F-Pod
As it turns out, there were several surprises waiting for us in our cell. Not only did Monokuma return our bedding and everything else he took from us, there were several neatly stacked piles of our clothes on top of our beds and pajamas. I recognize mine as clothing I packed for living at Hope's Peak and a quick confirmation with Kasumi confirms that hers were packed for Hope's Peak too. There's nothing here for Yukiko - even though she was already in her own clothing - so I assume her changes of clothing are in Luan's cell.
Finally, these jumpsuits were getting uncomfortable to sleep in. But then again I haven't been sleeping much either because I haven't been eating…
Anyways, our clothes.
…
…
…
"I'm leaving."
"But I want to bond-"
"I don't want to watch you change, stupid gremlin."
"But I want to watch you change-"
"No."
"Allllllllright, all done." Kasumi says as she opens the door to our cell. "Look, they gave me my lollipops back too! Want one?" she asks.
Now that I'm finally seeing Kasumi in her own clothes and not a jumpsuit or Hope's Peak school uniform, I take a second to look the stupid gremlin over again.
Kasumi has choppy bangs and wavy honey blonde hair tied into a braid that rests over her shoulder and two tiny twin antennas of hair sticking out of the top of her head. She has two hairpins on the right side of her hair in the shape of white bows. There's still something about her ice green eyes that give off this cheeky, irreverent vibe but her age sort of cancels it out because of her soft features.
Still, I've learned not to be fooled.
I recognize the sweatshirt Kasumi is wearing - she wore it under her uniform's blazer. It's an off the shoulder cropped sweatshirt with a rainbow paint splatter design with the sleeves, hem of her shirt, and neck lined in black. Over that is a pale blue denim dress with white frills on the bottom of the skirt and a white lining. The right strap dangles off of her shoulder and down at her waist. See-through black tights cover her legs and her shoes are white ankle boots with little white puffballs.
I'd expect nothing less from my gremlin-in-crime.
"Later, thanks." I say, declining the offered lollipop as we switch places. "If you don't keep that door closed while I'm changing, I'm going to turn this investigation into a double homicide."
"Aye, aye, baby raccoon."
"Shut."
Kasumi grins and gives me a mock salute. "I jest, my dear Sora, I'll protect your decency." she says and closes the door.
Good. Now, what outfit did they send ten copies of?
…
…
Phew.
Thankfully, it's one of the more simple ones.
I glance back at the door to make sure Kasumi isn't peeking and start unbuttoning my jumpsuit.
None of my clothes are all that out there anyway - anything like that was destroyed or stolen during the Tragedy.
I pull on my white turtleneck that's much too large for me (I prefer it that way now I can abuse Kasumi with the floppy sleeves), a pleated brown skirt, and thigh length white socks. I sigh as I sit down on my bed and pull on my Mary Janes.
I'm really not keen on dying here.
This is the first - I doubt it's the last - trial and there's already more than one mystery to solve.
What happened to Sting?
Who killed Ryu?
And what the hell was up with that open air vent?
"Sora, nice, lookin' thic-"
"You have ten seconds to run before this investigation turns into a double homicide."
"You love me."
"Unfortunately." I sigh as I shut the door to our cell behind us. "Are you ready for this?"
Kasumi blinks, looking at me curiously. "You don't...think it was me?" she asks.
I scoff. "Don't be ridiculous, Kasumi." I say. "We've been shoulder-to-shoulder since you jumped out of that locker. Why, do you think it was me?" I ask jokingly.
Kasumi quickly backtracks. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" she quickly denies, looking apologetic. "I just-" she stops when she sees the look on my face. Kasumi pouts. "You're mean."
"Says the one who invited herself into my shower."
"That was out of love and affection-"
"Says the one who watches me sleep."
"I-"
"I could do this all day but we have a murder to solve. Come on, Kasumi."
INVESTIGATION START!
I pull out the Monokuma File and read it over.
The victim is Kuro Kamiyama. The body was discovered in the 2nd Wing. The time of death is unknown.
His skull was cracked open with an unknown object and his head is surrounded by a pool of his own blood and bits of his brain. The cause of death is from blood loss. Kuro's neck and knuckles have also suffered severe bruising.
...Ouch.
Kasumi pales. "I...I think it was good for me that I stayed back with Yukiko." she says. "I can't look at that."
"...Yeah." I agree. "I hope he didn't suffer too much."
Truth Bullet: Monokuma File, obtained!
"Kasumi," I start, an idea coming to me. "can you do me a favor?"
"Hm?" Kasumi looks at me questioningly.
"It'll keep you away from the body and you'll still be helping out with the investigation. Plus, our starvation aside, you're a lot faster than me…"
Church
I don't think this place can really offer anything in terms of investigating, but I want to make sure I talk to everybody. Someone might-
"-nothing you can offer?"
-be in here.
Inside the Church are Kano, Harlequin, and Sasaki - an odd combination if I ever saw one.
Like myself and Kasumi, they've changed into their normal clothes again.
Nothing seems out of place about Kano - his green eyes don't seem to be hiding anything and as far as I can see, there's no blood on his white skin. He's back in the outfit he was in when we first met: a plain black shirt under a black and white jacket with the sleeves rolled up, showing off a wristband on each wrist: black on the left and red on the right. He wears dark blue ripped jeans accented by a black and gold belt. Kano's slightly spiky blond hair looks just as I remember it and his bangs rest on the left side of his face.
Harlequin is back to business as usual as well - the black diamonds are painted back onto the sickly pale skin of his cheeks. The piercing, cat-like right eye is yellow and the left is still covered by a black eye covering. Harlequin's green hair is long and untamed curly and tied into a ponytail that rests just below his shoulder.
Harlequin wears a fully buttoned red button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a white tie adorning his collar. Over that he wears a black vest with a large red diamond on each half of the vest. Harlequin's pants are black slacks and white dress shoes. He has six black piercings on his right ear and a black stud on both his left and right ears. White bandages cover his arms from his wrists to his elbow and white gloves cover his hands.
Sasaki's outfit, on the other hand, I haven't gotten a chance to see yet.
