come, do I..?" I asked. "Not that I don't want to be there for support...but...I'd rather be alone."
"I said you didn't have to participate," Monokuma said. "I never said you didn't have to watch."
"She has to watch too..?" Yoshinori asked. "Yo! Bear! What the fuck is your problem, exactly?"
"Still brutally honest..!" Monokuma sighed. "Well, that's alright. You'll discover a bit more about yourself after today's gameshow!"
"What do you mean?" Yoshinori asked. "I know all about myself than I ever could."
"Nuh uh!" Monokuma snapped back. "I bet you don't know everything about yourself!
"What else is there to know?" Yoshinori asked angrily. "Wanna know my bust size, do ya?"
"While I wouldn't mind, that's not exactly what you didn't know about yourself," Monokuma said. "In fact, you've proven so ineffective, that Meowykins and I decided to just let loose! Give out everything we got!"
"Me? Ineffective? About what?"
"I've said too much already," Monokuma sighed. "Besides, we have to get things rolling! I'll see you all at the gameshow! Bye!"
With that, Monokuma disappeared within a flash before our eyes.
...Did I really..."die?" Is that what happened to me?
"...M-Master, do you need help walking?" Mirai asked. "I can give you a hand..."
"That's okay," I said. "I...think I can walk."
"Don't push yourself," Noah said, worried.
"Wish us luck in the gameshow though," Unmei said. "I don't know what else we have to do. That textbook and web password better be worthwhile information."
"It has to be," Kaito said. "I know it."
"Hey, you!" Yoshinori called.
"Me..?"
"How come you didn't hafta participate in the first part of that gameshow?" Yoshinori sneered. "It seems a bit unfair to me, when poor Keiko over here was shot to death!"
"We can stop referencing me now," I pleaded.
"I guess I was lucky?" Kaito responded, his voice filled with guilt. "Believe me, I would have taken any of your spots. It didn't sit right with me to do nothing."
"...Fine," Yoshinori said. "I believe you. But you won't be like that during our second round, will ya?"
"What's your deal..?" Kaito sighed. "I said I felt bad about it."
"Feeling bad isn't enough!" Yoshinori fought back.
"I-instead of fighting, we should head to the gameshow quickly!" Kirei interrupted. "I don't feel like making Monokuma angry today..."
"...Guess she's right," Yoshinori sighed. "Anyways, I'll see you all over there."
"Right back at you," said Kaito as he followed Yoshinori. "Wish us luck."
I waited a bit to get out of bed, and I noticed Mirai was still waiting for me.
"...Master?" Mirai asked. He outstretched his hand towards me, and I took it, struggling out of bed. I was able to walk fine, but Mirai insisted on letting him assist me. It felt a bit awkward, but we eventually made it to the drama room. Where the gameshow had to continue.
Music halts
Location: The Drama Room | Time: 7:31 AM | Chapter Three | 23 DAYS LEFT
Soundtrack: Space Channel 5 – Spaceport Introducing Ulala!
"Upupupupu!" laughed Monokuma from the stage.
I sat with the others eliminated at the bleachers, far away from the actual stage itself. Monokuma had lined up the contestants who weren't eliminated; Kirei, Unmei, Furo, Ryoko, Kaito, and Mirai. The final six contestants...hopefully this was the last of the gameshow that we ever had to witness.
"Today in our event, we're going to mess with the element of sound for a little while," Monokuma said. "What can sound do to your psyche? Who really knows?"
Music Halts
Monokuma stared down at the contestants as he stood on top of a huge podium. The people participating all sat down in large chairs, looking at one another. Monokuma requested that they put on headphones that were located at the side of their seats, and they complied immediately. Monokuma then pulled a switch, and the eliminated, including me, watched with observant eyes to see what exactly was happening.
But...it didn't look like anything was happening at all.
Everyone who sat down at the stage seemed completely normal to me.
"Oi, Monokuma," Furo said from the stage. "What is this? What do you want us to do?"
"Just listen to the calm music in your heads," Monokuma said. "Breathe carefully, and think pleasant thoughts!"
"B-but, this is heavy metal," Kirei said.
"Heavy metal is soothing though," Monokuma sighed. "Die, mother fucker, die, mother fucker, die...Don't those words just calm you down a bit?"
"N-no," Kirei replied.
"Well, find a way to love it!" Monokuma growled.
Those eliminated could just watch as they listened to this "heavy metal." I wasn't really sure on what was happening, but after about thirty minutes, Monokuma instructed them to place their headphones to the side of their chair.
