Well, I believe it is time that we continued on as per-normal. I don't have much to really say, so let's jump straight into my response to reviews/comments.
[Response to Reviews/Comments]
(Qoutev) JammyJam: NOOOO! NOT DEE MONEY!
(Qoutev) Taco Sensei: Deus Ex Machina for the win, I guess. Technically she didn't really lose much of anything, other than her Ego being knocked down a peg or two after becoming a donut. Also, oops.
(Qoutev) Hello: Woah, indeed
(Ao3) TheSevenStars: Not only does it double as my favourite pastime, but it also serves to knock Jolyne down a peg or two.
Kolt999: Okay, this is quite possibly the first time I have ever had to break down a review. In other words, this author's note might be extremely long. Which, to be fair, wouldn't be the first time that happened. So…
1 – Jolyne's design is actually based on a couple of people I know in real life, including myself. The dual-coloured hair was based on one of my sister's friends, as well as the green eyes. Her appearance is based on my lukewarm taste in women, yes. However! Her clothing choices and overall attitude is based on my sister, whereas her affinity for all things nerdy is, of course, based on myself. Admittedly I've never watched Tokyo Ghoul, so when I looked him up, I kinda understand why you saw it in the way you did. To be fair, if I had the chance to change her design, I probably would've made that the case, considering it looks SO much cooler than the whole Todoroki syndrome her hair has.
2 – While I can't outright say you're right…. You're right. However, Junko's reasoning is going to be a bit different than I think you're expecting it to be.
3 – OMG THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP! Do you know HALF of the stuff I had to look up to gauge just how strong these characters are?! Apparently, Teruteru can tank attacks that are small building-level! And Akane without being doped is at least City Block Level in terms of power! That's not even getting into the nonsense with Nekomaru and his crazy ass! The guy is supposedly Multi-city block level?! Like, these characters are insane! And don't even get me started on Izuru Kamakura. If we're calculating him at FULL POWER, Izuru is at a bare minimum, Light Speed with Mountain Level physical power to continental striking power, to maybe even planetary with his Luck factoring in, on top of having MIND HACKS and PSYCHIC ABILITIES! Like seriously this guy is BROKEN and simply does not belong in a murder-mystery series like Danganronpa. Read the light novels, my guy. This man is retartedly broken. As for Mitari… well, it is a possibility, but I won't put my eggs into that basket just yet. Considering who Tengen was as a person, though, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.
4 – Imma has to stop you right there. You are violating section [REDACTED BECAUSE AUTHOR IS TOO MUCH OF A FUCKING NERD AND DOESN'T WANT A GAG TO TAKE UP ANOTHER 600 WORDS] Thank you very much. Jokes aside, my answer to that question is: Yes. I refuse to elaborate.
With that out of the way, let's jump into the chapter!
xxXXxxXXxx
[Akane Owari]
Not many things got Akane Owari down and upset. Hell, most people from her class thought that to be an impossible feat. Confusing her? Easy, just throw a stupidly complicated question in her face and you'd have her there for hours. Anger her? Easy, take her food away—that'll have you sent to a hospital for weeks! Sadden her? Not so easy. Maybe dishonouring her in a fight? Nah, she brushed that shit off easy.
No. If you wanted to sadden her, have her watch someone die. That'll make her really depressed. Especially if she had been the reason for that person's death, or death-like state. Because of her impromptu fight with Jolyne, and unwanted victory, the camping trip was cut completely in favour for taking everyone back to the school, and so that Jolyne got the proper medical attention.
Because of what happened, Gundham refused to look her in eyes now, which blew her ego down a few notches. That wasn't even mentioning what Coach Nekomaru had to say about the whole fiasco. He had been really hard on her after the fight. He even went as far as to stop It for a whole MONTH! Could you believe that?!
And it wasn't as if she wanted to turn Jolyne into a human donut! She didn't! It was a complete accident! But, even then, she guessed that she had to take responsibility for her actions, unintentional or otherwise.
What made things even worse was that eating hadn't helped her get her mind off of it. Usually, that did the trick, but not this time. It wasn't her fault she had gotten absorbed into the fight! Brooks was the only person since Nekomaru who could keep up with her in a brawl, and actually challenge her! Sure, Coach Nekomaru was fun to fight, but she knew he'd always win. With someone like Jolyne, it was an especially hard call.