Being the giant she is, I have to crane my neck up to see every point of Sasaki's outfit. She still looks pretty fit and that abnormal imbalance of muscle between the rest of her body and her arms is of course, still present. Her imperial red hair falls just beneath her shoulder blades and two small portions of her hair are styled into small braids that hang in front of her ears. Sasaki also has some pretty long bangs, most of which is brushed toward the left side of her face, covering her left eye, and curls back towards the right slightly up to her mouth. I can still only see a single deep magenta eye but I have no reason to believe the one hidden behind her bangs is any different.
A light beige safari hat that kind of resembles a sombrero hat shape rests on top of Sasaki's head. I…don't know why, but there's a few holes on the hat that can only be intentional: three located on both sides of the base of the hat and two where the string is located. Combined with Sasaki's tan colored jeans and tortilla colored jacket that looks to be a mix of a vest and a lab coat, Sasaki looks like she just walked straight out of a safari.
The jacket stretches all the way down to her mid-thigh and the right pocket of her jacket has what looks like a sewn on caduceus. The only bright color I can see on her (aside from her hair) is the marigold turtleneck she's wearing under her jacket. A pair of gingerbread colored moto boots cover her feet, of which have two straps to adjust the pressure of the boots itself, one near where the leg and foot of the boot connect and one at the collar of the boot.
She also has a fresh bandaid on her cheek, protecting the light abrasion she got when we were all playing Yume's game. Ignoring Sasaki's black earrings, my eyes zone in on the black choker around her neck that rests slightly above both where her turtleneck reaches and above her green collar. It also has a little anchor pendant on it.
A turtleneck, a collar, and a choker. Does she not feel…choked?
Although I guess I really can't talk. I think to myself, pulling at my own turtleneck.
"Well?" Kano says, crossing his arms. "We don't have all day, Harlequin."
Harlequin gives the increasingly agitated boy an easy smile, "I told you already," he says. "Sting and I were friends prior to our enrollment at Hope's Peak, yes, but I have no idea if he had any plans like that." Harlequin says. "Even friends have their secrets, you know." he says matter-of-factly.
Kano grits his teeth. "You really expect me to believe that?" he snaps.
"H-Hey, c'mon, Kano," Sasaki tries. "He said he doesn't know anything. Why would he lie?" she asks.
Kano ignores her, making Sasaki's expression fall. "I didn't kill Ryu so that means I have to play the role of the investigator. I will find out if you're lying, Harlequin." he says, sounding like he's just treating this whole thing like another one of his games.
Harlequin smiles again and Kano scoffs, turning on his heel and walking away. He stalks out of the Church without sparing me a glance.
I turn to Harlequin and Sasaki with a frown. "What was that about?" I ask.
Sasaki sighs dejectedly. "Seems the Ultimate Gamer wants to win this game just as badly as Ryu's killer." she says. "He doesn't have to be mean about it, though…"
I frown.
If Kano is seeing this Killing Game as just that, a game, he's a threat.
Harlequin laughs when he sees the looks on mine and Sasaki's faces, "Don't look so down, guys!" he says and slings his arms around our shoulders. "Kano is just having fun! It may not be your version of fun, but we're kids! Kids are hope and hope is good and good is fun!"
"...Weren't you a Remnant of Despair?" Sasaki points out.
"Shmemnant of shespair? Dunno what that is!" Harlequin says with a boisterous laugh.
…
I glance over at the giant cross mounted on the wall.
If you do anything for me, let it be getting me out of this room.
Medical Ward
My eyes widen when I open the door to the Medical Ward to see one of the would-be victims awake and sitting up.
Takeshi's expression matches mine when he notices me standing in the doorway. "Sora Sugawara! You're okay!" he beams.
"So are you." I say, walking towards him. "Do you remember anything that happened?"
Takeshi's expression falls and he shakes his head. "No…I believe Luan Delvina said I was taken out first." he says. "And they got me from behind." Takeshi says, gesturing to our resident doctor stitching up the back of his head. "But what about you? How are you feeling? I see you got your clothes back as well. Luan Delvina is changing behind that-"
"And he is done changing." a familiar voice sighs. "Come, Yukiko."
I should probably remember that…
Truth Bullet: Takeshi and Luan's Assault, obtained!
Right on cue, Luan appears from behind the partition on the other side of the room. He has a bandage wrapped around his head but other than that, he looks just like I remember him.
Slim, wiry, and pale. Luan is as sickly looking and healthy looking as ever - he looks like he's on the verge of death but at the same time he looks perfectly healthy (if a bit skinny). That sallow undertone is still there and Luan doesn't seem to have added any more scars to his collection - the only ones on his face are still just that faded scar over his right eye and the one across the left side of his jaw. Luan has neck-length, shaggy, tousled blond hair with a messy half-fringe. He has pretty bright pink eyes that actually look a bit more cheerful despite the fact that he was attacked and almost killed.
I mean, I guess the reason for that is standing right next to him.
Luan's clothes are rather simple and to be honest, I expected nothing less. He's wearing a zip-up hoodie with a black body and red sleeves over a plain white t-shirt. His pants are plain black trousers and he's still wearing those black and white velcro-strap sneakers.
Luan gives me a small, grateful smile when he sees me. "Thank you for watching over Yukiko, S-Sora." he says. "Um...Kasumi ran in here earlier with the...ah...Monokuma File. Yukiko tells me that she shared a room with you two…" Luan trails off, his expression turning sad and wistful. "...thank you." he repeats in a quieter voice.
I smile. Good Kasumi.
I asked her to pass the Monokuma File around so that everybody had a chance to see it before the trial and to pass on our agreement with Yume and Kanna.
Juriya finishes stitching up Takeshi and wrapping his head so Luan steps aside so Takeshi can presumably change into his own clothes too.
Juriya also found the time to change. She's wearing the suit that got her detention when we first met: a clean, sharp black suit with a blue tie that has darker blue diagonal stripes. As always, Juriya's black shoes are immaculately polished and shining under the light. Looking at her again, Juriya is still about as pale and dead-looking as Armen but as I've gotten to know, she's really perfectly healthy. Her neat shoulder length brown hair and slightly sunken in green eyes complete the whole evil doctor-mad scientist look she has going on.
Juriya looks me over, staring at my neck for a second too long for my liking. Eventually, she asks, "How are you feeling?"
