DANGANRONPA: OFF THE RAILS
Prologue – All Aboard!
Part 3
Moving on from the now dubbed 'first class/lounge car,' Shunso prepared himself for another normal car… but was in for a big shock. The next car he entered was similar to a library as the walls were lined with bookshelves. Little notches were visible on the bookshelves as a way to stop books from falling out. The floor was a blueish carpet while in the middle of the room were two different workstations similar to a university lab. There were beakers, Bunsen burners, an eye wash station, safety goggles, and much more.
However, Shunso was soon pulled out of his thoughts as he noticed a figure by one of the workstations. It was a guy fretting and nervously looking at something. Standing at 5'6", the guy had a leaner build with lightly tanned skin and sparse freckles spread over both cheeks. He had peridot green eyes, dark maroon hair that was worn in a short and free low-hanging ponytail. His hair was a little messy, slightly windswept, and the ends were cut a little unevenly as his fringe was jaggedly cut and hung down the bridge of his nose. Finally, the last thing that caught Shunso's eye was the scar running diagonally across his cheek.
The guy's outfit consisted of an open and unbuttoned oversized khaki combat jacket with alternating darker green and brown patches, a lightly ripped rusty brown cotton shirt that was lightly stained and patched up with a lighter orange square on the right side of the shirt, all the while his jacket was rolled up to his elbows. He also wore a pair of long khaki pants that were rolled up to just below his knees as long pockets were present and seemingly filled with miscellaneous items. The guy also had a pair of mismatched socks, (the left being orange with dark blue stripes and the right being dark blue with a white star pattern), as he wore a pair of dark brown boots that appeared to have a sturdy grip. Finally, he had what appeared to be a medical cross-shaped hair clip, a thin navy strap watch, dark grey fabric gloves, an armband on his right arm above his elbow with a medic symbol on it, a lighter brown snood scarf decorated with a pattern of red medic crosses and a few badges pinned to each side, and a large light brown canvas rucksack on his back that was slightly dust stained and patchy.
Moving closer, Shunso seemed to have gathered the attention of the guy as he spoke up. "A-Ah, hi there! …Are… you one of my new comrades?" A nod was given. "Did you get the order too? I saw the message saying to head to the end car but… I… kinda got sidetracked. … …A-Anyway, I, er, don't think I got your name, Comrade."
Shunso nodded and bowed his head lightly. "Shunso Kamata. Ultimate Intelligence Officer. May I ask who you are?"
This caused the guy to blink and then nervously salute Shunso. "T-Takeshi Sano… Sir! Ultimate Combat Medic, reporting for duty and ready to offer assistance wherever is necessary, Sir!"
TAKESHI SANO – ULTIMATE COMBAT MEDIC
Ahh… that explains the jumpy yet focused nature. A combat medic is a dangerous career path considering one must put their life in the line of battle. Rushing out to assist fellow soldiers, combat medics are pretty much the only form of doctor on the field. Whatever the case, it goes to show that constant vigilance is key… though, it makes me wonder…
"If I may inquire, what is it that had you so nervous?"
The combat medic stopped their salute as he hesitantly showed Shunso a list. From first glance, it seemed to be an average list of lab ingredients, heck, some seemed to be in the medication room in the 'luggage car'. However, upon closer look, Shunso's expression hardened as he read some of the ingredients and some of the end results. "…There's recipes on how to make poison…"
Takeshi nodded worryingly. "That is correct, Sir- I mean Soldier Kamata Sir! …S-Sorry. But y-yes… a list of possible poisons and how to make t-them… it's worrying."
Shunso kept note of this and frowned. This was some dangerous stuff. "Can we remove the note?"
However, Takeshi sadly shook his head and pointed to the bottom of the note. On it was a strangely written message that simply said, "Any attempts at removing this list from the lab station will result in severe punishment!"
Shunso cursed as he looked at this. What the hell was a 'severe punishment?' He was unsure as he looked at the combat medic who was fretting. "Yeah… w-we can't get rid of it. S-So I need to k-keep an eye out on everyone! I c-can't let anything happen to y-you, Comrade!"
Now, to most, this would seem like a kind gesture. But to Shunso… it caused him to give a glare at the combat medic. "…I am not fragile." And without saying another word… Shunso moved and left the car.
Entering the connector section of the now dubbed 'research car', Shunso sighed as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Great… I was illogical there."
Placing his glasses, the intelligence officer regretted his actions back there. The combat medic was just being friendly. But to Shunso… he's not fully sure but it felt more like pity? It was most likely Shunso taking it wrong, but he knows he doesn't need someone looking after him. He was not one for handouts. But again… he probably just reacted badly.