When she was thrown up into the air by the mage, she was sure she thought she was going to lose! But then, Jolyne let up for that one second, and that was a deciding factor. Akane could've sworn she put less power into that punch, so colour her shocked when she saw Jolyne's skin literally break like paper, and for blood and guts to go absolutely everywhere in a giant red mess!
It wasn't even like the organs remained the same! They were just red stains, crushed into liquid! Hell, she was shocked when the fight started and the ground got uplifted from their movements. Or hell, the bloody shockwaves! It was hard NOT to get excited.
And for all of that to the end knowing that it was her fault that Jolyne almost died? Had it not been for that Rantaro kid, Jolyne would've flatlined before they even got out of the camping grounds. Also, where the hell did all this magic mumbo-jumbo come from?! It wasn't there before! Now people were coming out of the woodworks with magical abilities, starting with Jolyne, then Gundham, and now this random kid who nobody knew!
It was all starting to get too much, and it was bogging her down. She couldn't concentrate on mastering her talent, nor could she concentrate on, well, pretty much anything. Not even class, which was normally something she paid full attention to. This time? Not so much.
So, with all of that in mind, could you blame her for skipping class? Not really. And what did she decide to do with that time? Check on the person she nearly killed, of course. Akane was sitting next to Jolyne's comatose body. The steady beat of the machines kept her alive being the only thing making noise. Her wounds were healing themselves, though, with the amount of equipment attached to her, she was better off dead. There was an IV drip connected to her, a bag of liquid protein, and that wasn't even discounting the breathing machine, the wires attached to her shaven head to get a read on her brain activity, as well as the tacky medical gown. Then there was what Akane had to assume was some sort of miracle drug being slowly drip-fed into the poor girl.
Akane recognized the drug. It was the one that the former Ultimate Pharmacist created. Why former? Because she was expelled from Hope's Peak Academy due to attacking another student on campus with malicious intent. That wasn't important, though. The drug that Jolyne was on was said to cure any illness and mend any wound.
Apparently, according to Mikan, Jolyne had a healing factor, but it apparently only worked outside of battle. That had explained why she wasn't healing during their fight. It was because she couldn't. It sounded like a useless ability, at least to Akane, anyway. What was the point of a healing ability that only worked when there was no adrenaline pumping in the body?
Whatever. That wasn't important. What was important was that Jolyne came out of this thing alive. According to Mikan, her chances of recovering were higher than anyone else's. Hell, if anyone else undertook that kind of beating, they would've died after the first punch was thrown. That just went to show just how powerful the two were. Even so, it didn't help her guilt.
"Damnit…." Akane thought, lowering her head as she stared at the ground.
"Akane…? Is that you?" A familiar voice spoke out from behind her. The brown-haired teen snapped to attention, turning her head over her shoulder to see Pekoyama come rolling into the hospital room in a wheelchair. She was wearing a similar medical gown, and her hair had been let down instead of being in a pair of twin-braided ponytails.
"Oh, Pekoyama… hi?" Akane said, rubbing the back of her neck. The swordswoman smiled, before quizzically looking over Akane's shoulder and grimacing.
"Oh. She's still alive, huh? When she came in, she had a gaping wound in her stomach. I thought for sure she would've died," Pekoyama spat, a glare in her eyes as Akane narrowed her own. She knew exactly where this conversation was going to go if she didn't squish it down now. And so, she did.
"Don't you even go there, Peko. You have no right to bring up that bullshit. All the blame falls on Fuyuhiko for being a fucking moron, and his brat of a sister for picking fights. It's not Jolyne's fault that she defended herself. Was it a bit far for her to impale you? Yeah, kinda, but you were gonna cut her head off, so I think that evens things out," Akane said, narrowing her eyes as Pekoyama's upper lip twitched.
"That wouldn't have happened if she didn't attack Fuyuhiko," Peko stated as Akane huffed out hot air.
"And that wouldn't have happened if Fuyuhiko didn't order fucking assassins to kill her!" Akane retorted, making the Swordswoman scowl.
"And none of that wouldn't have happened if she didn't nearly kill Fuyuhiko's sister!" Pekoyama shouted as Akane sneered.