"Almost back to normal. The water helped a lot - now I just feel like I have a sore throat." I answer. Please don't look down my throat while I'm unconscious again.
Juriya smiles, once again pleased with herself. "Good. That means there's most likely no internal scarring." she says. She turns on her heel to leave but turns back at the last second. "Actually, Sora, there's something I want to tell you."
Please don't ask to look down my throat.
"Take a look at this." Juriya says as she pulls out a ziplock bag from her pocket. For a second I almost think Juriya's trying to crack some sort of joke - the bag looks empty - but then I see it. "It's a tiny piece of metal. I found it in Luan's wound." she says. "That means their aggressor, blackened or whoever they may be, used something metal to knock them out, yes?"
Truth Bullet: Broken Piece of Metal, obtained!
Juriya puts the ziplock bag back into her pocket, giving me a pointed look. "The only people who know about it are the ones in this room and Armen." she says. "I think you understand it's better that it stays that way until the time is right."
I nod. It seems that Juriya is in agreement that Takeshi and Luan are innocent. And if Armen knows and now I know, that means that promise Kasumi made him all those days ago is finally coming into play…
I'm Armen's tool now. Damn Kasumi.
"Understood." I sigh.
Juriya nods approvingly. "Back to you, though. Once we get out of here, I'd like to take a closer look at your neck with a CT or an MRI just to make sure everything is good there." she says and starts muttering to herself about what she could do to make sure there's nothing internally wrong with Takeshi and Luan.
"Right…" I say and turn back to Luan. "So, um, if you don't mind me asking…"
Luan perks up. "Yes?"
I look down at Yukiko, the girl smiling obliviously as she plays with her stuffed narwhal. "Er...what...do you remember what happened?" I ask, gesturing at Luan's head.
Luan frowns as he thinks. "I...It was all very fast. T-Takeshi and I were guarding the ladder...I was going to ask him something b-but when I opened my mouth to speak, I heard something that sounded like metal and then Takeshi dropped to the ground. I tried to turn around to see but when I did…" he sighs and gestures to the bandage wrapped around his head. "That is why my stitches are on the front." Luan says. "I-I am sorry I could not be of more help."
I shake my head and smile reassuringly at him. "Don't be sorry, you were a big help." I say.
Luan explained exactly what Takeshi said he would. The confirmation is nice - and that takes away any suspicion from those two.
I still have no clue what's up with the air vent and this ladder they keep talking about but I don't have time to listen to that entire story. I'll wait until they explain it during the trial.
Truth Bullet: Takeshi and Luan's Assault, updated!
Truth Bullet: Luan's Account, obtained!
"Oh!" Luan gasps suddenly. "U-Um, I don't know if it will be helpful but I think our, um, assaulter - that is the word, yes? I believe they might have come from deeper into the 2nd Wing." he says. "Because they attacked Takeshi first and then me. Takeshi was standing at the far end, I was standing closer towards the entrance." Luan explains.
If that's true, that narrows down the list considerably if we can find out who the last ones in the 2nd Wing were.
Truth Bullet: Luan's Account, updated!
"W-Was that helpful?" Luan asks.
"I think so." I nod confidently. "Thank you, Luan."
Luan smiles. "Good...that's...good." he says. "Ryu was...he was not very nice but he was not mean either. He did not deserve to die like that." Luan says sadly. He sighs and grabs Yukiko's hand. "Come, Yukiko. I want to rest somewhere quiet for a while."
Yukiko is all too happy to comply, overjoyed that she's reunited with Luan, and the two exit the Medical Ward.
I'm about to follow in their footsteps when: "Sora Sugawara! How do I look?"
I turn to see Takeshi fully dressed back in the outfit he had on when we first met too: an untucked white button-up shirt with a baby blue vest over it, light brown pants, and blue and white sneakers. His light blue eyes gleam with joy, pleased to be back in his own clothes (as an Ultimate Tailor, I can only guess how Takeshi felt about our jumpsuits). His blond, blue tipped hair is no longer stained with blood.
I cross my arms. "You look better than you did when you were bleeding out on the ground." I say. "Is this really your priority right now, Takeshi?"
Takeshi flips his hair over his shoulder, smiling proudly. "Thank you very much." he says. "And yes! I can't be looking like I was while I was unconscious - that would inspire despair in our classmates and that's not going to get us through the trial." Takeshi explains, his smile dropping. "I am an Ultimate Tailor. I create and fix. I...I cannot fix our current situation so I have to create hope." he says seriously and then puts on a joking smile. "What kind of feeling would I create if Luan Delvina and I walked around covered in blood?"
Rec Room
Walking into the Rec Room, I find Hitoshi, Kensuke, Toshiro, and Greyface. As with everyone else I've encountered since I began my investigation, they've changed into their own clothes too.
First up is Mr. Farm Boy himself.
The first thing I notice is the straw hat dangling around his neck, as expected of the Ultimate Rancher. Toshi is definitely a boy whose appearance reflects his hard work: he has dark tanned skin from working in the sun at all hours of the day and a toned body from doing rancher things (I'll have to ask him exactly what 'rancher things' entails later...assuming we all don't die after the trial). His wavy dark blonde hair rests just above his shoulders and his straw hat, his black roots looking a little bit thicker than the last time I saw him. His bangs fall just above his dark blue eyes. Going by the straw hat around his neck, I assume Toshi's current outfit is how he dresses while he's working. He wears a checkered light tan worker's button up with the sleeves rolled up and none of the buttons done up, leaving most of his chest on display. Hitoshi wears matching worker's pants with the legs tucked into dark blue lace-up ranchero boots. And, of course, there's that purple cow handkerchief tied around his neck too and his dark blue working gloves.
When we make eye contact, I blink and when I open my eyes he's right in front of me. "Suga - ah, Sora, I'm so happy to see you not writhing around on the floor in pain!" Hitoshi says with a smile.
"...Thanks? Um, I just wanted to know what you guys were doing-"
"Sora!" Toshiro practically teleports right beside Hitoshi, beaming. "You're so much cuter when you're not crying in pain!" he says and frowns. "That whole electrocution thing was not very cute of Hanako and Taro. I'm sorry they did that to you."
A bit of a better greeting than Hitoshi's but okay…
"...You cute little squirrel."
