ACT 3: IN THE GRIP OF DESPAIR

Chapter 2: Beginning of a new circle

Two years earlier

Hope's Peak Academy, Japan

"Take a twenty-minute break," said Nekomaru Nidai.

"Come on, I can go for another round," Amelda Mason replied with a hint of frustration as he brought himself back up after a violent throw-down from his coach. This was the third training martial art session he had with Nekomaru. Having learned and passed the basics without much problem, he was eager to take on the master himself. So far, his efforts had not been met with any success and Nekomaru Nidai remained, as ever, an unmovable fortress.

"But I cannot," said Nekomaru sternly. "I need to take a shit. I'll be right back."

Amelda was disappointed. He thought the coach used the expression to indicate his disdain on the pupil for his inability so far to even drop the man to his knees, whereas Amelda had been laid sprawling on the floor six times already. He also feared the coach was giving him the cold shoulder for the scuffle he had with some of his classmates earlier, though Nekomaru personally denied the incident having any influence on either his view on Amelda or the training. Little did he know, Nekomaru took his toilet-going very seriously and had no trouble announcing his excrementitious intention to the world.

Amelda wanted to cry. As a result of mental trauma, he had been unable to cry for a long time. His journey in Hope's Peak Academy wasn't working out so well. He had given up a perfectly good job at Wayne Enterprise and chosen the UAE to be where he would carry out his talent development project, mainly because of the handsome pay. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out too well. His boss had taken his own life in a non-jihad manner, citing overwhelming pressure and feeling hopelessness as reasons in a suicide note. Because such an incident was extremely rare among UAE citizens and the fact Amelda's boss was a prominent and popular sheikh, the ensuing tribal outrage soon became national. Many managers and employees close to the sheik, Amelda included, were blamed for the decline in mental health leading up to his death. After receiving death threats from his former boss's sons, Amelda cut contacts and returned to Hope's Peak Academy, asking for a delay in his talent development project. The due date was three months from now for the next project of his choosing and Amelda, still recovering from the fallout of his previous job, had chosen a safe position within the government of Australia and kept his profile low just in case his former employers came after him. In the meantime, he supposed he should focus on something else to relieve his mind - something completely unrelated to numbers, money, oil, and mercenaries.

Exactly twenty minutes after he left, Nekomaru returned.

"Ready for another round?" the Ultimate Team Manager asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Amelda replied, his expression dispirited.

Now it was Nekomaru's turn to be disappointed. When he announced he would hold one-on-one training sessions with other students of Hope's Peak Academy as part of his talent development project, fewer entered than he had expected. Not only that, all the students enrolling at the moment were from the main course - those few from the reserve course initially joining had all dropped out after a few sessions, either unable to keep up or under too much peer pressure from their own classmates. Nekomaru considered it a disgrace considering Hope's Peak Academy created the reserve course with the stated intention of allowing 'normal' students to learn from the Ultimates. Nevertheless, he would not allow this disappointment to distract him from the remaining pupils.

In the case of Amelda Mason, Nekomaru had enjoyed having the young man under his tutelage so far. Despite being the Ultimate Accountant, Amelda had a decent bodybuild and was already proficient in Krav Maga, a violent martial art that Akane fondly referred to as "Jewjitsu" and Souda as "ball-ripping stimulation". Though it would take much more than those to take on him, Nekomaru saw potentials in this particular pupil, particularly the discipline he displayed, as opposed to the more physically fit but difficult to work with Owari Akane, as well as his genuine passion for something that wasn't related to his talent.

Neither the discipline nor passion was present right now, however.

"Skills and strength are not the only things you need to accomplish what you are pursuing," said Nekomaru. "Those are only surface-level things."

"I know," said Amelda. "I am an accountant."

"I am not talking about that," Nokomaru pointed out. "Look, four years ago, I took up the training of a baseball player despite never holding a bat my entire life up to that point. He was also skeptical at first, let me tell you. But I proved him wrong. I took the extra effort to learn how to play baseball while I taught him things that weren't related to baseballs in particular, such as team spirit and stamina control. When he finally mastered the basics, I had also mastered the sport. My former pupil is now one of the most sorted players in Japan."

"That's just you," Amelda stated.

"And so can you," Nekomaru swiped down his argument. "You can do anything if you put your head and heart into it, That is what I see in you the first day. Now, you don't seem so sure anymore."

"I am sorry," said Amelda timidly.

"Don't apologize," Nekomaru scolded. His thunderous voice nearly startled the Ultimate Accountant. "It's pointless. I don't want you to feel sorry. I need answers. I need solutions. I need you to put your best into it. Am I clear?"

"Yes, coach Nidai," Amelda nearly shouted in response.

"Good," said Nekomaru. "Now, answer me this. Be truthful. Are you still bothered by what happened three days ago?"

Amelda was unsure. Recalling the incident, he now believed he had been a little too harsh on fellow student Chiaki Nanami, his resentment already fueled by his failed talent development project. Their personal argument had nearly spiraled into a class-on-class dispute, with Hiyoko slipping the K-word and Amelda trying his best to avoid using the J-word. In the end, the conflict was resolved thanks to the intervention of the Ultimate Prefect Kiyotaka Ishimaru whose voice drowned out all others and whose dedication to maintaining order was as blotless as his fairness to other students regardless of class. For inappropriate language, Hiyoko was sentenced to window cleaning duty for one week, which her classmate Mahiru volunteered to help.

"Yes," Amelda confirmed, breathing in hard. "Are you as well?"

