Act 3-1: On A Wing And A Prayer

My name is Ashley Jubilee Jung. I am the Super High School Level K-Pop Idol. This...is not your usual introduction.

Normally, my byeong-sin of a stepbrother would show up, taunt me about how I sent another of my classmates to death, and guilt-trip me into a generally having a pretty bad morning.

But, as I've so reproachfully admitted, Phuong Tien Lam, the Super High School Level Scientist, kind of had it coming. She did fully admit to killing Xiang Li, the Super High School Level Soldier. Nevertheless, it was still just as horrible to see her fate.

...I don't think I'll be taking any more laboratory practicals when I get back.

If I get back.

Right now, however, I'm not sleeping, nor just waking up. I'm fully awake, conscious, and pondering the response to a question that may very well never be answered.

...Maya, what have you done now?

I walked over to Sasha and attempted to put a comforting hand on their back. "Sasha, it's...okay-"

"No! No it isn't!" They looked at me angrily. "Those papers could have prevented or solved murders or even helped us find our way out! They were our biggest asset and now they're gone!"

"...What's gone?"

Hideki walked into the swimming pool, propping a now-limping Eric. He watched as the ashes floated on the water, before turning to us. "Was there something burning in here?"

Sasha responded with another wail. "Jackson's papers!"

"..."

To my incredulous surprise, Hideki began to laugh.

"Ahahahahahaha! Good grief, is that all?" His laugh faded into a genial smile. "I was actually going to discuss getting rid of them entirely, but it looks like Maya beat me to the chase."

Sasha was dumbfounded. "But why?! Those could help us stop murderers! Prevent deaths! Catch whoever did this! Escape!"

"And look at what happened to the last person with access to them, that's why!" Clearing his throat, Hideki bent down to crinkle the last remaining ashes back into nothing but dust. "I may not approve of how much trouble Maya went to destroy these, nor-" he pointed to Eric, who was now lying on the floor, nursing his knee, "The damage she dealt in her wake, but as far as I'm concerned, she did us all a favour by burning those."

Sasha's only response was more enraged wailing. They glared at Hideki and stood up. "When the next murder turns out to be unsolvable because of some information that we would have known had we had Jackson's papers, you'll be sorry." And with that, they stormed out of the room.

Silence followed, before the sound of footsteps re-entered the swimming pool room.

Maya, who had left via the other hallway, paused in her tracks once she realized we were still here, but then resumed as if nothing had happened. "So, what happened to the Bolshevik?"

Assuming she meant Sasha, I replied. "They stormed off after you burned JJ's papers."

"Urgh…"

We turned. Eric was groaning in pain, still clutching his lower body.

"And what happened to him?" Maya raised an eyebrow.

"You dropped the barricade on his leg and just about smashed it, that's what happened." Hideki frowned. "Fractured tibia, possibly broken fibula; I don't know for sure until I operate on it, but it's certainly going to be long-lasting, if not permanent."

She blanched, and for the first time, ever, I saw Maya with a face of...was that contrite?

Hardening her countenance, she went over to Eric's prone body. With a "Tch.", Maya bent down, and offered a hand to the Stage Fighter. "Take it."

To say our jaws hit the floor was an understatement. Eric scooped his back up, before sputtering out, "M-Maya? What are you-"

"Don't get me wrong," she hissed, "I still hate your fucking guts, Eric."

Her expression softened. "But this time, it's the least I can do. Now shut up, and unless you want me to break your other leg, get to hopping."

Lifting him up, Maya allowed him to grab her shoulder before propping him up and walk/hopping with him back down the escalator.

I didn't think I'd seen Eric quite as happy during the week as he was at that moment.

"Well, I should probably follow them to the Medical Room." Hideki massaged his temple. "I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but...could you please go check up on Sasha, wherever they are?"

"I can do that, sure." I responded. At least talking to Sasha would be easier, right?

...Right?

1st Floor Aft

2nd Floor Aft

Selected Level: 1st Floor Aft

Atrium

Passenger Cabins

Dining Area - Ballroom

Dining Area - Kitchen

Storage Room

Medical Room

Janitor's Closet

Casino and Bar

Luxury Sitting Room

Mysterious Room

Selected Area: Passenger Cabins

I found Sasha in their room, glaring at the wall. They hadn't even bothered to close their door.

