The next morning, despite there being a grand total of twenty-four of us, it's rather quiet during breakfast.
It's not hard to guess why, though.
Monokuma shakes his paw at us. "Fine! The first motive may not have resulted in a murder BUT I know for a fact that this one will!" he says confidently.
"And how's that?" Armen asks dryly.
Monokuma starts dancing on the table, feeling himself up. "Because it's a classic!" he says and twirls in a circle. "I have a secret of each of yours printed on a piece of paper and Hanako and Taro will pass them out!"
…
…
…
Well this isn't good.
As Hanako and Taro go around the room and hand each student a folded up piece of paper, Monokuma continues on with his motive explanation. "Starting tomorrow, I will call upon two inmates each day to reveal what their paper says, one in the morning and one in the evening." Monokuma says.
Unfortunately, he's not wrong.
Someone may not have been willing to kill to restore their comfort but someone will inevitably kill to protect their secret.
…
Toshiro…
…
…
Kasumi nudges me, frowning. "You've been acting weird since you were handed a secret." she says. "Was the secret you got that bad?"
Well, I did learn that we're not living with just four serial killers and terrorists - Greyface, Ryu, Sting, and Harlequin - but probably five! How exciting.
I barely slept last night.
Before I can answer Kasumi's question, the trio everyone's been dreading marches into D-Pod.
Monokuma cackles at the looks on our faces. "Good morning, everybody! Are we ready to get going with this exciting little game of revealing private, personal information?" he says and takes his position on top of the middle-most table. "And before you even think about it, if you lie or say you won't participate, you'll suffer the same fate as Velma Dinkley over there!" Monokuma says and points at me.
…Did he just-?
"On with the show," Monokuma declares. "Hanako has all of your names loaded into a spinner wheel app so that way the choice is completely random!" he explains and as he does, Hanako pulls out her tablet and the TVs in D-Pod turn on, displaying the wheel in question. Then, she turns it in her hands so we have a view of the tablet as well.
"So you know we're not cheating." Hanako says in a snide tone.
Taro laughs and reaches out his hand, "And without any further ado, let's begin!" he says and taps the wheel.
The wheel starts spinning and spinning and spinning…and…
…
…
…
…
…
"Mai Rinzaki, front and center!" Taro declares.
The ballroom dancer gulps, looking a little nervous, but not overly so like she just learned one of her sweeter, slightly annoying classmates was actually a terrorist not too long ago.
She stands up on shaky legs, making a point of not looking anyone in the eye as she goes to stand beside Taro.
"Whenever you're ready." Taro says giddily. "But, y'know, not so long that we're standing here for hours." he says.
Mai stares at the ground for a moment, probably contemplating her options (or lack thereof) before realizing just that; she has no choice.
Mai lets out a shaky breath before pulling out a folded up piece of paper. "U-Um…" she finally looks up from the floor and looks around, making eye contact with some of us. "No hard feelings…right, guys?" Mai asks, looking directly at Harumi when she says that.
Well.
This should be interesting.
Harumi seems to have noticed as well and she shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She crosses her arms, "Tch. It's not like we can get mad at you. You don't really have a choice, unless you're willing to die." Harumi says. "Just get it over with." she says, tugging at the choker that's been trapped under her collar ever since our sentencing.
Harumi being reasonable? Who would've thought.
Mai nods and clears her throat. "Right. Um." she says as she unfolds the piece of paper. "Er…Harumi Gen Cho was almost killed during the Tragedy when her throat was slit."
Harumi pales, grabbing at her neck again. "H-Huh?" she blinks, her eyes welling up with tears.
Out of the days I've known Harumi, I've never seen her look so vulnerable. Apparently, she did show weakness once before but I didn't have the pleasure of seeing it myself because I was busy being electrocuted and drugged. Although, I vaguely remember Harumi saying something about her collar before I went down…
Harumi tugs at her collar with an oddly anxious look on her face, "H-Hey now, c-could you move th-this a little bit lower?" she stutters, unable to do much because of her handcuffs.
And then, as we all know, I went down. I got the full story from Kasumi when I first woke up and I got Luan's point of view when we were reunited with all the boys a little later.
I turn towards Harumi, her own panic and seeing them torture Sora making her break down and cry.