"Of course not," Nekomaru rebuked. "We all have our moments where we think back and feel embarrassed and think we should have behaved differently. To me, it's of no use dwelling on them. As I said, if an error is made, then it is your job to correct it, not imagining a scenario where it never occurred. I recommend you make an amend with Chiaki at some point. It calms your mind, and it calms hers as well. And I can tell you, she hasn't been quite happy lately." Nekomaru also suspected it had something to do with Chiaki's lovestruck in the reserve course who had been absent for quite a while. He didn't approach her because he was bad at making love advice.

Amelda was about to apologize but stopped, knowing his coach wouldn't agree. "I will," he said confidently.

"Is there anything else?" asked Nekomaru bluntly. He preferred people to be frank with themselves - it made training them more effective.

"My talent," Amelda stated. "I can't seem to make it work. I was so confident I was heading in the right direction. It didn't work out. I guess I was overconfident."

"Confidence is a virtue," Nekomaru refuted. "Don't be upset not everything goes according to what you expect. I am not saying you should get back out there right away, either. You've got your life ahead of you, and your talent isn't going away. Many of my students had had unfortunate incidents beyond their control that nearly ended their careers. If they can get up from that, you can as well. Just take it easy: one step at a time."

"Thanks," Amelda smiled. "I will take that to heart."

Nekomaru nodded approvingly. "Good, now let's do this. Show me what you've got!"

Throughout the rest of the session, Amelda could still not land a single blow, let alone pin down, his opponent. Still, Nekomaru was pleased to see the increase in the time it took for him to bring down his pupil. Nekomaru had succeeded even with difficult cases, such as the aforementioned Akane. He would not fail this young man.

Day 10

Tartarus Keep

9:00

Main Hall

I cursed myself for waking late this morning, almost missing breakfast, and incurring the wrath of Rin. It was very unbecoming of me to be so disorganized, but the events happening so far had not been kind to my mentality, to say the least. Aside from facing my worst nightmare made into form by the Despair Gas and the deaths of classmates after classmates as the others did, I also had this inexplicable condition growing inside me. First, there was the hemorrhage whose occurrence had become more frequent than ever before. And since yesterday, right after I witnessed the execution of Inori, I began to hear things as well. Now and then, I felt as if a voice from an invisible mouth was whispering into my ears. It called for release and recognition. I had no idea how to comply, not that I had any intention to do what it wanted. After what happened yesterday, I couldn't bear looking at myself in any mirror anymore.

I couldn't tell the others. I didn't want to be isolated like Hijiri was - we were all paranoid here all thanks to the Mutual Killing Game and the supposed omnipotence of the ultimate antagonist Overlord Monokuma.

But I shouldn't mope either. I had a happy life - at least whenever I was not at school, or not with other kids at school. Many of my classmates weren't so lucky.

"Late again," the Ultimate Police Woman chided. Everyone had arrived at the Main Hall by now, including Minako who sat silently in a corner. "Just like on the first day."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I thought about responding more aggressively to her authoritarian rule but decided against it. "I went to sleep late last night."

"Are you still haunted by Ashley and Inori's deaths, Amelda?" asked Eliza. I didn't expect her to be worried about someone else. Then again, I did save her from Hokuto's relentless accusations during the last trial. "Is that why you couldn't sleep?"

I sighed. "Don't all of us? Anyway, I was just reading some books I found in the library."

"Is something wrong?" asked Fitzgerald bluntly. "You didn't even wash your face this morning."

"Yes," I replied. After what happened in the mirror yesterday, I dreaded returning to the sink again.

"Do you want to share with us?" asked Inu. His question gave me a sense of deja vu - during the first trial, I helped him get over his timidness and insecurity.

"Perhaps not," I answered frankly, feeling ashamed that I couldn't let him cure me of the same weakness.

"Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't come back to bite you," said El Viento, perhaps having already half-guessed what was bothering me.

Much like dinner last night, the food Monokuma provided to us had seen a reduction reflecting the fact there were fewer of us now. This fact mattered little, however, as Yume woke up very early this morning, violated the Night-Time rule, putting himself at risk in the process, and baked up luxurious confection for us as congratulatory gifts for winning the second trial. While none of us was in a celebratory mood, we could not deny the deliciousness of his treats nor the heart and soul he put into making them. So we all ignored the food Monokuma prepared for us and had Yume's for breakfast instead. Notwithstanding the confirmation that our situation was hopeless, the Ultimate Baker said he had changed his mind about the concept of murders and trials.

"A challenge is upon us each time motivation is announced," explained Yume. "The Evil Overlord Monokuma casts a curse to make one of us into a monster, and it is our job, as defenders of justice and bearers of truth, to root out this individual and exercise them. They see reasons for their transgression in the name of evil and repented, becoming human once more. But alas, they could not be saved and must bear the pain of waving them goodbye as they do to the afterlife."

"That's one way to see it, I suppose," said Fitzgerald. The Ultimate Private Detective was utmost serious about outplaying the game and Yume's reasoning seemed to fit into his cause quite nicely.

"Depressing as it is, I will agree with Yume," said El Viento. "Monokuma may knock us down, but he won't keep us that way. We will always bounce back. And through perseverance, we shall prevail."

"We need to have a purpose," I concurred, not letting Yume's inspiration come to pass. "Otherwise all the deaths so far would have been meaningless."

"I guess it is my role to prevent the murder," Rin commented, "and yours to solve it if I fail."

