Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Danganronpa series. I only own Hikari Seishin and her family. I also do not own any video games I mention in this fanfic.
Note: I try to make the story as canon as I can with obvious creative liberties. Please let me know if any of the original cast is OOC and I will do my best to fix it.
Chapter Twelve
Death Sure Enjoys Crashing Parties
The sounds of button tapping filled Hikari's ears as she yawned and rubbed her eyes, standing next to Chiaki who was playing the arcade game in the hotel's lobby the next morning. Hikari glanced at the entrance when the door opened, blushing lightly and smiling. Hajime walked in casually and walked over to the two girls with a smile. "…Good morning."
"Good morning," Hikari said quietly, surprised to feel a bit breathless. She never thought breathlessness could be a result of shyness.
"G'morning Hinata," said Chiaki, the button tapping stopped. The Gamer turned to face Hajime.
Hajime blinked. "Ah, it's rare for you to reply so quickly in the morning."
"Yup," Chiaki nodded, "I just finished playing a game right now. More importantly…I was just wondering. Is someone bringing food to Komaeda?" Hajime sweatdropped slightly, glancing at Hikari who looked a bit annoyed at the mention of the Luckster's name.
"I brought him food yesterday morning…I don't know about the others."
Chiaki stood there in silence for a few moments, blinking before saying, "Is it…alright if I see how he's doing later? I'll head over to the restaurant for now." Hikari stared with a stunned expression at Chiaki as the backpack-carrying girl walked away, going up the stairs.
Wait…what? Why would she…? Then the Spirit Medium remembered a certain vow Chiaki made the night the second motive was revealed. "I won't let another killing happen. I will never…ever…let another killing happen." I think she wants to make sure Komaeda is still alive since she doesn't want anyone to die, which I understand. Maybe I can go with her after we eat…I have to face him at some point…I can't run away anymore. She looked around, feeling eyes staring at her and blushed deeply, not noticing that Hajime was still there with her.
"You didn't seem happy when Nanami talked about Komaeda so I wanted to see if you are okay." The tie-wearing boy stepped toward her, leaning down slightly. "Are you alright? Your face is red." Hikari held back a squeak when she saw Hajime's hand move to her forehead and nodded vigorously.
"Y-Yes! I'm fine…I'm just hungry…Let's go!" She twirled and bolted up the stairs, leaving a dumbfounded teen in the hotel lobby.
Minutes later, Hikari was eating food, sitting across from Mikan. Hikari picked at her plate, still blushing at the thought that Hajime almost touched her.
"A-Are you feeling okay, Seishin?" Mikan looked at her friend, concerned. Hikari smiled with reassurance.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Oh, you know about the get-together today with the girls, right?" Hikari asked, swiftly changing the subject.
Mikan smiled happily. "Oh yes…! I cannot wait…I'm very excited to spend time with everyone." Hikari smiled and started eating. She was glad that Mikan was going since she didn't spend that much time with the Nurse so far. Just when Hikari thought they were going to have a relatively nice and calm breakfast like yesterday, Hiyoko opened her mouth.
"You just eat too much, Owari."
Akane blinked, waving a carefree hand in the air. "You're one to talk. All you eat is candy."
"Just because it's candy doesn't mean you should make fun of it," Hiyoko pouted. "These gummies have four different fruit flavors, so I'm sure they're full of nutrients."
"You should just eat real fruit."
"…Is Koizumi missing?" Gundham asked, his arms crossed, his hamsters eating the scraps on the Breeder's plate.
Everyone blinked in surprise and looked around. Hikari raised an eyebrow. That isn't like her to not show up…unless she is giving Komaeda some food.
Sonia looked worried. "Um…I wonder if she is not feeling well."
"If she just doesn't feel good, that's fine…" Kazuichi said slowly. "But there's a small chance that she's…"
"A s-small chance she's what!?" both Hiyoko and Hikari shouted at the Mechanic. The two girls glanced at each other and Hiyoko puffed out her cheeks but didn't say any insults towards the Spirit Medium. Hikari sweatdropped slightly.
I guess she's becoming a bit more tolerant of others…?
"Hm?" Akane hummed as she gorged herself with breakfast foods. "I saw Koizumi, she was outside the hotel."
"Jeez, don't say such a spooky thing," the Traditional Dancer chided Kazuichi, but Hikari noticed that Hiyoko's demeanor lacked her usual cattiness. Then Hiyoko smiled brightly. "As punishment, how about you run around in a circle three times, say 'woof,' and jump off a cliff?"
Hikari looked at the pig-tailed girl with a deadpan stare. And right when I thought she was getting better with normal social interactions, Saionji just has to prove me wrong…
"Hey, hey! What was Koizumi doing outside the hotel?" Ibuki wondered, furrowing her eyebrows.
Akane swallowed a mouthful of food before answering. "She said she wanted to be alone. I even asked her to come eat with us, but she turned it down."
"…Wanted to be alone?" Peko asked, a hand to her chin.
"M-Maybe…she's planning to play that game…" Mikan suggested shyly, fidgeting her hands nervously.
Hiyoko spun around and pointed a finger at the Nurse in anger. "What are you saying, pig barf!? Shut up! There's no way that Mahiru would play video games! She's not like that slowpoke gamer girl over there!" Chiaki blinked, looking up from her handheld and waved a hand nonchalantly before going back to playing her game. Mikan's lip started quivering, her grayish-purple eyes full of tears.
"Eeeekk…I am pig barf, aren't I…?" Hikari smiled comfortingly towards the distressed girl, patting her hand.
"No, you're not, Tsumiki. Don't listen to her. It's just Saionji being Saionji," Hikari said to reassure Mikan, earning a growl from the smallest teen of the group. Suddenly the girls could hear an evil laughter coming from a few tables away. The source of the laughter came from Gundham who was standing at the table where Hajime and Kazuichi were sitting.
"Fuhaha, you make me laugh! Laugh, I say!" Gundham roared, arms crossed. "You've elevated arrogance to an artform! What sort of supreme ruler feels concern for the ants who are destined to be crushed!? My name is Tanaka Gundham! I am the forbidden ruler who makes even the god of darkness flee in terror! All I desire…is silence and indifference…Silence…and indifference…" He trailed off, holding all four of his hamsters in the palms of his hands, looking at them with a gentle yet sad expression on his face.
Hikari tilted her head. I wonder why Tanaka went on a tangent like that…maybe he's lonely…? Maybe I could hang out with him tomorrow. She got up from her seat and gave Mikan another reassuring smile. "I'll see you later." Mikan sniffled, seeming to have finally calmed down, smiling weakly and waving at Hikari as the Spirit Medium left the table. Hikari walked up to Chiaki who just came out of the kitchen carrying a bagel with cream cheese and a bottle of water. "Hey Nanami. Going to see Komaeda?"
Chiaki blinked and nodded. "Yup. Want to come?"
Hikari took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Yeah…I can't avoid him forever, huh?"