"And none of that wouldn't have fucking happened if that damned brat didn't try and start shit!" Akane snapped, stomping her foot down on the floor and standing up from the chair she was in. "You don't think that none of us know what the fuck happened with those two?! The whole school practically gossiped about it for the whole day after it happened! Even if you didn't want to hear about it, you heard about it! And, come to think of it, if it hadn't been for that bullshit, then NONE of this would've happened. So shut the fuck up, and get over yourself!" Akane practically roared as Pekoyama flinched.
Akane took in a deep breath and calmed herself down, sagging her shoulders as she looked away from Peko. "Look… Yukizome-sensei told us about Fuyuhiko's sudden death at the hospital. Everyone's divided on the subject. Some are putting all the blame on Jolyne, others are blaming The Kuzuryu Clan. I'm staying out of it, personally. I'm sure Yukizome-sensei told you, too."
Akane sucked in a deep breath, glancing over to Pekoyama, who was looking at the ground. Her hands gripped the handles of the wheelchair with enough force that her knuckles were turning white. There was a look of fury dancing in the swordswoman's eyes, as well as a tinge of grief and regret. Akane knew that look all too well, mainly because she had experienced that before. Maybe not to the same extent, but enough to where she could recognize the gleam.
"Look… I know you're angry, I get that. But you can't go blamin' Jolyne for everything that happened. Everyone had their part to play, and you can't deny that. So if you're looking for someone to take your anger out on, go over to that dumbass's grave and stomp on it for a while, er, in your case maybe roll over it a bunch, I don't know…. Or maybe berate that brat for being a temperamental brat. But don't you dare go blaming the victim. That's a horrible, messed up thing to do."
There was a moment of silence between the two. The air grew thick, and not a moment after the silence began, Pekoyama wheeled herself out of the room. And once again, Akane was left with nothing but herself and the unconscious form of Jolyne.
She frowned and left. Akane didn't want to be there anymore. The mood had been killed, even if there was no mood, to begin with. Now she was in an even worse mood than she had been before. Maybe practicing Gymnastics would help?
"Yeah… probably…."
[Jolyne Brooks]
This was starting to become a habit, she could sense it. When she awoke from her impromptu nap, Jolyne Brooks was none too pleased by what awaited her. No, it wasn't a face that annoyed her. But rather, it was a calendar.
The last time she saw a calendar, it was May 5th. When she woke up? It was May 19th. She had spent two weeks in a goddamn coma. All that time she could've used to train Gundham, to train in the PTD, or hell, save the goddamn kids! Instead, she laid there in a fucking bed doing nothing. For real, it was goddamn batshit to think that her only breaks were gonna be trips to the hospital.
And then came the memory of what happened to get her to that point. No, she didn't blame Akane, only a bastard would do that. In fact, Jolyne blamed herself for taking up that quest in the first place. But then again, that look in Akane's eyes was practically begging her, so who was she to resist? Apparently, a smarter her.
Right now, Jolyne was sitting on the edge of the bed, getting her blood tested by one of the school doctors. Apparently, they wanted to know how her healing factor worked, and why it only worked sometimes and not all the time. It wasn't like they could reverse-engineer it, right? And even if they could, it probably wouldn't work the same way for them as it did for her.
"And that should be it, Ms. Brooks. Seeing as your breathing is normal, your heartbeat is stable, and there doesn't seem to be any other resulting injuries—seeing as somehow all of the damaged or, excuse my unprofessional language, misted organs have returned with no differences from the original copies, you're free to go." When the doctor finished explaining, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, all of this was getting to be too much. She didn't sign up to be a part of some crazy ass bullshit. She never wanted The System, nor did she want to supposedly travel the Multiverse, but seeing as she had no real choice, she just went along with it. But now? If this was the first place she was in, then what the fuck came next?
Jolyne sighed, nodding to the doctor as he began to take off all of the medical equipment. When she found out her hair had gotten cut so they could more easily put those stupid little pads on her head, she was angry. But, when she saw that her hair was growing back, she was glad. According to her the doctors, her hoodie and sweatpants were utterly devastated, so she had to wear the school's uniform again.
That was probably the most annoying part of that whole conversation. All of her stuff got left in the fucking woods, too. Her bags, her book, all of it. She forgot to put it all in her inventory because she didn't think she'd have to go back to the school for any reason!