"It's everybody's task to solve the murder," Kai corrected. She was eating a lot more than I expected. In fact, she was chomping down almost frantically, sometimes swallowing without adequate chewing. I didn't think that was the right way to relish Yume's fine treats, but I would rather not embarrass her by calling her out - Yume himself didn't seem to mind.

"I think it's a-a-also everybody's task to prevent it as well," Tatsuya added.

"Yo-ou s-ssssaid it," Eliza remarked, her mouth clogged by chocolate pastry.

"Didn't your parents teach you to talk while NOT having so much food in your mouth?" Hijiri scolded. Aside from her annoyance with Eliza, the Ultimate Geisha seemed more pleased than usual. She was really enjoying what Yume had prepared for us, commenting something about the absence of sugar in the treats despite their sweetness. After what happened between me and her, I was glad to see Hijiri smiling again.

"Not everything they taught me is worth following," Eliza countered. "Their works have limitations. And I intend to exceed them."

"Including in basic manners?" asked Hokuto derisively.

Eliza swallowed her mouthful. "As if you have them in abundance, Mr. Living-in-a-basement," she retorted.

"Guys, stop fighting," Yume intervened. "None of us can afford to stand alone. We all need each other to win this. It may seem impossible, but I have faith that we will overcome with we stick together. And each motivation, murder, and trial shall be a stepping stone to ultimate victory."

As we continued our lively conversation, only one person remained silent: Minako. The Ultimate Herbalist was sitting at a separate table by herself. She had not touched any of Yume's treats, claiming they weren't her taste, which I guessed was understandable because Minako preferred things fresh. She was sulking. Not only had her favorite place, the botanical garden, been sealed off due to the potential hazards from mutated plants, but both persons closest to her, Akihiko and Ashley, were now gone. Her current state reminded me of myself during those dreadful schoolyears where I stayed away from everyone else out of fear of being bullied as much as possible.

"Minako, do you have anything to say?" Kai addressed, not wanting the Ultimate Herbalist to be left out.

"Huh?" Minako looked confused by the question directed at her as if she had just awoken from a stupor. "I... I don't know what to think of this anymore. So many horrific things have happened."

"All the more reason for us to look on the bright side of things," I told her. "Isn't life and death part of your religion?"

Minako nodded sadly. "Yes. But, I'm not so sure anymore. Of myself. Of the situation. Of my dearest Hinako. Or anything."

"This is not helping, Minako," said El Viento sternly. "You need to face it."

"That's right," Rin agreed. Minako shot her a hateful glare as if the Ultimate Police Woman had blasphemed her goddess. The two had been at loggerheads ever since Rin made up the final evidence to condemn Inori to a painful death. What made it even more complicated was the fact the evidence, which turned out correct, contained elements that went against the tenets of Minako's paganism. "Don't be a liability to us."

"I don't need anything from you, Rin-chan," Minako hissed in reply.

"Then what do you need from anyone?" Rin bawled.

"Let her go, Rin," I reprimanded. From my own experience, I certainly didn't get over my anthropophobia by people just slapping me out of it - it took much care and love from my parents.

"Rin, she's clearly not into it," Yume again called out. "Don't be too pushy."

"What happened was tragic," said Kai. "But we hope you can recover, Minako."

"Your methods are always so excessive, Rin," Hijiri chimed in. She was the one who got tortured by the Ultimate Police Woman after the first trial for attempting, and failing, to murder me. "And it's not working. Tell me, how do you expect to keep us in line if we don't even trust you? This is not becoming a dictatorship, is it?"

Rin was dumbfounded by the accusation from who was once the victim under her whip.

"Fair point," Hokuto remarked.

"No questioning that," Eliza added.

"Let's leave her for now," said Inu. "Minako is strong. I believe in her."

"I would r-r-rather we stop b-b-bickering among ourselves," Tatsuya stuttered. "It's not h-h-helping at all."

"Fine," Rin exclaimed. "Have it your way. But if she becomes a threat, don't come begging for my help."

"Not the first time I've heard that," said Hijiri sourly.

"You too, El Viento," I reminded.

"Alright," El Viento conceded. "Let's try your way."

While I regretted Rin and El Viento's preference towards tough approaches, I admitted the issue with Minako would have to be solved one way or another. We were in a game of multiple phases here, and to win it we needed to corporate at all points in time - according to game theory, any act of deviation or treachery would lead to retribution from the other parties in all remaining rounds. Yume seemed to have the same idea from our talk last night. That would have to wait, however, as we were greeted by the familiar face of the final boss in this game.

"You didn't like my food?" asked Monokuma, feigning displeasure. "How sad. Most of the trays are still full. I put a lot of effort into making them, you know?"

"It's nice," Yume replied frankly. "Your chef is quite talented, Monokuma. But just for today, I thought we should try something else. Something special to commemorate our second victory against your evil schemes."

"Don't get too cocky," squeaked Monokuma. "There's more where they came from. So don't let it get to your head, unless 'it' refers to a bullet shot from a revolver your trusted friend has been hiding from you." I had half-expected Monokuma to sneer at Yume for thinking we had just won, but he seemed genuine when acknowledging our accomplishment so far.

Still, the reference to Fitzgerald's previous deception was uncomforting, to say the least. This issue was brought up in the last trial and while I wasn't there when it was resolved, according to Fitzgerald, he and Rin agreed that he would keep the gun but all the bullets would remain in my safekeeping. Fitzgerald and Hokuto both took an oath not to craft further munition. And, just in case, if anyone got shot and died, Fitzgerald would be immediately voted as the killer. The last part seemed prone to abuse, but that only furthered his resolve to protect his weapon more rigidly, as well as mine to keep my entrusted items from anyone else except Fitzgerald when their usage was justified.

