A/N: AHA, BETCHA DIDN'T EXPECT THIS!
Okay, admittedly- I wasn't gonna write this part, I was gonna go right into Chapter 6, buuut...ideas started rolling in my head while I was writing the last part of the fifth trial, and lo and behold- this is a thing now! The third "mystery"/"? ? ?" chapter of the story! And since this is being placed between Chapters 5 and 6...I guess you could also consider this to be "Chapter 0", much like in SDR2. I'm not gonna call it Chapter 0 though, I'm gonna keep going with my naming scheme of Chapter "? ? ?"s.
Additionally, I think it would be good to have a little intermission between the two chapters, considering the rollercoaster that was the end of Chapter 5. So without further ado- let's get started with some more mysteries!
P.S. Okay since a couple of the reviews brought this up, I'm gonna address it right now (and, uh- spoilers for the fangame Super Danganronpa Another 2, I suppose): I did not intend for the mass execution at the end of the last part to be a direct shout-out to Super Danganronpa Another 2. I had the idea to do a mass execution before Chapter 5 of SDRA2 came out, but obviously I'm not about to go accusing LINUJ of stealing my idea- nor do I expect to be accused of stealing his. Don't get me wrong, I like the Another games, I think they've got some super creative ideas in terms of DR cases and stories, and I'm flattered people are bringing up such a famous Fangan in relation to mine. But I just think calling my Chapter 5 ending a reference to SDRA2's Chapter 5 ending is, well- inaccurate.
Anyways thank you for coming to my TED talk-
Review Replies
Philip Clark: I, ah, refer you to my author's note above.
HoneyBeeGirl94: Thank you! I'm glad my plot-twisting skills are still top-notch. Also- the electricity thing may be true for V3, but this killing game is not V3, so...
gabriswitch: First- thank you for the praise! Second- I like the speculation! Unfortunately, this is not Chapter 6, so you'll have to wait a wee bit longer for those questions to start being answered. But hopefully, this part will keep those theorizing gears turning! Lastly- yeah, Chapter 5 is, at long last, where Akira's character arc/development starts kicking into high gear. Where will it go from here? You'll just have to wait and see! ...After this short mystery chapter!
Chapter ? ? ?: A Simple Plan
Someone was briskly walking through the dark, run-down halls of a building. The place seemed like it had once been an office building of some kind, several stories tall...although the topmost few stories had been destroyed ages ago, reducing the building to almost half of its original size. Not that this was unusual- a lot of buildings in these metropolitan areas were in a similar state, if not in far worse condition. It wasn't even unusual to see or hear about ruins being turned to even more decrepit ruins- luckily, this particular building had managed to avoid such a fate these last two years.
The person continued to walk down the hallway before finding a pair of stairs, which they quickly ascended; this building used to have an elevator, but needless to say it was long since out of commission. They climbed the stairs to the 'top' floor before continuing down another hallway- this one lacked any windows, only being lit by the flickering ceiling lights above, but was as dilapidated as the other places in the building.
Even before they were halfway down the hall, the person saw their destination: a pair of doors, with an imposing man standing in front with his burly arms crossed. It was a certainty the man saw the person approaching almost right away, and as soon as they were close enough the man said, "Agent 44- fancy seeing you here. What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to talk to the boss," Agent 44 explained without hesitation. "People are only allowed up here if they have business with him, right?"
"That's right- but I wasn't informed the boss had made an appointment with anyone," the guard responded with a narrowed gaze.
Despite the man easily towering over Agent 44, they replied without fear, "Well, it was pretty short-notice. He probably didn't really get a chance to let you know. And anyways- have I ever lied about needing to see the boss before?"
"..." Considering this, the guard finally grunted and turned to the side for a moment, then quickly knocked on the door to signal to whoever was on the other side that they had a visitor. Then, the guard stepped aside to allow Agent 44 inside.
The agent approached the doors; they were made from a fancy mahogany that had lost its luster over time, as well as a pair of silvery door handles that also appeared dull. The most glaring change to the door, however, was the symbol that had been spray-painted in red over it: the outline of a stylized hand with a modified version of a...certain figure's eye in the 'palm'.