"Oh well, beggars can't be choosers…." Jolyne thought as she rubbed the back of her head. Once the doctor finished taking off all of the stuff that hooked her up to the machines, she got up, thanked the doctor for his time, then left the office to head straight for her Ultimate Lab. Being near that class was more trouble than it was worth, apparently, so she decided to steer clear from them for a while.
After all, she had better things to be doing right about now.
[Apple Of Their Eye – Part 2]
Description: Headmaster Kirigiri wants to speak to you about the events that occurred at Wakasu National Park with Akane. When you have the free time, do so.
Quest: Tell Headmaster Kirigiri about your fight with Akane, and why it happened.
Rewards: 5 Karma (Neutral), 2,500 EXP, 1000 Yen, 1 Gacha Token
She'd do that later. That wasn't important right now. At least, not to her, it wasn't. Besides, what could the Headmaster need with that information, anyway? "Doesn't matter. I don't need to do it now, so I'll do what I originally wanted to do before Akane showed up with her fight proposition. Then I'll go to him. Besides, he might be able to tell me where that kid is. Heh, this does work out for me after all!"
[Story Quest]
[The Day the world knew Despair – Prologue]
Description: The time has come to finally put everything into motion. When you're ready, go talk to ? on the rooftop.
Quest: Talk to ? on the rooftop.
Rewards: 15,000 EXP, 30 Karma (Evil), 150,000 Yen.
Once again, she'd do that later. The rewards were better, but as it stood, right now, she didn't need to cloud her mind with more quests. Of course, all of this could be gotten out of the way pretty easily. So, she'd do it later. Right now, all Jolyne wanted to do was get done what she needed to get done, then she'd go talk to those two people, and probably complete a trial in the PTD while she was at it.
When she got to her Ultimate Lab, she immediately closed the door behind her. Jolyne wanted no visitors today. All she wanted to do was get the stupid Gacha's out of the way. And so, she started with the easy ones. The Ice Spell Token.
When she took it out of her inventory, she hummed. It looked exactly like the normal spell token, but blue. Though she guessed it fit. Snapping the token, it glowed a bright orange, and then, she felt a cold shock absorb through her left arm. Cold winds began to channel around her right arm before icicles started to form all along it. Then, they melted away.
Jolyne raised an eyebrow as a notification popped up.
New Spell Unlocked!
Spell: [Legendary] Icicle Spears
Description: A very self-explanatory spell. You can create Icicle spears in the palms of your hands and fire them at will! Each spear is as sharp as a finely sharpened spearhead and can be fired off with the same strength as a Barret 50. Cal. Each Spearhead shot consumes 45 Mana per shot. Use it wisely. You also gain the trait of Frost Walker!
.
New Trait unlocked!
Trait: Frost Walker
Description: Whenever you so desire, you may walk on water by turning it into sturdy ice under your feet. This only applies to water underneath your feet at the current time, and it cannot spread from place to place. You will also not be able to slip on Ice ever again. Only you can walk on the ice Frost Walker creates.
Jolyne huffed. She kinda expected it to be rigged to being Icicle Spears. Though, she never would've guessed it to be a legendary spell. She also never guessed it would come with the added benefit of being able to walk on water. 'Course it had to come from it being about Ice, but she wasn't complaining. That, and not being able to slip on ice had its uses.
Pulling out the next token, this one being a regular Spell Token, she began to snap it. The token glowed a bright blue, and when it finished snapping in half, a dark purple liquid swam its way around both her hands. Bright green eyes stared at her from the liquid, before sinking into her body as she shuttered from it touching her.
New Spell Unlocked!
Spell: [Rare] Abomination Creation.
Description: You can now create Abominations! Abominations are creatures created out of a purple goo of sorts, each carrying its own set of unique abilities. They are completely obedient to you, and you alone. While they may not be the most physically strong, they are powerful nonetheless.
Jolyne huffed, an impressed expression on her face. The first thing that came to her mind, and she would admit that it was kinda immoral, was that this spell was basically free slave labour. It would allow her to do multiple things at once, and that wasn't even including the fact that she had Whitesnake. So, in case Whitesnake was busy, she could make one of these things and have it do that for her.
Jolyne smiled, flexing her hand before cracking her neck side to side. "This'll help me in the long run far more than something like Puppetry. Still, I should use all my spells instead of focusing on one more than the other. For now, though…."