"Don't get cocky," Hokuto returned. "It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but I swear one day my pickaxe will find your sorry ass."

"Yeah, we won't lose to you," El Viento cried. "If only I weren't so out of practice, I would have no trouble beating those bodyguards of yours."

"Fuck off," Eliza swore.

"I don't generally tolerate foul language," said Hijiri. "But I think I will make an exception here."

"Just give us what we want already," said Rin expectantly.

"Such intimidation," Monokuma fumed. "Such manner. You know what, I was going to announce the good news to you, but given the terrible attitudes I'm receiving, I think I won't anymore."

"Really?" asked Kai, eyes widened in shock.

"Guys, maybe agitating him isn't the best idea," said Inu with a frightened expression.

"Hey, d-d-don't do that, Monokuma," Tatsuya stammered, dismayed.

To my unexpressed disappointment, some of us gave up too easily at Monokuma's ruse. I didn't think Monokuma could withhold even if he wanted to. As he said, the show must go on, and the sceneries so far had become quite repetitive.

"Buuuuuuut since there are some of you who remain loyal, I suppose I shouldn't exact collective punishment on you all," said Monokuma. "So here you go. Another area of Tartarus Keep is open for you to explore, benefit from, and use as the crime scene. Get to the library and you will see what I am talking about. Just what you want, correct?" As much as I was glad at the announcement, I sincerely hoped the third activity he mentioned wouldn't be the case."

The mood flipped 180 degrees from putting up resistance to showing appreciation.

"Awesome," Hokuto whooped. "Let's check it out."

El Viento was animated. "Oh yeah, I can't wait to see what he has in store for us."

"I hope it's good," said Yume. "Maybe a facility for group activity would be nice."

"Come on, Minako," I said. "Join us."

The Ultimate Herbalist looked as if she had been snapped from her stupor. "Alright," said Minako listlessly.

With that, we moved out.

The library brought back bad memories to me. First, Akihiko the Ultimate Librarian had perished before this place was even revealed. Then, this place became Ashley Wiltarrow's final resting ground. This was the catalyst for Inori's subsequent execution. I entered it with a heavy heart.

Much like the hallway, the library had been cleaned up and renovated during the night. It looked as good as new now with all the shelves lined up neatly and every book where they belonged.

At the center of the large room was a spiral staircase leading down. We didn't notice this before, probably because it was concealed away by a fake marble floor - I highly doubted even with all the talents and resources available, Monokuma could construct this in one day. Since there was no passageway for the disabled, El Viento carried both Yume and his wheelchair all the way to the floor beneath.

10:30

Archive

The room we arrived in looked quite like the library above and was also lined-up with shelves, indicating they were constructed together as part of a set. Even the white marble floor was the same. However, while this room didn't contain any book to read, other recording materials including manuscripts, articles, films, and even some artifacts inside containers were in abundance. The combination of the archive and the library above was probably where the academics of this castle spent their time in.

"What a place," I commented. With the information available to us, I hoped to find out more about Tartarus Keep where we were at as well as, if possible, anything on what was happening to the outside world.

"This place smells old," said Hokuto. "Just like that dungeon. Must have been built a very long time ago." The display itself looked rather unkempt, despite well-maintained, and, unlike the library, lacked categorization. This gave me the impression that the archive had not originally looked this way and Monokuma had added stuff into it specifically for the Killing Game.

"Boring," said El Viento.

"We can do some research with these," Inu suggested.

"What's good is that?" asked Eliza skeptically.

"I don't know," I replied. "But I'm sure it will help. Knowledge is power, after all."

"It will take some time, though," said Fitzgerald. "And we're not in the mood for that at the moment. So let's move on."

As displayed on the E-Handbook, three other rooms were accessible from the Archive. Straight ahead was the gym, to the left was the ballroom, and to the right was where we would find the clinic lab.

Gym

Art Gallery

Laboratory

10:30

Gym

Under the insistence of El Viento, we all went to the gym first. Despite the classification, it wasn't just a gym and a better name for the room would be a fitness center. Though the room wasn't divided, there were three clearly defined facilities within it, each suitable for a specific type of physical training and/or leisure. I was surprised to see something like this in the middle of a medieval-like castle, but I was equally glad that it was the case.

To the left of the entrance was a swimming pool as large as a small lake. The floor surrounding it was made of varnished wood so that water would not seep in. On one side to its rear were doors leading to two locker rooms, one for male and one for female. The other side looked to be a sauna room. I supposed we could use to relax after the tribulation we had been through.

In the middle, a large number of work-out equipment were placed, including both dumbells of varying sizes and weights and contraptions. The floor here was covered in a grey rug much denser than the ones found upstairs in the residential area. Several more yoga mats were also available.

And situated on the left-wing of the room was probably my favorite so far: a hexagonal wrestling ring. El Viento's eyes seemed to brighten when she looked upon the ring, indicating she shared my sentiment.

"Now that's more like it," said El Viento excitedly. "Finally something the bear gives us that I can appreciate."

"That makes two of us," I agreed.

"Hey, it's so warm," Kai exclaimed as she touched the water in the pool with her hand. "Do you think we can swim here?"

"Of course you can," said Monokuma, popping up out of nowhere and nearly creeping us to death. "I don't see any reason why not."

"Eeek!" Inu shrieked, nearly jumped. Tatsuya and Kai were also shocked by his sudden materialization. At this point, the rest, including myself, had gotten used to the way Monokuma appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye as if he were Batman.