…
"Upupupupu! What a show that was!" Monokuma giggles. "Now, back to the trial. This shouldn't take too long. Harumi Gen Cho, Luan Delvina, and Sora Sugawara. You three are some of the most troubling, despairfully sinful teenagers we had the delight of kidnapping." he says. "You three have done so much we didn't know where to put you, that's how bad you are. Isn't that great?" Monokuma smiles.
"Wh-Wh-What?" Harumi stammers, still recovering from her panic attack. "I-I-I'm not s-sinful!" she chokes out, sniffling. "D-Don't put me in the same boat as these - these c-commoners!"
Monokuma tilts his head to the side and puts a paw on his chin. "Oh? But, Harumi, you're the worst one of the bunch." he says.
Taro nods and continues from where Monokuma left off. "I mean, yeah, we have two serial killers but that's all they've done. Killed people. You may not be a killer but your actions have inflicted just as much despair as Greyface and Sting."
At least I can take some solace in knowing that I'm a better person than Harumi in the eyes of a homicidal terrorist group.
Still, Harumi had an experience like that and she's still…Harumi? Did she learn nothing about the value of life? That she's just like the rest of us?
…
…
Looking at the panicked, vulnerable look on Harumi's face now, I think the Ultimate Bitch persona might be an act. Partially.
But, to learn the truth, I would have to talk to her.
Which I really don't want to do.
"H-How did you know about that!?" Harumi snaps, glaring heatedly at Hanako, Taro, and Monokuma. Her hand is still on her neck, almost as if she's trying to protect it from any further damage.
None of them answer her, instead pulling a whistle out from underneath their two-toned robes and blowing it. Seconds later, a pair of Guard Monokumas march into D-Pod.
"With the reveal of Gen Cho's secret, we will be granting your wish and moving your collar to your ankle." Hanako says cheerily. "Let you breathe and all that."
I can't tell exactly what Harumi's feeling so this is just my opinion, but maybe the collar was better off on her neck. She wanted it off when we didn't know that her neck was the source of a painful memory, but now that everybody knows, it's going to be very easy for certain people to exploit that to their advantage.
…Hm.
"And that brings us to the second part of the motive!" Monokuma says. "With every secret revealed, we'll make it just that much harder for you to cope!"
Kensuke sighs, "First they take away our comfort and now they take away our privacy and security." he says and shakes his head like a disappointed parent.
"Right?" Yume scoffs and crosses her arms. "What's next, our sanity?"
"Yes, actually."
…
Everyone stares at Monokuma and his two human lackeys.
"What?"
"What?"
"Are you ser-?"
"That's all for today, inmates! We'll see you at dinner for the second secret…assuming no one's committed a murder by then."
With the new addition of exposing each other's secrets every morning and every evening, Armen said we should probably speed up the Guard Monokuma hijacking plan. And, to do that…
"You guys were the last I thought would offer to help, but I'm so happy you did!"
Armen, Juriya, and I grimace as we stand in Toshrio's cell and look at the sheer amount of clutter (re: toys and decorations for his show) scattered all around the room.
(Yosuke wasn't invited because Toshiro doesn't think anything about him is cute. Armen is on thin ice but Toshiro thinks his gloves are cute.)
"...Right." Armen says dryly.
Juriya silently stares at the clutter like she stares at Greyface.
…Come on…any minute now…
"Here," Toshiro says, picking something up off the floor. "Armen, you can put these together," he says and hands the pile to Armen. Toshiro picks up another pile and hands it to Juriya, "You can take these apart with So-"
"Hey HEY!"
There she is.
The four of us turn around to see Kasumi standing in the doorway of Toshiro's cell, an 'innocent' smile on her face. "I heard you have my raccoon hostage, Shiro." she says. "I need to borrow her for something super important, do you mind if I steal her from you?" Kasumi asks, batting her eyes at Shiro.
Armen and Juriya fix me with a knowing glare and I have to resist the urge to grin.
Toshiro smiles brightly, "Of course! Sora already helped me out a lot yesterday, I won't hold it against either of you." he says. "You've got this, Kasumi!"
I frown. "She's got what?"
Kasumi makes a weird noise and shoots Toshiro a look. "THAT IS NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE!" she cries.
…Heh?
"YOU'VE GOT THIS KASUKASU!"
"SHIRO!"
As Kasumi drags me out of Toshiro's dorm, we both notice the strange pair of Kaori and Yume heading towards A-Wing…civilly? And is Yume-?
"A-Ah, Señoritas, I have been looking for you!"
