"I said all of that, but how am I supposed to relax?" I muttered as I kicked my feet around like a bored child. I had finally made it down that hellish staircase, and I was now sitting on a bench I found out in the courtyard to catch my breath after having grabbed something to eat. Yet, as I was sitting there, I realized I had no idea what I was going to do for the day. My only plans for the day before Kaito dragged me away was just to lay around by myself in my room while ignoring my inner demons' pleas to kill myself. Now that my schedule was cleared up, I didn't know what I was supposed to do.
I did want to just relax. From the moment I woke up in that locker now up until now, all I had done was work towards ending the killing game. Sure, I spent time with the others, but I never spent a lot of time just for me. I never let myself have a 'me day'. Sure, at this point, I knew the others quite well and I had a decent grasp over the situation. Well, I had a decent grasp on the situation until yesterday. I shook my head. Nope. Get that thought out of here. No thinking about the killing game, or the outside world, or anything else that isn't me and my own well being. Mental health is important, and clearly I've been putting it off long enough.
That's when something occurred to me. Have I…ever…taken time to just unwind? To truly unwind? I thought about it long and hard, and suddenly felt my heart drop. I couldn't recall a single time I took a break from anything. I couldn't even remember the last time I took a day off. When was the last time I had fun with a hobby I liked? When was the last time I hung out with friends just to hang out with friends? I couldn't help but face palm at the realization I just made. Oh god… I'm a workaholic. I'm a workaholic who never takes breaks from the job he hates. For some reason… And yet somehow… everything is starting to make sense. So this was just building up, was it? This was a long time coming, I suppose. But now that I'm ready, willing, and in desperate need of a mental health break, what am I supposed to do?
That's when an idea came to mind. I could think of one thing absolutely certainly I would enjoy doing: pissing off Monokuma. And what has been the best way to do that while I've been here? Derailing the killing game, if I believe what Monokuma said, but also running off with a fortune of Monocoins at the casino. That was some of the most fun I've had here. I don't really use Monocoins for anything, despite having an entire Ryoma sized bag full of them, but I might as well try and clear the casino out completely. I can only imagine the look on that stupid bear's face when I make off with all of his coins. I'll show him that the house doesn't always win.
So I got up and walked over to the casino, giggles escaping from my lips as I thought of pissing off the bear that's been at my throat for the half month we've been here. After enjoying the walk to the casino, I entered the building and headed for the stairs that led to where the machines were, but that's when I saw a sign, and I felt my heart sink even lower than it was before.
Rin Wakuri is banned from the casino, by order of Headmaster Monokuma. If he is caught downstairs in the casino area, he will be killed by the Exisals for breaking the rules.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as I fell to my knees and cried. I suppose I was wrong. The house really does win all the time. "Why do I always get banned from casinos…?" I grumbled as I began to leave. I hate that stupid monochrome bear. I found my way back to the bench I was sitting at before and dropped down onto it with a heavy sigh of defeat. Somehow, I don't even think Monokuma intended this to happen right when I was feeling so low. I bet he banned me sometime before Miu's trial, and I never noticed since I never went there at all after that. What horrible luck…
So I was back to trying to figure out how to spend my time relaxing. It took a while, but I finally found something to do that I really liked. I recalled that Maki gave me a gift a few days ago. It was a pocket watch that had a game console in it. So, I got that pocket watch out, and I started to play it. Surprisingly, this pocket watch game felt like an actual official game a major game making company would make. It was really well made! It was some kind of Pokemon/Digimon sort of game mixed with tamagotchi, but it felt like something I would be playing on a console. I don't know how long I was there for, but I probably dumped a few hours into the game from the moment I turned it on. I also remembered that I had music on my Monopad that I could listen to, so I turned my headphones on and began listening to a few playlists as I played, meaning I was completely zoned out.
I don't know why, but it felt odd, but also like I was at home. Like I shouldn't be wasting my time with this sort of stuff, but it felt so good. Fun. It was fun. It was probably stupid, but I was enjoying myself. It was strange, but I didn't really pay that feeling any mind as I continued to just immerse myself into the game. After what felt like a few minutes but was actually half the day, I realized just how trapped I got and paused the game to take a break from my break. My eyes were burning a little. Not from staring at the little screen, but because I don't think I blinked that entire time. And even with that, part of me was still like 'I can keep going. I can do this all day'. Not sure if I should be impressed or worried.
"Rin? What are you doing out here?" The moment I took my headphones off my head, I turned my head and saw Shuichi walking over to where I was, a curious expression on his face when he saw me.
"Well… I'm pretty sure just saying 'Kaito' is enough to get the message across?" I asked him. He closed his eyes and sighed as he rubbed them when he heard me.
"Yes. It makes it quite crystal clear, actually." Shuichi moaned, but he still had a small smile on his face as he did. "I'm sorry. Did he drag you around?"
"Yeah. All the way up to his lab. That jerk. He knows I hate climbing all those stairs just to get to his lab!" I said with fake, exaggerated anger, getting a small laugh out of the detective.
"You seem better off because of that, though."
"Yeah. Kaito is so stupidly blunt sometimes. So much so I'm the one who feels stupid when he points out something that should have been obvious." I groaned. "Do you know what I mean?"
"Yeah. That sounds like Kaito, all right." Shuichi nodded. "He has this certain quality that does that. It makes you trust him implicitly, to the point where it's hard not to trust him. He makes you just want to believe in his nonsense."