"What?" Monokuma sneered. "Why look so surprised? You asked a question like that and didn't expect me to barge in and answer?"

"No," Kai admitted. "I suppose not."

"Enjoy this bounty from your Overlord, my ever-self-denying subjects," Monokuma continued. "I always knew, despite all the harsh language you threw at me, you have been loving me all along. That's why I'm giving you bastards what you've always wanted. Happy now?"

"I would be if I were out of this damned place," said Rin, looking rather defeated. "Still, I will not deny this is clearly an improvement."

"Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth," Yume advised.

"It's n-n-nice," said Tatsuya, unsure. "I guess."

"I'm going for a swim this afternoon," Kai declared. "Anyone wants to join me?"

"Hold our horses," Fitzgerald cut in. "We don't have any swimwear at the moment. At least I am not seeing any in my room. Do you have any in yours?"

"Don't worry about that," Monokuma assured. "Within the changing rooms, you will find lockers designated to each one of you. Inside them, I have generously prepared one set of swimsuits and one set of gym suits matching each of your personal preferences." At this point, I had given up wondering why Monokuma had so much information about us. So far, he had used it to both appease and manipulate us. "Just one more thing. The entrance to the girl's changing room is booby-trapped. A scanner has been installed at the door so that any person with XY chromosome tries to enter, the floor beneath will violently explode and reduce them to cinders. Well, that's all I have to explain for now. Have fun, my ever-skeptical subjects."

With that, the bear was gone.

"A person with XY chromosome?" asked Eliza. "Does anyone here have it?"

"It simply means a male," Fitzgerald replied.

"I knew that," said Eliza briskly. "Just kidding." I somehow doubted it.

"Let me get this straight, there are bombs under the entrance of OUR locker room and none under THEIRS?" El Viento furiously stated. "What if they go off due to malfunction? Now I am feeling jealous of the males."

"And I wish I could be female," said Hokuto.

Rin shot him a glare. "Planning something indecent?"

"No," Hokuto retorted. "If there are explosives underneath that door, I want to get my hands on them. I know how to handle explosives."

"So you can blow us up yourself?" Eliza hollered. "How is that not indecent?"

"It's not like that at all," Hokuto spat. "They could be used to blast our way out of here."

"Or blast us all to kingdom come," I rebuked. Hokuto had already devised an escape plan, which he swore on his soul was without unnecessary endangerment of innocent lives. Swapping that for something so volatile was a sure recipe for disaster. "Aren't you already working on another safer route?"

"I am," Hokuto insisted. "I just want to have as many opportunities to fall back to as possible."

"Forget it," Eliza bellowed. "Remember the rules? NO SMASHING FURNITURE ALLOWED! I don't think that bear will be as merciful as last time."

"I will go with the math here," Hijiri added. "Your track record in putting our lives at risk during one of your escaping stunts has earned your my wariness."

"Guys, stop arguing," Yume cut in. While his voice was as gentle as always, I could sense the frustration in it. "Why are we in constant disagreement with one another? We should be sticking together not falling apart like this."

The belligerents fell silent for a while. I agreed with Eliza and Hijiri. We had no idea where we were in this castle. For all we knew, Tartarus Keep might be colossal, and blasting down some walls wouldn't automatically mean finding a way out. Besides, how could we even escape when the bear had us under surveillance 24/7?

Rin sighed. "All of a sudden, I don't feel like going for a swim anymore."

"The thought of explosives under my feet doesn't sound very encouraging," Hijiri noted ominously. "I will also pass."

"Knowing Monokuma, he might have tainted the water with poison that will turn us into zombies," Eliza added, grimly reminding us of how Kazuki's execution went.

"Well, I am still going, whether you like it or not," said Kai confidently. "Anyone brave enough to join me shall be my sibling in arms."

"Count me in," Hokuto boomed. "Nothing intimidates me."

"Then I will as w-w-well," said Tatsuya.

"How about you, Minako?" I asked.

"Huh?" Minako looked at me with a confused face. It appeared she was dozing off the whole time and might not have heard the explanation from Monokuma. "I, uhm. Yeah, sure. I'd love a swim. Will you join us, Amelda-kun?" Seeing Minako brighten up a bit lessened the weight on my heart.

"Not today," I told her, pointing to the arena. I had had this idea ever since I met her for the first time, and now was the perfect time to realize it. I already had the skills from the start, and now the required facility was also available. "I think a certain Luchador and I will have a little sparring this afternoon. What do you say, El Viento?"

"Challenge accepted," El Viento declared vigorously. "No way I am backing down."

"You against El Viento?" Hokuto laughed. "I'll be digging your grave in the meantime."

"Nonsense," Fitzgerald rebuked. "Mason is tougher than he looks. It will be an interesting match for sure."

"I would love to see that," Eliza grinned. "Maybe a fatality too."

"EEEP!" Tatsuya bleeped. "Not too violent."

"Your taste of entertainment lacks refining," said Hijiri, sighing. "Nevertheless, since I have nothing better to do and cannot afford to isolate myself further, I suppose I shall join you."

"I'll be the referee," Rin volunteered. "And to make sure neither of you lands the killing blow onto the other. Wouldn't want a murder to happen too soon, would we?"

"Sounds good," said Minako. "It is the law of nature that the strong overcome the weak. Though I am disheartened, I understand why it must be. However, a non-violent contest between the two of you should be interesting. I'll be sure to cheer as loud as I can so you can hear me from the pool."

So it was settled. Amelda Douglas Mason versus El Viento. Three in the afternoon. In front of the audience, and Rin Yamamoto being the referee.

