A/N: Alright, sorry for the hiatus, but I'm finally back with the start of Chapter Three Daily Life! So, who do you think is going to be the next to die? Do you think I'm gonna stick with tradition and have a double murder, or do you think I'll do something different and stick with only a single murder? Let me know in your reviews after you read. Enjoy!
Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!
Chapter Three: Grief of a Sister and Suspicions of a Mother!
Daily Life Part One: Kirumi and Ryoma's Atonement!
…I guess it was a little too soon to think we could all pick ourselves back up… Kiki lamented as she stared at Clover from across the table in the Dining Hall.
Though Lotus sat next to the girl, she barely acknowledged the mother's presence. Her bright pink hair was slightly unkempt, barely brushed, and her signature earmuffs hung loosely from her neck. She avoided all eye contact, preferring to fiddle with her fingertips. From what Kiki could see of Clover's eyes, dark shadows clung stubbornly underneath her half-open eyelids, causing the heterochromatic girl to frown in worry.
I guess it would be too much to expect her to move past her grief after one night…poor Clover… Kiki felt her heart go out to the former sibling. She just lost her brother only yesterday…and neither seeing Hongou get punished nor her cry from after the execution seem to have done her any good. I guess even Lotus staying over and comforting her didn't do any good…
Kiki's eyes glanced to the scantily clad woman. To Kiki's surprise, Lotus wasn't focused on Clover at all. Instead, she seemed to be glaring daggers at Sokyu, causing Kiki to frown in confusion.
What's with her? I know Lotus can be a little tough to get along with at times, but Sokyu's mainly kept to himself since we first met. What could have happened to make her pissed at him?
To his credit, Sokyu practically ignored her, averting his eyes and staying completely silent. It's probably none of my business. Unless it causes issues beyond just the two of them, I should let them work it out on their own.
"So…" Seven began, breaking the awkward silence of the melancholy group. "Where's Kirumi and Ryoma?"
"Ah, that's right; they're not here." Shuichi realized as he glanced at the two empty chairs. "I haven't seen them since yesterday."
"I didn't realize how much I depended on Kirumi to give us breakfast until just now." Tsumugi admitted, glancing down at the empty table they were sitting at.
That's right…Kiki realized. Kirumi's always cooked breakfast for us, except yesterday, since she was unconscious. The only other person to cook for us has been Lotus, and she's been tending to Clover all morning…
Gonta nodded in agreement. "Kirumi took care of us…Gonta hopes she's okay…"
Where are they, anyway? Kiki pondered with a pit of dread in her stomach. Are they…?
"G-Good riddance…" Teruaki's mutterings caused Kiki's eyes to widen. When everyone but Clover turned towards him, he spat "W-what…? She tried to k-kill us all…"
"Gonta cannot ignore that!" Gonta glared angrily, his eyes seeming to glow red as Teruaki quaked in his seat. "Kirumi is not a murderer!"
"Whoa, calm down there, big guy." Seven interjected. "Take a deep breath."
As Gonta took a deep breath, Keebo gently scolded "Teruaki, it is a gross misrepresentation to claim that Kirumi tried to kill all of us. My memory banks contain no audio recording of any admission that she desired us all to die."
"…He's not wrong, though." Everyone turned towards Clover, varying looks of surprise and shock on their faces as they finally heard her speak. "She was willing to let us all die, just to fulfill some hallucination that she was the Prime Minister. Even if she didn't drown him herself, she was perfectly fine with letting my brother die."
Everyone fell silent, grimacing as they couldn't refute her words. I know that…but…whether it was real or fake…it was real to her…
Kiki's motive video of her family flashed before her eyes for a split second. Kiki shook her head, along with the memory.
Even though what she did was wrong…I can't really blame her for doing what she thought was right…
"…Intent to kill us or not, it's still concerning that she and Ryoma aren't here…" Sokyu muttered. "After all…she did intend to kill Ryoma, and he was willing to let her take his life. We shouldn't ignore the possibility that she's trying to kill him again as we speak-"
"You do not need to worry about that."
Everyone turned in their seats and saw Kirumi standing in the entryway. Ryoma lingered at her side, fiddling with a candy cigarette in his mouth.
"…Sorry for worrying you…" Ryoma averted his gaze as he removed his candy cigarette from his lips. "…But I'm still alive. Besides, letting Kirumi try to kill me now would only make her the obvious suspect."
"Indeed." Kirumi nodded as they walked to the two empty seats. "Such an act would be pointless."
Kiki internally sighed in relief before Shuichi asked, "So, why weren't you here right away?"
"…I suppose I do owe you all an explanation, at the very least." Kirumi admitted with a heavy sigh. "After what happened with Snake's trial, Ryoma and I had a long talk, and we came to realize that Kiki and Clover were right."