Jolyne closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, then sighed before speaking. "Stand Gacha." Once the command was made, a pop-up similar to that of that one mobile game, Battle Cats, showed up in front of her. Jolyne's eyes narrowed as she read what appeared to be a banner of sorts.
[Limited Time only! All Stands are available for the first ten draws! Increased changes for Legendary! Slightly increased chances for Mythic! Warning: Luck Booster Perks do not apply to Stand Gacha – Time Limit: 3 days, 19hrs]
[Stand Gacha! Featuring: Wonder Of U!]
[Chances for [Mythic] Wonder Of U are drastically increased upward of 5% (Normal drop rate 0.01% – Increased to 5.1%) Don't waste it!]
[Draw 1] - - - - - [Draw 10]
Jolyne raised an eyebrow. She remembered playing Battle Cats before she died. It was a pretty fun, if not weird game. It was clear that this type of Gacha system was inspired by it. The only thing that annoyed her about it was that her Luck Booster from her Gamers Luck Perk wasn't going to apply to this draw.
Even so, it seemed fair enough. From what she was aware, Stands were extremely overpowered if Whitesnake was any indicator. That being said, though, it was still annoying. "Might as well get this out of the way, then I can—" an idea struck her at that moment. Suddenly, her want to do this draw skyrocketed past her annoyed demeanour, and made a visible smile appear on her face.
If what she read about Whitesnake's DISC ability were correct, then she had a completely different avenue to work with when it came to saving those kids.
Wasting no time, she tapped the [Draw 10] option. When she did, a record scratch echoed in her head, and then, the banner collapsed, before opening up like a door. A hand-held jukebox appeared in front of her, and it asked to be tapped. Jolyne raised an eyebrow but tapped it nonetheless. And when she did, music began to play.
Vocal percussion on a whole 'nother level, coming through my mind!
Vocal percussion on a whole 'nother level, coming from my mind…!
Let's GO!
The first disc showed up as a solid grey colour, with no real distinct features on it. It only had the words DISC, and a gleam on the side that was nothing but a shadow. The DISC began to spin, so much so that it became a blur. A light appeared in front of it and slammed into the DISC. Then, a voice came out of the DISC, a rather nasally voice, for that matter.
[I'm gonna have to teach you that people who don't have anythin' to lose are the scariest types, Mr. Smartass!]
[Common – 20th Century Boy]
[20th Century Boy is a hollow piece of armour that appears to look like a beetle that makes the user immortal so long as they are crouching]
"A Stand that makes the user invincible just by crouching…? I mean, it can be useful, but not all the time…. Especially if you're in a tricky situation, or get knocked over somehow," Jolyne thought as the next DISC came up, that being the same colour as the last one.
[The weakest Stand is also the most terrifying of them all!]
[Common – Lovers]
[Unlike most humanoid Stands, Lovers is microscopic in size! Using the Stand. Using its small size, it can kill people without anyone even knowing.]
"I wonder why they call it the weakest? It can pretty much kill anyone so long as it has a direct path to the head. Cut the brain stem, and the person is dead. Or hell, even get into the target's blood and BOOM, heart stabbed! Oh well, next!"
[SKKKKKRRRREEEEEHHHHH!]
[Common – Ratt]
[A weaponry-like Stand that resembles a shield with a camera lens. It stands on two mechanical legs, and has a set of jaws, inside of which contains a gun that causes instant rot of the flesh.]
Jolyne blinked. She had nothing for this one. It was kind of gross. "Actually, scratch that, extremely gross…." Jolyne thought as the next DISC showed up. It had a blue hue around it. A blue light slammed into the DISC, and then, the voice that came out of it made her want to laugh for no other reason other than what it had said.
[Okay, Masta! Let's kill da hoe…! BEEETTTTCCCHHHH!]
[Rare – Echoes]
[A Stand with three ACTS, pre-unlocked to save the hassle. It goes from a snake-like creature with arms and a beak to a robotic-humanoid Stand with a pointed tail to a full-on humanoid Stand. Switching between acts gives each different sound-based power. Applying sound to person. Making sound into physical objects. And finally, manipulate gravity by enforcing sound pressure.]
Once her laughing fit was done, she was given a moment to think about the applications a Stand like itself could have. It was rather powerful based on what it could do. Because of it, it was terrifying in its own right. Not to mention versatile. And it was only a Rare…. "Just how powerful can these things get?!" Jolyne thought as the next DISC came up.