I-
What?
...Anyways.
Toshiro's outfit isn't too outlandish and it fits someone like him perfectly. He has on a long-sleeved blue shirt with a white bunny face. His pants are plain dark blue ripped jeans and a bit of a closer look shows that Toshiro got his little teddy bear keychain back - it's dangling from one of his belt loops. His shoes are simple black and white sneakers. And of course I can't forget the face that tried to plan a sleepover in my dorm: brown eyes, brown hair, and a gremliny smile. I haven't gotten to know Toshiro yet but this obsession with cute things definitely translated onto himself. He's got some muscle on him but he's still on the skinnier side - I'm not saying people with big muscles like Nekomaru Nidai and Yosuke can't be cute but that's definitely not the first word that comes to mind when I see them.
People like Kasumi, Kanna, and the three amigos right here are 'cute'. Big scary men like Yosuke and Armen are not 'cute'.
But I digress; I have a murder to help solve.
"Um, thank you." I say. "Did you guys find anything here?" I ask.
Hitoshi sighs and shakes his head. "No. We believe all you girls when you say Sting's body was here but there's just no sign of him, it's so frustrating." he groans and glances behind him. "Even Miss Serial Killer over here looks a little bothered about it." Hitoshi says in a quieter voice.
We turn to see Greyface sitting on one of the beanbags, her arms crossed and a blank look on her face as she stares at the spot Sting's body was laying on. She was putting up her usual crazy act earlier but I guess the psychopath really didn't move his body.
Seeing as how we only got our clothes back about an hour ago now: Greyface doesn't look too Greyface yet. Her shoulder-length blue-silver hair is still a bit messy looking but her dark purple eyes don't look too crazy just yet. I still can't get over how someone like her has cute features - truly a big middle finger to humanity's normal, non-serial killer people. Her creepy pajamas are, oddly, no longer creepy. It looks like it's still the same outfit but washed and repaired: she still has her giant, white, oversized men's dress shirt but there's no longer a bloodstain over the stomach and her teddy bear patterned pajama bottoms have both legs again. Either they didn't give her shoes or Greyface is once again choosing to go barefoot.
You know, maybe she's not actually thinking about what could've happened to Sting. Maybe she's just in her feelings because our kidnappers ruined her aesthetic.
Either way, Sting's absence needs to be talked about during the trial. His body was here, eleven of us can attest to that. Monokuma ignored my questions when I tried to ask him about Sting.
What the hell happened to our Ultimate Snake Charmer?
Truth Bullet: Sting's Body, obtained!
And also...how did he manage staying in the Rec Room after the boy's twelve hours were up?
Truth Bullet: Rec Room Hours, obtained!
Finally, the last of the three amigos approaches me.
Kensuke smiles warmly at me. "Sora, I didn't get to say it when we were all crowded around Ryu, Luan, and Takeshi, but I'm happy to see you up and about." he says. "We heard about the note Juriya left us in the Medical Ward but it's nice to see your good health with my own eyes."
Finally, a normal 'welcome back to the land of the unelectrocuted'.
Kensuke has always seemed like the perfect embodiment of an Ultimate Caretaker. His medium-length brown hair is slightly pulled back by his signature mint green handkerchief and his green eyes have always looked friendly - if a bit annoying. He has light skin and a slightly toned body - probably from throwing around children that misbehave (no I've never been responsible for small children before). Ken wears a long-sleeved white button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows under a mint green apron. He has on black pants, mint green socks, and black shoes.
He's always been a friendly looking guy, I'd trust him to take care of my gremlin while I'm away. They might burn down a few buildings together but at least she'd be supervised.
"Thank you, Ken." I give him a small smile. "Have you guys found anything here?" I ask.
Ken shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid not. We were going to go back to M-Pod to look through Ryu's and Sting's rooms but then…" he glances at the beanbag area. "We want to make sure she doesn't find anything we can't."
Toshiro smiles brightly. "I'm fine investigating wherever but Greyface sure makes for good company." he says cheerfully.
"Shiro, she's threatened your life forty-seven times since we got here ten minutes ago." Hitoshi deadpans. "How does that make for 'good company'?"
Toshiro swoons, "I know but she looks so cute doing it, don't you agree? And now that all those totally not cute bloodstains and ripped pant legs are out of the picture, she's even cuter!" he beams.
Unfortunately, I can't argue with him there. For some godforsaken reason, Greyface is cute.
...Don't tell Kasumi I said that.
Ken, Hitoshi, and I stare at Toshiro like he's the craziest one in the room.
"Um, Shiro, I'm pretty sure she's not into, well, anyone." I say. "She's threatened all of us - especially the shorter, smaller ones - millions of times in the five days we've been here. The only one Greyface seems to be friends with is Kanna but I'm pretty sure she has a few screws loose too…" I say, thinking back to our first day in the Rec Room and Kanna's very genuine offer to let Greyface stab her if she beats her in air hockey…
To this day, Greyface still hasn't scored a single point against Kanna.
"Oh Sora, you silly goose, that's not what I mean." Toshiro says, waving me off. "You'll understand when you're older."
…
How is he two years older than me?
Hitoshi mentions that Kasumi came by with the Monokuma File earlier and headed into M-Pod when everyone (even Greyface, amazingly) got a chance to look at it. The boys say that they'll stay behind in the Rec Room until Greyface leaves so I head into M-Pod on my own.
M-Pod
As I walk the hallway heading into M-Pod, I hear an oddly familiar crunching sound.
Hm…?
The boy looks at us with half-lidded eyes, frowning as he awaits a response. He has pitch black shoulder-length hair that spikes near the bottom. His cheeks are sunken in. I can't quite see what his body or arms look like but everything about him is screaming 'underfed'. Unlike the last few people I've met, he's wearing the Hope's Peak uniform as it should be worn but he's also wearing a large blue winter jacket. A very large blue winter jacket several sizes too big for him.
I like his taste.
But, I don't see anything that would be crunching - no chips, no-
The boy sighs as he zips up his jacket, his sleeves making the exact sound I was hearing before. Disappointing.
"Hey, Masaki-"
The boy in question jumps, startled. He stops in front of me, the crunching of his jacket stopping with him.