11:00

As some of my classmates decided to linger in the gym for a little longer, Fitzgerald, Rin, Yume, Inu, and I decided to explore the rest of the floor we were just given access to, continuing with...

Art Gallery

Laboratory

The art gallery was exactly what I was expecting: a room where the works of art were put on display. The floor here was covered by a thick rug with Persian engravings. The air was much heavier than the gallery upstairs, probably because this had always been an exhibition room while the other was only recently converted to display relics of deceased players of the Mutual Killing Games. What I didn't expect was the fact it was showing mostly paintings of Monokuma in various heroic postures, obviously imported in after his takeover. There were some unusual empty spaces on the wall which I guessed was because the paintings that occupied them were recently moved to the main hall to fill in for the mess we created during the last motivation.

Not all of the pictures belonged to him, though. Other people were being the center of depiction as well. To my surprise, most of them looked Japanese and didn't seem to have anything to do with the European medieval theme of Tartarus Keep. Then, what I saw made my heart froze.

"It cannot be," I muttered.

"You recognize him?" asked Fitzgeraldald.

"Nekomaru Nidai," I answered. "He was a hugely influential coach who trained and motivated many successful teams in a variety of sports fields. I knew him because I was trained under his supervision for a month at a summer camp in Israel. The Japanese coach had a reputation for being strict but fair, and while he always asked for those under his tutelage to push their limits, his record of no injury and no dropout spoke volumes for the effectiveness of his methods. And his massage, as it was rumored, was legendary."

"I know him too," said Rin. "He helped training some rookies. A very good man, if not for the fact he discouraged violence."

"An excellent man, then," I corrected derisively. But what I was seeing seemed to contradict what I just said, so I reluctantly lowered my voice, "Or perhaps he was."

"I heard he was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy as well," said Yume. "He was on the news from time to time. I really love what he's been doing."

I laid my hand on the picture of Nekomaru and confirmed it had been genuinely painted rather than printed. Whoever made this was very skilled. The smell, however, was repelling, almost metallic somehow, so I took a step back and examined at a distance without exposing my nose.

While I had every respect for Nekomaru Nidai as a coach, what I was seeing was the exact opposite. While his grave expression was still there, Nidai was wearing a white buttoned shirt instead of his usual black jacket over a tank top that bared a part of his chest. The chains around his neck and shoulders were gone. Nidai looked much more serious and grim than the last time I saw him. His eyes also looked different and, as if to emphasize it, the painter had drawn lines surrounding them that resembled crimson electricity discharges. What unsettled me the most was the serrated whip in his hands and the other people also depicted in the picture. Beneath Nidai feet were two people, a boy, and a girl in their late teens, their bodies completely ravaged and covered in bleeding cuts. They were kowtowing before Nidai, not begging for mercy but showing appreciation. Both appeared extremely proud of the pain they endured, their rictus grins sickening to look at.

Rin might have earned her spot at Hope's Peak Academy for her reputation of cruelty to criminals, but I could never have imagined Nidai gaining his for treating his trainees so poorly. The more I looked at the tattered duo, the more I believed they had completely lost their mind, though I could not tell whether it was due to the harsh training regime or they were already broken and Nidai was overseeing their induction into the rank of whatever organization he was serving.

At this point, I had no doubt they were all working for Monokuma. The bear revealed he had many talented people on his side. I was dreaded to think Nekomaru Nidai, a loving coach, would be one of them.

"Looks like has a change in method," Fitzgerald commented.

"So horrible," Inu gasped. "Is he working for Monokuma now?"

"That would be a logical deduction." Fitzgerlad nodded.

"Wait, this is just a painting," Yume cut in. "How do we know what it depicts is true? For all we know, Monokuma might be messing with our mind with his dark magic."

"That whip," Rin called out. "I think I have seen it before. That's right. It's the one in the gallery upstairs. It was donated by someone called Death Driller, I believe."

"Really?" I asked. "I didn't notice." I visited four of the items (one of which invisible or just absent) on the side that was already filled up on my first day and then had been neglecting them ever since. Perhaps a closer looked later would be required, if only I had the stomach for it.

"It still doesn't mean it belongs to Nidai," Yume insisted. His desperate voice indicated he was in denial at this point, which meant no amount of argument could sway him. Then again, I neither wanted to believe nor had enough evidence to accuse Nekomary Nidai of siding with Monokuma and abusing his trainees, not until I saw him in the flesh wielding that sadistic whip with my own very eyes.

The other paintings weren't much better.

A man about my age with pinkish-purple hair proposing to a blond young lady dressed in regal clothing like a monarch, presenting her with a wedding ring as well as the mutilated bloody finger that wearing it. The lady wore a blood-stained crown that resembled the one found in the other gallery.

Two young girls, one punkish in appearance and playing an electronic guitar while the other dressed in Japanese kimono and waving her fans as she danced. They were performing what looked to be a victory celebration on top of a pile of dismembered corpses, as soldiers in black and white uniforms cheered and whooped and raised their fists, guns, machetes, and banners bearing Monokuma's smug face. The fans used by the girl wearing kimono also reminded me of an item found in the gallery above. I didn't remember the name of the contributor, but the fans had razor-sharp blades concealed.

While each painting depicted a unique scenario, one thing they had in common stood out: the emphasis on the color red. It was vivid, almost as if the pictures themselves were bleeding.