[The Fool is a Stand of Sand…!]
[Rare – The Fool]
[This Stand does not have a physical form, but rather that is up to the user, as it is made out of dust and sand particles. The Fool will take whatever form the user wants, period. The Fool is a defensive Stand with strong attacks. It is invulnerable to 90% of all physical attacks, its only weakness being water and ice.]
"Simple, but useful…. The ability to take any shape but prioritizing defence seems like a Good ability to have, even if it is limiting," Jolyne thought, crossing her arms as the next DISC appeared. It too shared the same blue hue, so that meant it was also Rare.
[The Stand wasn't hiding in the water… it WAS the water!]
[Rare – Geb]
[A Stand made out of water. It can grow and match any size so long as enough water is nearby. It always takes the shape of a left hand. Due to it being made of water, it cannot be damaged]
"So… the same thing like The Fool, but water…? I mean, cool, I guess…." Jolyne thought as the next DISC showed up. Instead of having a blue hue, it had a purple hue. The light that slammed into the DISC was a bright purple with black electricity sparking off of it. When the light merged with the DISC, the DISC began to crack and was inserted into the black void, a voice coming out of it.
[Oh! Almost forgot! Gotta get it on video… Won't take long to kill you, though…]
[Epic – Oasis]
[A wearable Stand that allows the user to swim in the ground like water, turning any ground the ability effects into a mud-like substance! Using this ability, Oasis can make the ground sink and disconnect from the surrounding ground, turning it into a complete puddle of muck. Anything affected by Oasis stays this way, permanently]
"Now that…! That is cool!" Jolyne thought, a smirk on her face. Oasis had an incredible ability, and it showed. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that the voice carried a more malicious undertone. That being said, however, the ability was cool. The next DISC showed up, doing a similar thing as it too was inserted into the darkness.
[Did you see it? The thorns on my hand? That is my Stand!]
[Epic – Hermit Purple + Hamon]
[A bunch of purple vines that conduct pure solar energy! It has the ability to divine things from the future, as well as zap people with solar energy much like electricity! To divine information, one must tap a camera or invade a TV, constantly flipping the channels to scramble together a message]
Jolyne didn't really have any words for the Stand in question. It seemed pretty good for everyday use, but not combat, which was what she was looking for. That being said, however, it was still an interesting ability, much like most Stands were. What this Hamon stuff was, though… now THAT was what interested her. "I wonder if that will be a spell that I can unlock in the future? Or maybe a skill? If I can unlock something like that…."
As Jolyne pondered that, the next and final DISC showed up. This one had a golden hue around it, which made Jolyne's eyes fill with excitement. Yellow meant Legendary. "Hell yeah! Beginners luck!" Jolyne thought as the energy that came down was pure yellow. The energy flowed into the DISC with a violent clash, the DISC cracking and shattering apart, before then reforming with a golden tinge to it. The DISC slipped into the darkness, followed by a voice.
[Soft & Wet… When my soap bubble touches something and breaks, I take something from there.]
[Legendary – Soft & Wet]
[a metallic humanoid Stand, with the ability to take things away from anything its bubbles touch, and it quite literally takes anything; be it sight, hearing, smell, to even the blood in someone's body, it doesn't matter. Skys the limits with what this Stand can do if you just… Go Beyond.]
And that ended the Stand Gacha, leaving Jolyne with a confused expression on her face. When she opened her inventory, there was something new. It looked like one of those old CD holders. It was circular in shape with the word "DISC" in large letters on the front. Leaning up against the nearest wall, Jolyne tapped the circular CD case.
The case appeared in her hands as her inventory closed. It was matte black, with the letters being in bright white letters. Around the zipper was the word GACT repeated over and over again up until something appeared to be stitching. Upon opening up the case, the first thing she was greeted with was a DISC.
The DISC in question was greyish white, and in the corner was a reflection of a strange blue beetle head with pointed yellow eyes and purple shoulder guards. That was when Jolyne understood. "These are the Stand Discs… interesting. And if what the description of Whitesnake's DISC creation ability says is true… those kids will be able to save themselves with my guidance…. Hmph, I'm glad I did this."