"Sugawara - Sora - whatever I'm calling you now-" Masaki sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You scared me." he says, a shiny chain with a pendant dangling from the hand pinching his nose.
"Sorry." I apologize. "Where are you headed?"
Masaki shrugs, looking back down at the pendant in his hand. "Armen was getting annoying. You guys have a Yard over there, right? I'm gonna hang out there until the trial." he says, shivering. "I heard some things from the others but I still don't think I'll be of much help during the trial…"
Is it really that cold?
Masaki's large blue winter jacket obscures most of his top but as he moves to clip his necklace around his neck, I catch a glimpse of a large, long sleeved gray shirt under his jacket - the sleeves extending beyond his jacket's. Masaki also has on black sweatpants and plain black sneakers. He's dressed a lot warmer than what we were previously but I guess he still feels like he's walking around naked in the snow.
He grumbles uncomfortably when he puts his arms back down.
"Is something wrong?" I ask.
Masaki sighs like my asking him a question was the worst thing that's ever happened to him. "No. Yes. Ugh." he sighs again. "I usually have a sewing kit attached to this jacket but I took it off when I arrived at Hope's Peak." Masaki explains as he unzips his jacket and shows me the inside. "For some reason, our kidnappers decided to put it back. It's a hassle to carry around when I don't plan on using it. It's not like there's any dead animals here…" he grumbles and zips his jacket back up, pulling on his hood too.
"Oh." I blink. "I'm sure Takeshi would love to hang onto it. Maybe he could make something out of our jumpsuits after the trial." I suggest. "Y'know, so that it's not bothering you. I left him in the Medical Ward."
Masaki hums, finally looking at me with something other than annoyance and boredom. "...Thanks. I'm gonna go now." he says and with that, I'm left alone in the hallway.
Hm. He didn't seem as averse to conversation like he was when we first met. Maybe somebody got him to open up a little when we were separated.
Walking into M-Pod is...an interesting sight to behold.
Kaori and Shun are wildly rifling through one of the cells, tossing things out into the main area, while Mai and Candace are in another cell, going through things much more calmly.
I assume - I hope they're going through Sting's and Ryu's cells.
I decide to get the junior gremlins out of the way first.
Going up the stairs to the second level of cells, a pillow misses me by mere centimeters.
"And you said this was okay with Toshiro, right?" I hear Shun ask.
"Yeah. He said he looked through Sting's stuff himself but couldn't find anything and that we were more than welcome to try." Kaori answers. "Sting can't...he can't be dead though, right? Like Sora said, there was only one B.D.A. and now Sting's body is missing. They brought outfits for him and his accessories too, so..." she trails off.
So Toshiro and Sting were the ones who ended up sharing a cell, huh.
Shun doesn't answer for a minute and that's when I almost make my entrance but she finally speaks up when I make a move to enter the cell.
"No. No, I don't think he's dead." Shun replies. "Remember how Monokuma ignored Sora when she tried to ask him about Sting? They're hiding something from us." she says.
"What a bitch, amirite?"
Kaori and Shun jump and I resist the urge to laugh at the looks on their faces.
"Sora!" Kaori cries.
"Sora!" Shun beams.
"I don't wanna hear it from you, Kaori. You said I was boring, this is me taking your advice and 'interacting with people and making 'em laugh'." I say tauntingly. Kaori grumbles and crosses her arms while Shun just laughs. "Anyways, you guys were making some good points about Sting. I don't know if it'll come up in the trial but it's something we should remember." I say.
"Wha - you were eavesdropping on us!?"
"Obviously."
Truth Bullet: Shun and Kaori's Conversation, obtained!
Shun, back in her fully accessorized outfit, turns to Kaori and starts making fun of her scared reaction despite the fact that I clearly startled her too.
Shun, being the athlete she is, has a slim and fit body build. Her skin is light and she has round chocolate brown eyes with a small scar across her nose. She has back-length olive green messy hair with pink braids and a heart shaped ahoge. Now that the Hope's Peak blazer isn't obscuring my view of it, I can see her gray t-shirt and its green Rakshasi design clearly - she has some pretty wings and clouds behind her too. Shun's pants are light green and pink plaid joggers with chains dangling on either side of her and she wears matching green and pink plaid Heelys. Her numerous black, light green, and pink wristbands on her right wrist have also made a return.
Kaori still looks surprisingly fit considering what her talent is and the fact that I know she wasn't eating the 'food' provided to us either. Her skin is pale and she has coffee colored eyes. Her medium-length watermelon pink hair is tied into two large pigtails on either side of her head and like Hitoshi, her different colored roots seem to be thicker than what they were when we first met. Kaori wears a light purple long-sleeved thick sweater and long, black pants. On her feet she wears tall, leather boots similar to a cowgirl's, giving her an extra inch or so.
Now the cowgirl boots were definitely not something I was expecting from Kaori-
"Shoo, fly, shoo!" Kaori says suddenly, ushering me out of the room. "You're the smart one here, go find other things and make sure we don't die."
Shun gives me an encouraging smile. "Between Juriya, Armen, and your cute self, you're the nicest one - you can get the others to open up more than they can. We're counting on you, Sora." she says.
'No pressure, Sora.'
'We don't want to die, Sora.'
'Solve the murder for us, Sora.'
I wish Hanako and Taro electrocuted me to death.
When I go back downstairs to check on Candace and Mai, I hear a very familiar bitchy voice scream, "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF ME!"
…
…
…
Yeah I'm not going to deal with that.
I continue on towards Candace and Mai, who're presumably investigating Ryu's cell.
Like with Kaori and Shun, the door is open and I arrive to find Candace and Mai sitting on Ryu's bed, reading a notepad with a frown on each of their faces.
Mai Rinzaki has a fairly lean body, most likely due to the intense physical work dancing can still be. Pale lilac eyes stand out against her light orange hair. Said hair tied up into two loose and low hanging pigtails with bangs that go down in a middle-part fashion with a hairclip accessorizing the lower side of her bangs. Some pieces of hair stick out by her roots and curl up over her forehead and a small bouncy ahoge rests on her head. Her ears accessorized with three earrings on each ear - one circular shaped & red and the other two gray and more piercing-like.