Both the girls walked to the staircase outside, leaving the restaurant that way. As they got closer to their destination, waves of anxiety started to form in Hikari's chest. I don't think I'm ready to face him…I can't do this…I can't… Chiaki opened the door to the old hotel building and was about to walk in when she sensed that Hikari wasn't beside her. The Gamer blinked and looked back, seeing her nervous friend stand at the bottom of the front steps.
"Are you coming?" Chiaki asked, tilting her head slightly.
"I…I don't know if I can…"
"Huh? You can. You walked all the way here."
Hikari sweatdropped. You don't have to be literal all the time… She gently bit her tongue, her eyes staring at the ground. She has a point though…I came all the way here…might as well follow through… The Spirit Medium slowly lifted her foot onto the first step, her legs feeling like lead. Chiaki smiled a little as she watched Hikari make herself face her fears. When Hikari reached Chiaki, the Gamer linked arms with her and led her into the building.
Hikari felt her heart beat in her ears as they entered the dining hall to see Komaeda lying on his side and tied up with ropes around his legs and a chain securing his hands behind his back. Signs of any murder scene or remnants of a party being held there were nowhere to be found.
"Oh, I never expected you two to grace me with your presences," a calm, yet condescending voice came from the restrained teenager. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Hikari's eye began to twitch.
Why am I even here…? He's just going to piss me off… Hikari glared at the Luckster, not even giving him the satisfaction of an answer. Chiaki walked closer to him and placed the bagel and bottle of water on a couple of napkins she brought with her close to him.
"I came to check in on you. You need to eat," Chiaki said plainly, squatting down in front of him.
"Just this?" Komaeda asked, looking disappointed. "Hinata gave me a better meal. He even fed me…" Suddenly, Hikari stooped down before him, her expression ominous.
"Just be grateful that you're getting food at all considering what you pulled a few nights ago…" Hikari muttered, her self-control towards her anger already slipping.
"My, my…you still seem bitter about that…"
"I'm angry that you lied to me and betrayed my trust," Hikari admitted, feeling her anger give her the strength to face Komaeda. However, she would never tell him how much his betrayal hurt her.
Komaeda closed his eyes with a small smirk. "I did say that everyone's true natures were not revealed…do you honestly think that every person was acting as their true self during the first couple of days here? Everyone's guards were up even though they seem friendly and happy. You were lost in your own little world, trying to grasp the talent that you lost. And how is that by the way?" He blinked and pretended to look surprised, knowing very well that he struck a nerve. "Did you recover your talent yet, Miss Spirit Medium?" Hikari clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth, her body starting to tremble.
"Shut up and eat…" Hikari said slowly, holding back her anger as much as she can. "I can stuff it in your mouth if you want someone to feed you…"
The Luckster chuckled, moving against the restraints a bit to get more comfortable. "Someone's in a bad mood…I can help you, you know. I can give you the retribution that you want from me. All you need to do is kill me. I can help you plan it and I'm more than happy to support your hope by becoming a stepping stone." Hikari froze where she was, shocked that he was telling her all of this.
Why…? Why does he want to die so badly? What has he experienced before coming here to have such a low sense of self-worth? I don't like him, but…I can't help but feel sorry for him at times…Is his offer to help me a way of expressing that he is sorry for almost killing me and treating me this way? Hikari's thoughts were interrupted by Chiaki opening the water bottle and moving Komaeda so that he was at least sitting up. She took out a straw from her pocket and unwrapped it before placing it in the bottle so that the white-haired teen could have better access to the water.
"I just wanted to check up on you," Chiaki reiterated her reason for being there, standing up. "Seeing that you are okay and that you have food that you can eat on your own, I am going to leave." She turned around and casually walked out, Hikari taking this as a cue to go as well. Hikari stood up and quickly followed Chiaki, glancing back at Komaeda who just sat there with a smile.
When they walked to the front door of the old hotel building, Chiaki's eyes moved to Hikari who caught up to her. "You're not going to do what he said, right?"
Hikari blinked. "Huh? Do what?"
Chiaki stopped at the door and turned to her friend. "You're not going to kill Komaeda, right?" The bespectacled girl gaped at her.
"Wh-What? No way! Why would you ask me that?"
"You seemed like you were thinking about it before we left the dining hall," Chiaki explained, watching the Spirit Medium closely. Hikari waved her hands defensively.
"No no no! I was only shocked he would even say that to me. Plus, I would never go against what you want because we're friends."
"I won't let another killing happen. I will never…ever…let another killing happen."
Both girls smiled at each other and walked outside. Hikari stretched out her arms and looked at the Gamer. "Well…we have a few hours before we meet the girls at the diner. What do you want to do?" Chiaki held her backpack straps, blinking.
"Well, I told Hinata that I would hang out with him for a couple of hours. I still need to get a swimsuit too..." Hikari felt her heart sink when she heard that Chiaki was going to be with Hajime before the meet up with the other girls.
I know that I shouldn't feel this way…he's just a friend…he can hang out with whoever he wants…he's close with Nanami too…They might even be more than friends… Hikari thought with a frown before realizing what Chiaki was saying, her face turning beet red. "W-Wait, Nanami! Uh…how about we get swimsuits together? I think clothes shopping might bore Hinata…I need to get a swimsuit too." Hikari swore that she was slowly dying inside, feeling her whole body temperature rise. Chiaki tilted her head, confused.
"Really? Hmmm…okay. We can look for swimsuits after I spend time with Hinata…"
Hikari nodded vigorously. "Great! How about we meet at Rocketpunch Market around 3 p.m.? I don't think it would take that long so we'll be at the diner before the meeting time."
"Okay. I'll see you then," Chiaki said before walking off to her cottage.
Hikari exhaled the breath she didn't realize she held in. She frowned, hands on her hips. "Now what do I do until then?" she asked herself. Hikari wandered around the first island for a little while until she reached the animal ranch where Gundham was, petting the animals and making sure they were fed.
"Hi Tanaka!" Hikari called out to the Breeder, hoping not to spook him or the animals surrounding him. He turned to the left to see her approaching.
"Ah, if it isn't the vessel of the departed," Gundham remarked, Hikari sweatdropping at her new nickname he gave her. "What brings you out here among the living? Do you need assistance in summoning a powerful entity?"
"Um…not today, Tanaka…I'm just killing time." She squatted down next to the chuunibyou, watching the hamsters run around in the grass. "Your hamsters aren't stressed by our situation, being so far away from home?" Hikari heard the Breeder laugh heartily above her.
"Fuahaha! As if this pathetic attempt to arouse misery could affect my Four Dark Devas of Destruction! Their constitutions are so durable that not even the ferocious brothers Cerberus and Orthrus could intimidate them!" Hikari blinked, trying to make sense of that as Maga-Z sniffed her hand cautiously before deciding that she posed no threat and hopped onto her palm. She giggled as she gently scratched the hamster's head, Gundham supervising closely with arms crossed. "It seems that you tamed one of the more volatile Dark Devas…your mystical aura must have calmed his disposition."