Agent 44 pushed open the doors and stepped into the room on the other side. The room in question appeared to be an executive's office; it was decently spacious, with the left wall being one big window. It was mostly devoid of decorations, save for a suit of decorative medieval armor displayed on the right side (something the boss had put in himself). A large mahogany desk sat on the opposite end of the room from the doors, with a few black cushioned chairs set in front of it; on the desk was a laptop, a wine glass, and a desk lamp. More importantly, however, was the fact that someone was sitting on the other side of the desk.
Despite the large window in the room, the majority of the man's features were obscured by darkness- aside from his imposing stature and those piercing, bright red eyes. Still, the subordinate was not afraid of the dark man- they simply stood in the doorway for a moment, as if waiting for something.
"Hm- so you were serious when you sent me that message," the man stated in a deep voice. "You're lucky I'm fond of you, Agent- I don't usually like it when members ask for a meeting on such short-notice."
He leaned in a little and added, "But- be that as it may, it would be in your best interests not to waste my time."
"It won't be a waste of time, sir, trust me on that," Agent 44 assured their boss as they walked over to take a seat.
Then, they hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to segue into what they hoped to discuss. After a moment of thought, the agent began, "Ah- before I tell you what I wanted to talk about though, I'm...very curious to know what you thought of the conclusion."
The boss furrowed his brow. "To the school life? Why would you ask about that?"
"Um- I remember you expressed some interest in it when it first began," Agent 44 explained, stiffening in their seat somewhat. "To me- it made sense. You used to work with that girl before Dark Hand, right?"
The man scoffed. "That's right- and if anything, the conclusion of the school life proved to me that I made the right choice, leaving when I did."
He stood up and walked over to the window; from his vantage point, he could easily see the ruined city surrounding the office building, the landscape taking on a more sinister appearance by the blood-red sky.
"That entire event...what a travesty..." the man muttered to himself with a little shake of his head.
A pang of fear shot through Agent 44's body as they listened. "A...travesty, sir...?"
"Yes- she had an entire class of Ultimates at her mercy, successfully manipulating the majority of them into murdering one another," the man explained, glancing over his shoulder at the agent. "I regret not coming up with the idea myself- the systematic destruction of hope through a mutual killing game, disposing of those so weak-minded that they would never survive in the current world anyways..."
He shook his head again. "It could have brought great things to the world, but- no. That girl, she had to go and...!"
He sighed and walked back to the desk. "I won't deny the brilliance of the idea, but- pardon my pun- the execution of it was faulty, to put it lightly. She was so focused on despair for nothing more than despair's sake that she caused her own downfall, and the killing game ultimately brought more hope to world...and the worst part is, I don't think her utter failure would have displeased her."
Agent 44 thought about their superior's words for a moment (after a wave of relief washed over them), then responded, "Well, I- I'm really glad you feel that way, sir."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Are you, now?"
"Yes- and I agree," the person elaborated. "I thought it was a brilliant thing- forcing Ultimates, the symbols of hope, to kill each other? And force the world to watch? It's a great way to kill hope, no doubt."
They then added, leaning in a little out of eagerness. "And that's why...I think Dark Hand could do better."
The boss's expression remained neutral. "'Do better', you say? Are you actually suggesting-?"
"Yes, I am," Agent 44 answered. "We should make our own killing game."
They explained, their own red eyes gleaming with crazed fervor, "We can learn from the mistakes of the killing school life, the mistakes of Ultimate Despair, and make somebody even more effective. We- you have the resources to pull it off. Even if it can't be broadcasted around the world, that doesn't matter- Dark Hand's goals aren't really about spreading despair anyways, we're trying to destroy hope. And of course, you'd be the main man in charge- we could set it up so you and your inner circle can keep an eye on things, including whoever the 'mastermind' would be. Y-You could even oversee the game yourself, if you want!"
"..." the boss closed his eyes in thought, then stood up again and turned away from Agent 44. "...You've thought this through, Agent."