Kasumi and I turn to see Valentin jogging up to us.
Kasumi smiles, "Hi, Val!"
Valentin smiles kindly, nodding at Kasumi. "Hola. Um, how do I say…ah, Señorita Harumi is still in…hysterics? U-Understandably, of course - and her current state has convinced some of the others that you and Señor Luan are in the greatest danger." he says. "And, well, given that the others actually like you and Señor Luan…" Valentin trails off awkwardly.
…Heh?
"...They want to lock you in Solitary Confinement until the motive passes."
…
…
…
HEH?
"Yeah, no, screw that." I say and give Valentin a look. "You said you wanted to help me, right? Come on." I say, turning around when Valentin nods and walking back towards the cells - more specifically, my cell. "You too, stupid gremlin."
"You already know you don't even have to ask, baby raccoon." Kasumi coos.
We've all already been locked up in this place against our will and now my classmates want to lock me up in an even smaller room? If I'm going to be locked up again, it's going to be where I have a bed and bathroom and not in an empty, white padded room.
And if I can't investigate who and what I want to peacefully, Kasumi and Valentin can do it for me.
Kasumi
Damn.
I was hoping my assignment was gonna be staying in Sora's room to keep her company.
I'll get her to admit she loves me eventually.
I sigh as Valentin and I part ways, the Ultimate Firefighter heading off to investigate Kaori and Yume and myself headed to hopefully convince whoever has my secret to tell me they have my secret.
Sora thinks that my secret is most likely the theory I have about…him being responsible for the deaths of my aunt and uncle. She didn't tell me why she wanted to know, but the look on her face was enough to convince me to try and get the job done.
I don't know what else they could hold against me…maybe that,but is that really so bad when compared to what some of the other things our classmates have done?
Going by the rather…anticlimactic secret they revealed about Harumi despite calling her the 'worst one of the bunch', they're revealing secrets that'll mess with our heads if anyone else finds out.
And considering how I could barely tell even my beloved raccoon without crying…
…
…
Yeah, Sora's got the right idea.
But still, what's the point of finding out who has it? It's not like I have any plans to kill to stop it from being revealed - and Sora doesn't either. She wouldn't do that.
Oh well, I'm just the muscle in this operation.
Now…who to interrogate first?
Valentin
Kaori and Yume went into A-Wing, and Sora said she thought she saw Yume crying…so…perhaps they went to the Rec Room? Kaori and Yume don't strike me as the religious type and there's no reason for them to go to the Medical Ward.
I'm happy Sora is utilizing me as I requested. I want to be useful, to make up for-
"-For the love of everything that is good in this world - whatever's left of that, anyway - leave me the hell alone."
I stop, my eyes widening.
I've never heard Kaori sound so angry before.
"...I can't do that, Kaori."
And I've never heard Yume sound so solemn.
What the hell is going on?
I peek my head into the Rec Room, spotting Yume and Kaori standing near the bean bags.
Kaori grits her teeth and glares heatedly at Yume. "What? Can't deal with the fact that someone doesn't like you?" she sneers. "That you can't win me over with your stupid jokes?"
Yume looks pensive and hurt, as if Kaori's words struck a chord with her. "That's not…That's not what I'm-"
"Then what are you saying?" Kaori snaps. "I would say I don't have all day but there's really nothing much to do here."
Yume fidgets with the sleeves of her blazer, a frown on her usually smiling and snarky face. "What…What did I do?" she asks.
Kaori narrows her eyes. "What?"
Yume clears her throat, looking anywhere but Kaori. "What did I do to make you not like me?" she asks.
"Are you fucking stupid?" Kaori asks incredulously. "I hate people that act like they're better than others - especially Ultimates." she says. "Harlequin, Kasumi, and I essentially have the same talent as you, the Ultimate Comedian, but here you are acting like-"
"Oooh, look what we have here!"
Suddenly, there's a hand on my back and I'm being shoved into the Rec Room and falling on my hands and knees.
Kaori's and Yume's eyes look just as wide as mine, the two girls looking at me in surprise and myself looking at them in horror that I'd been caught eavesdropping.
Speaking of…
I quickly scramble onto my feet and turn around to find a grinning Greyface standing where I had been seconds earlier. "Don't you know it's not polite to eavesdrop on the conversations of ladies?" Greyface says and her eyes glint with a little something else. "Well…then again, you don't know much about the ladies, do you, Valentin?"