Soundtrack: Beautiful Morning
"Well, that's done and done!" Monokuma said happily. "Today's gameshow...is now over!"
"What?" Ryoko said confused. "That's really it?"
"Yup," Monokuma said. "It was a challenge, you see, for those who could actually tolerate heavy metal. You all passed with a flair."
"...Did you tone the challenges down a bit?" Mirai asked, tilting his head. "Or...I don't know...I don't have a good feeling about this."
"Oh, Mirai," Monokuma sighed. "It's done! Today's gameshow is over! Can't you just accept that as fact?"
"Not really," Mirai replied.
"There's really no catch, right?" Kaito asked. "Are we really safe?"
"Wow! You guys have sponges for ears!" Monokuma said angrily. "I said today's gameshow was over! O-V-E-R! That means there's nothing more that will happen today, you got it? Now scram! I have to prepare for tomorrow's gameshow!"
"There's another one?" I asked.
"Of course!" Monokuma said. "There's going to be four gameshows! The first one was yesterday, you know, the one where you almost died in. The second one was today, the third one is tomorrow, and the fourth one will be the day after tomorrow. Then, that's it. You'll be welcome to continue the rest of your days in peace."
"You mean if we survive two days, you'll stop us from playing this game?" Mirai asked hopefully. "And we'll get to see that textbook..?"
"Do I have to spell out everything for you?" Monokuma asked. "Yes, that's what's going to happen, ok? Now seriously. Get out. I need to prepare for tomorrow."
"Wait, but -"
"Oh, and one last thing," the bear said. "I need all the contestants to be up and ready to do the gameshow, real early in the morning tomorrow! Like, at four o' clock AM early."
"W-what?!" Kirei asked. "But why would we have to do that..?"
"Don't question the bear, sweetheart!" Monokuma snapped. "Just go with the flow..!"
Monokuma didn't listen to any of our complaints, and instead threatened us out of the room. I didn't feel like being threatened, so I decided to leave. The others followed me out soon later, and I spent the rest of my day in my room.
That is, until dinner...
Location: The Cafeteria | Time: 6:00 PM | Chapter Three | 23 DAYS LEFT
*Ding, dong! Ding, dong!*
"Attention you bastards! It is now 6:00 PM! Time for dinner! Get your asses down to the cafeteria or your completely fresh food will turn rotten in an instant."
That same message would play everytime I prepared to leave for the cafeteria. It seemed like Monokuma had the message on some sort of timer; when it's this time, then the same alarm that it corresponds to would play. I suppose that way it is more efficient, though hearing the same thing over and over again got a bit grating after a while.
I headed up to the metal doors where my dinner awaited me, and it seems like I was late again. There was a bit of a feud going on when I arrived there...and I'm glad I wasn't there to see it start.
Soundtrack: DISTRUST
"What the fuck are you saying?!" Furo screeched from the other side of the cafeteria.
"You heard me, you little bitch!" Ryoko screamed. "You're art is chicken scratch, got it?!"
"Um, what's going on?" I asked as I entered the room.
The others were sitting back, watching as the two fought it out.
"Why aren't you guys doing anything?" I whispered.
"We tried," Noah said. "Ryoko won't stay quiet for some reason."
"Y-yeah," Yoshinori said. "Ryoko's got some issues..."
Even Yoshinori seemed quieter than usual.
"Ryoko, calm down," I said from a distance.
"This bitch is pissing me off though!" Ryoko snapped. "Let me take this dumb art bitch! I'll fucking stab him to death!"
"Why're you even screaming like that?!" Furo asked angrily. "Listen here, tattoo punk! You don't have the right to yell at me like that!"
"What did you say to me..?" she asked in response.
Furo shook is head rapidly, and headed towards the cafeteria table. His notepad lay beside his tray of food, and he clutched at his food in fury.
"Don't walk away, you scrawny punk!" Ryoko yelled.
She ran towards Furo in a fit of rage, and the next thing you know, something terrible happens.
Music Halts
…
…
"What the..?"
…
…
"N-no..!"
Soundtrack: All All Apologies
Furo clutched his notepad that was laying next to his food. I could see at least half of his life work drenched in water. Ryoko looked at him stunned, a cup of water in her hand. Ryoko was being a bit of a bitch, but by how she reacted, I don't think she really expected to splash Furo's notepad. Furo himself, sure, but even Ryoko could see how rude she was being.
Furo dropped his notepad onto the ground and glared at Ryoko. He did nothing except glare at her for a few seconds, until later, he finally picked up his tray of food and left the cafeteria.
