"The difference between my half of this saga and Ulmar Vice's half of it is like watching Silent Night Deadly Night 2; it's like being an hour into one movie while simultaneously being thirty minutes into another." -Weapon X Foxfurry, 2020
Chapter 3, Part two:
Clowning Around at the Speed of Despair
"You're a boy?!" I exclaimed, looking back up at Hana's face.
Hana blushed with embarrassment, then pushed me into a set of lockers and held me with her left arm held against my chest.
"I swear to the four Divas of Destruction that if you tell anyone this, I will rain hellfire upon you…" she said, attempting to intimidate me, but seemed to have an expression that was more worried than intimidating.
I blinked, breathing a bit of a shaky breath a moment.
Hana soon let go of me, then leaned against a set of lockers, then sank to the floor as she sat on her knees a moment, her face in her hands.
"... Hana, I had no idea…" I said.
"Well now you do!" Hana shouted, tears in her eyes, "I… I…"
She whimpered a moment, then sighed.
"... I… I transitioned when I was about fourteen…" she said, no longer in-character, "At least, I started dressing and acting like a girl more at that age, as well as taking hormonal therapy drugs… I haven't gotten the surgery yet, but I was gonna get it when I got home… I was gonna surprise my friend Mikayla… But now…"
I was shocked.
It was so rare for me to see Hana so vulnerable.
Typically I saw her acting like a ninja out of some anime or video game.
But to see her like this… It was surreal.
"... Hana, I…" I said, "... I don't care what Gender you identify as. I still like you, no matter what."
"I figured that…" Hana admitted, "But what about the others? How will they react if they find out that I…"
"I'm certain they'll accept you no matter what." I assured her.
"... I guess…" Hana said, then smiled a moment as she got back in character and said, "... If you say they will, Manako-San, then by my Lord and Master Gundam Tanaka, I believe you."
"Yeah, about that…" I said, transitioning subjects, "Who is this Gundam Tanaka and Divas of Destruction you mentioned?"
"Well…" Hana began, "When I was fourteen, after I started my transition, mind you, myself and my kin went to Japan to visit our branch family there, and I met up with my cousin, Lord Gundam Tanaka. It was there that he taught me about his empire, as well as the kinship he had developed with various beasts. And it was then that he offered me the position as his Emissary in the West. Naturally, I accepted, and from then on, I became the Emissary of the Tanaka Empire."
I blinked a moment at this.
This…
This sounded a tad crazy.
Like, Charles Manson Helter Skelter-crazy.
Yet somehow, I was okay with it.
Like, it wasn't that much out there.
That's how I know I'm in bad fucking shape.
When crazy shit like this doesn't faze me.
"... You also mentioned a girl named Mikayla." I added.
"Oh, that would happen to be my friend, Mikayla Weissberg." Hana answered, "she works at a veterinary clinic her family runs, one which I allied myself with in order to ensure the safety of all the beasts of Tucson, Arizona and put them under the protection of the Tanaka Empire. In fact, I also happened to be charged with assuring her safety as well, since… Well, she tends to have seizure fits from overexposure to light from time to time. Regardless, I convinced her brother Andrew to procure some pairs of sunglasses for her in bulk, which arrived in a timely manner, I may add. It was through our alliance that I was able to develop my talent; rescuing wounded animals from the cold, cruel world, and bringing them to Mikayla-San so she could heal them."
"I see…" I said, "Sounds like you two had a good system."
"It was more than a system, Manako-San…" Hana said with a laugh, "It was an alliance. An alliance between the Tanaka Empire and the Weissberg Clan. And I plan on surviving this hell game until the end! I…. I will never die! For I am the Emissary of the Western Tanaka Empire!"
She then laughed triumphantly.
"You'll never die, huh?" I mused.
"Correct." Hana answered, "I will live forever, for you see, that I will see to it that every person I meet knows my name and has memories of my deeds, and therefore it is through their memory of me that I will achieve immortality."
I was awestruck at that statement.
"... Hana, that's… That's profound…" I said.
"Indeed." Hana said with a smile, "And you, Manako…. I have a feeling you will be the key to our survival and the survival of our fellow classmates…. Only you can ensure that I live long enough to shed my manly coils and achieve full womanhood so that I may continue my undying loyalty to Mikayla-San."