"I thought you said we should keep our doors closed, Sasha."

They sighed, their glare intensifying. "No motive in play. Chances of me dying are negligible."

I sighed in return. "Look, I know you're furious about what Maya did, but I'm sure she had a perfectly good reason to."

"Reason or not, I just...can't accept that." They hung their head low. "Those files were absolutely vital into profiling the rest of our classmates."

A thought occurred to me. "Did you ever read into Maya's file, then?"

"I haven't-" Their face lit up. "Wait, is that why she destroyed them? Because there was something that would incriminate her? Shady bitch…"

"Well, I guess it'd possible…" My mind shifted back to yesterday. "If I remember correctly, I did offer to cut your hair earlier. Want me to make good on that?"

Sasha smiled slightly. "Don't see why not."

"How does it look?"

They smiled. "Pretty nice. I mean, I've never paid attention to my hair, but this is nice."

Their hair was now roughly chin-length, as opposed to the choppily-cut shoulder-length bob they'd been sporting earlier.

"I think you look great," I said. I wasn't lying - Sasha could really clean up when they wanted to.

"I...thanks." A bit of a blush began creeping up their face.

"Are you okay?" I stated bluntly.

They looked up at me. "Y-Yeah, why?"

I thought for a minute about how to put it. "Your best friend died, you were framed for his murder, and on top of that you had to be reminded of some really awful things. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

They smiled. "You underestimate me, Ashley. Part of what makes me such a successful activist is just how much I've survived and not let it affect me. It'll take more than a death to force me into despair."

...There was an underlying quiver in their voice. It was slight, but it was present.

But I supposed at least they confident in themself. They had much more than I'd probably ever have if I were in their place.

"Well, if you're sure. I'll be taking my leave now." I got up, placing the scissors back on their desk. "Take care, alright?"

"Sure." They waved to me. "Take care, then. Try not to die."

"...You know, you don't have to be so morbid."

I closed the door before they could answer, before leaving for...somewhere.

I spent some time just walking around, trying to gather my collective thoughts. Not many people were free to talk to me - they were all busy with their own activisties.

Johan and Faen were cooking in the kitchen together. It felt it a bit rude to intrude on them having a moment, so I moved on. I kep walking past Matthew and Jackie, who were liplocking on one of the tables.

I decided to move on again.

Atrium

Passenger Cabins

Dining Area - Ballroom

Dining Area - Kitchen

Storage Room

Medical Room

Janitor's Closet

Casino and Bar

Luxury Sitting Room

Mysterious Room

Selected Area: Medical Room

"Ah, Ashley."

Hideki looked up from where he appeared to be knitting Eric's skin back together. "I'm just finishing up the procedure - Eric may not be able to walk on his own for a while, and I'll get him to a proper surgical unit once we get off here. Also, it's not 'knitting', it's 'suturing', please."

"Oh. Okay." I looked around.

Other than Eric, who was lying on the bed closest to the door, the bed at the far end appeared to be taken as well. Its inhabitant was shielded by one of the hospital dividers.

"Is that Maya over there?" I asked, curious.

"Actually, no." Hideki shrugged. "Whoever it was, they were here before she dragged Eric in. She left for her room after that."

Huh. So who could be over there, then?

My mind raced through the possibilities before settling on a name. I immediately felt terrible.

What kind of friend am I?

Pushing past the divider, I immediately bent down to place a hand on Nico's forehead. I recoiled - she was burning up.

I took a clean towel from nearby, and drenched it in some water from the sink. Laying it across her forehead, I pressed it gently, and flinched at the sizzling sound. Oh no...This sounds serious now...

Her eyes fluttered open. "W...What's going...on?"

"You have a fever, Nico." I said quietly, trying to soothe her. "You need rest, and lots of it."

She smiled weakly. "N-Not...more cowbell?"

"Just...rest, alright?" I whispered, smoothing down her bedhead. "You'll get better, I know you will."

"It is alright…" Propping herself up into a seating position, she looked at where Hideki was helping Eric get up. "So...what happened while I was out cold…? Well, out hot, I guess, but-"

At that moment, Maya appeared from beyond our field of view. She made a gesture towards Hideki, whenceupon he presented Eric's arm towards her. She seemed almost...eager to help.