It took a few minutes for us to realize what just happened. I picked up his sketchbook and began to flip through all the pages; sure enough though, almost half of his sketchbook was ruined by the water.
"H-help me dry this, you guys," I said.
Shougo ran towards the bathroom to get some paper towels as I ripped out the ruined pages. It's not like I was going to throw them away, but it wouldn't do any good for his sketchpad if it just stood their soaking like that. Waiting for Shougo, I turned to Ryoko. Her face was still in a minor form of denial, yet I could tell that she was guilty. Even if just a little bit.
"I...I'm going to apologize," Ryoko said.
Ryoko ran out of the cafeteria. Next...
"...I-I'm sorry, I'm going to leave too," Kirei said.
And she left...
"...Yeah...I dunno if I feel like eatin' either," Yoshinori sighed. "I'm out, you guys."
Yoshinori left in a slump.
And soon, it was just the eight of us eating in that cafeteria.
"I wonder what their deal is..?" Kaito asked.
"...Ryoko is brash, but she's not that mean," Unmei followed. "Why would she even say things like that..?"
"Those weren't the nicest words," I agreed, letting out a large sigh. "Why do things have to escalate so quickly in this place?"
"You didn't even hear half of the words she said," Shougo said. "Ryoko was just...completely mean. Worse than Micky."
"But she's not like that..." Takayashi said sadly.
..."It can't be though..." Noah said, deep in thought.
"What can't?" Mirai asked, blissfully unaware of what just happened.
"What if what happened right now..."
Soundtrack: A Dead End to the Ocean's Aroma
"What if what happened was Monokuma's motive?" Noah asked.
"His motive..?" Takayashi asked.
"I remember seeing everyone that participated put headphones around their ears. Did it manipulate them somehow..?"
"But, Unmei and I weren't affected," Kaito said. "Neither was Kirei, Yoshinori, or even Mirai."
"Basically, it was just that tattoo girl," Takayashi nodded.
"...No, maybe Kirei and Yoshinori were affected by something too," Noah observed. "Did you not notice the way the left the room like that..? They were clearly disturbed about something. Though I don't exactly know what."
We all were left in thought with Noah's words. No one spoke a sound as we began to think, what the hell just happened?
Was this really Monokuma's motive..?
I walked down to my room, from the hallway, thinking and thinking.
"O-oh, Keiko!" Kirei said to me. "What's going on..?"
"I'm just heading to my room," I said. "Good night."
"G-good night!" she said, a bit more nervous than usual. She walked off to the opposite direction, and didn't turn back.
"...That's odd."
Shaking the strange turn of events out of my head, I brought my attention back to what Noah said. Was it really Monokuma's motive for Ryoko to be like that? If so...then who's in danger?
This thought carried with me, all the way unto the third gameshow, and as that thought continue, I had a dreamless night.
Dreamless...
Location: ? | Time: ? | Chapter Three | 23 DAYS LEFT
Soundtrack: Aria of the Soul
"Welcome."
I looked ahead of me. It wasn't the man – I wouldn't have expected it to be. But I didn't expect it to be Nanako either. The man...he said Nanako wouldn't be here to help me anymore.
...Wait a minute...that's not Nanako.
"...Are you stupid?" the woman asked. "Don't stare at me like that."
She got up and walked towards me quickly. Unlike the other two, she didn't worry about concealing her identity. The room was baked in the same darkness as it was always, but this woman had no fear of showing her true self.
"Who are you..?" I asked.
"That's not important," the woman said. "What is important is that I tell you something important."
"Where's Nanako..?" I asked, this time asking something different. "Where's the man..?"
"The man will not see you today," the woman said. "Yet...Nanako? Is that her name? She's a personal friend of mine, so I suppose I'm filling in her job for her."
"It is her name," I confirmed. "But that's not something I'd expect to hear from someone who's claiming that she's a friend."
"You have been asleep for a while," the woman said, ignoring what I said completely. "Which is why I cannot keep you here for long."
"What..?"
"I also must leave quickly before they catch on," the woman said, sighing.
They? Who the hell is they?
"Are you just ignoring me?!"
"Nanako said that she'd help you throughout your journey," the woman said, completely ignoring me again. "Is that true or false?"
"T-that's true," I said. "But -"
"Then since she is no longer available, as one personal favor, I will help you instead this time."
"But who are you?!"
She continued to ignore me. "I've observed that she'd only be able to confirm someone's death. Is that also true?"
"What?!"
Someone's...death? What does that mean?
"I see," the woman said.
What the hell did she see?