She didn't bother flipping through the other DISCS, seeing as she knew they would be there. Putting it back into her inventory, she sighed. "Well, now that I'm done that, I should probably meet with Headmaster Kirigiri and see what he wants."
And with that, Jolyne left her Ultimate Lab and made her way to Headmaster Kirigiri's office.
[Jin Kirigiri]
Jin was a smart man. Hell, he wouldn't be Hope's Peak Academy's headmaster otherwise. However, even smart people made mistakes. One such mistake was letting Jolyne Brooks become part of the Ultimates.
If what Nagito said was true, and that Akane was provoked by Jolyne to get into a fight that caused all that collateral damage, then perhaps what Kizakura said was right. Perhaps she was evil. And if that was the case, then she needed to be watched like a hawk. Jin didn't want another Saiko incident, especially with someone as powerful as Jolyne being the person who caused the issue in the first place.
The doors to his office opened. The tall man turned around and was greeted by Jolyne, who bowed out of respect. "Headmaster Kirigiri, you called for me?" Jolyne asked as Jin frowned.
"I did…. I want to cut right to the chase, so please, take a seat," Jin replied as Jolyne rose from her bow, and quietly sat in the chair in front of his desk. She got comfortable, which was good. Perhaps she knew this conversation was going to be a long one.
"May I ask why you called me here, Headmaster Kirigiri?" Jolyne questioned, a puzzled expression on her face as Jin sighed, sitting down in his chair. The older man clasped his hands together, resting them on his lap as he narrowed his eyes.
"Why did you start the fight with Akane Owari at Wakasu National Park?" Jin stated, catching Jolyne off-guard. Before she could answer, Jin continued. "The damage done to the surrounding will cost Hope's Peak Academy 3.5 Billion Yen, which while not damaging to our coffers, is an extreme waste of funds. Not only that but several innocent civilians got caught up in the fight, some with severe dust allergies, causing a few to go into cardiac arrest and suffer strokes. Most of them did not make it. You narrowly avoided a charge of Manslaughter because of our PR team. This is only scratching the surface of what happened because of that fight. So, I ask again. Why did you start the fight with Akane Owari?"
To say Jin was beyond livid was an understatement. Depending on her answer, things would—
Jin wasn't even given a moment to finish his train of thought as something appeared in front of him. It was tall, around 6 feet tall, and looked like a human, but only barely. It was wearing a mockery of what appeared to be an executioner's outfit if it had been purchased from a porn shop, which showed off its muscular build. On its body were what appeared to be faint tattoos with the English letters G, A, C, and T, all capitalized, though the A looked unfinished. It had eyes that appeared to be melting, though only the pupils and its firm yet annoyed expression made Jin tense.
Without a word, the creature swiped its hand across his forehead, as his consciousness began to fade. His vision became clouded, and strangely enough, he felt a sudden… gap in his memory. What… was he just thinking about? Who, was he just thinking about? When he looked at Jolyne, all he saw was her confused expression.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question, Headmaster Kirigiri?" Jolyne asked as Jin blinked. Question? What question?
"Uh… I don't remember calling you to my office, Brooks-san. You must have misheard the announcement. Please, return to whatever it was you were doing," Jin said, clasping his head in the process. Jolyne left the office without further question, the door slamming shut as she did so. After that, he had a rather bad headache all of a sudden, and a strange want to… eat cheese. He didn't know why he wanted to eat cheese, but…!
"You will do as I say you to do. Do not, under any circumstances disobey my orders." A deep, masculine voice echoed throughout his head as he gritted his teeth. He didn't recognize the voice. All that he knew was that it commanded respect, and commanded that it was to be listened to above all else. "Your sole job is to give my user, who you will subconsciously know, any information regarding the "Trouble Makers" of the Elementary unit that Hope's Peak Academy runs. On top of this, you will kill anyone who dares get in the way of this mission of yours. One of these people is Nagito Komaeda. He had repeatedly shown that he is nothing but a thorn in our side. Get rid of him using your new power: Ratt! Failure to do so and your daughter will pay for it all, Jin Kirigiri."
After that, the voice faded away. Jin narrowed his eyes, standing up slowly as his expression became neutral. "I'll get on that right away," Jin said as he walked out of his office. The only things on his mind were obeying the orders he was given by whatever higher being decreed him to do so.
And if that meant killing Nagito Komaeda…. So be it.
-To Be Continued-