I removed my eyes from the pictures. They were too much to take in. Yume and Inu did the same thing. Only those with nerves of steel could maintain a straight face in this dark place. Rin continued to study the paintings in disgust, while Fitzgerald appeared fascinated. Hopefully, they would make some important findings on their own, because Yume, Inu, and I couldn't stand looking at these abominations a second later. After what happened to Ashley, our appetite for gruesomeness was at an all-time low.

I focused on the stage in the middle of the room where the artist, presumably the one single-handedly responsible for this macabre gallery, used to work at. The painting stand was placed on the stage, its board having paints splattered in no conceivable pattern on. Right next to it was a wooden chair and surrounding them were several brushes of different sizes, coloring cans - some of which spilled over and staining the expensive carpet - and other painting supplies. The messy nature of the arrangement told me whoever working here was either rushing because they were on a deadline or they were as frantic and insane as those they were drawing or both.

While the paintings exuded a metallic smell, the stage itself was surrounded by an even less inviting aura - the pungent stench of decay.

"Ugh, it smells as if something died here," I complained, raising my sleeve under my nose.

"Maybe something did," said Inu grimly.

The Ultimate Chemist pointed to a container larger than the spray can. It was tainted by some sort of brown and grey grime. At first, I didn't quite understand until I saw a knife caked in the same filth nearby. My heart nearly stopped.

"Do you think...?" Yume fearfully asked.

Inu picked up a bottle of clear liquid. "Rubbing alcohol. There is no doubt about it. This allows blood to maintain its red color for a very long time." He continued to explain the various other chemicals contained in canisters which I mistook as painting supplies. They were probably used to prevent coagulation and sterilize the blood, preventing it from being tainted, rotten, or significantly altered in any way. Some chemicals he said he didn't recognize at all.

"Makes sense," said Fitzgerald, walking up to the stage and examined the stand and its surrounding himself. "I thought the smell was fishy. This confirms my suspicion. So Monokuma created this gallery with the blood of his victims. How classical."

"Dear God help us," I breathed. The possibility of summoning Beezlebub from hell aside, there were scientific proofs against the use of blood in paintings. "But how? Blood doesn't mix well with watercolor."

"And zombies shouldn't exist," Fitzgerald replied coolly. "And sixteen superbly talented people shouldn't disappear without the whole world looking for them. With the resources he had, you honestly think that fact could stay Monokuma's vanity?"

"I can't take this anymore," Yume exclaimed and rolled away. None of us tried to stop him.

"Thanks a lot," said Rin sarcastically, addressing Fitzgerlad. "You don't need to remind us in such details."

The Ultimate Private Detective was cool as a cucumber. "I only state observable facts, whether it is painful to hear or not."

Upon Yume's reaction, Inu also started to shake and sob, his whole body frozen in fear.

At that moment, I thought I could hear the screams of the victims as they were brought here in front of the artist and butchered for some red paint. I had no idea how effective the extraction methods were - there didn't seem to be any facility to perform this wretched ritual other than a knife, a container, and some chemicals. For all I knew, an entire person might as well yield a gallon or two or usable blood.

I could almost see them too: those faces frozen in terror as the knife sliced into their bodies and a fountain of blood erupted. All the sweet lovely red fluid that once sustained humans now gave life to the paintings. The thought of so many people suffering, including the overworked artist, to create this twisted gallery filled me with such rage and hatred.

Let it out. Let ME out.

I was exasperated. I might have gone berserk and smash everything I can find in this God-forsaken place had there not been a rule that explicitly prevented me from doing so. Instead, I remained calm under the pressure, putting up a fictitious mask of security and shoving the dark voice to the back of my mind.

"It seems we are not the only victims of Monokuma," I stated. "Not that it comes as a surprise anymore. It's like with every passing day we are witness to more and more evidence of atrocities being committed here. First the dungeon, and now this?"

"All the more reason to win this game and bring him down," said Rin determined. "More sins to punish. More deaths to avenge."

"If that gives you motivation in the right direction, then I wholeheartedly agree," said Fitzgerald callously.

"Inu," I called out to the shivering fellow, clasping on his shoulder. "Don't let it bother you. It's horrible, but no more than what we've seen so far. Remember what Yume said? If we stick together, we can overcome." It was kinda ironic Yume was the one to leave first, but I respected his reasoning for his action. "So please, stay calm."

Enough with the hypocrisy. Be truthful.

"Right," Inu agreed and straightened up. The old Ultimate Chemist would run away crying back to his room at this point. "Thanks."

"As terrible as it sounds, this might give us some clue as to what we are dealing with," said Fitzgerald. "As you said, these people are working for Overlord Monokuma, and their relics are on display upstairs. Learning about their identities, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses may be key to our victory."

"Good idea," I replied. "However, I don't think I want to be in this room any longer. The sights are unnerving enough, but the smells are worse."

LIAR!

"Then Fitzgerald and I will stay here to have a better look," Rin confirmed. The Ultimate Private Detective muttered something about asking Hokuto for a gas mask. "In the meantime, have a look at the last room and tell us what you find."

I nodded. "Sure. Come on, Inu. It's your room this time, isn't it?"

"Eh, yes," said Inu with mild anticipation.

11:30

Laboratory

This room was exactly what I expected, and, not counting the creepy dungeon which even Monokuma didn't expect, was probably my least favorite so far. The middle of the room was occupied by three large tables where dozens of tubes, vials, and other chemical-related items whose names I didn't know were placed on. The chemicals were of all sorts of color from translucent to deep pink to dark green. Lining the walls were shelves with further chemical containers. One shelf was filled with canisters which I believed to be finished products. A closer look confirmed my suspicion: a can with the label Despair Gas. Other canisters had names that were of equal concern: Die Laughing Gas, Die Itching Liquid, Xenomorph Blood, Satan Summoning Syrup (as if Beezlebub wasn't bad enough), Teruteru's Super Special Ingredient,...