The young woman smiled at Gundham. "Thanks! I always have a soft spot for animals. I'm glad to see that they are so well behaved. You did a really great job with them." The boy cleared his throat slightly, his cheeks turning a noticeable pink against his pale skin. His eyes averted Hikari's gaze, taken aback by the sudden compliment.
"…Thank you…" he mumbled against his scarf.
"So how come they are so calm being away from home? Don't animals tend to freak out in a completely new environment?"
Gundham quickly recovered in order to explain the answer, chuckling. "It may seem like that to puny humans…it is only natural for beasts to be on guard in new areas in case their predators lurk in the shadows. However, my Four Dark Devas of Destruction have no such fear! Their essences reside inside this immortal body of mine. Their home is constant and secure."
Gundham really cares about his hamsters so much that he lets them basically live on him at all times. That is true dedication towards pets. Hikari smiled and placed her hand on the grass, letting Maga-Z jump off and run around the other three hamsters, Jum-P sleeping as San-D watched the energetic male before chasing him while Cham-P groomed himself and minded his own business. The Spirit Medium ended up hanging out with the gothic-looking boy until it was just around 3 p.m., the time she and Chiaki decided to meet at the supermarket, the two quiet teens talking about animals the whole time.
When Hikari left the animal ranch and arrived at the supermarket, she saw Chiaki waiting by the entrance playing her handheld. "Were you waiting long, Nanami?" Hikari asked as she neared her friend.
"No…I don't think so…" Chiaki said, her eyes still glued to the handheld's screen as the two girls strolled into the building.
Hikari closed her eyes, smiling to herself. Of course she wouldn't know if she was waiting a while or not…She gets so immersed in her games… The Spirit Medium led the Gamer to the beachwear section of the store. The glasses-adorning girl tilted her head to the side, not very impressed with the selection of swimsuits. "Huh…they are all bikinis…"
"Is that a problem?"
"W-Well…I have never worn a swimsuit besides a school one and the school ones were always one-pieces…" Chiaki stared at Hikari blankly, still not really sure what the problem was. Hikari blushed, feeling embarrassed at having to explain things for her dense friend. "Bikinis show a lot of skin…I'll feel self-conscious if I wear one."
"It's going to be a girls' day out, right? There won't be boys there." Hikari felt her whole face burn as if it was on fire. "Besides…Pekoyama and Owari will be there and they'll beat up any perverts if you ask them to," Chiaki said nonchalantly as she walked to a rack of bikinis and grabbed one at random as she continued to play her game with one hand. Hikari sweatdropped as the Gamer spun around and headed to the fitting room nearby.
"She's right…I just have to be confident in myself…" Hikari encouraged herself as she looked through the swimwear, checking the designs and sizes.
"Have you picked one yet?"
"Mmm…not yet…trying to find my size…" Hikari started to say, almost having to do a double take. Chiaki stood outside the fitting room in a white bikini, the bottom being a three-layer ruffle miniskirt and the top was a halter with a frill on the top of the bra cups, a stringed bow between each cup as if it was keeping the top from becoming undone. The busty girl blinked blankly at the stunned girl gaping at her.
"Did I put it on wrong?" Chiaki checked herself, her bag still on her back.
"N-No! You look great!" Hikari complimented her graciously, hiding her slight envy. No wonder Hinata would want to hang out with her…she has a great figure… Hikari wouldn't deny that even though she looked delicate and feminine, she had a feeling that many teenage boys would drool over girls with curves. She thought she had some curves to her body but they paled to those of the other girls here. Chiaki walked back to the bikinis and picked one out as Hikari wallowed in self-pity.
"Here. Try this on," Chiaki said, putting the swimsuit into the other girl's hands and pushed her gently into the fitting room.
"H-Huh!? Wha-? N-Nanami…!" Hikari tried to resist, but to no avail. She never knew that Chiaki had some strength to her. The pigtailed teen sighed softly and decided she might as well try the bathing suit on. It doesn't hurt to try, I guess… A few minutes later, Hikari stood in front of the full-length mirror in the fitting room she was in, staring at the young woman in the mirror. The bikini had a simple stripe design of white and red, the outlines of both the top and the bottom being a darker red. The bottom was a regular bikini bottom and the top's shape was very similar to Chiaki's, the only differences were that Hikari's top had no frills and the bow at the center was made of a thick red ribbon. The self-conscious teen twirled around, inspecting every inch of the outfit. "Hmm…it doesn't look too bad…" She opened the door and stepped out so that Chiaki could see her in the swimsuit the Gamer picked for her. "W-Well?" Hikari asked timidly, her cheeks red.
Chiaki looked up from staring at her handheld and blinked at the Spirit Medium a couple of times. Finally, she gave a thumbs up. "It looks good. It matches your glasses." Hikari sweatdropped.
If I knew how to swim, I wouldn't be wearing them… Hikari smiled nonetheless. "Thanks for picking it out. Let me go put my clothes over it before we head out to the diner." Chiaki tilted her head in confusion as Hikari went back into the fitting room. When Hikari came back out, Chiaki was nowhere to be seen. "Nanami?" She wandered around the store until she found the backpack-wearing girl in the frozen foods section, placing novelty ice cream into a cardboard container. "What are you doing?"
"I decided to bring ice cream for everyone. I was thinking about bringing lunch, but we can always eat at the diner for that. I don't think the diner has ice cream and I heard that you must eat ice cream outside during a sunny day with friends," Chiaki explained as she put a couple of ice cream sandwiches into the box.
Hikari raised an eyebrow. Where have you heard that? "Anyway…are you going to go like that? Are your clothes in your bag?"
Chiaki blinked at Hikari with a questioning look. "My clothes are in the stall I tried the swimsuit in. It doesn't make sense to put on my clothes over this when I'm just going to take them off when we get to the beach."
Hikari smiled weakly. "I guess you have a point…Well, let's go so that the ice cream doesn't melt." With that, Chiaki closed the box of ice cream, the top of the box folding so that she can carry it by the handles. They walked out of Rocketpunch Market and towards the second island.
When they reached the vicinity of the diner, Hikari stared at what she thought was Hiyoko running past them towards the bridge.
"Was that Saionji?" Chiaki wondered, watching the person speed onto the bridge and out of sight.
Hikari shrugged. "If it was…then I'm amazed that she can run that fast in her traditional sandals…." Remembering they had precious cargo with them, Chiaki and Hikari hurried to the diner.
"Hey…" the two girls heard a masculine voice as Hikari opened the door and walked into the diner with Chiaki. "Whoa…! When'd you two get here so suddenly!?" Hikari blinked, seeing Kazuichi and Hajime as well as Ibuki and Mikan who, like Hikari, wore their clothes over their swimsuits.
"My, my, how disappointing. I thought if we came early, we'd be the first ones to arrive," Chiaki complained, Hikari sweatdropping slightly. Seeing the boys ogling at Chiaki had Hikari thank the heavens above that she made the correct choice in wearing her clothes over her bikini. She didn't think her heart could handle the boys' unrelenting stares.
T-Though…I wouldn't have minded if Hinata stared at me like that… the bespectacled girl wished helplessly. It seems like Nanami is more of his type…I knew it…
"Whoaaaaaa! Nanami, you came wearing only your bathing suit!?" Ibuki asked in wonder, also taking in the eye candy in front of her.
"I didn't want to carry it with me. If I did, it'd be a serious burden," Chiaki replied. Hikari almost facepalmed at the Gamer because of what she was carrying both on her back and in her right hand.
Kazuichi itched his cheek, spotting Chiaki's contradiction as well. "But…even though you didn't wanna carry anything, it looks like you're carrying something."
"Instead of bringing lunch for everyone…I brought ice cream."
"Um…It's not like I'm gonna turn it down, but…" Mikan started to say meekly. "Ice cream is completely different from lunch. I don't think it can be used as a substitute…"
Ignoring Mikan, Chiaki continued talking. "Also, I was thinking of stuff we could all do at the beach together besides volleyball…so I brought a board game, too!"
"That's what's in your backpack, Nanami? You could've put your clothes in that too," Hikari pointed out. The Gamer just shrugged at that.
The Musician tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hm, should we play it even though we came all this way to go to the beach? ...Nah!" She shook her head with a grin, hands on her hips. Chiaki looked at Ibuki quietly before her lips curved downwards.
"I see, that's disappointing…" Hikari patted the downcast girl on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Nanami. I'll play it with you." Chiaki turned to the Spirit Medium and smiled softly when she saw her friend beaming.
"Seriously man…" Kazuichi said to Hajime, hands behind his head and grinning like an idiot. "I never expected Nanami to have such huge jugs…" Hikari blushed a beet red when she heard that.
Did he seriously have to say that…and so loud!? Has he really no shame? Hikari thought, looking appalled towards the perverted Mechanic. Hajime looked very uncomfortable being associated with Kazuichi at that point. Fortunately, Chiaki was very naïve.
"…Jugs?" Chiaki asked curiously.
Kazuichi panicked and waved his hands defensively before pointing at his friend. "I-I didn't say that just now! It was Hinata! He's a pervert, you know!" Hikari crossed her arms, tapping her foot, not impressed by the pink-haired male at all.
I beg to differ...He seems like a saint compared to you, Souda…
Hajime gawked at Kazuichi as the Mechanic tried defending himself further. "I mean, I only have eyes for Sonia-san! I've dreamed of going out with a blond lady ever since I was a kid!"
"The size is a bit small…" Chiaki admitted. "…I don't look good in it?"
"…Huh?" Hajime blinked, his face turning red as he glanced away, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, no…I guess…you look good…" he mumbled, feeling embarrassed saying that out loud in front of other people.
"Then I'm glad…I guess." Hikari frowned, biting the inside of her cheek as she turned away, looking at the diner's menu boards. She couldn't help but notice Chiaki's blushing cheeks at Hajime's compliment.
It's a no brainer that she likes him…who wouldn't? I can't compete with her…She's smart, loves video games, is very kind, gorgeous looks, and has a talent which she can use… Hikari held back a heavy sigh, already admitting defeat towards her love rival. Ibuki's hyena laughter guaranteed Hikari's privacy to self-loathe, gaining everyone's attention.
"Muah-haha! Wearing a bikini is suuuuuure daring! And you get bonus points for wearing a white one! My heart's not just thumping, it's thumping all sporadically like 'Badump, thump! Thump, badump!'"
Hajime sweatdropped. "It's probably a heart attack…"
"H-Hey…I kept ya waitin'…we got…the net up…" a tough-sounding feminine voice called out weakly. Hikari blinked and turned around and gasped loudly, shocked.
"O-Owari! What happened!?" she shouted as she stared at the Gymnast who stood at the entrance, hand on the top of her head as blood oozed out. Blood specked all over her body and white and blue striped bikini. Akane's swimsuit was even simpler than Hikari's; there was no outline hemming the outfit or anything adorning the center of the bra, white straps keeping the top together.
"H-Hey…Sorry to…keep you guys waitin'…" Akane repeated, ignoring Hikari and closing her right eye so that blood wouldn't get in.
Mikan screeched and ran to the injured girl. "Eeeeeeeeek! Owari!? Wh-What happened to you!?"
"Wh-What…? Is somethin' wrong…? I made sure to…wear a swimsuit this time…"
"…Not that, your wounds!"
"O-Oh…You're talkin' about these…Heh, after coach Nidai and I put up the net for playin' volleyball at the beach, I had an itchin' to fight him, y'know!?" Akane explained with a grin, seeming to be unfazed by the continuous bleeding from her head. Mikan waved her hand at Hikari, gesturing the Spirit Medium to grab some dishrags behind the counter. Hikari wasted no time, running around the counter and grabbing the towels and wetting a couple of them before sprinting to the two girls.
"A-Are you really all right? Your head…it looks like it's split in half," Ibuki said nervously, staring at Akane's head.
"Well, it'll heal as long as I rub some spit in it, right…?"
"You're totally playing up the power of human spit!" Kazuichi exclaimed as Mikan and Hikari dragged Akane to a booth, making the carefree girl sit as Mikan tended to the injury.
"Hehe…I'm all fired up now…I never knew such a strong opponent even existed…!" Akane said excitedly, squirming around a little.
"A-Anyway, you need to be treated! P-Please sit still…! You also need your wounds sterilized…Please come with me, Owari!" Mikan ordered, seeing that it might be better to aid Akane in the bathroom so that no one else would touch the blood. "Seishin, can you please clean up the blood here?" The Nurse didn't wait for Hikari's answer as she pulled Akane towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.
"Um…okay…" Hikari said slowly, amazed that Mikan can be assertive when she wanted to. The Spirit Medium took the clean wet dishrags and wiped down anything that had blood on it, being careful not to touch the blood herself.
Kazuichi laughed nervously. "That's why she's the SHSL Nurse…Well, it's gonna be okay if we leave it to her…"
"…What is all this ruckus?" a velvety feminine voice entered everyone's ears.
"…Oh? Who is it this time?" Kazuichi asked eagerly, getting excited. Hikari looked up from cleaning the booth seat of blood to find that Peko came in, wearing a black bikini which accentuated her toned body. Hikari almost didn't recognize Peko because her hair was down, her straight silver hair reaching mid-back. The Swordswoman was also completely soaked from head to toe, panting slightly as if she just finished exercising.
"…Hm?" Peko hummed, tying the sheath for her bamboo sword on her back. She blinked at the two boys present. "Hinata and Souda…Why are you two here?"
"Hey…" Kazuichi asked, a bit concerned. "Aren't you breathing pretty heavily?"
"…I just did a little swimming. I swam around the island for about three hours."
Hikari picked up the contaminated rags to throw them away behind the counter as the teens there reacted with surprise. Now it makes sense as to why she's drenched…She really must like swimming to be able to swim for that long.