As he was in his thoughts, he heard a pop sound followed by a voice. "…You gonna hurry up or just gonna sit here like a brooding fuck?"
Turning his head, he saw a 5'2" girl with a slender but toned build. She had pale skin, sea blue eyes, cheeks that seemed to glow with the slightest bit of blush, and a faint scar over her left eyebrow which seems to have caused a slit in it. She has dark circles under her eyes, a small scar above her right cheekbone, and she seemed to have a piece of bubble-gum in her mouth. Her hair was a cotton candy pink as it was kept up into a high ponytail that falls just below her shoulders. She also had side-swept curtain bangs and some slightly longer bangs that rested below her chin on both sides of her face. She also appeared to have a conch to lobe chain earring and an industrial bar piercing on her right ear while she had a triple lobe piercing and a helix piercing on her left ear, all of them seeming to be sterling silver.
Her outfit consisted of a black long-sleeved turtleneck that was tucked into a pair of high-waisted, long, black cargo pants, a black fashion chest rig, an unzipped black techwear jacket, and a pair of black platform boots. Everything had a light pink accent to them from the zippers to the shoelaces to the threads. Finally, she also had some government issued dog tags.
Shunso looked at the girl who seemed to be standing there on her own with a deadpan expression. Shunso matched her look and raised a brow. "Well… sorry miss. May I know the name of the person who seems to be brooding herself?"
The girl returned with a glare as she blew another bubble that popped. "…Name's Koharu. Koharu Takeda, the Ultimate Sniper.
KOHARU TAKEDA – ULTIMATE SNIPER
Okay. I think I've heard of this girl. …Well… I've heard the stories. Known as the 'best sniper in the world,' this girl is known to be the best shot around. The problem? Well… she's known to be one of the most disobedient soldiers as her attitude is known to be a pain. However, she isn't the best for no reason. It's strange because reports say she's not narcissistic or egotistic about it. Just more… she does what she wants.
Shunso sighed and looked at the girl. "Well Takeda-san. I am Shunso Kamata. Ultimate Intelligence Officer."
The sniper rolled her eyes and scoffed. "And I don't really fucking care. Now why the fuck are you brooding?"
Shunso looked at her with a deadpan expression before groaning. "…I overreacted. Someone was being nice, and I took it as pity."
"…Okay? So what? Just fucking move on and stop bitching about it."
"…You are not the best at support… are you?"
The sniper girl just flipped him off. "Piss off. I'm not here to be your fucking therapist. I just want you to stop brooding and leave me the fuck alone."
"Fine, fine… I'll go. Jeez." Shunso moved to leave as he took one glance back at the girl. She seemed to ignore his presence as she continued to look around the connector section. All that the intelligence officer could do was move on… God. So rude…
Leaving the connector section, Shunso found himself in an even more strange car then the last one. This one had a black roof with lights shaped like stars and planets. There were telescopes all around the room and in the middle of the room was a large observatory like room in a similar fashion to the medication room in the luggage car. Stepping inside, one could see that it was filled with constellations.
However, the intelligence officer stopped as he heard a voice that seemed to be angry at the constellations. "How could they!? The power of the stars is not one to mess with! What kind of constellations are these!? A rabbit? A bear? An octopus? I know NONE OF THESE!"
Standing in the middle of the room was a 5'10" girl who had a rather thin frame and somewhat pale skin. She had heterochromia as her left eye was a pastel pink while her right was a sky blue. Her hair was blonde in colour and was frizzy that was in a ponytail that hung at the nape of her neck.
Her outfit consisted of a long sleeved, light blue, button up that was tucked into her navy-blue slacks. It also came with a pair of slip-on white heels, star shaped glasses with dark blue frames, a pastel pink bathrobe that had shapes of stars and crescent moons cut out of it, and twelve pink and blue bracelets on her wrists and ankles, each with a zodiac sign.
Shunso raised a brow at the girl as he moved closer and looked up. To be accurate, the girl was right. The constellations in the room made no sense. It was easier to call them 'the bees' rather then seeing any natural constellation. Nothing was familiar as the constellations were just… not there. "…That's strange. Do know why they did this…" He gestured for her to introduce herself.
Turning to Shunso, the girl turned around and shook her head. "There is no rhyme or reason! And I can't change this at all since that's not what I do as an astrologer. I don't make the stars; I just interpret them." She then gained a confident pose. "I should know… for I am the Seamstress of the Stars, Master of the Moon… and resident Sagittarius, Ai Fukushima! The Ultimate Astrologer!"
AI FUKUSHIMA – ULTIMATE ASTROLOGER
That explains the serious nature they had about this. The Ultimate Astrologer, word says that she's one of the most accurate astrologers with her predictions. It was said that twelve people who worked at her local newspaper, experienced something predicted by her horoscope slot. Then again, I can respect the amount of work it must take to research every zodiac sign.
"I see. A pleasure Fukushima-san. My name is Shunso Kamata, Ultimate Intelligence Officer."
The astrologer nodded and grinned as she looked at him. "Ah… a fellow researcher. While you research and look at information given to you… I research the stars above! The cycles of the moons! I research the very idea of stellar readings!"
Shunso stared at the girl with a deadpan look before he shrugged. "I mean… true. I understand how difficult it can be with analyzing information. So, this must be a nightmare... False information for readings."
Ai stopped and looked at him. "Huh… Yeah. It actually is. I thought this car would work but no. It taunts me to my core… very well."
The astrologer gained a serious look as she glared at the mismatch sky. "Bring it on! I will learn you if it's the last thing I do! For no one can stop the Seamstress of the Stars!"
As the astrologer went into full research mode, Shunso just… slowly moved to the exit and left the room. She'll probably be there a while.
Upon exiting the room, Shunso moved towards the exit of the room with a tired expression. "God… what is with this many Ultimates? I can barely handle all these interactions…"
However, upon exiting the observatory, Shunso found himself face to face- Okay… more looking up at this 6'1" guy with an athletic build, broad shoulders, and deep tan skin. He had jet-black, spiky, messy hair that reached to his back with a long cowlick, a goatee stubble, and heterochromia eyes with the left eye being an amber colour with a small hint of purple and the right eye being an azure blue. He also had a large scar across his right eye, which the bottom end had a star form, and on both sides of his torso and back were huge black claw tattoos.
The guy seemed to be wearing a blue overcoat with purple trims while underneath was a blue with grey trim, modern, unbuttoned pirate jacket that had a small blue rope holding it and a purple cuff. He also had a big purple sash tied around his waist along with a pair of loose black jeans that had a blue symbol on the right side of the jeans. It seemed to be a symbol in the shape of… three curves intersecting. The one on the bottom left was small, one on the bottom right was a larger curve, and the one on the top was similar to a question mark, all connecting to the middle with a dot. He also wears a brown belt, a pair of black and blue casual combat boots, a black collar with small chains underneath it, and a pair of black small-rimmed sunglasses.
As Shunso went to speak, the guy had a strange grin as he spoke in a spacy yet cryptic tone. "Welcome~ Welcome, welcome to the Train of the Mystery~ Or… at least that is what I call it. You never know now-a-days… especially since I have no idea how I ended up here~"
The guy then scratched his beard with his right hand as he grinned at Shunso. "You might be wondering who is this mysterious handsome beast, right~? Well… you might not have heard of me since my talent is… special if you can say~ I am Hastur, and yes, that is my name~ And I am known as the Ultimate Cosmicism Writer~ if you wondering what my talent is exactly about, well… maybe I can explain it later. Since it is a bit complicated due to the theme, just know that I write stories for the moment~"
HASTUR – ULTIMATE COSMICISM WRITER
I… well… huh. Okay. So I've heard about this guy. Hastur, the Ultimate Cosmicism Writer. Not much is known about him, but he is a master at his craft. Writing tales similar to those of Lovecraft, he wrote many stories with a more bittersweet feel to them. Basically, his stories take H.P Lovecraft and gives them a different yet unique twist. An interesting writer… but…
"Do… you have any idea what's going on?" Shunso was curious at his wording at the writer simply shook his and laughed.
"Oh! Not at all~ I am just quite interested in investigating this mysterious train and why we are here~ Confidence is key after all. Well, I shall take my leave. So long~" Hastur then waved at Shunso and walked away, leaving a very confused Intelligence Officer.
"…what… the hell? …Whatever. I got two more cars to explore."
However, the closer he got to the end, the more he felt that pit in his stomach grow. What awaited him? Well… only time would tell.
-TO BE CONTINUED-
Hello everyone! PurpleSweetness here!
…Ummm… sooooo… sorry for the delay? To be honest, this past week has been a busy one with work, getting a new phone, and other shenanigans. I hope you're all alright with the wait. My update/upload schedule shall be very random to be honest. Whenever I finish up to be honest. But yeah… one more part and then we move onto the first chapter!
That's all for now! See you all next time!
PurpleSweetness signing out!