Ryoma nodded. "Even if we didn't actively collaborate with Ace to kill Snake, we do bear some of the responsibility for his death."
"That is correct." Kirumi's eyes lowered in remorse as she conceded, "…Ace was only able to kill Snake because he saw through my own plan and manipulated it for his own ends."
"And Kirumi only had a target because I was willing to die." Ryoma sighed.
"If we were not so laser-focused on my foolish plan, then we could have stopped Ace, and you would still have your brother." Kirumi humbly bowed to Clover. "You have our most humble apologies. I know it's insufficient, but it is all I am able to offer you, along with our promises to never attempt to kill someone again."
Ryoma nodded. "I used to think that I had no reason to live, and that I had no intention to survive until the very end. My motive video only reinforced those self-destructive thoughts. But…last night made me realize…"
Ryoma raised his head, lifting his beanie so everyone could see his eyes. Kiki noted the kindling of a fire smoldering within them that didn't exist before.
"Even if I have nobody outside that's important to me…I still have everyone inside. Getting all of you out of here…that's what's important to me. So from this point on…I'll only give up my life if it's to protect all of you."
Ryoma… Kiki stared in awe at the tennis player's change of heart.
Kirumi's lips tugged into a small smile as she nodded. "I hope one day we can earn your forgiveness for our sins…all of you…"
Clover grumbled but averted her gaze. I guess Clover hasn't forgiven them yet…but at least she held back any screaming accusations or insults. I guess that's a start, at least. Kiki smiled optimistically musing, Hopefully…with time…she can heal…maybe we all can…
"Well…" Seven muttered "Now that that's taken care of, why don't we figure out what we're going to do about breakfast?"
"You have quite the stomach, don't you Seven?" Tsumugi sweatdropped, smiling in amusement. "I wonder if you gain different abilities from the food you eat…"
"If you are all hungry, then perhaps I shall cook breakfast for everyone." Everyone turned towards Kirumi as she promised, "I'll work extra hard to make a feast for everyone."
"Hey, are we sure we want to let the person who tried to commit a murder cook our food?" Lotus narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Kirumi.
Sokyu nodded, concurring, "I agree with her." He ignored Lotus's incredulous glare as he continued, "Who's to say that she's not gonna try to poison our food?"
"Wouldn't that make it obvious who did it?" Ryoma pointed out as Kirumi frowned.
"I understand why you find me suspicious…but I promise, my only wish now is to atone for my sins."
"Guys…" Kiki hesitantly spoke up. "I think we should give her a chance. I know how everyone feels…but how is she gonna make up for what she did if we never give her an opportunity?"
"Gonta agrees! Gonta thinks we should give Kirumi the benefit of the doubt."
Kirumi smiled appreciatively at Kiki and Gonta before Keebo also vouched, "It is statistically unlikely that Kirumi would try to poison us so soon after she confessed to plotting a murder. I believe there is a nonzero possibility that her intentions are genuine."
Lotus sighed, caving, "Fine, I guess it's safe to let her cook."
"Excellent." Kirumi bowed in gratitude. "Then I shall begin cooking right away."
"Ah, wait." Everyone turned curiously towards Shuichi as he asked, "Isn't there something we're forgetting?"
"…What's that?" Ryoma inquired.
"Well…since we cleared another Class Trial…we should have access to the next floor."
"Ah, I see." Lotus realized "We need to figure out who's going to explore what parts of the new area."
Everyone except Clover took out their e-Handbooks and opened up the updated map. "It looks like…in addition to another set of classrooms and bathrooms…" Shuichi observed "There's another Storage Room…a Rec Room…an AV Room…and a Physics Lab."
"So…we have to decide how to divide into teams this time." Gonta realized.
"…I'm out…"
Everyone turned towards Clover, their eyes widening in surprise. "Clover, what do you mean, you're not going?" Kiki exclaimed in shock.
"…lone…lone…" Clover mumbled repeatedly, barely audible to the others.
"Hm?" Lotus asked as she sat down next to Clover, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Clover, I promise, you don't have to investigate alone." She assured her soothingly. "We can pair up, what do you say-"
"I said leave me alone!" Clover nearly screamed, glaring at Lotus.
"C-Clover…" Lotus breathed, flinching in shock as hurt flashed across her face.
"You're so annoying! Just go away and leave me alone! Just looking at you guys is pissing me off!"
"But…Clover…" Kiki tried, her voice gentle as a dove. "We can't just leave you by yourself-"
"Go away, okay?! Just go…somewhere else! Stop bothering me!"
"Well…this is a pickle…" Seven sighed, resting his palm against the top of his beanie.
"Yeah…we can't just leave Clover by herself…" Especially not in this state… Kiki frowned as she grappled with indecision. But we still have to explore the new floor…what should we do…?