"Of course, sir- I want what's best for Dark Hand, and I think a series of killing games made by us would be a great step towards our goals," Agent 44 responded in earnest. "You know I do whatever I can for the sake of Dark Hand's ideals, sir."
"And that's what I like about you, agent- what you lack in age, you make up for in passion," the man remarked with a dark, approving tone. "In saying that...I must say, I quite like the idea of creating a killing game of my own. And you'd be right to assume I have the resources- wealth may not mean as much in this new world, but rest assured I can provide in other ways."
He added, "And that includes a location to hold this little...prototype game, we'll call it."
"Really?" Agent 44 inquired.
"Yes- an old...project, you could say, that I helped fund," the man vaguely explained. "A secretive location that only a few people knew about- and considering the state of society, I'm sure the vast majority of those other people have been long since slaughtered by now. The odds of someone on the outside coming across it are slim to none. And if all goes well, perhaps we can make it our permanent killing game location."
He sat down again and put his hands together, like he was in a business meeting. "Me and my inner associates will be able to...put everything together easily- it may take a few months, but I doubt the conclusion of the killing school life will be enough to reignite hope in the population overnight. Chances are, this world tragedy will still be raging strong by the time everything is gathered and ready."
The boss then turned his piercing, crimson gaze on Agent 44. "As for you, Agent- you will have a role to play too, of course."
"Anything you need, sir, I'll do it," Agent 44 assured their superior.
"Since this was your idea, I expect you to act as the main overseer- the 'mastermind', if you will- of the killing game," the man explained. "Controlling the overseeing robot, observing and maintaining to ensure the game runs smoothly, providing 'motives'- that sort of thing. And of course, me and my closest associates will be watching the game ourselves- and you. So, it would be in your best interests to play your part properly."
"Sure! I won't let you down Mr. Kurosora- ah, I mean- sir!" Agent 44 responded with a little shake of their head at the slip of the tongue. "I'll be a great mastermind, and I won't make the same mistakes she did. I've already got a lot of ideas for possible motives, and I-"
"Hold on- there's one more job for you," the man- 'Mr. Kurosora'- added. "Naturally, this being a game in which people are forced to murder one another, there need to be participants."
"I see..." Agent 44 replied. "And you want me to go find some, right?"
"Precisely- 15 to 16, preferably," the man elaborated. "Since this is our prototype killing game, I want to be absolutely sure it will be sufficient at snuffing out any lasting hope the participants may enter the location with. Therefore, I want whoever you choose for this particular game to be truly hopeful individuals, not some optimists randomly plucked off the street."
He raised an eyebrow and concluded, "That won't be an issue, will it?"
Agent 44 tried not to appear overtly hesitant- in truth, they had doubts about whether or not they would get this far. And most of all, they hadn't the foggiest idea of how they would be able to find any 'truly hopeful individuals' bu the time their leader's preparations were completed. They pondered this for a few moments...and then, an idea formed in their head. It would require a bit of luck, and more importantly it would add to the preparations needed- and yet, the agent had a feeling their boss wouldn't mind the latter, as long as it ensured that the future prototype would not be hindered.
"...Actually- it won't, sir. Far from it," Agent 44 finally answered.
A wicked smirk appeared on their face as they further contemplated the idea, and then elaborated: "I've got some old friends of mine who would be perfect for a killing game."
A/N: And there you have it! The third (and final) 'mystery chapter', done! Shorter than I expected, but that just means I can get it out to you guys sooner!
I don't have much to say on this part- aside from what I said above and the fact that I debated whether to reveal the name of the boss man or not, but you guys can clearly see what I chose to do in the end sooo...
Anyways! Don't worry, rest assured Part 1 of Chapter 6 will be coming soon- so until then, hopefully this little intermission will tide y'all over. I'm certain it'll provide more fuel for questions and speculation, and I'm all for that theorizing.
So, uh- yeah! Hope you guys enjoyed this, and stay tuned for the myth, the legend, the arriving storm of plot twists and feels- Chapter 6! How in the world will things escalate from what happened in Chapter 5? You'll just have to wait and see!