Nico turned towards me. Even though her eyes were glassy and unfocused, she had a grin on her face. "Hehe...Looks like someone got lucky - why does Eric have...a broken leg, though...?"

I briefly recounted the events that transpired.

"They're gone, huh…?" She slid back down onto her pillow. "That's...good...They can't be used anymore...Tien's death isn't in vain anymore…"

I sighed. "I just wish we could get off this airship. I don't want to lose anyone else…"

"You and me both…" she exhaled, before her eyes lit up as much as they could. "Do you know where Lucy is…? I feel like...I need to repay her...for bringing me here safely…"

I made to respond when a firm hand grasped my shoulder.

"Don't be, Nico. It was ze least I could do." Lucille bent down, before placing a hand on Nico's shoulder. "You've repaid me enough when Ava passed - you both stayed by my side to comfort me at ze lowest point of my airborne life. Merci for zhat, and for zhat. There's no need to repay me."

"Oh...thank you as well, then." Nico beamed.

"Um, ladies, is now a bad time to interrupt?"

Hideki strode in from behind me. "We have much to discuss, so I'd like to ask if you would be willing to listen to me for some time."

"What is zis about?" Lucille asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

His eye gleamed, "I'd like to induct you all to the Secret Six."

Act 3-1 FIN

11 Students Remaining

A/N:

...Okay, before you kill us, let us explain.

SD and I have been trying to write the bonus for a while. By trying, I mean really trying. Despite his school, my work (and two different RPs, because I've discovered I love RPing) and our general time differences we met several times on the doc. Had that been a normal chapter it'd have been done last week.

Thing is, it wasn't. We didn't have an outline or any plans going in and it was just too long a project. Neither of us honestly had the will to finish it.

So we're indefinitely postponing it. Sorry about that, guys. To satisfy your shippy feels check our profiles for some 30 Day Shipping Challenge goodness. I'm doing AyuRin, SD's doing Mile High Club, Captain Quackin is doing HidekAsh, and CrimsonSkyTamer is doing AyumuxNicol.

Now, reviews:

Anime nerd 88: I wouldn't say we're better than any of the original games, but thank you for the kind words! I won't confirm or deny your vent theory, but it's a new take on the subject and I think it's an interesting theory myself.

Phosphoraisme: Haha, you're welcome. My main goal in life is to create the most brutal and heartbreaking Dangan Ronpa fanfiction this side of the planet. Trust me, this Act is so much worse.

Unicorn819: Todd's location will be important, but not for a while. However, it isn't early to guess the mastermind. We've foreshadowed it quite a bit.

This guy: Not confirming or denying her fate. Fandom is split on this - Dingus thinks she'll deliver the final blow to the mastermind.

SomeSnappyName: Yeah. Eric's just as serious a character as any. Comic relief is not his defining trait.

And yeah, what Maya did? No help at all. No murders prevented, valuable information lost. She dun messed up.

Yeah, Xiang's involved in a lot of ships. I don't honestly ship him with anyone (maybe Ava) so it baffles me.

SSBFreak: Yep.

Random Stranger: Feel sad. My wife is dead.

PowerPlayer: You'll see.

Welp, nail on the head there. You're right - things are falling apart. But this chapter yet proves that maybe things aren't as bad as they seem...Are they?

ezmonee6: ...possibly. But these last two chapters bring a whole new meaning to their ship name being 'Break a Leg', now don't they?

But yeah, Maya was a jerk and HidekAsh is inching closer and closer to being canon. Wouldn't it be...awful...if one of them *cough cough* died.

A Dingus With Sweet Shades: It's HidekAsh. And yeah, the murder attempt thing is iffy to me too. Eh, it's whatever - Sayaka tried to off Makoto to, and he still forgave her. Sort of.

HeroinOfDarkness: Yep, it makes Maya the only character yet to reveal their secret. Don't worry, though - there are still secrets about the characters.

AND YOU KEEP AWAY FROM MY WIFE.

Okay, so, question of the chapter: We're spotlighting characters and asking you what you think of them so far. This time, it's Ashley, and Maya - what do you think of them up to this point in the story? Cheers.