"Gonta will stay with her." Everyone turned towards Gonta, who smiled and nodded reassuringly. "Gonta will stay and keep an eye on her." He turned to Clover and promised, "Gonta promises not to say a word unless you ask him to. Gentlemen always respect the wishes of ladies!"
"…Well, I guess we can trust Gonta to keep an eye on her." Lotus sighed. "So, who's going to investigate which room, then?"
"Ah, Kiki and I can investigate the Rec Room." Shuichi volunteered. "If that's okay…"
Kiki nodded before Lotus commented, "Well there's no way I'm going with the elephant man."
"Well I don't wanna go with you, either." Seven huffed. "Ryoma, what do you say we check out the Physics Lab?"
"Fine with me." Ryoma shrugged.
"As for me…" Lotus turned to Sokyu and proclaimed, "Sokyu, we're gonna check out the Storage Room."
Sokyu raised an eyebrow curiously. "Any particular reason why you want to go with me in particular?"
"Oh, no reason." Lotus smirked, causing Kiki to furrow her brow.
What's she aiming for? First she glares daggers at him, now she wants him to be her investigation partner? Is something going on that I don't know about…?
"Does anyone wish to be my partner?" Kirumi asked politely. "I will be happy to accompany whoever requests it."
"Well, if you like, we can check out the AV Room." Tsumugi suggested. "Perhaps they'll have the DVDs of Maid-Sama in stock!"
Kirumi sweatdropped. "I see…well, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that…"
"What?! How can a self-respecting maid not know what Maid-Sama is?! That tears it, we're watching that anime as soon as we find it!"
…I'm starting to feel bad for Kirumi… Kiki deadpanned before Keebo spoke up.
"That leaves just me and Teruaki. We can investigate the Classrooms."
"N-Not that there'll be much in t-there…" Teruaki stammered.
"Very well then. If all the teams have been agreed upon, then I shall get to work cooking breakfast for everyone."
"Oh, wait Kirumi!" Tsumugi cried as she hurried after the young maid. "This is the perfect time to give you a primer on the characters of Maid-Sama!"
Everyone sweatdropped as the two girls disappeared into the kitchen. I…really feel bad for Kirumi now…
"…I guess Clover's still mourning her brother's death…" Makoto lamented, his eyes drooping in sympathy for the young girl.
"Indeed." Kyoko nodded in agreement.
"But why'd she snap at Lotus and Kiki?" Kiri asked, slightly annoyed at the grieving girl on the screen.
"Yeah!" Koto emphatically agreed "They were just trying to help!"
"…Sometimes we're just not receptive to the people around us, even when they want to help." Kyoko's eyes drooped in shame as she recalled how she had treated her husband in the days before Sakura's death.
"What concerns me is why Lotus was suddenly glaring at Sokyu." Maki confessed.
"…She probably found out something that we don't know." Mokubo concluded. "That might be why she paired up with him so forcefully; to question him about it."
"That's entirely possible; good observation, Mokubo." Kyoko complimented, her lips tugging into a proud smile.
"You think Kirumi wanting to make up for what she's done is genuine?" Kiri asked curiously.
"And Ryoma?" Koto prodded. "Do you think he'll cooperate now too?"
Makoto smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think both of them have learned their lesson."
"Agreed." Kyoko concurred. "Kirumi is an honorable person that simply went about things the wrong way. Ryoma may be a convicted murderer…but he has a conscience, and the circumstances of his crime are…not so cut and dry. In the end, I think we can trust them at their word, for now."
"…Onee-chan and Saihara-kun are entering the Rec Room." Mokubo gestured to the screen, putting the awkward conversation to an end.
"Why are you still here!? Didn't you hear me?!"
Wow, Clover sure can yell when she's angry…
Kiki shivered as the last words that Clover said before they hurried out of the Dining Hall echoed in her ears. She was relieved when Shuichi opened the door to the Rec Room and walked inside, giving her something to take her mind off Clover's emotionally chaotic state.
"Wow…" Kiki breathed in amazement as she stepped inside. "Now this is a Rec Room!"
Shuichi nodded, observing, "It looks like in that corner there's a pool table, and by the wall is a shelf full of board games." His eyes glanced towards a long table with numerous chairs tucked in. "And it looks like there's a table here for large group sessions."
Kiki nodded. "Yeah, maybe we should…WOW!"
Stars appeared in Kiki's eyes as her eyes settled on row after row of arcade cabinets. The glowing screens and colorful joysticks seemed like a beacon calling out to her.
"This isn't just a Rec Room…it's an ARCADE! A FREAKING ARCADE!"
"You, ah, like video games…?" Shuichi chuckled, his lips tugging into an awkward, yet amused smile.
"I don't know why, but when I look at these arcade machines, I just get this sudden blast of nostalgia! I think…I must have liked to play video games as a little girl."
"I see…"
"Man, if this is what they have for a Rec Room, then maybe this place won't be so bad!"