…
…
…
…
…
"...I have to go." I say and walk out of the Rec Room without another word.
Kasumi
Since Valentin took A-Wing, I decide to take B-Wing.
First up is, of course, the classroom.
"Ya-hallo!" I greet as I open the door.
Out of the five faces in the room, only two greet me kindly.
"Hello, Kasumi." Kanna nods with a smile, continuing to pat a dejected Harumi on the head; the latter of whom is silently sitting with her head down on the desk next to Kanna.
Sasaki, standing at the front of the classroom, waves at me happily. "Hey there, Kasumi!" she smiles and I notice the piece of chalk in her hand.
"What's going on here?" I ask, walking further into the classroom and standing by Sasaki. There's a bunch of diagrams I don't understand and pictures of animals and formulas on the chalkboard.
Sasaki smiles again. "Yosuke was interested in what exactly it is I do as a veterinarian pathologist," she explains. "then Kanna joined with Harumi to hopefully take her mind off this morning and Masaki…" Sasaki frowns. "Actually, I don't know why he's here." she says.
Masaki, actually awake, scoffs. "What? I do more than just sleep." he says. "And we both work with animals. As an Ultimate Taxidermist, I'm interested in what exactly Sasaki does. Is that a crime? How is that weirder than the damn priest asking a vet about her work?" Masaki rambles defensively.
Yosuke raises a finger. "I simply have not heard of a veterinarian pathologist before." he says. "There's nothing else to do here and none of you wish to listen to me preach the word of God, so I wish to spend my time expanding my knowledge." Yosuke says simply.
Huh. I bet Sora would've been pleased to hear something reasonable out of his mouth.
"But-"
Ah, there it is. I take it back.
"I won't give up that easily. Someone will listen to me eventually." Yosuke says confidently.
Harumi lifts her head up and glares at Yosuke, revealing tear stained cheeks and red eyes. "Yeah right," she says. "You're an Ultimate Priest with outdated, conservative views and the majority of the people here belong to the…the…"
"The LGBTQ+ community, honey!" Candace calls as her voice disappears further into B-Wing.
"Yeah, that." Harumi finishes. "And if they don't they have enough brain cells to know it's none of their fucking business, you bald, egotistical piece of shit." she snaps.
Another reasonable thing coming out of Harumi's mouth? Now that would definitely shock Sora.
Although I don't think she has any right throwing the word egotistical around…
And then, Harumi drops her head down into her arms again and Kanna resumes gently patting her head.
"Get that out of your system?" Kanna asks.
Harumi grumbles.
Kanna laughs lightly and looks at Yosuke. "Although I don't like you very much either," she starts. "As we all know, she's been having a rough day. You were just the unfortunate victim of all that energy she's been bottling up." Kanna explains.
Yosuke sighs. "It's quite alright," he says. "Miss Sora has also taken a liking to venting out her frustrations on me."
"Um, yeah, no," I chime in. "did you not listen to anything Harumi just said? Sora just doesn't like you." I state bluntly, earning stifled laughs from my classmates. "Anyways, I was just wondering…what do you all think of the motive?" I ask.
Masaki crosses his arms. "The way I see it, there's two ways this could go down. Someone would either be desperate enough to keep their secret a secret, or should their secret be revealed, it'll put them in a worse state than that-" he says, pointing at Harumi. "And then they'll off one of us."
"So…what about telling the person whose secret you have what their secret is?" I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible. "So they know what to expect?"
Sasaki hums. "Well…wouldn't that be a bit dangerous? Revealing that you have their secret? What if they kill you to make sure you're the only one that finds out and it's never revealed?"
Oh. Fair point. I never thought about that.
And that brings that earlier thought back to my mind…assuming Sora believes that no one will give in to the motive, what's the point of finding out who has my secret if it's going to be revealed eventually?
…
…
…
Ah. I get it.
She thinks someone is going to crack this time.
But still, Sting escaped. It's not like whoever has my secret can hold it against me later, right?
I continue the discussion with them for a few more minutes before saying my goodbyes and moving on to the Library because I do not want to see what's going on in Solitary Confinement.
As I try to pass by Solitary as quietly as possible, I hear four voices bickering with each other.
"What do you mean he escaped!?" Hitoshi's voice cries.
"Haha, well, it seems as though I forgot to lock the door." I hear Takeshi laugh. "Luan Delvina probably went to his room, same as Sora Sugawara."
"Well," Kensuke starts. "I suppose this is probably for the best. They didn't do anything to be locked up here and not in their rooms."
"Think of this as a good thing, guys!" Shun says. "Now that they're actively barricading themselves in their rooms, they definitely won't get hurt!" she says optimistically.
…Oh my.
I find the last five of my classmates in the Library: Candace, Nemiko, Harlequin, Mai, and, unfortunately, Kano.
And what a scene I walked into.
Kano grins, tauntingly waving a folded up piece of paper in front of Nemiko. "I'm willing to bet most of us here have one thing in common, not taking into account our different sins…" he says. "But you, dear Nemiko, that commonality becomes quite malicious in regards to you. Should I tell your little friends exactly what kind of person you are?" Kano taunts.
Mai and Candace grit their teeth. "Come on Kano, we're all bad people, that much is clear already." Candace says. "That thing most of us have in common: it's blood on our hands, right? Newsflash, blondie, we survived the apocalypse! I'd be more surprised if you didn't have at least one person's blood on your hands." she says.
Kano laughs. "Oh, but Candy, it didn't happen during the Tragedy." he says. "I know full well that we're all bad people. But, even I committed my crimes during the chaos of the Tragedy." Kano says. "The same goes for the infamous ex-Remnants of Despair we're living with, isn't that right, Harlequin?" he says, turning to the boy in question.
Harlequin hums, tapping his chin. He looks unbothered with the current situation as he thinks back on his past. "Hmm…yeah, you're right. I wasn't treated very well but I was a good kid before the world went to hell!" Harlequin affirms with a smile. "And from what I know about Sting, the same goes for him! I'm not too sure about To - oh, hey there, Kasumi!"
I smile awkwardly when all five pairs (well, singular Harlequin's case) turn to look at me. "Is this a bad time?" I ask.
"Kasumi! Tell Kano and Harlequin they're being crazy!" Mai cries.
Yeah, um, that's Sora's job, not mine.
"Uh…" I look between the trio of girls and the two psychotic boys.
Kano shakes his head. "You guys are so boring. I got the little girl's secret so I'm trying to spice things up!"
Candace looks at Kano like he's the dumbest person she's ever met. "By trying to make yourself a target!?"
"Yeah!"
"You're psychotic. Leave her alone, she's just a kid!" Mai says angrily.
"In case you haven't noticed, Mai, we're all kids." Kano says. "Were we all not getting ready to attend the same school a week ago?" he asks cheekily.
First the super psycho behavior from last night and now he's trying to get the fourteen year old to kill him? Kano's the one who needs to be locked up in Solitary Confinement, not Sora, Luan, and Harumi.
…Maybe Harumi can stay.
Kano sighs dramatically. "Whatever," he says and stuffs the paper back in his pocket. "You two are making this no fun. I'll have a word with little Nemiko when her bodyguards aren't around…" Kano trails off, smirking, and walks out of the Library, brushing past me.
Harlequin bows to the girls with a grin on his face and turns to follow Kano out. He stops by me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Kasumi," Harlequin whispers. "I'm sorry about your aunt and uncle." he says, showing me a folded up piece of paper between his fingers before tucking it into his shirt. "But hey, death is only a temporary sadness, yeah?" Harlequin beams. "Now that they're dead, they're in a place where all good boys and girls go to have fun forever without any worries ever again! You're a great person so I'm sure they were too." he says, pats me on the shoulder, and jogs after Kano.
…
…
…
…
Sora
I'm seconds away from falling asleep when someone knocks on my door in an increasingly familiar pattern.
I groan and roll out of bed, trudging towards the door to take down my barricade. "I'm coming, gremlin." I yawn.
When I take down my barricade and open the door, I'm met with a blank faced Kasumi.
…Well this isn't good.
Cautiously, I pull her into my cell and shut the door behind her. "Kasumi?" I call, gently nudging her.
"...Sting killed my aunt and uncle." Kasumi says in a voice so quiet I can barely hear her. "Harlequin has my secret. I didn't even have to ask." she says.
Oh.
Shit.
Day 4, 11 hours until access to A-Wing is lost
Seeing as how breakfast was even worse than yesterday, Kasumi and I made our way to the Rec Room after Yukiko was finished eating. She fell into a little food coma after so she's peacefully sleeping on one of the bean bags across from Kasumi and I.
The two of us were sitting in a peaceful silence - peaceful until I noticed the sad look on Kasumi's face. She has her PDA in her hands and she's staring at it like it just told her it killed her puppy.
I nudge her lightly.
What's wrong? I sign at her when she looks up at me.
Kasumi shrugs and looks back down at her PDA. She's silent for a couple of minutes before, "I had a dream about my aunt and uncle last night." Kasumi says, her eyes turning glossy.
Her aunt and uncle? Then why is she staring at her PDA like that?
I lean over to see exactly what she's looking at. On her PDA she has the file of one of our peers pulled up, their picture displayed beside their information.
Oh.
…
...
...Oh.
You think…? my hands slow down, my mind still trying to catch up to what I think Kasumi is trying to say.
Kasumi laughs humorlessly. "Let me start from the beginning and work my way up to that. I'm still trying to put it together myself." she says and shakes her head. "As any parent would, mine wanted a kid that was strong, but mine also wanted me to be gifted and intelligent. However, when I was born, I was weak and small. During the first few months of my life, it also became clear that I was mentally underdeveloped." Kasumi explains and smiles wryly. "Obviously, that's still the case."
I quickly put my hands up to protest but Kasumi pushes them down, shaking her head.
"Medically, it was a fact that I was stupid, but hey, I still got you to like me." Kasumi says with a wink. "And you don't mean it like that, I know. Don't worry." she nods. "Anyways, the doctors said that I would need special attention and good health insurance and stuff to thrive. I was the exact opposite of what my parents wanted so they didn't want to spend all that extra money on me; so they passed me off to my aunt and uncle." Kasumi says with a sad smile. "They were already in serious debt but they still loved me anyway. I was raised on my own until they had a kid of their own when I was six: my little cousin, Katsuko. I loved him as if he were my little brother."
"My aunt and uncle got me a special home tutor while they were both at work and thankfully, the tutor was very patient with me due to my mental challenges. Slowly but surely, I eventually caught up to my grade level. My aunt and uncle never told me who my parents were but I smile knowing they were wrong about me." Kasumi says, her smile turning a bit happier. "I couldn't have done it without my aunt and uncle."
"However, obviously that cost a lot of money. My medical expenses and the education…they were even more in debt because of me and we were in danger of being evicted. When I was eleven, I hated the 'mean men' who wanted to separate my family, but again, being eleven, I couldn't really do anything about it…" Kasumi says, trailing off.
I narrow my eyes. And so the Ultimate Prankster was born, right? I sign.
Kasumi laughs and nods. "And so she was." she says. "I came up with an…alternative method of earning money." Kasumi says. "I went all Robin Hood on my city, stealing from the wealthy and giving to the poor - the poor being my aunt and uncle. But, I did it with a twist: the classic prank. There's a very simple guideline to follow: distract them with a joke or a prank and when they aren't looking, yoink some cash out of the wallet and leave as fast as possible." she explains.
"It did take some practice, though. The first time around I was caught almost immediately!" Kasumi laughs again. "Eventually, I got better and better and I was leaving the pranked with a good chuckle. They probably only realized their wallets were gone when they got home." she says with that gremlin smile of hers. "They'd sue me if they could but I never got caught because I wear a mask and disappear as soon as the prank is over."
Kasumi sighs wistfully. "My aunt and uncle questioned my methods of obtaining money but they were too desperate to care that much, so they took it. Soon I got more than enough money to pay off their debts, but…" she smiles ruefully and taps her collar. "I got greedy. I continued stealing from the wealthy for myself - I wanted more to help my family and to secure my future. I guess I wasn't as invisible as I thought I was." Kasumi sighs and continues. "Everyone in my city started spreading rumors about this mysterious prankster and some even made fan sites about me, supporting me like I was some sort of vigilante." she says and lets out a shaky breath.
"Not long after that…" Kasumi shuts her eyes. "Katsuko and I were on our way home from school. We saw…we saw someone walking away from our house and - and when we went inside…" she takes a moment to compose herself, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "There were puncture marks all over their bodies - very obviously snake bites - and they looked so…they didn't die painlessly." Kasumi says, her voice mixed with anger and sadness. "Along with Katsuko, they were my entire life. Sting…whoever killed them took everything from me."
I...see…
We can talk about it more tomorrow if you want. Then I can actually try and help you with my words. I sign.
Kasumi gives me a weak smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." she nods, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. "Thank you…" she trails off, a smirk replacing her smile. "...baby raccoon."
This damn gremlin-
"Suga - ah, that's right, sorry. Sora? Kasumi?"
Kasumi and I turn our heads towards the entrance of the Rec Room.
Shun smiles, waving at us with less energy than usual. She's one of the ones who haven't been eating either. "Come on, Candace has a game for us all to play. It was going to be Yume's own version of telephone but seeing as how we're all barely able to think and two of us are barely able to speak…" Shun yawns.
Kasumi and I nod in understanding and stand up. I'm not too far gone because of the lack of food just yet - I'll be fine for a few more days.
I scoop Yukiko up in my arms and Kasumi and I follow Shun out of the Rec Room.
Tomorrow.
Our would-be discussion didn't happen because that's when Sting and Ryu enacted their complicated escape plan.
And now that we know for sure Sting is the one who killed her guardians, we now also know why their bodies looked so twisted and sickly.
Snake poison. Probably along with some other concoctions the Ultimate Snake Charmer cooked up in his despair induced insanity.
"Oh Kasumi." I sigh, looking at her sympathetically. I gently pull on her arm. "Come on, let's lay down. You look like you need more rest than me. I'm not that hungry, we can skip lunch and wait for dinner." I say.
"I knew you would ask me to sleep with you eventually, Sora." Kasumi says with absolutely zero humor in her voice.
"I won't hesitate to slap the depression out of you if you touch me."
"Kinky."
"Shut the hell up."
Kasumi and I wake up to the sound of Monokuma's announcement for dinner and the evening round of this godforsaken motive.
The two of us exchange a look before leaving my cell to join everyone else in the main room of D-Pod.
Monokuma repeats the same spiel about not lying and whatever and blah blah blah shock collar.
"On with the show," Monokuma declares. "Hanako has all of your names loaded into a spinner wheel app so that way the choice is completely random!" he reexplains and as he does, Hanako pulls out her tablet and the TVs in D-Pod turn on, displaying the wheel in question. Then, she turns it in her hands so we have a view of the tablet as well.
Taro reaches out his hand, "Without any further ado, on with round two!" he says and taps the wheel.
The wheel starts spinning and spinning and spinning…and…
…
…
…
…
…
"Luan Delvina, front and center!" Taro declares.
Luan steels himself and we take a napping Yukiko from him without a word. He nods gratefully and takes his position beside Hanako and Taro.
"Same as this morning," Hanako says. "Take your time but don't take too much time." she says.
Luan pulls out the piece of paper he got yesterday and unfolds it. "Ah…as it was this morning, I mean no harm by…by…r-revealing? Revealing your secret." he says, keeping his eyes on the paper. "Um…" Luan clears his throat and prepares to read.
…
…
…
…
…
"Takeshi Yamamoto witnessed the death of his entire family."
…Oh.
I guess that explains why he diverted the question to Kensuke, Kasumi and I when we tried asking him about himself - it still must be hard for him to talk about them.
Everyone turns to look at Takeshi. His usual smile is still present on his face but it looks more pained and forced. "I must admit, I didn't prepare myself for what my secret would be." Takeshi says. "Mmm…I need a moment to myself. Excuse me, everyone." he says, stands up, and walks towards the Yard.
Monokuma cackles as Takeshi walks out. "What a sensitive boy!" he says gleefully. "Anyways, to commemorate the reveal of the Ultimate Femboy's secret, we've plastered pictures of his family members all over his cell!" Monokuma says.
"And with that, we'll be off!" Hanako says. "Enjoy your dinner!"
Before I know it, Luan has already taken Yukiko back from Kasumi and I - along with two plates of dinner; he's already back in his cell.
Takeshi may be getting some air outside but he has the right idea of still barricading himself in his cell.
"I'll see you back in my cell." I tell Kasumi quickly, grab my own plate, and make a run for it.
What a day.
I hope Takeshi's okay.
…Huh. Now that I think about it, I haven't heard back from Valentin either.
I'll have to check in with him tomorrow.
7~7~7
A/N surprise bitch
i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me
i wrote this chapter over the course of a month so if there are any inconsistencies don't bully me pls xx
i realized i made kasumi sora's bff and never gave her a fte so kasumi lore poggies
2-5 should be the last normal chapter and then
body/ies in 2-6
...unless?