To me, it looked like a freakshow. To a certain fellow next to me, this was the definition of paradise.

"Whooa," Inu wowed at what he saw. "This far bigger than the lab at my home."

"You have a lab at your home?" asked Kai. She and Hokuto were joining us in the exploration of the laboratory.

Inu was silent for a moment. "Yes," he replied timidly. "I do." I understood why Inu was reluctant to talk about it. Inu was forced to work at a sweatshop within his own house by his own parents who regularly abused him.

"Do you think you can make something from here that will restore our memory?" asked Hokuto.

"I can't," Inu replied. "I have no idea how memories work, I'm afraid. Monokuma must have had access to knowledge in many fields, not just chemistry, to have erased our memory like that."

"I see," said Hokuto, disappointed. "Anyway, I guess this is the place for you."

Inu nodded happily. "It is. Thanks, guys."

"For what?" I asked. "Wasn't this Monokuma's idea?"

"For having been there with me," Inu explained, his voice more jovial now. "If I had locked myself in my room the whole time, I wouldn't have discovered this place."

"You're welcome," said Hokuto.

"These things," said Kai, indicating the shelf with all the canisters. "I see Despair Gas here. These must be Monokuma's products from the lab. I wonder if any could help get us out of here."

"The better question is if any could be useful as a murder weapon," Hokuto corrected.

"Should we take stock of them like what we did to the weapons in the storage room?" I suggested. As I spoke, I was suddenly reminded of the exercise I did with Akihiko earlier in the storage room.

It was thought at the beginning that we could minimize the threat of someone playing Killing Game on the opposite team by preventing them from access to means of committing murders. Yet, the culprits so far had used managed to bypass this. Kazuki modified his flute into a blowpipe to shoot a needle into Akihiko's eye, Inori smashed open Ashley's skull with a knight's helmet, Hijiri tried to assassinate me with a pair of scissors found in her own room, and I nearly choked her to death with my bare hands.

Still, knowledge was power, as someone else was fond of saying. These chemicals could be used as either means of escape or means of murder in the future. We should at least take note of them.

"Good idea," Hokuto agreed. "Monokuma didn't create these with good intentions in mind. But this is a resource, whether to escape or to commit murder. It should be taken into account."

"Hopefull it's the former," said Kai.

"But Hokuto's right," I said. "We should consider their use seriously. Any edge we have might matter."

"Should we conceal them away as well?" asked Hokuto. "So that others cannot use them as a murder weapon."

"If you try to move them, count me out," Kai refused. The Ultimate Ballerina had every reason to be skeptical given Hokuto nearly killed her on the first day when we tried to hide all those medieval weapons we found in the storage room. "Sorry, guys, but I don't think I want to be near Hokuto and a bunch of dangerous stuff."

"That's a bad idea," Inu replied to Hokuto, shaking his head. "After what happened in the last trial, I don't think I can stomach the idea of keeping secrets from the others."

"A useless exercise," I told Hokuto bluntly. Though my conversation with the Ultimate Miner yesterday boosted my confidence in him by a margin, that didn't mean I agreed with every idea he came up with - and Hokuto was known for bad ideas. "Weapons don't murder people. People do. And as long as the Mutual Killing Game is in place, there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, weren't you among those who were upset with Fitzgerald hiding his gun?"

"Fine," said Hokuto, seemingly unaffected by the rebuke. "Let's just take stock of them then. We might find something interesting. Something that might help us escape."

We got to work. I grabbed a paper and a pen and started writing as Hokuto picked up and examined one canister at a time. We sometimes discussed their implications, but both the names and the descriptions were so vague there really wasn't much to say. During that, Inu also had a check on the chemicals and equipment available. The fellow seemed quite ecstatic about this room.

I considered this a warm-up. Being able to put my talent to good use brought me pride and joy. It also lightened my mood after all that had happened, especially the unsettling revelation in the gallery. Most importantly, it helped me prepare for the real challenge this afternoon, a wrestling match with El Viento. I was a fan of the sport and since the first day we met, I had always imagined her and me in the ring together. Fitzgerlad's surprise attack in the library, the knowledge of my endeavor during the second motivation during which I was able to defeat Rin, and, admittedly, the baleful voice in my head urging for violence, only served to invigorate me to fight and to win it.

For now, I did my job as any good accountant should. This afternoon was where the fun began.

Author's Notes: You might have noticed the HUGE change to previous chapters, especially the trials. Gone are the scripted format, but I maintain the third-person point of view to ensure a more balanced discussion instead of putting too much focus on the main protagonist. I would also like to keep the format constant.

This chapter, and ACT, further explores the relationship between the cast and canon characters. I also would like to explore the exploits of the Ultimate Despair a little bit more because we only get a glimpse of them in the final chapter of Danganronpa 2 as well as the opening of Danganronpa 3 Side Future. I also wish Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc had been a bit longer to flesh out the characters rather than confirming what we had already known in Danganronpa 2.

I LOVE Nekomaru Nidai. He is the only person in the games to actually make good use of his talent and contributes to society, which is the purpose of Hope's Peak Academy all along.

Thank you for following me so far. This story has been running for 3 years and I have every intention to finish it. It's also not easy to rewrite all the chat dialogues across 25 chapters, so please show me some support.

Cheers.