"I'm…glad you're so excited…But keep in mind we're here to investigate."
"Oh…right…" Kiki giggled bashfully as she blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I got a little carried away there…"
"Ah, it's fine. Maybe we can play them tomorrow or something. But we should complete our investigation before we start goofing around." As Kiki nodded, Shuichi suggested "I'll, ah, investigate around the arcade machines."
Kiki pouted as Shuichi walked away. Sighing in disappointment, she turned and walked towards the shelf of board games.
…I wanted to investigate the arcade machines…
"I want a report on every arcade cabinet transaction that didn't involve a licensed business." The detective told the other officers at the table.
"Hai!" They simultaneously nodded before standing up and clearing the room.
The detective sighed and combed through the massive case folder. Yet no matter how big it got, no matter how much evidence they procured, the culprit's identity and location remained elusive to even the best of the best.
We've uncovered a lot of evidence… They lamented. Thanks to Hongou's connection to Cradle Pharmaceuticals, we even got warrants to bring the company's current Board of Directors in for questioning. Even so…we still aren't any closer to figuring out where they're being held captive.
They gritted their teeth, clenching their fists in frustration. Realizing that they were letting their emotions boil, they took a deep breath, calming their ire to a more constructive level.
But no matter what, I can't give up! Flames burned in their determined eyes. I promised I'd get them all out of there alive, and even if a quarter of them are dead, I can still do my best to make sure there aren't any more casualties!
"Let's see…" Kiki mumbled. "Cluedo, Monopoly, Life…whoever built this place must have had a lot of time and money on their hands…" She sighed as the board game boxes yielded nothing except the actual board games. Like I expected anything different… "Hm?"
Kiki knelt down as the lower shelf caught her eye. As she crouched, she saw a stack of books sitting on the surface.
"Hey, it's a bunch of D&D Books. Guess the Mastermind thought we'd be Dungeons and Dragons fans…" Kiki sighed as she combed through the books. "Let's see…first edition, second edition, third edition, edition 3.5, fifth edition…hey…" Kiki raised her eyebrow as she exclaimed "There's something between 3.5 and 5th edition. But I don't think they ever made a 4th Edition…so what is it? And what's it doing between the D&D books?"
Curious, she pulled the book out like a Jenga piece. Once she stood up, she turned it in her hands so that she was looking down at the front cover.
What the…what's this…?
"Hey, Kiki."
"Huh?" Shaken from her thoughts, she turned and saw the detective walking up to her. "Find anything, Shuichi?"
Shuichi shook his head. "No, as far as I can tell, they're just regular arcade machines. Though I'm guessing they use those Monocoins as payment instead of yen or quarters." As Kiki nodded in contemplation, Shuichi's eyes lowered towards the book in her hands. "You find anything?"
"Oh…well, I did find this book between two Dungeons and Dragons sourcebooks, but I don't recognize it at all."
"Ah, let me see…" As Shuichi stood next to her, he squinted his eyes and read, "The Second Nonary Game…"
"Wow…that's a classic!"
"Eek!" Kiki shrieked as she and Shuichi whirled around to see Monokuma standing behind them.
"No, seriously, that's a classic thriller! It's even older than I am!"
"W-what do you m-mean?!" Kiki stammered. "Do you know anything about this? What is this Nonary Game?"
"Nope, nope, nope! I'm not gonna deprive you guys of the intrigue and suspense of reading this clue yourselves. But I am gonna enjoy seeing the looks on your faces when you finally do read this little history lesson I left behind. Nyohohohoho!"
With that, Monokuma turned around and waddled out of the Rec Room, leaving Kiki and Shuichi alone. "I swear, that bear is really getting on my nerves…" Kiki muttered before she turned to the young detective. "Anyway, you were saying? Have you ever heard of this?"
Shuichi shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't know anything about this just from the title. Though it might be a good idea to read it with the others when we regroup in the Dining Hall."
"Yeah, think we should head back?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Come on."
Hopefully Clover's calmed down since then. Is it wishful thinking to believe that she didn't give Gonta a hard time? She pondered as she followed Shuichi out of the Rec Room, anxious about Clover's mood.
"…Nonary Game…?" Mokubo repeated as his twin siblings turned their heads to their mother.
"What's that?"
"…I don't…know…" Kyoko admitted as she cradled her chin in contemplation. "Well, to be more specific, it feels slightly familiar, like something I might have heard from my remaining detective connections…but I've been out of the field for so long, I can't really be sure." Perhaps I should see if I can find anything on the internet about it once everyone's asleep…
"Guess we'll just have to find out what it is when they regroup with the others." Maki lamented.
Makoto nodded. "Hopefully Clover will have calmed down by then."
The others nodded, hoping that both Clover would be calmer and more reasonable…and that the clue Kiki and Shuichi found would aid in their escape.