Her outfit quite frankly is not what I'd expect of the Ultimate Masquerade Ball Dancer, it's rather simple and comfortable. Mai wears a white cuffed sweater shirt that extends down to her elbows under a sleeveless sweater vest that has a white and pale gold diamond pattern. She wears soft pale blue denim shorts and black leggings with dark gold flower patterns at the bottom. To finish it off, the ball dancer wears black slip ons that snug her foot fairly nicely. She also has a small flower crown on her head consisting of blue, purple, and lime green flowers.
And here I thought she was gonna go around in full ball-gala gear.
Mai smiles brightly when she sees the look on my face. "I'm not a big fan of wearing dresses in public - especially some of the bigger ones I have to wear." she explains. "I think it's unnecessary and I don't like how uncomfortable it is after long periods of time." Mai says.
Fair enough.
Candace Meyers-Opulence...what can I say about her that hasn't already been said? She's kind, if a bit over the top in...everything, and she seems to care about us a lot. Now that she's out of the Hope's Peak uniform and out of the jumpsuit, we really get to see the true Candace shine through. Giving her a quick once over, it appears that Monokuma not only gave her her makeup back, but also some other various cosmetic accessories…
Candace is a tall girl with light brown skin, chestnut eyes, and a statuesque figure. She doesn't have many curves; instead she's more slender and leggy. She has long brown hair with blonde highlights styled into a frizzy, large, mane-like afro. She also has a rather beaky, distinct nose. Candace's makeup is also back in full-force: brown eyeshadow, she's contoured her face and neck with makeup, has on a pink blush, and wears a purple lip gloss with her lips overdrawn to make them look bigger. She also has on golden hoop earrings, bangles, and acrylic nails. Candace wears a white blouse with the top couple of buttons undone and a light blue jumper. She also wears a sky blue and candyfloss pink checkered blazer and mini skirt. Her legs are covered by translucent beige tights and her feet are adorned with candyfloss pink platform heels.
"Don't stare too long, darling, I don't want to get old to you." Candace pulls me out of my thoughts with a smile. "I have some more accessories and a satchel of my belongings back in my cell - I'll put on the best show for all of you dears if we make it out of this alive." she says, her smile turning forced.
I smile back, trying to reassure her.
As kind as Candace has been to everybody and as positive as she's been, the threat of death looming over herself and those she's shown that she cares about has put a damper on that positivity.
Mai stands up, stretching out her body. "I for one don't really understand what's written on there and I don't think I want to." she says and bows slightly. "I'll keep my mouth shut - whatever that is is probably going to leave my mind tomorrow…if we see tomorrow that is." Mai says, bids Candace and I goodbye, and leaves the cell.
Hmm?
"Come here, girl, I need you to take a look at this." Candace says, waving the notepad in her hands.
I frown but go on, taking a seat next to her. She hands me the notepad and I start reading.
…
…
…
…
…
I...see.
...This isn't good.
Candace's frown deepens when she sees the look on my face. "So it's true?"
"Has anyone else seen this?" I ask, ignoring her question.
Candace shakes her head. "Other than Mai, no. Armen sent me to investigate here because he 'has better things to do'." she says and worry starts to crease her brow. "Sora, is it true?" she asks again.
"...Yes." I nod. "I'm sorry, Candace, but would you mind keeping this a secret from Armen and everybody else?" I ask. "If we're the only two that know about this…" I trail off, hoping Candace understands what I'm trying to say.
Candace hesitates for a second but lets out another sigh and smiles. "I'll keep your secret, hon. I trust you know what you're doing. All this murder stuff isn't my forte." she says.
I smile. "Thank you, Candace."
Truth Bullet: Ryu's Notepad, obtained!
...You know, there's been a lot of thanking and smiling going on today even though one of us was brutally murdered, two of us were attacked, and one of us is missing.
Must be the desensitization from living through an apocalypse.
2nd Wing
Now this is surprising.
Nemiko and Armen investigating around Ryu's body.
Armen, I get.
Nemiko? What the hell is she doing? The poor girl looks like she's going to be sick but she's putting on a brave face as Armen gives her orders here and there.
Nemiko is and dresses like she's fourteen - by no means is that an insult, she's dressed adorably.
Somehow this girl is around the same size as Kasumi and I even though she's two years younger. Nemiko has long, deep dark blue hair that ends near her lower back and there are two curly long strands framing the side of her face. She has right parted bangs and droopy, round shaped bright purple eyes. I know it's only been five days but she still looks like she hasn't hit puberty yet: she has a little button nose, small lips, and a youthful and childish physique. Thankfully we do have a doctor here if that somehow happens before we all die or we're rescued. Nemiko still has that plain red headband in her hair. A bright red ribbon bow necktie with a black brooch in the center adorns the collar of her long-sleeved white button up, the all of the buttons done up. Over that she wears a light gray blazer - also buttoned up - and a knee-length black circle skirt with a red and blue floral pattern. Her legs are covered by knee-high light gray socks and red converse sneakers with black laces.
That red klaxon horn is sticking out of one of her pockets, the absolute bane of my existence, and the notepad she had when we met at Hope's Peak is sticking out of her other one.
See? Adorable.
Armen on the other hand, as Toshiro would say, so not adorable. I didn't think it was possible but Armen looks even scarier in his own clothes. He's deathly pale, almost like a ghost, with sickly looking skin and bags under his eyes. He's tall and slender with a slightly muscular frame. He has scary, wild black eyes and hollow looking cheeks with a long mouth that doesn't look like it's ever smiled a day in its life. His long raven black hair is smooth and shiny and braided into a long ponytail that ends near his waist. Armen wears a clean and crisp uniform that presses against his chest and body. It consists of a black and white semi-formal jacket, a black button-up shirt with absolutely zero wrinkles, and a white tie that's tied neatly to the collar and flows down his chest. Armen also wears belted black jeans (surprisingly) with sleek black dress shoes.
He's still wearing those forensic gloves with that odd symbol: a black colored eye encompassed by a circle.
I doubt he would tell me what that is though…
"Sora." Armen says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Nice to see you not dead. Juriya tells me that you're free to speak again and your little friend came by with the Monokuma file. What have you learned so far?" he asks, getting right down to business.
I glance at Nemiko, the girl giving me a nervous smile.