"... Hana…" I said, "I promise you I will get us all out of this alive."
"You swear it?" Hana asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"Then go, my faithful guardian..." Hana spoke, "Go and ensure the survival of the Western Tanaka Empire! After you get dressed, of course."
"R-right." I said, remembering I was still naked as I got dressed again and left Hana.
I had a little more free time left, so I decided to go see Nathan and talk to him.
I found him, sure enough, at the military surplus store, inspecting a very, very big revolver at the counter, where UsagiKuma was manning the register, wearing a camouflage military uniform overtop her bunny suit.
It was strange, but UsagiKuma seemed like she was everywhere…
Regardless, I looked over at Nathan, who quickly saw me and set down the revolver.
"Ready to talk?" He asked.
"Yeah, but can we please do so in private?" I asked.
"Sure." He answered, walking over to me, though he stole a glance at UsagiKuma.
"Hey, I think there's something up with this UsagiKuma lady…" he whispered, "Could you wait outside the store while I finish buying some things?"
I nodded, silently walking outside the store and waiting.
After what seemed like ten minutes, Nathan exited the store, toting what looked like some kind of long, rectangular suitcase or carrying case or something.
"Let's go to my room." Nathan said, "Trust me, we'll have more privacy there."
I didn't question Nathan, as I began following him to the elevator.
"What's with the suitcase?" I asked as he pressed the button to call the elevator once we approached it.
"It's an attache case, Manako." he answered, "It's meant for carrying long firearms and ammunition."
My eyes widened at that.
"Wait, so that's-"
"A semi-auto Bushmaster AR-15, yes." Nathan answered, "Also, tomorrow I might take you to the range at the Military surplus store so I can teach you how to fire stuff like this."
"There's an actual firing range here?!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting you never went in there before." he apologized, albeit a tad snarkily, "Yeah, there's an indoor range in the back room. I guess they wanted to encourage us to 'try before we buy'. Luckily for me I have a few years of combat experience and training under my belt so I don't have to."
The elevator soon arrived, and we both got on.
I pressed the button for the hotel suite level, making the elevator go up towards it.
As the elevator rose, I couldn't help but notice a second elevator right next to it, this one bearing one-way glass around the walling of it.
"Was that…" I began, but Nathan simply said, "I'll mention it to the group later, but basically it seems that the elevator is inaccessible to any of us currently. At least, it's inaccessible to anyone except a certain person…"
"A certain person?" I asked.
"Again, we'll go over with the group." Nathan responded as we arrived at the hotel suite floor.
He led me towards his room, which was still next to Sam's room, though the room labels had been switched back.
He led me inside, gesturing for me to sit on the couch, which I did.
However, as I sat down, I noticed, even though it had been days since then, that Sam's body had not only been removed from the hotel room, but also all traces of her murder, including her blood splatters and the broken glass from the table, had been completely cleaned up.
Even the glass table, the war trophy, and even the trench knife had all been replaced.
It was as if Sam had never been murdered in the first place.
Hell, it was like she never even attended this seminar-turned killing game.
"You gonna sit, or just look at the cleanup job Monokuma did?" Nathan asked.
I looked over at him.
"Oh yeah." Nathan replied, going to the fridge in the kitchenette and digging around in it, "This damn bear has a cleaner so good that they dwarf the one in John Wick. Hell, even some of the most skilled wetwork specialists in the CIA that I know personally aren't nearly this clean. At least they know how to dissolve bodies in a bathtub of hydrochloric acid properly. They told me they once had a newbie that did that but didn't take into account the weak ceramics of the bathtub in the mansion they were disposing a body of. That shit ate through the bottom of the bathtub and half-dissolved bodily matter and bone just splashed all over the floor on the lower floor. They had to have a Haz-mat team finish the cleanup. But, I'm just bragging about my connections…"
He got out a bottle of water and a bottle of fruit juice.
"Water or juice?" he asked.
"... Water would be nice." I answered.