"Why were you already swimming!? You guys are about to swim now, right!? Isn't that why you're all meeting up!?"
Peko closed her eyes. "It wasn't for my enjoyment…I was trying to see if I could swim to a different island."
"…Huh!?" Hajime's jaw dropped, shocked.
"But I couldn't find any other islands. It seems it may be difficult to leave this island by swimming…"
"If you didn't see anything after you swam for three hours… It's more than difficult, it's impossible…"
"Yeah, that may be true..."
Hikari walked to the back of the diner where there was garbage bins outside the rear door. She tossed the rags in and stopped once she closed the door, realizing something suspicious. Wait a minute…What did Souda ask Pekoyama? How would he know that we were all meeting up…? The Spirit Medium suddenly looked very annoyed. That pervert must have eavesdropped or something… She walked back quietly to the dining area.
Kazuichi grinned toothily at Hajime, his back to Hikari as she approached with a menacing aura around her. "Anyway, it looks like everyone is almost here…and it's already past 4:00 p.m….If so, all that's left is…" Hajime smiled weakly at his friend before looking back, sensing peril. The plain boy's smile quickly faded and took a few steps away from the Mechanic. Kazuichi looked at Hajime, puzzled by his sudden behavior, opening his mouth to ask him about it until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Souda…" Kazuichi froze when he heard Hikari behind him in an accusing tone, now realizing that he was in potential danger. Very slowly he turned his head to the right to see Hikari on her knees on top of the counter to compensate her height and to look more intimidating. "How did you know about the meetup? I believe only the girls knew about it…" Hikari said slowly, her eyes had a dangerous gleam behind her glasses before the light's glare hit the lenses, her lips twitching as she smiled at him.
Ibuki gasped, her eyes gleaming in delight. "Wow! Seishin looks like a sexy yandere posing like that! She should get angry more often~!"
Kazuichi let out a choked up screech, looking at the Spirit Medium with fear evident in his eyes. "U-Uh…W-Well…Funny thing, you see…" he stuttered as Hikari grabbed him by the collar.
"Ah, I am terribly sorry for the delay," another feminine rang out from the diner's entrance. The panicked Mechanic screamed again, twirling around to stare at Sonia.
"Waaaaaaaaah! Sonia-san's here! All right! What kind of sexy swimsuit is Sonia-san wearing!?"
Consequentially, Kazuichi forgot Hikari was holding onto him which led to Hikari falling from her perch on the counter, letting go of him. She scrunched her face, expecting to feel tile and pain. When that never came, Hikari blinked and noticed that she was staring at the floor, her glasses fallen to the end of her nose, feeling herself held up by the waist. The grateful girl glanced back to thank whoever saved her from a busted up face before she froze, not sure it was possible to go pale and turn red at the same time, feeling her heart skip beats.
Hajime sighed in relief, happy that another friend wouldn't have to go see Mikan for medical reasons so soon. He looked down to see Hikari staring at him, watching her face go from a pale white to a fiery red all in the span of five seconds. He blinked, confused before he found the reason why she was so embarrassed: by holding her waist to prevent the fall, Hajime's arm slid her mid-thigh length skirt to her waist, exposing the bottom half of her bikini. Seeing this, the boy's face turned a deep red, his eyes wide and immediately dropped the girl out of shock, making her land on the tiled floor with a yelp.
"Gyaaah! It's a wetsuit!" Kazuichi wailed, oblivious to his surroundings. Hikari placed her glasses back on her face and slowly got up, hoping Sonia's entrance distracted the other girls too. She eyed Hajime quickly to see if he was looking at her, but his eyes focused on the Princess in a black and pink wetsuit, his cheeks still having a red hue to them.
That was real embarrassing… Hikari bemoaned mentally, wishing that they could just go to the beach already.
"It is to prevent sunburn. I do not want my skin to be sun damaged," Sonia explained the reasoning behind wearing a wetsuit as to wearing a bikini. "However, as I have never worn a wetsuit before, I had a hard time putting it on, which resulted in my delay. …Really, it is my bad."
After the crushing blow to Kazuichi's dreams of seeing Sonia in a sexy swimsuit, he came to terms with reality. "I see…A wetsuit… Well, Sonia-san does have beautiful, white skin…But that tight outfit of hers is amaaazing! Just what I'd expect from a 100% purebred princess!" Hajime and Hikari sweatdropped at the Mechanic's fast recovery.
Sonia smiled at the two boys. "Um…anyway, why are you two here?"
Ibuki grinned and jumped towards the Princess impishly. "Heehee…Yandere Seishin was asking Souda the same thi-" Before the Musician could finish, Hikari quickly stepped to her and squished the punk-looking girl's cheeks, laughing nervously.
"…I'll answer that, Sonia-san," Kazuichi offered, itching his cheek. Hikari gave the Mechanic a deadpan stare to which he ignored since all his attention was on the blonde. "I'll be honest: if you're gonna go to the beach, please let us come with you!"
What the hell, Souda!? That's not even an explanation! Hikari glared at him, letting go of Ibuki who was still grinning as she rubbed her cheeks.
Sonia smiled sheepishly. "Well…this was originally supposed to be a girls-only outing to strengthen our friendship with each other…"
The desperate boy moved toward Sonia, on the verge of begging on his knees. "Do you think you can make an exception!? Pretty please!?"
Chiaki blinked with a blank expression. "Well, it's okay. It's not like there'd be any problems even if there are some boys."
"You are right," Sonia agreed. "They came all the way here. It would be bad if we made them leave." Kazuichi smiled wide and gasped in glee.
"Ack, Sonia-san is just soooo kind…! All right, now that it's decided, let's get going!" Hikari crossed her arms, getting annoyed by Kazuichi's tunnel-vision of just Sonia.
Your obsession with Nevermind is really creeping her out and starting to irritate me, Souda…I wouldn't feel bad making you leave…
Hajime blinked, turning to his friend. "But Owari's wounds are still being treated…"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Kazuichi growled at Hajime with an agitated face. "There's no way I can stand around! I-I'll go on ahead and prepare! I'll set up the parasol, and prepare the drinks… I mean it, I promise I'll give it my all to serve you so everyone has fun!" With that, he dashed out of the diner like a jet leaving the runway.
Hikari blinked, relaxing a bit, seeing that Kazuichi wasn't so bad. He may be annoying and borderline creepy at times…but he redeems himself when given the chance…I guess I can let his perverted scheme slide for now…
Hajime looked around and sweatdropped, pulling at his collar a little, seeing that he was surrounded by girls and most of them wearing swimsuits. "I-I…I should go help Souda too…" He sped walked out the door, trying to calm himself down.
Not even a minute went by before four dings could be heard throughout the island. Everyone in the diner became immobile, feeling a heavy atmosphere threatening to crush them where they stood. Their eyes turned to the monitor in the corner of the dining area's ceiling as it turned itself on.