I sigh and relay all of the important information I've gathered thus far, bar the notepad Candace found.
"...Interesting." Armen says as he continues doing...whatever he's doing. He's only looked at me once this entire conversation. "And what do you think about all of it so far?" Armen asks.
...Huh?
"Well? I'm not asking you for my own health. Do you want to die here, Sugawara?" Armen snips.
I resist the urge to snap back at him and let out a deep breath. "I don't have any suspects but I think we can both agree that none of the girls are the guilty party, right?" I say. "There's no way one of us could've gotten into M-Pod and caused so much damage without being spotted."
Armen clicks his tongue. "Hmph. You've surprised me. I didn't expect such coherent words to actually come out of that mouth." he says. Before I have a chance to ask him what the fuck that means, Armen starts pointing out various pieces of evidence.
He picks up one of Ryu's hands, pointing out the bruising on his knuckles and the blood under his fingernails. The Ultimate Spy didn't go out without a fight.
Truth Bullet: Signs of a Struggle, obtained!
On the ceiling, Armen points out the open air vent and the broken pieces of wood down the hall. He had Nemiko look them over and 'like he thought', the wood used to be a ladder. I quickly come to the same conclusion Armen explains seconds later: Ryu, Luan, and Takeshi were traveling around the air vent.
Truth Bullet: Wooden Pieces, obtained!
Truth Bullet: Open Air Vent, obtained!
Truth Bullet: Ryu, Luan, and Takeshi, obtained!
So that's what Luan meant by guarding the ladder…
And finally, the fact that Ryu's body was discovered while the boys were supposed to be sleeping. That means whoever discovered it and everyone else that was awake is a suspect.
"So, who discovered the body?" I ask.
Armen finally looks me in the eyes again. He smirks. "Why, I did. Does that bother you?" he asks sarcastically. "I woke up everybody one by one, they were all already back in their cells. The only one not in theirs was Yosuke, but that's because he stays outside in the yard for some kind of religious nonsense."
...What a fucking creep.
Truth Bullet: Armen's Account, obtained!
Truth Bullet: Times of Activity, obtained!
Armen goes silent, indicating that our conversation is over, and he goes back to investigating Ryu's body, probably triple checking that he hasn't missed anything.
I turn to Nemiko, the foley artist rocking on her feet as she tries to look anywhere but Ryu's body. "Nemiko, wanna join me outside?" I ask. "I don't want to disturb our lovely friend here any more and I haven't investigated out there yet anyways." I say, shooting Armen a look that he ignores.
Nemiko smiles and nods at me. I carefully step around Ryu's body and the two of us head towards the 2nd Wing Yard.
"Nemiko, I have to ask, why the hell were you with Armen?"
Nemiko raises her hands as if she's about to sign her answer but she stops, a frustrated look on her face. Instead, she opts for her notepad, pulling it out of her pocket and writing down her answer. About two minutes later, she hands me her notepad.
I absolutely love horror movies, specifically slasher monster films with cool iconic villain monster characters! I flip the page. I usually look away when the blood and gore is on screen, but I enjoy the thrill and suspense of a good chase, it really excites me. Flip. I know that this is not a movie, that Ryu's death was a real, brutal crime. As I am now, I cannot be of any help to you guys if I cannot speak up for myself. Flip. I want to be more confident. Braver! If we do not die here, I want to make sure that I can speak if this happens again, even if I can only say one or two words.
I nod slowly, processing the information. I turn and smile at Nemiko as I hand her notepad back. "I understand, Nemiko. But surely there's a better way to do that than hanging around the scariest guy here and a dead body?"
Nemiko just shrugs and smiles, giving me a small laugh.
2nd Wing Yard
"Ah, Miss Nemiko and Miss Sora, come my children-"
"Nemiko, go back inside and hang around Armen and Ryu's body."
Nemiko doesn't hesitate to listen to me and turns on her heel, going back inside.
Yosuke's expression falls. "A-Ah, have I done something to upset you, my child?" he asks.
"First of all," I start. "I'm not your child and neither is Nemiko. Second of all, I don't mean to offend you but I have no interest in following Christianity or Catholicism any time soon. Talk to me again when you can tell me why God lets bad things happen to the people you claim He loves so much. That doesn't seem very almighty and loving to me." I snap.
Yosuke's jaw drops, stunned, and I take the chance to see what the walking contradiction is wearing.
It's the same outfit he had on when we first met. He still hasn't gotten rid of his monobrow (although I'm sure Kanna would love to take care of that). The toxic masculinity is as strong as ever and his bald head is as shiny as ever. The JoJo priest's yellow eyes stare at me like I just insulted his mother. Yosuke is wearing his black Catholic priest's outfit from our first meeting: it covers nearly his entire body, leaving only his head, hands, and shoes visible. He has on that obnoxious cross necklace and his Bible belt strapped around his waist again.
When he doesn't say anything else, I sigh and move on to investigating the Yard like I originally planned.
I notice it almost immediately.
A chill goes down my spine as I stare at the obvious missing piping from the wall.
Could it just be a coincidence?
I test my theory by tugging on the nearby pipes. None of them move.
"Y-Yosuke," I call. "Can you pull on some of these for me? You're stronger, so…"
Yosuke snaps out of his daze and puts on his kind facade again. "Yes, of course, my - Miss Sora." he says, walking over. He pulls on the same pipes I did. They move a little bit but otherwise they're securely attached to the wall. "They're in there, all right." Yosuke confirms. "With a little bit more effort I'm sure I could remove one, though." he says and glances at the section of missing piping. "You believe that the missing pipe is the murder weapon?"
I nod. "As far as I know, nobody has found it but it makes sense, right?"
Yosuke nods in agreement.
Truth Bullet: Missing Pipe, obtained!
"What are you doing out here anyway if you're not investigating?" I ask, turning back to Yosuke.
Yosuke hums and starts pacing. "I'm trying to remember something. I don't want to say it without being one hundred percent positive." he says.
"I'll leave you to it then." I say.
Yosuke gasps. "Wait! Won't you hear the story of our Lord-"
"No."
2nd Wing
...Hm.
I haven't seen the Ultimate Bitch, Kanna, Yume, or Valentin around.
She couldn't possibly still be sick in the bathroom...right?