"Good choice." he answered, tossing me the bottle under-handed, which I caught, albeit clumsily, "Water's better for you. I never understood why people liked soda so much. That shit's basically like drinking tar, and juice is just as bad because it's mostly fruit-flavored sugar water. I especially hate those little sippy juice boxes."
He got out a bottle of water for himself, then sat down across from me.
"... So…" he said, "... what's new?"
"... Aside from the fact that our friends are dying and my best friend is stuck in another killing game, nothing really…" I responded.
"Well, the fact our friends are dying is just a given at this point…" Nathan mused, then added, "But the fact that you mentioned one of your own friends is stuck in another killing game… That's something."
He gave a singular clap and pointed at me for a second.
"Tell me about that shit." he said, "Spare no detail."
I then proceeded to tell Nathan about Kai's killing game, as well as the call he made to me, and also the video files being put on my computer.
"So, lemme see if I'm getting this right…" Nathan said after I finished explaining, "You have a friend who's in another killing game back in Los Angeles, and someone is sending you videos of people in that killing game, some of which involve them dying."
"Yeah." I answered.
"Well, obviously whoever's doing it wants you to fall into despair." he mused, "And based on how you looked earlier it was clearly working."
He stood, going over to a set of drawers nearby.
"I can tell you're fearing for your life these days…" he said, "That you want so badly for this to be over so you can go home and watch some Smosh or Shane Dawson or whatever it is you watch on the internet. Personally, I'm more of a Michael Reeves person, myself, but I suppose that's just personal preference…"
He then came back with an object wrapped in cloth, handing it to me.
I daintily unwrapped the cloth, and went wide-eyed at what was in it.
It was a handgun bearing a striking silver frame and slide and a mother of pearl handgrip.
"A… A gun?" I asked.
"It's a Walther PPK." Nathan answered, "A compact handgun that's easily concealable and is small enough to be hidden in a coat pocket or purse. I got it from the military surplus store."
He then leaned in close and added in a low whisper, "I took the sensor off of it and replaced it with a dummy one. Don't tell anyone."
I nodded, as he then said aloud, "I'm giving you this for protection. Don't let me hear that you murdered someone with it, got it?"
I nodded again.
"Good." he said, "I want you to start keeping that on you from now on. Just in case someone tries to murder you. However, if you find yourself cornered by a potential murderer, do not shoot to kill. Shoot to stun by shooting them in the knee or the foot, got it?"
"Y-yeah…" I said, looking the handgun over.
"Right then." Nathan said, then pointed at a knob on the side of the slide, "that knob there is the safety. Currently, I have the safety turned on on it, but if something happens, turn that knob to switch the safety off, then pull on the slide to chamber a round."
"O-okay…" I said, trembling a bit as I stuffed the handgun in my purse.
"Let me know the minute something else comes up." he told me, as I stood.
"I will." I said, bowing a moment, but before I left, I said, "... I… I think… I think I might try to help take everyone's minds off the killing game…"
"How do you plan to do that?" Nathan asked.
"I think… I might do a brief concert." I said, "I mean, we still have the showroom open, I figure we could use it."
"Y'know, that's not a bad idea." Nathan replied, "I think I overheard Cecilia once mentioning there were stage costumes in the backstage area. Figure you could find something that fits there."
"I guess I'll take a look when I can…" I said, "And I think at dinner I'll make the announcement that I'm going to do a concert."
"I think a good concert is what the others need right now…" Nathan mused, "Something to take their minds off all the murders and despair."
My smile faltered a bit at the mention of that word.
Despair...
Was that truly what I was feeling earlier?
That horrible, horrible feeling I felt earlier this morning that made me feel so miserable that I cried and screamed for hours?
Suddenly, I felt Nathan embrace me, rubbing my back in a comforting way.
"... You'll do fine." he assured me, "I know you will."
I blushed a bit.
I hadn't felt this way about someone ever, let alone someone I used to bully when I was a kid.
This feeling…
This warm, comforting feeling…
Was…
Was this love?
After a few minutes, Nathan finally let go, and I looked back at him one more time before leaving his room, heading back to my own, or at least, I was about to before I noticed it was nearly dinnertime, so I went and took the elevator down to the buffet restaurant to go eat.