"Alright then, good day."
She snapped her fingers, and she walked hurriedly out of the door.
"W-wait..!"
I could only mutter those words, before being envolped in another white light.
My thoughts were drifting...who was that lady..? How was she...related to Nanako?
...What's going on around here..?
Location: The Drama Room | Time: 7:31 AM | Chapter Three | 22 DAYS LEFT
Music Halts
"On this special episode of the Monokuma gameshow..!"
"Fire!"
I looked down from the bleachers and saw six of my friends in a circle. There were six bags in their hands, some huge, looking like the size of a painting, and others tiny, which were decorative at best.
In front of them was a large brazier that was lit on fire. It looked like a pot with flames shooting out of it, which seemed a bit tribal.
"All you need to do for this gameshow is drop the bag into the fire!" Monokuma announced happily. "It's a commeration of such a successful gameshow! It's a mystery item that will be revealed on tomorrow's gameshow!
"A mystery item..?" Noah asked, beside me. "That doesn't seem good."
I shook my head in agreement. It didn't seem good at all.
Ryoko got up first, looking a bit fishy, as she dropped her bag into the fire. Then followed Yoshinori, then Kirei, and so on and so forth.
"There we go!" Monokuma said happily. "You are all excused now!"
I ran down from the bleachers into the stage below. The six who were playing didn't seem fazed at all, unlike the last time. The others followed in pursuit, and we all took the contestants to the hall.
"W-what's going on..?" Kirei asked. "I – I swear! I didn't do anything wrong!
"Stop paddlin' us like that," Yoshinori sighed. "It's getting on my nerve, you know?"
"Do you feel any different?" Noah asked them.
"We ain't going to feel different by dropping bags into a ball of fire," Yoshinori snapped. "You're a policeman, aren't you? I resent cases of sexual assault."
"I'm not...never mind."
Soundtrack: Monokuma Sensei's Lesson
"Ooh!" Monokuma swooned. "Did I hear a case of sexual assault was going down?"
"Arrest this fake," Yoshinori said, pointing at Noah. "He's not a real policeman."
"Posers aren't against the rules though," Monokuma said, bringing his paws to his mouth. "But you know what is against the rules? Murder!"
Soundtrack: A Dead End to the Ocean's Aroma
…
Murder?
"Whoopsie..! Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?" Monokuma asked. "Bye then!"
Monokuma than left us to his sinister words.
…
Soundtrack: Monokuma Sensei's Extracurricular Lessons
...Murder!
"What the fuck did he just say?!" Ryoko asked yelling.
"Murder..! It's murder..!" Unmei said panicking.
I looked around us. If a murder already happened, then there was someone who wasn't here that we missed..!
I looked at our group. There should be eleven people...Eleven people right now...
...Ten?
"W-where's..?"
"...Who was murdered?!" Unmei began to scream.
"Everyone split up," Noah commanded. "We don't know if her life was taken yet."
...Her.
I ran all across the second dome. I searched every room, every nook and cranny. The others had already split up, not turning back. We were all so desperate that we had to split up alone. I was all alone, searching for her dead body.
I kept thinking "her," but I never actually said who "she" was. That's because reality is a harsh thing, and I think somehow, I thought by censoring out her name, I would've been able to avoid the fact that she actually died. I know that was just confusing...but I'm just thinking to myself anyways.
Because after a long session of searching, I opened the door to the animal pound.
Music halts
Everytime a gameshow ends, there is always a long clap of applause afterwards, or some sort of noise.
There was a noise, I could tell you that much.
It was the noise of a piercing scream that came from my mouth.
I thought that maybe we'd be able to pull through.
I mean, we've all decided to sacrifice ourselves in that first gameshow, right?
Weren't we all friends? Takayashi?
Soundtrack: Hope's Breaking Noise
The only one who could be dead? Takayashi. And her body lay under a tarp, as I stared in agony.
Continued in Chapter 2: Section 9.
AN: It wasn't really "rushed," but moreso intentionally "incredibly fast-paced."
So yeah. Takayashi is dead doe.
If confusion, in the end, when Keiko was counting down who the survivors were, there were only 10 people as opposed to 11, which is what it should have been if Takayashi weren't killed. It was Takayashi who wasn't there, and I used "her" and "she" to temporarily conceal her identity.
I didn't know how I could have written this chapter well TBH. I think I drove myself into a trap by making the gameshow last more than one day, since it was just hard to write like that. Oh well. You learn as you write, right? With one final note, I was finally able to find the death song when people die! That stuff is spooky as hell.