"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma's mocking words felt like daggers piercing into Hikari's heart. "Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!" Hikari didn't comprehend that she had already dashed to the door in the middle of the announcement, panting heavily as the sinking feeling got worse as she ran as fast as she could toward the beach house.
Please…Please…! Don't let it be him…I don't think I can bear it if it's him…! Tears stung her eyes as she ignored her body's pleas to stop as she almost collided with the back door of the beach house. Panic filled every fiber in her body as she tried to open the door in vain. Not wanting to waste any more time, Hikari sprinted around to the other side of the building as if being led by an invisible hand. Let it be open…Let it be open or at least be unlocked! When she approached the front of the structure, both French doors were open wide, revealing the bloody scene to the world outside.
On the floor was a steel bat coated with blood, a pristine anime girl's mask nearby, a trail of blood from the center of the room to the back door and leaning against that door and surrounded by a pool of blood was the body of a deathly pale Koizumi Mahiru. Hajime stood to the side, looking like he was going to collapse, a hand on the wall to keep himself upright. Hikari took one shaky step before falling to her knees, her heart about to explode from the combination of the sudden rush over here and the shock of seeing one of her first friends here dead in front of her.
Kazuichi stood in the middle of the room, freaking out, his eyes bulging out. "Why did something like this happen!? Someone, tell me!" Neither Hajime nor Hikari could give him an answer. Hikari gripped the fabric of her suspender dress tightly, feeling the air knocked out of her, trying to catch her breath.
"…Huh?" Hikari heard a voice behind her. "U-Um…A blub-blub-blub…."
One of the girls probably followed me here…
"N-Now's not the time to make bubbles!" Kazuichi screamed at the girl behind the stunned Spirit Medium. "Hurry and get the others!" The girl must have left because Hikari couldn't sense a presence behind her anymore. In fact, she barely felt much at that moment. She suspected Hajime was the same because she didn't hear anything from him as Kazuichi paced around the room frantically, gripping his beanie nervously.
After what seemed like hours, Hikari heard many voices by the beach house entrance.
"Wh-What the hell is this!?" shouted Akane.
"Eeeeeek!" shrieked Mikan, taken aback. "Wh-Why…Koizumi!?"
Sonia clasped her hands together, looking terrified. "F-For heaven's sake, what in the world is going on…!?"
"…Ah, hold on a sec!" Chiaki warned the girls before they could enter the building. "Those things beneath you…be careful not to step on them." Hearing Chiaki's voice calmed Hikari down for some reason, slowly bringing the traumatized girl to her senses. Hikari turned slightly to the right to see what Chiaki was talking about. She noticed that all of the girls had changed back into their regular clothes.
"…Beneath?" the Swordswoman asked.
"You know, the footprints in front of that door," Chiaki explained matter-of-factly, raising a finger in the air. She squatted in front of the double doors and pointed at a particular set of footprints. "There are footprints leading out of the beach house, right? That's probably an important clue. So, don't step on them."
Hikari blinked, confused. Leading out…? That does sound important…It couldn't be Souda, Hinata, or me…we didn't leave.
Sonia gasped. "H-Huh!? I-If you mean evidence…"
Chiaki stood up and frowned, looking serious. "Monokuma mentioned it in the announcement, right? After a certain amount of time, we'll hold a class trial…"
Hikari wore a pained face at the mention of a class trial. We have to do that…again…?
"Then…are you saying this is…?" Akane asked slowly, looking shocked.
"Thaaaaat's right!" Monokuma declared, popping up out of nowhere. "One of you guys killed her!"
"K-Killed…that's impossible!" Mikan cried out, her body shaking.
Kazuichi was equally unnerved, a hand still gripping his beanie. "I-It's not…like, an a-accident or something?"
Hikari's eyes swept over the floor, staring at the bloody bat and trail of blood. No…this wasn't an accident…this was intentional…I haven't seen a bat around when I was here yesterday with Hajime...Someone must've brought it here for murder…
Monokuma tilted his head to the side, a paw on his chin. "If you guys think this is an accident, that still means this death was caused by someone else's actions, right~?" He turned to the side, raising his black paw in the air, a sinister aura forming around him. "That also counts as…a legitimate murder. Though such deaths fall into a grey area, on this island, I will make sure that it's clear to you guys…On this island, dying from sickness is basically the only death that's not considered a murder." The bear giggled as he covered his mouth with his paws. "Well, it's impossible to get sick and die on this island. Not when Monomi takes such good care of people." Quietly, Monomi arrived out of thin air as if hearing her name was her cue to appear before the group. The depressed bunny's ears drooped forward as tears formed in her eyes. Monokuma chuckled, noticing Monomi showing up. "…Oh, speaking of which." He stared at the stuffed rabbit expectantly, yet Monomi remained silent. "There it is! The silent treatment attack! This is like the number one thing that hurts me! Well fine! I'm not gonna lose to your bashing! I've decided to become a tough kid!" Hikari stared at the suddenly downcast bear unconvinced that his feelings were hurt in the slightest.
Finally, Monomi covered her eyes with her paws, sobbing. "Th-This…is the worst… Once again…this horrible nightmare… Another victim…and it's all because of Monokuma…"
"Jeez! It's not my fault!" Monokuma countered innocently, his demeanor definitely brightened nonetheless. "…Huh? Then whose fault is it, you ask?" He started to laugh maniacally, his paws on his belly. "To find out, we hold the class trial! Sooooo, let's begin already! No whining, just begin already. Okaaaay, I shall pass out the Monokuma File #2. This should start to feel familiar." The bear then proceeded to throw tablets at the teens present, Hikari glaring at the bear since he deliberately was aiming for their heads, catching hers with a bit of fumbling. "Now then do your very best to investigate! I'll see you later at the class trial!" Monokuma then magically disappeared.
"C-Class trial…Investigation…" Monomi bawled. "This…is horrible… It's just…too horrible…"
"Th-Then you should've stopped the murder before it occurred!" Kazuichi shouted angrily at the distraught rabbit. "Don't you…have that kind of power!?"
"Th-That…I did have the power before he appeared…" Monomi sniffled, her paws clasped together.
"Even if she tried to stop it…" Chiaki interjected. "Judging from Monokuma and Monomi's relationship, there's no doubt she'd get stopped herself."
"Yes…Monokuma took everything away…including the Magic Stick…and the surveillance cameras… The only thing I can rely on…are these ears…but they can only hear about three times that of a normal human…"
Peko crossed her arms. "So basically, you have no idea what's happening on this island in the first place…"
Monomi choked back a sob, looking even more downtrodden. "…I'm just the worst… A powerless rabbit like me…is the worst…" With that, she shrank away into nothingness.
"Hey…now's not the time to focus on somethin' like that…More importantly…what should we do?" Akane asked everyone, the shock subsiding with trepidation taking over. The group of teens stood there, unwilling to participate in the investigation, their spirits heavy with unease as well as sadness at the loss of their friend.
Hikari frowned, clutching her necklace for comfort. I really don't want to do this…I won't be of much use anyway…
Seeing everyone's lowered morale, Hajime decided to try to urge them to keep moving on. "I know everyone feels the same as I do. But we can't do anything else except do it… A-And…There's no way we can just ignore…the reason Koizumi was killed."
Hikari bit her lip, frowning, looking at Mahiru's body. Hinata's right… We have to do this…not just for our survival, but for Koizumi so that she can rest in peace…
"Yeah," Chiaki agreed, "the only thing we can do is investigate. Cuz…we should never forgive that. Killing…is something we should never forgive." Hikari nodded at her best friend, taking a deep breath and blinking away any incoming tears. The Gamer continued, "The killer has their reasons…I understand that. It was the same for Hanamura, too. It's really all Monokuma's fault…I understand that, too. But…even so… We should never forgive…killing."
Peko closed her eyes solemnly. "Regardless, everyone is going to die if we don't do it. In order for us all to survive, we must do it."
"Koizumi…probably wants us to do this, too," Sonia whispered, still looking a bit shaken. "She would want us to reveal the truth behind her death…"
"I-I understand…If everyone's doing it, I will do it too, but… B-But…please give me a little time… Please give me time to calm myself down a little," Mikan pleaded, eyes full of tears. "Also…I will go and tell the others who aren't here about this…"
Hajime blinked. "You're right…if all you heard was the announcement, you won't know where the murder took place."
"I-I shall…excuse myself…for now." Unable to hold back her tears, Mikan tried to wipe her eyes in vain as she left.
"Then…let's begin," Chiaki said in determination. "Who killed Koizumi Mahiru…? Why was she killed…? We gotta find out and solve this already." Hajime and Hikari nodded, everyone starting their investigation.
The first thing many of them did was look through the Monokuma File that contained details concerning Mahiru's death. Hikari swiped her finger upwards on the tablet's screen to show a black screen that had a full-body picture of Mahiru with the word "DEAD" on it. Next to the Photographer's picture was common information about her. The format is the same as the Monokuma File about Togami… Hikari mused as she read Mahiru's info before moving onto the sparse details about her death. "The victim is Koizumi Mahiru. Estimated time of death is around 3:00 p.m." 3:00 p.m….Well, it couldn't be Nanami or myself…we were on the first island, meeting up at Rocketpunch Market… Hikari let out a small sigh of relief, knowing that she had a solid alibi with Chiaki. She definitely still felt on edge due to the accusations last trial. Mahiru's time of death gave Hikari some respite. The Spirit Medium continued to read on. "The scene of the crime where the body was discovered is inside the beach house at Chandler Beach."
Swiping upwards to the next screen showed a picture of a dead Mahiru leaning against the door, surrounded by blood. A wave of nausea rocked Hikari's body when she saw the picture despite being just a mere few feet away from the actual body. Forcing the feeling down, Hikari read the bottom half of the screen showing an outline of Mahiru, the top of her head highlighted to show where the deadly wound was. "The cause of death is a single killing blow to the head with a blunt instrument. There are no other conspicuous external injuries, and no traces of foreign substances such as drugs." That's…a large head wound… Hikari thought, amazed that just one hit to the head can cause so much blood. Putting away the Monokuma File, the Spirit Medium walked over to Mahiru's body which Hajime was inspecting.
"Is this really…the energetic Koizumi I knew?" he murmured. Hikari frowned. A part of her was still in denial, still wishing Mahiru was just asleep, but Hikari knew. She knew the signs of a dead body so well. Mahiru's pale skin was becoming grey, her eyes closed never to open again, the breath of life gone from the girl's body. Hikari could already feel her body shake from holding back sobs. She continued to listen to Hajime talk to himself, not quite sure if he knew she was standing beside him. "B-But…we don't have time to wallow in sentiment." He closed his eyes tightly, trying to steel himself. "There's no way I can just stand here…!" Hikari jumped slightly as Hajime slapped both his hands on his cheeks before opening his eyes again. The boy tried taking in as many details pertaining to the body and around it as he could. He stared at the door Mahiru was leaning against. "Maybe Koizumi tried to run away when she was attacked…and tried to crawl to the door." He glanced between the trail of blood and the door, a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
Hikari narrowed her eyes, not quite convinced with Hajime's theory. She bit her bottom lip, feeling like there were a couple of things that would contradict his guess at what happened. "Maybe, Hinata…maybe not…"
Hajime blinked and turned his head to see Hikari standing behind him as he was kneeling. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Hikari pointed towards Mahiru's body. "Just look at her position…if she was crawling to the door, why is her back against it? Shouldn't she look as if she was reaching to the doorknob? Something's a bit off…"
"Hmm…you might have a point, Seishin…" Hajime contemplated, inspecting Mahiru's body and its surroundings once more.
"Plus," Hikari added, taking out the Monokuma File from her pocket and swiping a couple of screens, "I remember reading something that might disprove your theory on crawling away…" Her eyes quickly took in the words on the screen until she found what she wanted. "Ah…Here it is… 'The cause of death is a single killing blow to the head with a blunt instrument.' It was a killing blow…I don't think Koizumi would have been able to move after being hit that hard…" The girl bit her lip again, feeling another wave of tears coming to her eyes from imagining Mahiru's death.
Hajime scanned the ground. A blunt instrument… he thought, before blinking at the metal bat near the origin of the blood trail. "Huh…? This metal bat…"
Hikari stepped closer to it. "Yup…this is most likely the murder weapon…" she reasoned as Chiaki strolled over to them.
"It's the same…as the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case," Chiaki confirmed, raising a finger. Hikari looked at her, sweatdropping.
I had a feeling she couldn't resist playing that…
"…Huh?" Hajime asked, glancing at the Gamer.
"There's a girl named Girl E who was killed in the game during the 4th day…" Chiaki explained which went right over Hikari's head, who didn't play the arcade game in the park. "That girl…was killed with a blow from a metal bat, just like Koizumi." She stared at the tie-wearing teen. "Hey hey… Did you…did you also play that game, Hinata? Is that why you're curious about that metal bat?"
Hikari blinked, surprised, looking at both her close friends. "Wait…what? You both played the game? I thought we all weren't going to play it because it was a motive." She pouted slightly as the two resumed their conversation.
"Y-Yeah…that's exactly it, but…" Hajime stuttered. "Did you…play it too?"
Chiaki silently pulled her hood over her head, eyes looking downwards, both teens appearing to feel guilty for playing the game. However, Chiaki spoke up softly, "Then I'm sure you know this but… The case this time is strongly connected to Twilight Syndrome Murder Case…I think."
Hikari gaped. "Really?" She suddenly felt left out, hoping she wasn't the only one who didn't play the game.
Chiaki continued, "In order to solve the mystery behind Koizumi's death, you probably need to solve that game's mystery too…"
"But even if you solve the game's mystery…" Hajime argued, a hand on his hip. "All the clues in it were lousy and useless. I mean, it started ambiguously, and it was still ambiguous when it ended…" Hikari swore that a gleam sparkled in Chiaki's eyes when Hajime uttered those words because Chiaki suddenly looked at the boy challengingly, the hood sliding off her head.
"No, that's wrong. That's because you haven't beaten the game."
"Beaten…? I finished the game with a Game Over, but were you able to beat it?" Hikari glowered slightly at Hajime.
"Why would you ask that of Nanami? Of course she was able to beat it," Hikari proudly boasted her friend's talent, Hajime sweatdropping, a bit stunned from Hikari's interjection. Chiaki also looked unimpressed, puffing her cheeks out with a pout.
"Ngh…I'm not some girl gamer who talks about video games she's never beaten…" Hajime smiled weakly, his hands up defensively, sensing that he should drop the subject quickly. An awkward silence loomed over the three, Chiaki going towards the door, Hajime looking into the closet, and Hikari walking back to the fallen Mahiru. The Spirit Medium stood close to her deceased friend with a frown, gently touching the redhead's cheek that was free from blood to make sure that she really had died.
I know it'll be pointless…but I have this feeling… Maybe…just maybe I can… Hikari thought with a bit of hope, moving back a few feet and kneeling down, sitting on her legs. She slowly closed her eyes as she placed her hands on her lap, trying her best to communicate with Mahiru's spirit. The black-haired girl held back a sigh, sensing nothing at all. Memories Hikari had with the Photographer flashed through her mind, feeling a surge of overwhelming emotions washing over her body. She bit her lip, a few heartbreaking memories from her childhood even rushed to the forefront, her body starting to tremble. A hospital room…a pale girl laying in bed, smiling weakly towards her…holding onto an ice cold hand… Hikari wasn't sure how much time passed while she was lost in her memories, but a far-off voice started to pull her back to reality.
"Seishin…? Are you all right…?"
When Hikari opened her eyes, she came face to face with a concerned Hajime who knelt on one knee in front of her. Freezing up, Hikari felt her body temperature rise. "H-Huh…?"
"You're crying…" he whispered, looking to the left which was where Mahiru's body was. Hikari blinked, confused until she moved her fingers to her cheeks, feeling the cold liquid falling down her cheeks.
"O-Oh…" Hikari murmured, quickly wiping her eyes. "I still couldn't…"
"Hey…don't worry about it…" Hajime said comfortingly with a small smile. "You don't have to-"
"Then I just remembered the times I spent with Koizumi…hanging out with the other girls…eating meals with her…" Hikari continued, tears welling up again, her lip trembling to hold back sobs. "She understood how I felt a bit…she even gave me a picture I asked of her though she didn't have to…she was my first official friend here…" Hikari looked at the boy in front of her, fresh tears falling once again. "We just have to help Koizumi rest in peace…We have to…" Hajime stared back at the small statured teen solemnly before placing his hands on her shoulders.
"We will…or literally die trying, Seishin. That's a promise." Hikari smiled and choked out a laugh at Hajime's poor attempt at a joke.
"Thank you, Hinata." Hajime stood up and held out his hand to her. The Spirit Medium shyly reached out and took it, allowing the plain boy to help her stand.
"What is this…" both teens heard Chiaki mutter by the French doors. "This is suspicious…I think." The two glanced at each other and walked to their spacey friend, Hikari a few steps behind Hajime, rubbing her eyes and recuperating from her mini meltdown.
"…Did you find some sort of clue?" Hajime asked.
Chiaki blinked and turned to them. "You know the footprints from earlier. They were in front of the entrance facing the beach, right?"
"Oh, that…"
"Hinata, Seishin, and Souda's footprints show that you guys were the first ones to go inside the beach house…" She pointed to another set of footprints in the sand outside the building. "But these are just the opposite. They're coming out of the beach house."
"Hey, now that you mention it…" Kazuichi said, walking up to the group of three, having heard the conversation close by, "I thought those footprints were strange too…"
Hajime looked at the Mechanic doubtfully. "…You did?"
"At first, I tried to go into the beach house from the door facing the road… But it didn't open, so I went around and tried to go in from the beachside doors."
Hikari blinked and nodded. "Same here…"
"You couldn't go inside from the roadside door…because Koizumi's body was blocking it, right?" Hajime asked, a hand to his chin in thought.
"And that's when I noticed those footprints," Kazuichi said with a nod. "The footprints leading from the beach house to the tunnel look like they belong to one person."
"Someone's footprints leading out of the beach house, huh… That's definitely suspicious."
The Mechanic gritted his teeth, looking a bit agitated. "Now that you mention it, Pekoyama said she went for a little swim, right? Could those footprints be…"
"Unfortunately, I went swimming to scout the first beach," Peko informed them, standing off to the side, arms crossed. "I do not know anything about this beach."
Hikari blinked, a bit surprised to see Peko here. Oh wait…she must be one of those who volunteered to guard the crime scene. The Spirit Medium gave a deadpan stare towards the pink-haired male as he eyed the Swordswoman distrustfully. Why does he always insinuate that Pekoyama is guilty of some murder…? He accused her last time, didn't he?
"But those footprints lead straight from the beach house to the tunnel," Chiaki pointed out.
Peko closed her eyes. "Since I was swimming at the beach, of course my footprints would lead from the shore to the tunnel." Hikari blinked, glancing at Peko quietly for a moment as the others wondered whose footprints were those leaving the building.
Something's off about what Pekoyama just said…but I think I need more information before I start accusing people…
"Well, for now…It's obvious that this is a clue…don't you think?" Chiaki asked. Those around her nodded in agreement, making sure to take note of the mysterious footprints. After a few moments, Hajime turned to Chiaki.
"Hey Nanami. I have something I want to ask you…are you okay right now?" If Hikari was an animal, her ears would've perked up in alert.
What does he mean by that? What does he want to ask her? Does he like her!? the calm looking girl thought desperately in her head, feeling her insides constrict with anxiety.
Chiaki tilted her head. "…Are you done investigating here already?"
"…Huh?" Hajime blinked. "I think I've investigated once through…"
"…Then let's go."
"G-Go?"
"You want to know about Twilight Syndrome, right? Then I think you should actually play it yourself."
"I-I'll go too!" Hikari blurted loudly, feeling very tense. Chiaki and Hajime stared at her a bit confused.
"Did you play the game too?" Hajime asked.
Hikari stood there in silence, blinking a couple of times before the embarrassment finally told a hold of her. Oh gods… They were talking about playing the game huh… That's what I get for assuming, Hikari… "U-Um…I haven't played the game…but…I think going with you two might help me understand the mysteries a bit since Koizumi's death seems connected to the game…" Hikari rambled quickly, trying to recover from her self-humiliation.
Chiaki nodded. "Sure, Seishin. Sooo…let's go!" With that, the three left the beach house to Jabberwock Park at the central island, Chiaki seeming to be a bit excited. However, they never expected to come across what awaited them inside the park.
Days Left: 15
Survivors: 14