Once there, I loaded my plate up with chicken parmesan and was about to take some garlic bread, though remembered that garlic gives me horrible gas, so I decided against it.
I took my seat at the usual table alongside Joey and Clarissa, though I was soon joined by Nathan and Alice, Nathan having taken a steak and some potatoes, and Alice having taken a cheesesteak sandwich with onion rings.
The others seemed to do their own thing, and I also noticed that Franklin and his group were all sitting together as well.
I breathed a moment as I got ready to make my announcement.
I quickly stood, then tapped a fork I had in my hand against the glass that had my drink in it, being sure to get everyone's attention, which I did.
"... Well, I…" I faltered a moment, then went on, "So, I know things have been kinda grim lately, but I want to help alleviate those feelings of misery and despair you guys might have, so I have decided that in two days I am going to put on a concert, with myself as the headline act."
Everyone seemed to have mixed reactions, and by that, I meant there was a clear divide between those that were Franklin and his group, and those that were not.
"Awesome!" Belle said excitedly, "I've always wanted to see Ika-Chan in concert! I've seen so many of your concerts on YouTube and have always dreamed of seeing them with my own eyes!"
Her eyes sparkled as she had a look of glee on her face.
"The music! The special effects! the bright, colorful costumes! And of course, the absolutely sexy backup dancers and their ensembles… Ohhh, it's going to be so amazing to see all that in action once more!"
She gave me an expression of confidence.
"Rest assured, Miss Manako." she said, pounding her chest with one hand in a confident manner, "I will make certain that the choice in attire for your concert is absolutely vunderball!"
"... I'll help with that." Hana said, standing as well.
"I could prolly help mix an instrumental for you to put lyrics to." Joey added, "It'll prolly be a cover song, since I only have midis of existing songs to work with, but I at least have some experience in digital music making to make it work."
"Well, good luck with that." Franklin mused, "We, on the other hand, will-"
"YOU FUCKING COPYING BITCH!"
I looked over and saw Cecilia glaring daggers at me, looking livid as hell.
"I was going to put on a magic show for you and all these other ingrates using the Showroom stage as my canvas for my ultimate masterpiece!" she snarled, "I was even going to perform an escape act that I had perfected myself!"
"No you weren't." Nathan responded, "Kindly and permanently sit the fuck back down before you make a scene."
It was at that that Cecilia stormed over to Nathan and deployed a switchblade and pointed it at me, which I flinched at, while she glared at Nathan and me.
"You stay out of this, GI." she hissed, then glared into my eyes, "I should cut you, Bambina…"
She then gained a calmer, more sinister expression.
"But not here… I would suggest sleeping with one eye open from now on. Or else you may die before you wake…"
"Though her soul is only hers to take, I assume."
Monokuma popped up suddenly, as UsagiKuma seemed to appear suddenly as well.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" the sinister monochrome teddy bear said, "Because it's Motive time!"
UsagiKuma produced a stack of envelopes and began handing one out to each of the students in the room, eventually handing mine to me.
I looked and saw my envelope had my name on the back of it, and could assume the other envelopes had the names of the students they were given to on them as well.
"Feel free to open them up and read them yourselves." Monokuma said, "But don't read them aloud right away… You'll see why…"
Cecilia suddenly gasped after seeing what was written on the piece of paper inside her envelope, keeping it close to her chest as she gained a worried expression.
"No fucking way, dude!" I heard Joey exclaimed, having read his as well. "I thought I buried that shit ages ago!"
I blinked, then looked at my own 'motive', then felt my blood go cold when I saw what was written on it.
"Manako Kumara is the Mastermind"
That's what it said on it.
And I knew it wasn't true, but… If that's what's written on it, and if this is how everyone is reacting to these papers, then the motive must be…
"That's right, kids!" Monokuma laughed, "Today's motive is that everyone here has one secret they don't want the world, or each other, to know of. If you all don't start killing again, we'll reveal all of these secrets to the world and to all of you!"
He then raised a 'finger' (does Monokuma even have fingers? It's hard to tell sometimes.), then added, "And, to make things interesting, until further notice, the doors for every single hotel room suite on the suite floors will be permanently unlocked. Better keep those papers secure~"
That quickly made a lot of people here quickly stuff their secret papers into their pockets or their bras or on their person.
Especially Hana.
She quickly hid hers away on her person.
I also quickly hid mine in my purse.
"Well, I hope this new motive spices things up for ya!" Monokuma said, "And remember; sleep with one eye open~"
With that, Monokuma disappeared, as did UsagiKuma.
"... Well, I can say this's a good segue into what I wanted to talk about…" Nathan spoke, standing and gesturing for us all to follow him.
Myself and everyone else all followed him to the second elevator in the main atrium, and it was here that I was able to get a better look at it.
I already knew the elevator shaft was surrounded by one-way glass, the outside tinted reflective gold that reflected everything off of it, but also the door itself, had a large Monokuma emblem on it, and the keypad next to it seemed innocuous enough, but apparently not only was there a security camera right above the keypad, but also there appeared to be some kind of big sentry gun mounted at head-height.
"An elevator?" Joey asked.
"We can see that, you uncultured idiot." Franklin responded, "What are you showing us, Sampson?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Nathan responded, "I'm showing you all that not only that we have a traitor among us, but this is where they go every day. And that's not all…"
His eyes narrowed.
"... This traitor is the ringleader of all of this… The Mastermind, if you will."
And that's when the cold reality of the purpose of the secret I was given hit me, as well as why all the hotel suite doors were left unlocked.
The Mastermind, or at least the real one…
They wanted me dead.
I don't know why they would, but the fact that they wanted me dead so desperately absolutely terrified me.
"So then…" Clarissa said, "... Who is the mastermind?"
"I'm not certain." Nathan responded, "Whoever it is they are covering their tracks well. And in addition, they clearly don't want us boarding this elevator, since they mounted a 7.62mm NATO gatling-style sentry gun on it. I guess they must know that a face full of bullets is enough to ruin anyone's day."
Nathan was silent a moment, then said, "Well, that's all I wanted to discuss."
He looked at me, then said, "Manako, good luck with setting up your concert. I'll make sure your venue is secure and that no one can get killed at it."
I nodded, looking down a moment as everyone seemed to leave, save for Hana, Belle, and Joey, as well as Clarissa.
"... I guess you guys weren't warded off by the grim explanation…" I said.
"Well, we gotta get you ready for your re-debut~" Belle cooed.
"I saw a bunch of stage costumes in the backstage area of the showroom." Clarissa said.
"How did you figure that out?" Belle asked her.
"Joey and I went looking around today." Clarissa answered, "Apparently the showroom has all kinds of costumes that look like they could be worn by a pop star during a concert."
"A bunch of them looked like the kinda thing Katy Perry would wear." Joey added.
"Ooh, Katy Perry, you say?" Belle said, "Oh, I loved her Purr and Roar albums so much! But they pale in comparison to Ika-Chan's two best albums, 'Squids in Springtime' and 'Inque'. I wonder if we could convince two of the other students to be backup dancers? No, no, I suppose that would distract from the headlining act. Although, those costumes do seem like a lot of fun… No, no, I simply must resist! No matter how colorful and sleek those costumes must look."
"... Sure." I said, "Anyways, let's go check it out. I suppose there's still some daylight left for us to do so."
With that, Joey and Clarissa led myself, Hana, and Belle towards the stage showroom on the first floor.
As we walked, I couldn't help but notice that Joey and Clarissa were walking close to one another, even holding hands at one point.
With that, I could infer that they hooked up at some point during all of this.
As I watched Clarissa walk, watching her wide hips sway from side to side as she walked, her bright blue sequin-covered spandex tights glistening in the light of the hotel light fixtures, complimenting her sun-kissed skin, I realized that Joey was a lucky guy to have her, and hoped that he would treat her well.
Come to think of it, the more I looked at Clarissa, the more I started to realize how truly beautiful she is, which is strange because for most of my life I've been straight as an arrow in someone's knee, but something about her was making me feel things I never felt before.
I started wondering if I should bring this up with Nathan sometime…
Maybe later, though…
Before long, we arrived at the showroom, and it was still a sight to behold, even after having seen it when I first got here.
Joey and Clarissa led us to the backstage area, which was accessible by a door to the left of the stage, followed by a small set of stairs that led backstage.
In the backstage area, there were various set pieces that could be used for concerts or shows or events, as well as control booths for the stage's lights, sound systems, and special effects, since I noticed there was these metal nozzles on the edge of the front of the stage, likely ones that would shoot sparks or flames or confetti from them, judging by the fact that the rims of some of them were slightly charred for those first to, much like the nozzle of that Tesla flamethrower that I bought for Kai once.
Needless to say, that was a very expensive video that resulted from that purchase.
We nearly got kicked out of the Team Moon house for that one since we tested it in the backyard.
Anyways, there were also a trio of doors to rooms in the back. One was labeled 'Costumes', the second was labeled 'Dressing room', and the third was labeled 'props'.
"Kinda reminds me of some of the stage venues from my time as a pop star…" I mused.
"May as well take a look at the selection of costumes, ja?" Belle asked, slipping back into an eastern european accent towards the end of her sentence.
"Your accent." Clarissa said to her.
"Hm?" Belle said, "Oh, ja, sometimes I tend to slip back into my accent… Still haven't mastered ze art of lazy english."
"I see…" Clarissa said, then sighed and opened the door marked 'costumes, stepping inside, as Hana, Joey, and I all followed, with Belle shrugging before entering herself.
The costumes department had many, many variety of stage costumes, from complex-looking themed ones with decorations or even working parts and animatronics to even ones as simple as spandex zentai bodysuits in a variety of colors, patterns, and materials.
"Mein gosh~" Belle said, her eyes going wide and sparkling, "It is like stepping inside Katy Perry's vardrobe~!"
"No foolin'..." Joey mused, then went over to a particular clothing rack as he saw something that interested him.
"Hey, this's the same style stage costume as the one Gazelle wore in Zootopia!" he said, holding up said bright shiny red two-piece costume.
"And just look at all ze different kinds of zentai bodysuits~!" Belle said dreamily, "It's like a cosplayers dream come true…"
"You say that you're an expert on this." Joey mused.
"But of course, mein fruend." Belle replied, "I happen to be a very well-known expert on cosplay and zentais in my home country."
"I admit I've tried my share of zentai cosplays…" I admitted, "Especially during livestreams. I remember doing an entire livestream of me playing Mario Kart 8 while wearing a zentai bodysuit themed after Ladybug's bodysuit from Miraculous Ladybug, paired, of course, with a matching mask and a blue haired pigtails wig."
"I remember watching zat vone." Belle said, "Zat vas from ven you vere doing a halloween livestream, ja?"
"Actually, it was the night before, because I was doing a sponsored video with let's player YouTuber I was doing a collab with for a mobile gacha game they were doing a video of." I said.
"Oh, right, I remember that." Joey said, "That was with that Chiaki Nanami chick, right?"
"Yeah." I said, "Weird girl, that one. Always falling asleep every so often… I think she might have Narcolepsy. I guess that comes with her always gaming and recording so late. Still a pretty serious condition. That's probably why she Ubers everywhere, and I guess that's for the best because I wouldn't trust her behind the wheel of a car, myself."
I shrugged, looking at the other costumes, then spotted one in particular that caught my eye.
(Google image the Seahorse costume from Masked singer)
(The costume Manako is seeing is like the one in this video, but without a full face-covering mask)
I was immediately entranced by the costume, drawn to it like a magnet or a pair of glowing, colorful hypnotic eyes.
It was like wearing it could completely transform me into a humanoid seahorse.
"I think I found the costume I want to wear at my concert." I said, pointing at the costume.
"Oh, my…" Belle said, in awe of the costume as well, "Mein God, it's perfect! Absolutely vunderball~!"
"My gosh…" Clarissa said, her eyes sparkling in awe at the sight of the costume.
"An ensemble truly worthy of a pop princess…" Hana agreed.
"Eh. It's alright." Joey said with a shrug.
Belle immediately went over and began inspecting the costume.
"... Yes, yes, I see…" she said, "Yes, this vill fit Miss Manako's measurements exactly."
"Well, that's convenient…" I mused, then blinked when I thought I heard something outside the room.
I casually walked over to the door to the wardrobe room and peeked out, seeing someone go into the special effects room.