2nd Wing - Bathrooms
"Oi, Kanna, where's the bitch?" I ask when I step into the bathrooms to see three of the people I was just thinking about.
"H-Hey! I am not-"
"Speak of the Devil." I sigh. "Why couldn't it have been you instead of Ryu?"
Harumi, inside one of the stalls, starts sputtering, speechless, while Kanna and Yume stifle their laughter. Valentin doesn't have any reaction.
Speaking of Valentin, this guy is one accessorized individual.
Mr. Del Rio takes his work as a firefighter seriously and has the build and muscles to prove it. He has quite a large, light burn scar streaking across his face that stands out against his healthy olive brown skin. It extends from the right side of his forehead, past his nose, and down to the center of his left cheek. I can also see a few darker toned freckles scattered across his cheeks. He has wide, light turquoise eyes and chin-length brown hair that looks a bit messy and spikes at the ends. Val also has two longer strands of hair that reach just past his chin that are dyed a fiery red.
Val's clothes look comfortable enough but it's also coupled with bits of his firefighting uniform. He's wearing a short sleeved red shirt with a rounded neck and the dark outline of a phoenix with spread wings in the center. His fluorescent green striped dark grey pants look like they come from whilst also worn with sturdy dark brown boots with a strong heel and firm grip. Val also wears a pair of light grey gloves, a small beaded bracelet on his left wrist, and a digital watch.
Then there's Kanna, the nicer rich girl between her and Harumi.
Kanna is, surprisingly, not one of my more accessorized classmates. She has that expensive looking conch pearl necklace and those matching earrings again but that's it. Kanna wears a cold shoulder, light pink, cable knit sweater and vintage looking black leather high-waisted pants. I'm no expert but her high heels look designer and they're the same color as her shirt. They add about an additional four inches to her height so I have to crane my head up to look at her now. Kanna herself, however, amazingly still looks very pretty (again, like with Greyface, there's still just no denying it). She has flawless porcelain skin and dark brown eyes with thick lashes. Her straight black hair is pulled back into a bun on the top of her hair with a few sections that don't fit in the bun falling down to fram both sides of her face.
And then there's the so-called 'Lion of Laughter', Miss Yume Nii.
Yume is a girl around the same size as myself with black hair cut into a neat little bob. She has wide green eyes that look just as gremliny as ever. Yume is slightly pale and like almost everyone else she has a relatively slim, healthy build. She has a white headband in her hair with small lace frills on it and a yellow smiley face pin attached to it and a white lace choker around her neck. Oddly, enough, it seems like she wasn't provided with her own clothes. Yume is wearing the Hope's Peak school uniform, albeit with a few modifications. She's shortened the skirt somehow and wears white stockings that end right above her knees.
"So what's going on here?" I yawn. "I've looked everywhere I could for any sort of evidence."
Kanna sighs. "Harumi went about it in a rude way but she really did get sick from seeing Ryu like that." she says. "She only just started feeling better a few minutes ago and Valentin was kind enough to bring her her clothes. She's changing now."
Valentin gives me a small wave, smiling shyly. "I...um...I am sorry I was not able to help with the investi...investigation?" he tries. "I can explain later if...you know."
If we don't die.
Our faces all fall, understanding what Val is trying to say.
Yume glances at our crestfallen expressions with an unhappy frown. She clears her throat suddenly, and shrugs, grinning. "You know, for someone who claims to hate the color green, she sure has a lot of it in her body." she says tauntingly.
Harumi lets out an undignified screech from inside the stall.
Kanna, Valentin, and I burst out laughing which only makes Harumi whine again. She throws open the door to her stall, tossing her jumpsuit to the side and stalking over to Yume. "You are LUCKY that I'm still feeling light headed from throwing up, you shitty excuse for a human being." she snarls. "I was sick-"
"And you insulted a dead man." Yume points out. "Who do you think is really in the wrong here? Also, you have a little green right here…" she says, tapping the corner of her mouth.
While Harumi argues with Yume and Yume taunts Harumi, I take the chance to see what the Ultimate Bitch is working with.
The lucky son of a bitch still looks well-nourished thanks to Kanna force feeding her our meals for the past five days. There's still not a single blemish or scar on her milky white skin. Harumi's gold eyes that still make me wish I had a different eye color are once again accented by a dash of eyeliner and her lips, like her nails, are painted a cherry red. Her wavy lemonade pink hair reaches down to her shoulders and she has a neatly braided crown at the top of her hair that's tied together by a crisp white bow. She also has a matching white bow wrapped around her neck. Harumi's bangs are meticulously set apart in three pieces, two pointed to the side and one pointed down in the middle. She also wears what looks like glimmering rock candy in the shape of 3-D stars as earrings. There are two of them on each ear, one red and one white.
Harumi wears rather clean clothes for someone who came from the Tragedy - even cleaner than Kanna. She wears a puffy white cowl neck sweater that is tucked into a high waisted cherry red skirt, which holds a large red bow in the back. She wears tight white stockings which have a variety of wrapped candy designs sewn at the cuff. These stockings start at her feet and end halfway up her knee. Finally, she wears sparkly slippers that are the same color as her skirt, and the very tips of them look like they have tiny peppermints.
"Harumi," I start suddenly.
Harumi stops and glares daggers at me. "What?" she snaps.
"You're a bitch."
"You stupid m-"
Harumi stops whatever she's about to say when Monokuma's voice suddenly rings out throughout the loudspeakers.
"Ahem, I'm getting tired of waiting here…" he says. "Let's get things started, shall we? It's the event you've all been waiting for...the class trial! I suggest you all lay down on the floor within the next ten seconds unless you want to wake up with a beary bad headache…" Monokuma says ominously and the loudspeakers click off.
Oh. Just like that, huh?
The five of us exchange a look and quickly sit down on the floor, some of us more reluctant than others (I'm looking at you, Harumi).
In the next second, I feel a piercing pain in my neck and drowsiness quickly starts to set in.
Valentin is the first one to drop.
I guess this really is it…
I hope we can solve this...I really don't want to die…
Kasumi you stupid gremlin…
And then everything goes black.
A/N i couldn't get it down to 7 parts sadge
oh well chapter 1 almost done poggies we're almost there :catch:
