Chapter 1-4: The Mockingbird Sings Once Again
Beta Read by: Lupus Overkill
Parties were something to look forward to in my younger years. Somewhere I could finally escape because my prince charming has finally come to claim me as the love of their life. Although I never identified as a woman, I would relate to the heroines of old animated movies. Especially Cinderella, a girl forced to work all day until her dream finally came true. Maybe that is why I can only trust in the surrealism of wonderland now. Wonderland is the only place that would not lie to me. Everything is fucked, so might as well become part of the madness.
Einosuke would love to put me in white dresses. After all, white represents purity. I am supposed to be pure, hence the meaning of my forsaken name. Shiro. 白. Everything about me is fucked, so might as well play along with the insanity.
I was disappointed to learn that balls were nothing more than a display of wealth, a place to reinforce the evil of the world. There is no meaning in madness, but there is a meaning in the suffering. There is no rhythm or reason in this world, other than the endless suffering of those stuck in situations that no fictional character will ever want to be a part of. Reality is much stranger than fiction. Perhaps it would be better to live in the utter nonsense of wonder.
"Do you want to go to another party, Shiro?"
I shake my head. Somebody else nods. I am forced to forever play this game, where I am a doll about to be ripped to shreds.
"Do you want to be part of the planning, Shiro?" I open my eyes to see that Seina is still bothering me. At least this time I do not get jump scared by her. The girl's ability to move around completely unnoticed is terrifying.
I may not want to be involved in the party, but I know it is too late to stop this from happening. The most likely way to ensure that nothing goes wrong is to be part of the planning. Though, if somebody does commit a murder, it can be easily framed on the people involved with the event plans. There are a lot of people involved, however. Then again, one of these people could be the one plotting the murder-
"Shiro? Do I need to bonk you with my stick?" Seina puffs out her cheeks. Analyzing the blue prop staff Seina has, I can tell that it is actually quite heavy and would not be pleasant to be hit with. It is not heavy enough to kill on impact, but perhaps multiple purposeful attacks would do the trick. Somebody could steal that staff and easily frame everything on Seina if she is not careful. Or maybe Seina could kill and make it look like somebody has framed her. It would not be hard with how sentimental this group is to pretend that it has been stolen and act to gain sympathy and pity-
"Ow!" I yell out. I cannot believe Seina actually bonked my head with the staff! That hurt! Goddammit.
"I had to get rid of the demon haunting your thoughts!" Seina exclaims while doing a twirl. The oddly serious expression on Seina's face almost makes me laugh. Almost. I will never laugh at this stupidity. That would be absurd.
I still have to decide whether or not I want to be involved, and quickly if I do not want to be hit by Seina again. Ayumu and Renkou are part of the circle, so some of the people there can be trusted. But I do not want to be near anything with Fubuki helping out. She continues to make my head hurt, and I need to have as little pain as possible.
"I could help, but I do not want to be involved with this stage," I say to Seina.
"Odd, you seem like a traveler that would want to be in a leader role..." Seina taps her cheek. "I'll have a mission for you tomorrow! It's late, my servant, and you should get as much rest as possible!"
"I am not your servant!" I blush a little.
"Silence mortal, you cannot comprehend my schemes! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Seina continues to evilly laugh for a couple more seconds. I cannot believe I forgot how...chaotic Seina acts. This should not be surprising. After all, Seina is part of the Meme Squad. It is odd, however, that Seina is the only one part of the squad here. Wait, I forgot Mei is here. She is so small and kind of hiding behind Asuka.
"Are you sure there is nothing to do right now?"
"Nothing! Oh, wait...do you prefer dresses or suits? Or whatever? I don't mind," Seina asks. That is an odd question. There is no change of clothes. Not to mention, there should be no reason to be in formalwear for a simple get together.
"Suit."
"Wait, I do have a request. You should see if Ryusuke is doing...things. His weapon looks like the..." Seina's eyes go blank for a second. "There has to be extra stuff in that weird labyrinth room. Who knows? Maybe you'll run into-"
"Stop hogging Shiro. You don't have a free time event!" Mei suddenly pops out of nowhere. She, however, does not scare me as Seina did. Whoever these two hang out with outside of this game, they must be a fearsome individual. With the ridiculous clothes these two girls have on, they must have an impressive amount of skill to not make a noise. If they ever calm down, I could ask them for stealth tips since that would be useful information to survive.
"I got another servant, Mei! We can-"
Before I get dragged into another useless conversation, I try to walk out of there. I would rather deal with the trio of people with the most questionable sanity. Actually, no, that is a lie. Perhaps I should have some time to myself. But Seina did have a good point at first, it would be good to check up on Ryusuke. When it becomes night, I could have some time to myself to properly theorize with the small amount of information I currently have.
"You shouldn't run off like that!" Mei grabs onto my arm. Looking back, I see that Seina has joined the main group again. Seina may be a lot to deal with, yet she is better than Mei. With Seina, there is this odd sense of safety as well. Those types of thoughts are foolish, however. Nobody is safe in this world. "Having that attitude will get you killed, Shirooooooooooo. Nobody should be alone during a horror movie!" Most of the time words do not bother me, but that is going too far. There is no way I am going to die because of a survival tip this teenager has thought of because of badly made movies.
"Maybe..." When I blink my eyes, Mei is not there anymore. Instead, there is a person I vaguely recognize with black hair and a facial scar. We may have not been close, but it is hard to not know the face of Akita Yamazaki. Because of her infamous bad behavior, most everybody knew about the Ultimate Mediator by now.
"Stupid piece of shit, you've got to get over your goddamn pride! It's going to kill you!" Akita shouts. She grabs onto my shoulders. "Don't be like that goddamn traitor, Kazuhiko, and break this curse of suffering!" Wait, what did she say about Kazuhiko? There are many ways to describe Kazuhiko, but a traitor is not one of them. There is no way Kazuhiko would break the trust of anybody-
That's all life is, Shiro, a bunch of dollar bills. Who cares about the people I ruin with my articles just so I can ruin more lives and get more money!? That's what Akita seems to think or whoever she is now!... Finally beating Kotori with that damn baseball bat is the best thing that I ever did! Because now she can't hurt any of us!
I blink once again, but this time there are stab wounds all over Akita's body, although most of them are shallow and not enough to kill. One of her eyes has been stabbed and is nothing more than gluey mush. The most damning of all, however, is that the back of Akita's head is almost completely caved in. There is...blood everywhere...
Drip
"You gotta survive! I wasn't able to do so, but maybe somebody else they force into this miserable 'protagonist' position can!" Akita pleads with me, blood spilling out of her mouth and onto my shirt. Her nails now dig into my flesh, threatening to add my own blood into the mix.
Drop
"You're just gonna say nothing again, asshole! Figures. I was actually worried about you, but that doesn't seem to be needed anymore. The dead mockingbird who lost all its innocence performs you a song, and you have the audacity to not listen! No wonder you're friends with Kazuhiko! Both of you fucking suck!" Friends with Kazuhiko? I wished that was the case. Even if I was the type of person to have friends, Kazuhiko should not waste his time with me. He already has Ayano. There is no place for somebody like me in his life, somebody that would only hold him back.
Tick
"Everything he says is right, huh? Fucking bastard has got a point." Akita lets go of me. Once she finally does, my arms begin to bleed. Our blood together mixes to create an awful black. "Even Mitsu-sama admits that we shouldn't resist anymore. Guess I should've listened to Sae after all. Chiyo is full of such shit." Akita turns around and I cannot see her face anymore. There is a small giggle that echoes throughout the room. Right in front of Akita, there is once again that small child.
Tock
"In the dark depths of your mind, there's only one thing left..." Akita turns her head and I see a twisted grin on her lips smeared with blood. In the one eye that is still working, all I can see is black. Even with all of her smirk, there are tears running down her face. "...The Master."
The illusion shatters. Where Akita once stood, there is Mei. Mei is reaching out to me because she has somehow gotten farther away than before. Her eyes are not looking at me, but perhaps something behind me.
"...S-Shiro?" Mei asks me. Her voice is too broken to be anything like her usual self. "...Y-Your eyes..."
Before Mei can say anything else, I leave the room. There is no use prolonging that awful conversation. There has to be...there is nothing wrong. Everything is alright. I am still in control. The little girl is still following me, yet that is something that I can deal with. Although the little child is unsettling, there is no way that they would be able to harm me. For now, I am safe from death.
Eimu, Yoshi, and I were relaxing in one of the classrooms since nobody else bothered to show up. The teacher saw that only us three were here and then left. Turns out having teacher storage in the world makes it hard for Ayano Kirigiri to find people stupid enough to get involved with Hope's Peak willingly. Most adults know the dangers of associating with the Committee because those involved, willing or otherwise, often get targeted for crimes. Refusing an Ultimate is not an option, so students are cursed to be part of this forsaken school.
"We should go exploring...to the restricted areas!" Yoshi blurted out randomly. She was laying on top of the teacher's podium. Eimu and I were sitting in chairs right next to each other. Because there are fifty seats in this classroom, every chair is close together to make sure everything fits. The true lucky student stares blankly at their sister. With Emilynn's talent, I should not trust her in the first place, so it is perhaps for the best that she does not want to deal with me anymore.
"There may not be any teachers around, but this place still has security cameras," I said. Since Einosuke kept forcing me in those dresses, Eimu and Yoshi were giving me clothes to change into every day. The clothes were still on the feminine side since they do not live with any men, but it is much better than dealing with a dress.
"Then Eimu and I will bring supplies next time. With their luck, we can do it easily!" Yoshi jumps off the podium and then strikes a weird pose that I have seen somewhere before. Eimu still has a blank expression when they nod their head.
"W-we can't do that!"
"Yes, we can!" Yoshi smiled smugly. "People do this all the time! Breaking into the Committee to steal all their secrets! Most of them end up dead, but we're not most of them! We've got a proper support system!" The conspiracy theorist fist bumps the air.
"...We're going to die..." I laughed awkwardly. I could feel the sweat dripping from my head. Before I could properly freak out, Eimu placed an assuring hand on my shoulder.
"Not on my watch! We won't be added to the body pile the Committee has created." Yoshi runs up to my desk and points her finger directly on my nose. I could hear Eimu sigh from behind me. "Nobody will hurt my friends or siblings without facing my unending wrath! So be prepared to finally have some love in your life, Shiro Amari! You need it!"
"That's not true...I got my true dad..." I try to hide my blushing face by putting my hand up, but Eimu grabs me before I can do so. Yoshi raises one of her eyebrows while Eimu remains as apathetic as ever.
"Screw him, he hasn't seen you in like years! I'm willing to bet real money that he ran off with some random ass lady and left his poor wife and bio kid behind. What a tragedy!" Yoshi places her hand on her forehead with dramatic flair. "Maybe we should check in on them! We finally need a guy in the house. And Shiro keeps refusing our offers! His name is like...Natsu or something like that?"
"He would never do that...he just got in a car accident and got severe injuries..." I pointed out. Sure, most people are pieces of shit who would leave their families for no reason, but not my true father. He was too good for this sinful Earth.
"You know what, since there's nobody here..." Yoshi smirked, fully realizing she is changing the subject. "We should ditch like everyone else! And guess what, I'm sure we'll be able to have fun at our house!"
"...I already get a headache with eleven siblings in my hall..."
"That's not the same and you know it! Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, otherwise, we're going to be bored sitting here all day again!" Yoshi grabbed my left hand while Eimu took hold of my right. "Do you know how boring it was the last time? Until we trashed the gym and still nobody has figured out we did it! That poor little dummy we found got straight up trashed."
"...F-fine," I answered Yoshi. She begins to jump up and down and squeal, still not letting go of my hand. Not being able to handle all of the energy, Eimu lets go of me.
"We got him, Eimu! I told you this would be too easy." Before I could ask Yoshi what she meant by that, she dragged me out of my seat and to the door. Eimu somehow catches up to us despite walking slowly.
When we left, I finally noticed that there was somebody else in the classroom with us. It was the girl that would always be here, that does nothing but writing or doodle in her notebook. Even with all of the sound that the three of us made, the girl did nothing to check up on it. That is the true nature of humanity, not doing anything when they feel that terrible events are about to transpire. Helping people would require effort no human being would ever want to use if it isn't to help themselves.
...How normal days would be gone forever, in the midst of overwhelming despair. How despair would be gone forever, in the midst of normal days...
I should have known. Your blood will forever paint these walls and haunt my once peaceful music and dreams. I should have known. Your blood is the muse of my inspiration and the reason I keep on living.
For I am in love with you, every single part of your being. Your rotting flesh, your broken bones, your wicked smile. Everything is amazing and worth more than I ever will be.
You smile truly for the first time when you destroy what is both of ours, a sign of our true love. I smile truly for the last time when you take away everything I used to be and replace him with a relentless cynic.
S̸̘̣̟͔̗̰̠̘̖̯̜̹̬͐̇̓̋̌̽͛̿̓̆̚̕̚t̶̨͔̫̄͂͝a̴̗̹̘̪̘̭̬̜̮͚̪͖͉̦͕͛̂̊̀̅̈́̽̾̇̏͒̊̅͝͠b̴̩̯̮͍̜̖̯́̆̓̎̓̓͋͋̓̑͝ͅ ̴̨̯̲͍̖̼̝͓̗̜̹̭̙̼̂͒̅̐̀̈͂̀̃͑ͅs̵̡̡̡̛̛̩̺̣͎͉̫͚̐̽͆̓̄̄t̷͍̫̓͗͆̋͆͛̔̅ȧ̸̢̬̞̼̒̿b̸͙̯̊̉̕ ̵̡̛͚͚̹̝̖̖̈́͆̊͌͋s̸̛̺̮͇͊́̃̅̏ť̵̨̖̯̹͈̣̝̮͓͕͌̊a̸̡̧̢̙͉͕͈̗̰̱͇͇͖̔̌̍͘b̷̧̳̖̦̌̍̉͑̓̒͗͛͘ͅ ̶̧̡̜͙̣͕̦̫̦̃͑͜͜͠s̷̡̳͚̬͍͓̦̹̲̺͈̺͍̿̈́̒̌̐͛̓͋̄̌̆͌͠͠t̶̬̪͔͖̠̫̥̳͉̒̑̽͛̃̍͛̔͂͋̿ä̴̧̧̛̦͙̖̟̝̰̘̽̒̐͑͗͝b̸̺͙̫́ ̶̧̨̻͍̺͈͇̣̈̂̆̑͠ş̷̨̱̦̤̖̟͇͊̃͊̒̀̈́̃̅̈́͘͜t̷̢̛͓̺̭̳̂̎̋̾͒̄̚a̶̙̦͗̎͋̈b̵̪̖̘͈̳̹̘̣̲̄ͅ,̶̧̢̟͎̥̻̪͉̖͉̮̩̉̌̈̈́̾͑ͅ ̶͓̲̲̰̳̲̼̺̗͔̠̱͋͂͘f̴̢̢̢̫̦̥͖̟̙̠͕̹̮̱̐̃̓́̎̿͐͒̈́̇͘̚ö̶̢͙͖̯͚̟́̈́̈̀̉̈̆̏͗̕͘͝r̶̢̖̲̪̙̃̈̿̓͊͌̕͘ ̶̛̬͎͓̿̋́̐̀̒̎͋̓́̆̋͒͝t̴̖͊̅͆̈͝h̸͇͍̭͈͖̜̃͆̇̋͊̓͛͑̾̃͗̃͘͜͝͠a̴̢̹͔̲̬̻̲̩͍̰͔̺̜͎̓͑́̆́̔̿̊̕̕t̴̝̼̹͚̹̏̊̄̚,̷̪̗̯͔̔̈́́̒́̍̚͜ͅ ̸̜͒́̉̃̀̇̅̚͘i̵̧͙̼̙͙͚̠͔̯͈͔̺͇͉͉͒̿̾͑s̴̨̰͈̗̉̆́͆͑̈́̒̑͗͒͊̿̒͗ ̶̛̬̲̗̈́̄̉̀̌͆͌̓̋̑͘̚͘y̷̡̱̙̙̞͎͛̔̔̾̊͛̐̂̌̕͝ò̸͉̫̎̈́͗̈́̈̆̉̍̚̚̕̕͝͝ú̵̜̿̍͒̆̑ͅr̷̡̛̛̲̠͊̾̒̿̿͒ ̵͎̙̺̪͎͇̖̆̾̆̀̈͐d̵̞̳̞͕͆̏͛͆̇̒̀̍̋͛̀̕͝ë̶̜̫͉͍̦̳͓̲͕̞̰́̏͑̎̕͜ṣ̴̃́́̓̃͌̋̓͂̇̍͐̏́͝ţ̸̦̦̼̖͎̖̩̣̫̹͙͚͋̒͋̒͜͠i̶̢̡̻͖̺̔̃͐̀́̅̌̇̐͆̅̕ń̸̮̭͈͇͚̜̭̣̟̳̺̻͍̈͘͠͝͠y̵̰̜̯͉̦͋̈͊̀̽̎͛͐͌̀̾̈͝͝.̷̡̨̜̰̻̩͉̲̠̹͔͖̖͛̌͐̈ͅͅ ̵̥̥̗̞͔͉̜̥̬̭͕̹͒̉́̈́͛̅͂̌̑̈͋͊͘͜͠͝ͅͅY̵̡̨̢͕̤̞͉͙̾̔̕ͅo̸̢̝̦͚̼͉̗̭̱̩͖̞͚͋̎̒͛̈́̾̔̈́̊̂͌̇̌͒̕ͅͅú̴̜͉̩̥̙̣̭̦̪͚͉̰̰̿̉͝r̶̤̰̅̈̂̌͂̾̃͘̕͘ ̸̡̜̳̼̩̩͕̜͗͆ŗ̵̝͚̜͕͕̣̖̻̦̖̣͒̑̈́͐͋̓̀̇̊̑͝͝͝ȩ̷̳̭̘̙͉̦̙͚́͛̈́͛̈̈́̎͂̈́̊ͅa̸̢̛̳̗̔̂͐̎̽̀̍̐͂̄͜͝s̸̢̬͓͆̉͜ơ̸̡̬̞̩̣̳̟̫̞͍̙̽́͑͐̋̑́̄̚͝n̴̢̧̗̘̻͚̥̗̄̇͆͊̈̔̿̓͋̂̒̅ ̸̨̛̹̪͈̗̝͐͂͒͛̌̆́̽͛̆̑̚̚̕f̵̢͈̠̺͕̪̹͕̲̪̗̭̙̀̓͑̈́̒͐̇̉̈͑͛͝ͅo̸̙͂́̇͋̇̂̍̆̔͌͝r̸̡̫̦̭̼͖̝̤̣͈̰͍̣̋͒͗̽͋̀̓̇̂ ̸̝̄̀̈́̿̃͝b̸̙̲̩̰͍̥͖̦̖̠̦̲̯͕̽̑̄͗͜e̶̮̽́̓î̸͍̳̘̰n̸̨̛̛͚̰̱̼͔̻͓̖͚̎́̑̀̄̐̈́̾̆̒̽̔ͅģ̷̢̟͓̋̃̅̃̒̀́͛̿̈́̂͘͘̚ͅ.̶̱̭͎̙͉̎̈̉̋͒̂͆̽͊̈́͠͝ͅ ̴͍͌́̌̽͂̓̐̄̀͗̚T̷̫̥̬̼̦͇̥̲̼̓̌̂͌͐͒̉̎̀̿͐̆h̴̡̨̢̜̲͚̪͈͉̤̠͉̳̾̆̓͛̀̋͝e̶̡̛̱̣̺͙̅̾͌̃̅͊̓͋̔̊͑̌̉͝ ̶̭͉̩̳͈͎͙͇̪̼̙̭̘̯͗̄͋̃̈̕ǫ̴̮̺͈̱͎̙͎̲̬̂̉̓̆̂n̴̦̤̯̓̐̈́̽̎̊͒̓͝͝ḽ̶̨̢̞̜͉͕͈̈́̏͆͗̔̔͘͘̚͝y̵̩̘̯̘̘͚͊̆̏̀̚͝ͅ ̸̣̝̩͍̖̻͓̈́̇̀̆̔̈́͗͆̀̆̿̈́̀͘͝r̷̯̝̳̳̤͔̠̼̘͖̎̿̈́̈́̉̈́́̎̐͘͘͝ȩ̷̢̲̳̯͕̱̠̟̏̽̔͛a̴̹̩̩̲̋͝ŝ̵̨̛͈͔͈̤̺͔̳̱̖̯͛͌͛̆̂̑͊͝ơ̷̙̥̬͚̬͍̰̲̞̥͊͂̿͊͐̏̀̀͒̈́͑̕n̶̳͙̗̦̑̑̿͆̿̌̑̑̈́́̇̈̚ ̶̡̼̯̙͙̠̤̈́w̵̩̘̱̼̺̜̿̐̽͝h̸̢̝̭͔̺͍̭̻͖̣̥̅̈́̈́̎͌̈̂͌́̑͛͘ÿ̴̡̛̪̖͚̤́̇̂͗̓̿̊͒̓͑̿ ̵̝̝̘̼͇̤̬̤̳̰̲͌ͅy̸̫̻͖̭͖̐̍̽̿̾̃͌͆̇͌̂͝͝͝ọ̵̡͍̙̬̳̔́u̶̼̾͌͌̓̈́̊̒r̵̖̲̗̩̘͙̠̕͜ ̶͓͖̥͈͗̊͘͠ȇ̷͚̼̝̥̻͓̜̪̹̏͛̃̃͊̈̚͠͝͠x̴͔͙̹̰̍̒͂̄̂̀̌̈́̕͝i̸͈̔̔̍̾̈́̓͆͐̋́̂͗͒̄̚s̶̡̢̛̬̲̱̼̪̗̞̳͓̺̮̦͒̒̿̍̐̅̿̈́̌̍̅͘͝ţ̸̡̰̗̪̣͓̹̺̰̼̃̓̌͗̓͊͝ê̵̡̤͙̰̥̦͕͕͎̗̩̠̒͝ņ̷̨̛̛͎͓̪̯̇̑̅͆́̄̅͒̄̋́̚͝c̶̘̻̗̣̦̜͍̣̜̘̭̄͌̀͜ͅë̸̘̰̫̝̼̘̗̻͈̑͋̓͒ ̷̛͉͚̤͑̇̂͑̈́͂͊́̚͝h̶̖̖̤̯́̈͜a̵̢̝̤͖̳̣͍͈̙͍̙͕͓͚͆̑̄̊͘ͅs̵̜͍̮͆̃̐͘͝ ̵̮̝̞̱̣̰͕͒̈̌̓͑̋̒͘̚͝͝͠b̶̨͚͙̤̫͍̼̬͚͚͍̦̼͇̈́̏̋̆̀̑̉͌͗̒̓̄͆̍͜ȩ̶̮̤̥͇̳͇̯̃̒̉̒̊͛̍̽̆̕e̶͇͔̤͎͑͊̂̌͒̀͊̓͊͘͝n̵̥̤͉̻̝͍͔͚͊̏̾͘͜͝͝ ̸̢̛̛͓̺̤͕̯͇̝͚̅̀̎͛͛̉͆̔͊̏͆ͅâ̴̻̟͔̹̗̙̟̯͓̘͖̲͓̰̭̊̓̓̂̽̈́̓̽̋̈́b̷̨̺̜̣̰̺͔̭̈́̅͗̈̚͘͝ḽ̶͈̞̠̟̪̱̩̗́͗͋̋̀̌̀̏͆́̀̇͛̕e̷̥̙̦̩͖̟̻͚̠̺͖͂̍̈̅̀̀̇͂͝ͅ ̴̧̤͓͉̖̞̻̠̯̪͓̔͛t̴̡̛̖̝̭͋̈́̅̒̆͠ő̶̺͉̙̳̲̖̐͝ ̷̺͓̙̗̝͓́̈́͒͑̀̅̉͝͝l̴͍̠͈̙͙̰̱̇̂̈́ḯ̸̱̱͉̯̜̺v̴̡̨͎͚̪̫̥͓͉̯̭̞̲̮̍̎͘ͅȇ̷̪̥͖̆ ̷͙̫̉̿̔̍̅͒̎̔f̸̮̰̱̺̝͙̠͇͖̟̯̍̌̄̎̍̈͐͑̋̀̉̎͋͑̀͜o̷͉̿̅͗̽̆ṙ̶̭͙͔̮̎͜ͅ ̴̛̬͇̳̤͎̪̝̹̣̞̎̂̉̅͂͝t̴̰̰̺̘͔̼̔̍̈́̀̎̍͂͗͆͋͑̿͘̕h̸̙̊̊̅̓̃̚ï̴̖͉̱̗̞̘̻̫͔̿̈́̓̀͘͝͝s̵̢͈̙̖̠͇͛͌̽̾̀̽͊̐͑̚̚͜͝͝ͅ ̴̢̹͙̫̖͕̤͙̩̯̭̝͊l̵̨̢̖͍̲̰̂̆̒̈́̇̔́̚ȏ̷̢̢̜̞͔̥̞̭̋̾̽͋͐̍̏̕͜n̸̛̤̠̻̫̻̙̯̣̼̲̰̩͉̓̔̍̅̉̂̃g̸͛̔̐̔̈̓̕͘͜͠,̵̺̰̳̹̳̞͇͔̮̝̩̘̊͑͘̕̚͜͝͠͠ ̵̧̨͓̰͓͇̲̙̭͎͈̘̰͚̽̑̇̒͒̓̓̕̚ͅd̵̨̢͕͔̥͈̙̲̬̤̰͎͈͔̳̕e̷͔̯͈̝̠͉̞͂̍͆͐̋̔̈́̽̋s̷͔̬̲̔́̈̌͝͠p̸̘͔͍̳͇̗̜̼͎̥̤̍̔̚͜͜͝i̵̭͖̊̿̓͘͠͠ṭ̶̡̧̗̻̗͎̤̺͔̯͓̒̉͂͋̈̎͛̈̈̕̚͜͜͜͝ȩ̷̨̡̨̺̠͎̱̼͇̝̄̕̚͜͝ͅ ̴͓̻̬̰̮̣̽̑͂́̒͊̂́̓̒̓̇̍b̴̛͇̩̩̥̻̺̪̳̭͉͒̀̏̅̎̉̽̈́̐̀͂̒̚͝ͅĕ̵̥̘͍̖͖̯̒̏̐̃̿̍̅̈̊̓̇͋̽͒i̶̻̼̖̪̫̪̟̭̰̩̞̭̹̬̤͂͗̌̈́̇̅̍̍́́̚̚̚n̸̪̯̣͌́̀͊ģ̸̧̛̤̣̥̰̻͍̝̦̬͙͈̟͗͂̑͒͆͂̓̅́̈́̌̚͠ͅ ̵͇̙̰̪̼͇̻̯̖̠̮͚̓̓̈͊͒̄̈́t̸̡̛͙̺̟̱͇̠̜̓̏͂̌̾̆͆̏̇͑h̵̹̠̲͇̳̓ͅë̵̛̩̺̫́͗̍̌͊̒̀̍̋͘ ̵͕̦͌̓̎͗͑͘m̷̧̧͍͓͖̙̥̪̘̭̭̹̳̩͑̋o̴̡̮͔̜̩̹͚͔̘̱͗̀̓̊̅̇͋̐́̾̑̅͒̚͜͝s̸̳͕̙̖̠̐͆̎͐͒̓̏͘̚̕͝͠ṱ̸̡̧̭͇̺̻̯͍̬̭͑̎͑ ̷̧̤̤̼͈͈̬͔͎̲̟͕̙̜̾̆͂̆̕͜͠u̷̡̞̰͚͉̬͙̥̘̬͌̽̃͑̈́̅̃͘̚͜͝s̸̩͚̠̫͇̭̘̟̖̥̩͖̓̽̍̽̏̑͒̓̉͆̑̇e̷̛̝̋̿ͅl̵̳͆̄̊̂ĕ̵̛̠̱͓̝̻͖̖̈́͗̿̔͛͗̆̅͒͐͠ͅs̵̨͇̮̲͚̞͖̼̝̠̠̰̟͈̊̓̒ș̸̢̤̺̀͜ ̸͕̳͈̬̉̇̒͆͒̇̈́̓͘̕̕͝t̶̛̩̖̍̽̄ḥ̵̢͎̼͈̯͖͗͗͊̈̑͐̐͘͘ĩ̶̢̛̝̬͉͎͔̳̹̥̰͗̀̏̂́n̸̢̢̗̠̞̙̦̮̱̗̤̼̫͊͗͂̑ğ̴͈̞̺͈̲̗̯̖̫̝̮̙͕̬̰̍̽͋̎͝ ̶̡̘̞̟̙͙͇̣̞̺̲̻͖̗͒̈́̄̓̈́̂̄̽ẗ̷̛̠̹͈̭̳̿̀͗̀ó̸̢̢̻͇̝̩̯͈̮̪͈̲̭͉͐̊͑̈́̿̈͑́͆͛͝ ̷̢̳̥̩̭̫̬̌̏̐͌̒́̈̉͑̊̈́̅̀̒͂e̸̤̥̤̜̯̳͓̗̮̠͉̜͛̈́͘v̶̡͓͔͎͇̰͖̮̯̦̩̞͉̫̮̂̋̃͊̓̀̇͠e̴̢̡͚̦͍̭͓̗̝̙̖̝͒̄͐̈͊̐̋̌̒͗͒̍͆̚ŗ̴̡̨̡͙̠̮̥̟̟̟̗̒̏̍̍̀ͅ ̷̛̙͖̈̾͆͌̒̎̇ͅc̷̨̨̪̩̟̟̦̳͔͈̉̅̑͜ͅo̴͖̯͊͗̓͌̿͆́̈́̑̍̈́͝m̷̧̛̘̮̤̗̮̻̤̝͎̗̂̒̈̆̎ě̶̳͖͍̅͆͋̆͂͆̒̀̍̒̾ ̵̪̠͒̄͌̒̊̽͝ṫ̶͓̠̻̙̝̱͍̝͙̩͔̦ơ̷̧̡̱̟̞̩̭̭̱͇̦̠̫̈́̈́̑͛̈́̿͝͝ ̸̯͙̲̗͎̬̌̄b̶͉͕̞̺̺̀̒̊̕e̵̢͕͗̕į̴̡͕͕͚̎̅̐̀͗̇͒̔̇͛͛͘͜͝n̸̡͇͓̗̠̜̦̤̺̤͚̰̎̑̂́̂̇̐̒͋͗́̚͘͠g̸̢̹̗̹̖̗̦̫̯̘̥̤̲̱̃̒͐̓̇̋́͊͛́͊͌̂̀͘͜.̵̢̢̢̛̯̫̳͔̖̺͕̹̤̺̖̭̓̔̀́͑̿̃̓̇͊̍́̕ ̵̨͍͙͔̭͍̪̘̮̭̻̗̆̒͒͗̉̐̇́͐̾̄̕͝
Arriving in the hallway once again, I realize that there are two people waiting for me. Etsuko and Aito. This can only end with horrible things happening. Maybe I should really instead solve that awkwardness with Mei.
"I wonder what's going inside your head, Shiro Amari," Etsuko says with an oddly cold tone. Probably should have expected a reaction such as this, because Etsuko and Emilynn have a relationship I do not understand. There are so many new pieces to the puzzle of them that I do not know what to do with them all. Etsuko Abe is not supposed to act like this. I am surprised that Etsuko is even able to have such emotions like anger and love for anything besides her experiments.
"Can I please stab him?" Aito's eyes sparkle. Since when did Aito ask for permission for anything? It is true I have yet to see him stab a living person before (even though my memories are not to be trusted thanks to the technology being used here), but Aito is a free spirit who does not listen to anything except for possibly Emilynn and Etsuko. This means although those two are annoying to deal with, it will best to keep them around so Aito will not randomly decide to stab me in the back.
"No..." Etsuko grins at me and closes her eyes. "Let him live so I can study him more. Study his reactions to his worldview crumbling to dust. It'll make for very good notes. If she was still alive, Kotori would be even more jealous of me~"
"You're no fun!" Aito pouts. Etsuko is still staring me down when she pats Aito's head. Due to Aito's extremely short height, most anybody could touch the top of his head, maybe even Sachiko.
"Instead I'm going to stick Ryusuke on you! Pop-up therapy!" Etsuko evilly laughs while looking above me. Before I can see what she is staring at, something heavy falls on top of me. My back has now been destroyed and there is no chance I will not be slouching when I get older. I am unable to stop Etsuko or Aito when they leave, with the breath being taken out of my lungs.
"S-sorry about t-that!" Ryusuke quickly gets off of me. I stay on the ground for a little bit longer trying to process everything. Did Ryusuke just say sorry to me? And how did Ryusuke get up on the ceiling and stay there for some time? From all of Ryusuke's fights, I know he is strong, but I did not know how much until now. All of that gaudy clothing must be hiding a lot of muscle. Overly heavy muscle. I am still unable to leave the floor because of all of the pain. I would rather get whipped again than experience Ryusuke falling on me a second time. At least I know how to deal with those injuries.
Considering I was already planning on finding out what is going on with Ryusuke, this is a good situation. Not to mention Ryusuke somehow seems a lot calmer. This is a reminder to not mess with the mastermind because otherwise, you can end up losing all you are for the sake of their entertainment.
Do you want to spend your free time with Ryusuke Homura...I mean Ryoichi Yamamoto...wait, that's not right...Ryusuke Yamamoto?
...You know what, I do not care...Just answer...
Yes/No
"I'm sorry about everything!" Ryusuke exclaims once again. At this rate, I almost prefer the homicidal version of him. Apologizing over and over again does nothing. If you truly mean what you say, you will show by your actions, not with more meaningless words.
"...Um?" For once, I am at a loss for words. I expected Ryusuke to be completely different, not whatever this is. If anything, he is acting like Sachiko, which does not inspire that much confidence. "What can you tell me about...your talent?" This conversation topic is going to get me killed. Why did I suggest it?
"There's just not many people who know about the devil, you know? They're too scared because of the propaganda from the Bible from before the Tragedy, and now the Committee making it almost impossible to worship religions. I fight so the future generations can learn the true beauty of my love, how sweet her embrace is. Those fools are so convinced that there's Heaven that they haven't realized that they're already living through Hell."
"The devil is my mistress, and I'll do anything to worship her-"
"Is that why you killed the original Saitou?" I could not stop myself from asking that question. Although the mystery has been solved, there is still something not right. Everything is way too easy.
"I didn't kill anybody!" Ryusuke's eyes widen. Much like Akita, Ryusuke grabs onto my arms, digs his dirty nails into my skin, and blood is drawn. This better not happen more. Arms are a very important feature for a musical, and I plan to continue using them until the end of my miserable days.
"You admitted that you killed Saitou Katatake-"
"That's enough." Jun appears out of seemingly nowhere. From my guess, he has just left the party meeting. Fubuki is nowhere to be seen, so that is a good sign. Jun is much easier to handle than his sibling. "You're nothing more than a crazy cultist. At least try to make your character interesting-"
"I'm not a cultist!"
"As a Satanist, I can truly say you give people like me a bad name." Jun places Ryusuke's hand off me with ease. Instead of getting more information, I am more confused. This was supposed to be me spending time with Ryusuke, but clearly, it has turned to whatever this is.
"Enough boys. Ryusuke should still be off-limits. You gotta wait until chapter two when we're finished and everything. I may be lazy, but I know how to do my job, unlike some people." Mononeko pops out of nowhere too. What is with all of these people and having such quiet footsteps? "Why did we even put him on the recommendation list if he's barred off...? You know what, I should stop questioning the little things."
"Mononeko..." Jun looms over Mononeko as he studied the cat. Ryusuke also analyzes Jun, possibly choosing what is the best time to attack the stage manager. While I cannot comprehend the chaos surrounding me. "So that's what you become, huh? Hope would be so disappointed."
"...I can't defy her you know that..."
"You absolutely can," Jun snaps at Mononeko. The cat is not affected, while Ryusuke watches everything patiently. The stage manager and robot cat are having a staredown, almost as if they are testing to see who breaks the first. "Your cowardice will only cause more people to die! You know who does that, villains! Everybody is too goddamn focused on hope and despair or some goddamn other fucking ideology, that they forget about the millions of other people not involved with the main plot that are left to suffer and horribly die! Because people are so scared of doing anything, they'll be willing to forsake the lives of millions of people!"
"I want to save the world from the Hell created by the Committee and those before it! From centuries of fascists praying on the weak-minded and spreading hate while everybody should be joined together! So execute me if you want, Aimi, my ideology will live on through the minds of those smart enough to listen to my words of wisdom!"
...There is something wrong here. Nothing like that has ever been told to me, but why does it seem so familiar? Perhaps it could be the result of one of those lights. No, that's not how they work. Once memories get altered by a Flashback or Blackout Light, they will never return unless they are implanted once again. All of the lights in the spaceship are normal, so it is impossible for there to be any tampering there.
"Yes, invoke that rage! Succumb to your feelings so I can pray to the devil and give her all of your power-" Jun punches Ryusuke in the face, and he falls down easily.
"...Well, we still need to do lots of work," Mononeko sighs.
"Did you just ignore what I said? I work hard to improve my improv speeches, and this is the thanks I get!?" Something tells me that if Jun breaks the rules, the consequences would be different for him. But why? And how does this relate to Fubuki? Those two know way too much to not be considered suspicious. I thought Jun was somebody that could be trusted, yet, as with every other person, that is proven wrong.
"..." I seriously do not know what to add to this conversation. This must be how people feel the first time their significant other brings them to have dinner at their family's house. Then I remember doing that with Eimu, and, yeah, this is the exact sensation, with perhaps a little less fright.
"We should talk about this privately, Jun." Mononeko begins to walk down the hallway and Jun follows after her. I attempt to go after them, but Jun and Mononeko both glare at me. Their near-perfect coordination with each other only makes Jun more suspicious. Not to mention, Jun seems to have an easier time reading Mononeko than trying to control Fubuki's antics.
Waiting for a couple of moments to see whether or not anybody else is going to enter the hallway, I begin to plan out my next moves. Perhaps it will be best to eat something. There could be a chance that the food is poisoned, so it would be best to see whether or not anybody else is eating anything. After that, I could try to figure out more about the key. Right now I do not have a single hint about where it has to go, and I rather not converse with Aito just so I can attempt to get the location of the lock out of him. Aito is also very likely to lie. This key should not be trusted at all considering he is the one who gave it to me, but it is better than having no advantage in the game at all. My perk will only be useful in certain trial situations. In daily life, I need something to boost my success in this game.
There could be a chance I could try to cook myself, but I do not know how any of the appliances work on this ship. One of them could easily cause my death, so it will be best to avoid them. Horror movies may be dumb, though they properly point out the dangers of kitchen supplies most everybody takes too lightly. Not to mention it would be easy for somebody to sneak behind me with one of the many weapons that can be found in a kitchen and decide to kill me.
"O-o-oh Shiro. I did not expect you to be here." Sachiko appears right in front of me and I notice that she has found Pon-chan who is trailing her. If I do not pay attention to the damn cat, maybe it will go away again. Although hissing is proven to work, I do not want to risk myself appearing foolish to Sachiko, considering she would most likely tell Osamu who would spread the word everywhere. I wonder where he is, for I have not seen him for a long time.
What is the strangest about Sachiko, however, is her change of clothing. She is very adorable, which means I can tell her less. People who are perceived as cute get away with too much in this society. That is enough with that line of thought, and now it is time to analyze Sachiko's new clothing. She is wearing what I believe is called a hanfu. Sachiko is wearing a cream-colored robe, with designs of green vines covered with white flowers etched beautifully at the trims of the silk. Adding onto the fashion, Sachiko wears a blue pleated skirt, and the same vines can be seen at the bottom. For her shoes, Sachiko has cream flats.
Instead of her usual ponytail, Sachiko has her hair down, with the only accessory being a blue ribbon on the back of her head. Her makeup is simple. Sachiko's lips are painted a shade of pink that reminds me too much of cherry blossoms. To bring out her purple eyes, Sachiko has black mascara and a tiny bit of blue eyeshadow. What Sachiko reminds me of now is childhood innocence, her eyes begging me to give the world without cynicism another chance. Much like children, though, Sachiko is a fool, doomed to follow the constant, miserable cycle of adulthood.
"...I have not tried Chinese clothing before..." Sachiko blushes. "I kind of like it. Please do not tell my parents I told you that if you meet them!"
"Why are you in different clothing in the first place?"
"Mononeko is giving people different outfits for the party," Sachiko answers. "I have received too many bad omens about this idea, but nobody will listen to me but Osamu. Osamu is trying to convince them to stop this." She stops blushing and begins to play around with her long sleeves, that reach beyond her hands. "I might have used it as an opportunity to escape. I know I shouldn't, but I want some time to myself!"
Two new pieces of information are learned now. First, Osamu is scarily easy to avoid. Second, Mononeko must be able to give her personality to more than one of the robots at a time. Sachiko must have gotten the outfit sometime when I saw Mononeko.
"Greetings, explorers, it seems like you cannot escape me, Shiro Amari!" Seina strolls her way over to us from the side of the gymnasium. Once she reaches us, Seina picks up Pon-chan and starts petting her. The cat does not seem to mind. Just as long as both of us are away from each other, we will not start fights.
Much like Sachiko, Seina is in a new outfit. Honestly, it is only a little bit more formal than what she wears usually. Both Sachiko and Seina already have dignified (to an extent) clothing for casual, so there is not much difference. With that in mind, I wonder how somebody like Emilynn or Osamu is taking the changes to attire. Seina still has her staff that makes her too much of a threat to be trusted with alone. Although Seina was overpowered by Ryusuke, she could still be stronger than me.
Examining Seina's clothing, she is wearing a dress that reaches her toes and has long sleeves. Much like her everyday wear, Seina's dress is flowy and honestly looks comfortable to be in. The bottom of the dress is a purplish-blue color with a lot of stars, which slowly fades into black for the top and sleeves. Much like Sachiko's, Seina's dress is made out of silk. It is honestly impressive that somebody was able to make that type of design with that fabric. Seina is also wearing a choker with a white star charm connected to it. She is wearing black shoes with low heels. However, what truly annoys me about the outfit is that Seina is wearing a black cat mask. That does not match with the rest of the theme! Maybe I should not be surprised that somebody so troublesome is expressing herself using cats.
"I wanted to make the outfits myself, but Mononeko is doing it! Oh well, that gives me time to prepare for the festivities!" Seina does a little twirl as if she is showing off her new fashion. "Time to start my diabolic plan of making Pon-chan the best Cinderella there ever was!"
"Hehe," Sachiko laughs. Seina puts Pon-chan onto the floor and goes right up to Sachiko. She is grinning, and that grin strikes fear into me. Sachiko takes a little step back.
"You get bad vibes and stuff, right?"
"...C-correct...? I would not exactly describe it that way. It's more complicated and is impacted by my interactions with the yokai-"
"Come with me and we can make everything as safe as possible together! Maybe even find out wherever Ichiko is!" Seina runs off. Being confused for a couple of seconds, Sachiko begins to follow after her. I cannot believe those two have left me alone with the cat. It is time to have our fated rivalry once again. Maybe I can scare the cat to death and never get caught because the cat is not important enough to have a body discovery announcement.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." I prepare myself to fight with the cat once again. This time Emilynn would not dare to take a video recording of me. Emilynn has learned her lesson.
"Meow," Pon-chan replies. Without even having to try further, Pon-chan retreats. Pon-chan may be a cat, but at least she knows her place in the world. The cat goes in the direction of Seina and Sachiko, who I notice are entering the storage room. With Sachiko deluding herself into believing she has magical powers, it makes sense that they check out a strange place like that first. I would warn them that Etsuko and Aito went that direction, but it is too late to do so, plus there is no evidence they went into storage.
"Holy shit, that's wild, bruh." I must have been too focused on Pon-chan that I did not notice Tahlia come behind me. "Just so you know, I can totally scare the cat better than you. I need that cat to get back! There's no way that I won't create the perfect invention not only for scaring the cat, but making it feel the most amount of pleasure it has in its short, insignificant lifetime!"
"...Do not tell anybody you saw that," I tell Tahlia. She only laughs at me.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, mister. I can do whatever I want with this info, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Tahlia snaps her fingers. "So, if you don't want me to spill the beans, become my test subject!" Why does Tahlia remind me too much of Etsuko when she is like this? If the situation was different, I could see the two of them having a successful partnership or a rivalry where they continue to one-up each other.
Do you want to become Tahlia's test subject? This might be a horrible idea.
Yes/No
Although this may end badly, it is not something I am entirely not familiar with. Though I guess helping an eccentric inventor would be very different to a person with no morals that just so happens to hold a position of power. Plus, Tahlia's inventions might give me a better way out of the ship, even though I doubt the mastermind would be airheaded enough to give her such supplies. Though perhaps something can be done with the absurd amount of chainsaws, car generators, and shot put balls in the endless labyrinth.
"Alright."
"Sweet! That's a response I like to hear! Somebody acknowledging the greatness of Tahlia Catherine King! C'mon, let's go to that creepy ass white hallway. Nobody's gonna be there during all of this chaos. I already got fit in my outfit. It's so hard to move! Why won't Mononeko let me create my own stuff!? I could make something way more awesome than this!" Tahlia complains.
Much like Sachiko, Tahlia is much more formal but keeps her steampunk aesthetic. For her shirt, Tahlia sports a white dress shirt with ruffles going down the middle. Over the shirt, Tahlia has on a black fancy jacket with none of the golden buttons currently in use. Tahlia also wears a golden corset, which I am surprised she has not found a way to take off yet. She seems like the type to not like to be confined by such means. Her pants are what I believe to be called breeches and they are dark brown in color. The last of the main clothing Tahlia adorns is black leather boots that extend halfway to her knees. What stands out the most to me is Tahlia's brown cane, which I have no idea why Mononeko would allow her to keep such a thing. Then again, Mononeko also allowed Tahlia to keep her gauntlet, so that definitely means the robotic cat is up to no good once again.
The accessories Tahlia has are many in number. First, Tahlia's glasses have changed, with them being now circular and black in color. Underneath all of the overwhelming ruffles of the dress shirt, I could see that Tahlia also has on a black choker. On top of her head (also note that Tahlia's hair is currently being worn down, though, instead of its usual messy state, the pink mass is now clean and organized), there are brown goggles. There is some makeup on Tahlia's face as well, with her face being covered with foundation and her eyes being complimented by black eyeshadow.
"Admiring the greatness of myself!? It's so glad to know somebody else knows the beauty and wonder of the great and powerful! Now let's go already, I don't like it when people waste my precious time!" Tahlia runs towards the white hallway expecting me to go after her. Considering that she would be a valuable, if unpredictable, asset, I follow her.
"Wanna see my new rocket launcher?" Without giving me time to think as we enter the white hallway, Tahlia points her cane at me. Almost instantly rockets come flying from the bottom and nearly hit me. Note to self, never get on Tahlia's bad side. Got it. Way too close. Holy shit. "Relax, an accident would never happen with any of my inventions! They're the safest on the planet! So far there have been no workplace injuries. I make sure the people lucky enough to test out my inventions will never get seriously hurt! Because only the worst would not properly check everything before testing!"
"So you don't keep all of your inventions?"
"Of course not! I only keep the ones that are interesting. And all this death and destruction is so overrated. This cane only has a rocket launcher so I can become a better prankster than those weird three." Tahlia lowers her cane. "One day I will become the Ultimate for everything! Not even Izuru would have a chance of defeating me!"
"Wasn't I supposed to become your test subject?"
"Nah, test subjects are so lame. I get volunteers because people love seeing my face. Plus, I don't have any money on my person, and not paying your workers is seriously last century." Tahlia smirks. "I only said that to have you come with me. So I can get more ideas for inventions from you. You're a composer, right? I could get so inspired with all of the music!"
"Why would I help you if you plan to become an Ultimate of everything? That would put me out of a title." Although I do not approve much of the Committee's antics, and the path of getting this talent, I cannot deny the benefits of being the Ultimate Composer. Places I perform at will bend to my whims, even if the idea is something they cannot support. There is a reason why so many accept the curse of the Ultimate status. Power is what humans crave, and that is how we at the bottom of the river can finally climb out of its murky depths.
Even somebody with the last name of Amari could struggle climbing up the ladder. For ladders do not belong underwater, and many will drown before they see the light.
"I don't intend to put you out of a job, silly. Izuru Kamukura still existed as every ultimate even though others were with him. I hear he's still alive, so I gotta get his talent as well...Time to figure out how to invent something that creates luck. Maybe Emilynn can help me out." Tahlia taps her cane on the floor. The melody it makes is smoothing yet chaotic: an entirely new sound yet somehow nostalgic.
"How do you plan on becoming stronger than Izuru Kamukura? Not to mention find him, the Committee has been trying for years, but haven't found a clue. Not to mention to get that strength he had to go through various unethical experiments." Originally, some of the Personality Experiments were an attempt to recreate Personality Experiments Izuru Kamukura. Once Kotori figured out that could not be reality, however, they were only an excuse to torture people.
"I'm too smart to rely on any of that shit. Unlike you, I've lived outside the Committee. My mind is different than those who have constantly suffered underneath their rule."
"What do you mean-"
"I got it! Maybe I can make a piano that can also trigger shields in the audience to protect them from shooters or the like! I heard that it's a problem in some places in the world that concert halls are the area that you're most likely going to get robbed." Tahlia thinks for a moment longer. That was...an abrupt change of conversation. "No, that's too specific. Plus why would the pianist focus on that? Hmmm I could give the security guards flutes that when they blow into them, little darts come out to stun their prey-"
"Why would you make musical instruments do anything other than play music?" Not to mention Tahlia is perhaps a little too obsessed with inventions that involve at least a little amount of violence.
"Why wouldn't I? You see the walls behind us. Sure, they were originally created to instill psychological damage to all of us using underhanded means, but they can be transformed into something else. I would've already changed the entire interior of this ship if I was allowed! I swear the only reason they have the no-breaking school property rule is to stifle my creative spirit!" Tahlia says. "Maybe I could paint the walls with extra special paint since that's not technically breaking anything. Sadly have to check in with Mononeko first because the world cannot handle not being with me!"
"Handle not being with me…?"
"I'm not letting somebody of my caliber to get killed because I wasn't completely sure of the rules! Not only would it be a horrible way to die, it'll be lame! I would definitely be given a Darwin Award! That's one award I don't want!" Tahlia explains herself.
"That certainly makes sense." Although I do not have Tahlia's inflated sense of self worth, I too refuse to die in such a meaningless manner. I have seen too many people die for the sake of ideals that are simply laughable.
"Painting the walls will be a waste of time. We do not spend much time here, so the walls cannot truly take effect. It is best to focus our resources on something else."
"We got six months, right? And way more supplies than we need for the time period. Also, we have a lot of hands still at this point! We gotta take advantage of that while it lasts!" Tahlia smiles. "Plus, I just like coloring things. It relieves stress. And oh, I want to create a telescope that can allow me to examine the other planets and stars more closely! I want my name to also go down as the person who has found the most new stars and planets in history!"
"You sure do have lofty goals."
"Yep. Sometimes I fail, but that's okay. I can always try later, y'know? People need to chill with their competitive outlook. Like I know I win everything, but I'm not a bragger about it." Sometimes I wonder what I have done to be stuck with people like this so often in my life. If people like me do not learn how to win, their entire lives would be spent getting walked on by other people into their grave.
"How are you so sure of everything?"
"Because I'm always right!" Dropping her cane for a moment, Tahlia starts to play an air guitar. Her fingerwork is all off. "In the very, very, very small chance I'm wrong, I'll learn the truth before anybody else! Because that's just how awesome I am!"
"Then where is Izuru Kamukura?"
"As great as I am, I can't search for him while I'm on a spaceship! Before I couldn't go to Japan because I'm smart enough to not get myself blown up! Gah, the one time I got outsmarted in my life; it's because of underhanded tactics that were impossible for everybody in history to predict but that one singular person!" Tahlia punches the air. If she hit the wall, I am sure that there would be a dent in it. "Fuck that bitch!"
"Which person?" I ask. Tahlia's face goes blank for a second. Then she composes herself and picks up her cane.
"As much as I wanna tell you, I can't! It sucks! I'm being played so hard!" Tahlia bites her lip. "I want to punch the wall so badly! Or kiss somebody. That might make me feel better...Nah, it won't! Not even the loveliness of romance can calm my heart now!"
"It is probably best if we continue this conversation when you are less...heated." I have been through too many situations to know that not many people can be reasoned within this state. Even those with usually calm demeanors can do something rash, and calm is not a word I would use to describe Tahlia. Tahlia is much like a fire, burning way too bright.
"I'm perfectly fine! Plus, I still haven't gotten my idea from an invention from you yet!" There is no getting out of here easily, isn't there? That means I have to be smart about this. Tahlia is still examining that one wall, so maybe I can find something that could be more useful than that.
Then I notice a vent on one of the walls which is open. Strange but useful. I may not know where it leads, but Mononeko would have blocked it off if it was somewhere dangerous. She would not want one of her participants to die in an accident when there is already a bad streak going on thanks to the duelist.
"Get in that vent. I am going to see if there is anything up there."
"You can't command me...but alright! That's a good idea! There might be cool or disgusting things up there! Maybe a message of some kind the mastermind didn't plan for us to see!" Tahlia immediately runs up to the vent and I go after her. It is too high up for one person to reach up by themselves.
"Who will go?"
"You will! I still want to see if there's any other secrets down here! Then I can have somebody else get me up! So climb up on me! Enjoy while it lasts because it's the only time anybody will be able to do so!" With Tahlia's permission, I climb onto her shoulders and get into the vent. It is a tight fit for somebody my size, but I can still manage to move. I have seen too many public service announcements to know entering a too small hole would be a terrible idea. Not only would that be painful, but also kind of embarrassing.
The insides of the ship are colored grey, but that much is predictable considering the outside is the same color. There is some dust collecting here and there, but, otherwise from that, it is relatively clean. Although I have not been in here that long, I can already tell that all that this crawling is going to be torture on my elbows and knees.
"Is there anything up there? And, oh, are you dead?! Wanna make sure that they don't decide to turn into Jigsaw!"
"I am fine!" I shouted down to Tahlia. I am unused to making my voice so loud. Inside the small space, my voice easily echoes. With how much sound moving around here makes, I doubt somebody would be able to successfully hide in here. I may not know how they would be able to do it, but there are most likely security cameras just in case a murder does happen in here.
"I gotta make sure! Did you know that Junko was partly inspired by Saw when making her first Killing Game? I don't want anybody else watching those movies and making these games more horrific!"
Deciding that I do not need to listen to Tahlia any longer, I decide to move further into the small prison. I keep myself very aware, since, if anybody has to save me, it would be Mononeko. I do not want her to feel like I owe her for anything. Plus, she would most likely tell the other students, which would make me a bigger target for death because of my tendency to make "mistakes."
My true father said nobody makes mistakes, least of all him and me. Even if mistakes were made, they can be learned from. Everybody is perfect in their own way, huh? Guess I was perfect for my true father back then.
After exploring for about half an hour, I realize...I did not pay attention to which turns I was taking. How could I make such a rookie mistake? Now I am lost, but I will not stop until I arrive somewhere.
Being lost in thought for a long time, I only snap out of it once I accidentally hit myself on a metal wall. Dead end. Predictable. However, I see something written in the corner. It is small and hard to read. Perhaps because the sloppy writing is a faded red.
IwanttoliveiwantoliveIWAnTtoLiviwantotolieiwannaliveplease
IM SORRY DEAD END PLEASE FORGIVE ME THIS MUST BE DONE
youllrotinhell
"You have to live on for me. Alright, Sachiko?"
"...I can't."
Falling into the dark depths of sleep, I struggle to keep my eyes open. No matter how hard I try, however, they droop and droop, until they are entirely closed off to the world. Color attacks my vision, with soft blues, vibrant reds, and youthful pinks, until they are all swallowed up by an unforgiving black. There is no way to escape the realm of sleep when it decides that it is your turn to slumber.
There are no dreams to welcome me into sleep, which I will take as a small blessing. Blessings may not be real, but sometimes you have to believe in them to keep ongoing. Not to the point of delusion, though, like everybody else is so keen on doing. Hope born of fabrication is nothing but a lie. If anybody can find peace in a pretend world, then their will is too weak to survive this one.
Opening my eyes slowly, everything is still slightly blurry. Only if the human body evolved to a state where none of this is needed. One day we eventually will, if we do not destroy ourselves first. Maybe humanity can figure out the key to immortality, and the many problems that arise with that much power. People like Kotori seem to live forever, but even Kotori has died mostly because of her pure arrogance and pride. Kotori could not fathom somebody killing her body and mind, so did not make the proper steps to avoid what happened in reality.
With that in mind, it would be harder to deal with people like the Master or Einosuke. Even Angelica would agree with that point. Everybody else lets their emotions get the better of them.
Now with me being able to see better, I look around, to realize that I am in the storage room. There is a flash of white in the corner of my vision leading towards the maze. I go to chase after whoever that is but-
"Time for you to get your clothes!" Mononeko pops into existence on the ceiling and harshly falls on top of my head. She is much heavier than she looks, considering her small body downs me. Why is it that the one time that I especially do not want to see Mononeko she is actually hyper and alert?
"I have something to attend to-"
"I'm sure that's nothing. I took a lot of coffee so I could be alert this entire night without sleeping! And caffeine patches! You better not make me wait. Without my sleep, people complain all the time that I'm annoying and cranky and whatever." Mononeko meows. She is still on top of my head when I get up.
"Are you sure that we have to do this now?"
"Yes, certainly~ I may or may not have catnip as well. Everything's so much better with it!" Mononeko beings purring on top of my head, and the sensation certainly is strange. To be honest, the cat is ticklish even without any fur.
"If you say so." Although I could not figure out the identity of the person, Seina and Sachiko should still be in there. They could hopefully figure out who it is, and, if not, provide some clues.
"Let the dressing begin!" From the floor, a dressing screen pops out and circles around me. The dressing screen itself is very plain, being made out of simple dark brown wood. Mononeko jumps from my head to the dressing screen and various clothes appear in her paws. Before I could make any of the outfits out, Mononeko places them on the other side of the screen.
Mononeko chooses between many different outfits while I wait. There is not much to do here, so it is easy to get bored. To make sure my brain does not turn off, I begin to tap my figures on the wood, trying to create new rhythms that I could eventually make into something grander.
"I have the purrrffeeecttttt thing." Please, do not put high Mononeko with Suzunami. Xyr puns are already too much to handle. Unrelated, but I do not know why people call those types of jokes dad humor. None of my father figures were ever like that. "Oops!" Suddenly, Mononeko loses her balance and falls. With this act of stupidity, miraculously, one of the clothing items makes it beyond the wall. All the rest fall down with Mononeko.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"I'll be fine shortly! Or furly! Nah, that joke doesn't make sense. Ahhhhh it takes too much effort to make puns that aren't obvious and overused!" Mononeko begins doing something on the other side. For now, I guess I can do with what fell over here. It cannot be anything that important, or Mononeko would have been more careful with it.
It is a dress that is much more expensive than the other outfits I have seen here today. The dress itself is pink and covered with many diamonds, probably valuing somewhere around a million dollars. Why does something this extravagant seem so familiar?
There is somebody wearing a pink dress with tears in their eyes. For some reason, they glare at me with horror and realization. Who is that person? And who else is with me? Who is the person placing their hand on my shoulder? The hand is so cold yet full of warmth. A cool summer's day in the middle of a blaring blizzard.
And then the piano wire comes
Nobody can escape the piano wire
Especially those who are hated by the Queen of Hearts
"I'm usually too tired to make mistakes like that! Being aware is exhausting! I might need another caffeine patch." Mononeko finally arrives with another outfit in her paws. She takes a look at the dress that fell and immediately starts flailing about. Which causes the cat to once again drop and clothes and fall onto the other side of the screen.
"What made you act that way?"
"You weren't supposed to see that! I know somebody added that in as a sick joke! You said no dresses! I'm so stupid for not realizing it! I really need another caffeine patch! Maybe two or three more! Thirty clearly isn't working! And maybe get some caffeine pills and soda with vodka in it!" Mononeko can be heard pacing around on the other side. I am pretty sure that amount of caffeine could kill a person. Many forgot that caffeine is still a drug, and I do not want Mononeko to get addicted to it. She is much easier to get along with when she is constantly sleepy.
"What are you going to do with the dress-"
Mononeko suddenly jumps over the screen with the new clothes and throws them on the floor. She then gets the dress and starts tearing it up into pieces with her claws. Considering how important that dress supposedly is, I could only describe the action as bizarre. Then again, nobody would act normally with that much caffeine in their system. Drugs...they are something you should never involve yourself in. Only the foolish do.
"Just get this on! I got so many other things to do!" Mononeko exclaims. She does not pick up the scraps of the dress as she once again hops over the screen. Even in this state, Mononeko only does the bare minimum.
It takes longer than I would like to admit to change into my new set of clothing. There might be a screen, yet security cameras can still see my every move. I have to always be careful and never let my guard down, especially when I am alone. The key has to stay protected no matter what. Still, I have no plan of how to use it without being caught. All of the plans I have come up with end up with a fate I would much rather avoid. This outfit is way too complicated, but it is better than that goddamn dress.
I usually do not wear outfits this...tight, but this will have to do for now. The main offender of tightness are the pants, which are fancy black leggings with a silver snakeskin pattern. Wearing these pants gives me a strange sensation. Everything about this outfit is sort of uncomfortable to be honest. Even the velvet tailcoat is a little bit itchy. Plus, there are what looks to be...mirror glass pieces on my shoulders. That cannot be safe. I would try to get them off, but I know that most likely they are glued on and that could only increase the risk of injury. Underneath the jacket, there is a white shirt with frills going down the middle. To give the shirt more flair, there is also a black jabot. This is also much more black than I usually wear, but I do not believe that it is best to voice my complaints to Mononeko. The cat has already decided, and cats are infamously stubborn.
Problem is, I am now stuck in this circle of a wooden screen door. There is no way out, and I am not strong enough to break myself out. I find it hard to figure out if this was an accident or not. Maybe Mononeko wants me out of her fur so she can continue whatever she is doing with Jun.
With nothing else to do, I put on the last bit of clothing. Black ankle boots with a small amount of heels to them. At least the heels are not any longer, or I might have too much trouble walking. This outfit might make it hard to defend myself, but I now have a weapon in the form of mirror shards. I transfer all of my personal belonging back onto my person, using the surprising pockets on my pants, and neatly fold my regular clothes on the floor.
"Sorry about that!" Mononeko shouts. Before I canreact, the wooden screen falls down. She hurriedly collects my clothes and runs away. It is unusual to see Mononeko going so fast.
Enough of that, however, it is time to prepare for the dance. This might be the most horrible decision for anybody to make, but I have to live with the consequences of those around me. This is why I like working alone.
When you are alone, nobody can hurt you.
I'm so sorry this took so long! A lot of personal stuff has been happening to me, and I forgot to put formal outfits on the forms so I had to pick most of the outfits by myself. Oops. I hate writing descriptions and then I remind myself I have to do everybody else next chapter and die a little inside.
Next chapter is going to probably take awhile, but it is going to be super long to make up for it. I hope. Mostly because I gotta do descriptions and all the setup. Hooray. But we're almost to the murder. Which means I can finally start killing people and hopefully spend less time in between chapters.
Also, yes, Shiro's outfit is indeed a reference. The first person to guess it gets a special prize. ;) Some sort of info but I'm not gonna tell anybody else what it is. Yes, I'm creating these games again, because people seem to enjoy them.
Reviews~
AnonChan1-Shiro is Shiro and Shiro does what he wants. It is a code because I have too much fun messing with people. This is me, you cannot trust anything the protagonists say. Shiro turns out to be the Ultimate Poet and gets his dreams crushed. Not exactly right but might be nearing the mark. ;) Shiro never admits it (you were worried about Mononeko here, Shiro, don't lie). Here's a little hint: that's not a new character. Ichiko refuses to clarify the plot. This is very plot important and I wonder whether or not somebody can accurately predict. There is definitely something fishy going on with the waking up. SHIRO GOT DENIED HIS MONOLOGUE AND HE IS DISAPPOINTED. Rokuro will never stop. Shiro, please trust your classmates more. MONONEKO WILL NEVER EXPLAIN BECAUSE THAT TAKES TOO MUCH ENERGY. There are so many plot points and all of them have everybody more concerned for Shiro's nonexistent mental health. That's Ryusuke (this gets clarified more during chapter two and beyond). Thanks so much, I spent a lot of time coming up with the Jury System. Too much time probably lol. ;)
Saitou needs a hug. And he's very dangerous but I love him. Alice in Wonderland references are slowly fading away. Shiro, are you feeling alright? Shiro has so many mental disorders and I think a therapist would have a very hard time with him (especially since he explains his cognitive distortions away with so-called logic). In the prequels, it's more explored on how the world was before the tragedy, so look forward to that. Emilynn and Etsuko have a very...complicated relationship. Not gonna lie, I came up with Einosuke being a troll just because I thought it would be funny. XD Exploring everything is going to be very fun. Give us your lore, Emilynn. SHIRO MAY BE A DAD BUT HE STILL HAS TO LEARN HOW TO NOT BE AN ASS. ETSUKO AND AITO ARE COMING TO GET YOUR ASS, SHIRO. Something is going to definitely happen in this party. Why do you think dancing is so much referenced in the opening? ;)