Using the stealth I picked up from acting in a live-action Totally Spies fan film I was in once, I snuck over to the door and gently opened it.
Inside was a girl that looked to be about the same age as me, looking like she was disassembling some kind of machine for parts.
She had bright white skin that looked like she was covered in body paint, long blue hair in a pair of poofy pigtails, had a bit of bright green facepaint around her left eye in the shape of a star, bright green lipstick and matching eyeshadow on her right eye, a thin, scrawny body type with a bust size larger than mine, with a rear end that was just as pillowy, and wore a pair of dual-color spandex pants done in bright green and purple, a form-fitting spandex mid-length sleeved top with a bright green diamond pattern on one sleeve and bright blue heart pattern on the other, and also poof ball 'buttons' going down the front zip of the shirt, ad frilly lace cuffs around her wrists paired with a pair of white gloves akin to the kind cartoon characters would wear but with the right amount of fingers, a pair of curved jester shoes done in a distinct purple and green color scheme, and also apparently had a pair of tool and spare parts belts strapped around both her thighs.
Out of everyone here, she looked the most out of place person here because…
… Wait a minute…
ANOTHER PERSON?!
HOLY SHITSNACKS!
I blinked when this clown-dressing girl was stripping apart the machine, but then she turned around and saw me, as I yelped, and she blinked.
"... Ooooh, shit…" the girl said, a distinct accent in her voice that gave the impression that not only was she Japanese before she was American, but also was from Osaka.
"Oh shit, indeed." I said, "Who the fuck are you and how did you get here?!"
"For your information I've always been here." the girl said, putting her hands on her hips, "I just… Was in my room most of the th' time… Doing something specific for Monokuma."
"Wait, so, you weren't at the trials?" I asked, "Doesn't that mean you weren't participating, which is grounds for execution?"
"Actually, she was participating, strange as it may seem!"
Monokuma suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Except her contribution is ultra-specific and is something that only myself and the Mastermind is allowed to know." Monokuma said, "But, now that she's been discovered, she has no choice but to partake in investigations and trials more openly and more hands on."
"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way." the clown girl said, groaning.
"Monokuma, how is this in any way fair?" I snapped at the monochrome teddy bear.
"It's fair if I say it is." Monokuma said, "It's also fair if the mastermind says it is, too."
Without another word, Monokuma disappeared again.
The clown girl shrugged.
"Well, I guess there's no reason to stay hidden anymore…" she said, taking off the tool belt and setting it down, "Name's Ann. Ann Sakura, SHSL Circus Act."
"So you're a clown…" I mused, "A Clown who just so happens to be able to take apart and repair machinery."
"I mean… It's not really that far-fetched considering the circumstances." Ann mused, "I mean, there's plenty of crazy kooks in this place to begin with, including the ones that got the axe."
"Manako, dahling, who are you talking to?" Belle asked, as she and the others came in to check on me, only to go wide-eyed at the sight of another Student they hadn't seen before.
"Who is this?" Belle asked.
"Ann Sakura, Super High School Level Circus Act." Ann introduced.
"Why weren't in any of the other trials or investigations?" Clarissa asked.
"Because Monokuma had me doing something else pertaining to those." Ann answered.
"Why are you a clown?" Joey asked.
"Because that's my talent." Ann responded.
Jesus christ… Why me? Why now?
This was gonna be a lot to explain to the others for certain…
Especially Nathan.
I think this of all things he might have trouble believing…
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Well, this took embarrassingly longer than I'm proud to admit to.
I originally intended to finish this much sooner, specifically before the election results, or at least put it up as a Halloween or Mischief Night release, but my laziness knows no bounds, and I've recently gotten back into Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Switch version again.
Oh well, at least I can say I put this up so I can goof off some more before the next chapter that goes nowhere, at least until we get to the good stuff.
You guys prolly by now have more questions than answers, and all I can tell you is that 'tune in next time to find out the answers' which is not only a cheesy answer, but also a dumb one.
Anyways, the year's nearly over. Try to keep yourselves from despairing too hard before 2021 finally sets in.
So, don't forget to wash your hands, be kind to one another, and just keep on hoping~