"That's exactly it! I can't believe you put it into words!" I shouted as I nodded with his assessment. We both then laughed at the expense of our lovable idiot spaceman as he began talking about other things. Shuichi informed me more about what happened that morning. About how Kokichi was acting. I didn't clarify anything about it, but I couldn't help but think about what he said. I suppose Kokichi was heavily affected by that sight, just like I was. I didn't know how to feel about that. I felt sad? Pity? Disappointment? In Kokichi, or was it in myself for not helping him? I wasn't sure. I didn't even know if I had the energy or will to even try to worry about someone else at the moment. After all, how could I help when I was going through the same problem?
After pushing that issue to the side of my mind, I continued to speak with Shuichi about little things. I think Shuichi could tell I was trying to relax, but since I insisted that I wanted to talk, he was avoiding topics surrounding the killing game and such. Instead, we got to talking about his life before this as a detective, which was actually really interesting.
"So you've usually only had little cases before this?" I asked.
"Yeah. My uncle's detective office is fairly popular, so we get a lot of cases. They just happen to be small cases. Mostly infidelity cases, background checks, that sort of stuff."
"Infidelity cases, huh?" I grimaced at the thought. "That must be fun…" Shuichi gave a dry laugh of agreement when he heard my sarcastic tone. "Honestly, you must have seen some awful, ugly scenes with those cases."
"A few, I suppose." Shuichi nodded before giving me a small smile. "You know, I told that to Kaede when she asked me, but then she got all worried about me. She started asking me if my perception of romance and women were screwed up because of these cases." I felt a chortle creep up from behind my lips as I held it back.
"You serious?" I asked. "What? Did she tell you that no matter how many times you see infidelity cases, cheating is still wrong?" That actually got a chortle out of Shuichi as he held back his own laughter.
"She did, as a matter of fact." He told me.
"Tell me she didn't." I said as I held back more laughter. His silence is what broke me and got me laughing like crazy. "Oh Kaede…"
"I honestly didn't know what to say when she told me that. I was so confused." Shuichi joined me with his own laughs. After we both settled down, he continued. "Well, as for other cases that I've done, there's been runaway cases. Oh! And I've solved a missing animal case as my first case."
"Missing animal? Like what? A dog? A cat? A bird?"
"An alligator actually." There was silence after he told me that. I could feel the beads of sweat forming on my face after I heard what he said.
"I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Did you say… 'alligator'?"
"Yeah. I was shocked too." Shuichi nodded. "Ah, well, it was a miniature alligator. One that you can keep as a pet."
"Who keeps an alligator as a pet!?" I shouted.
"Just an old classmate of mine. It was a pretty tough case. I researched alligator behavior and spent a long time preparing tools to capture it… I had to climb around mountains and swim up rivers... It was a lot of work. Compared to that, the first fight I came across during an infidelity case was nothing."
"Jeez, that certainly sounds tough. Did you manage to find it?"
"Yes, of course."
"That's good. Did your classmate thank you?"
"Ah, I suppose... She, um...gave me some chocolate for Valentine's Day…"
"Really?" I asked. "Was it just to show her appreciation as a friend, or…you know…?"
"I'm pretty sure it was just as friends."
"Ah." I nodded in understanding. "But don't you think that's a little…less than what you should have gotten? I mean, you told me that you had to climb mountains and swim up rivers to find this alligator?"
"Heh, you might be right... But I think it was reward enough. The knowledge it took to solve that case...became the foundation for my detective work. And...I was so happy to be of use to someone. I can still hear her 'thank you' to this day." I stared at him for a bit before letting out a nostalgic chuckle.
"I get it. Your first job will do that to you." I said with a small smile. "I still remember my first real job. I felt the same way."
"Your first job? What did you do?" Shuichi asked me. "Does it have to do with your talent?"
"Yeah, I guess." I answered as I rolled my shoulders into a shrug.
"...Do you mind if I ask you about it?"
"...Sure." I said as I sighed. "Well, I already mentioned this, but I hate my talent."
"Umm… I thought you said you 'hated' your talent, as in past tense."
"Well, I remembered I still kind of hate it." I grimaced. "My talent…ruined my life."
"Ruined your life?"
"Completely demolished it." I deadpanned as I ignored the burning sensation that had begun on my bandaged arms. Godda- Why does it itch so much!? Especially when I think about bad things!? "Here's a little secret. Not everyone can achieve their dreams. Sometimes, things don't work out, no matter how much you wish it would. In this world, talent can be a shining light, or a dark shackle." I said in a dark tone before I took a deep breath. I pushed away the burn I could feel under my sleeves before I continued. "Anyway, it was my first job after I got my Ultimate Talent. I was stuck in this position, and I didn't care at all about it at the time. Still, I had to do my job. I hated every moment of it. But then…in the middle of it, I heard a small, trembling voice begging me for help. That's the moment my life changed for the second time. It was the moment I…started giving it my all. When it was all over, the single thanks I got…the gratitude they showed me… It was something I had never experienced before. I won't ever forget that moment." I was quiet after that as I looked up at the sky, reminiscing about that day. The day I truly became an Ultimate. One I felt like I could handle being, even if it wasn't my first choice.
"Do you…know what your talent is?" Shuichi asked me.
"Not a clue." I told him. I couldn't help but hide a smile after that. One last lie won't hurt anyone. I'd rather them not know anyway. It's nice being separated from my talent for once. I'm just Rin Wakuri, and that's nice. "I'm glad we got to talk. We haven't really hung out before. I've wanted to talk with you like this for a while. I really admire you, and I'm glad we're friends."
"I feel the same way. I'm glad to have gotten to know you, Rin." Shuichi told me. "We should talk some more. I'd like to get to know more about you."
"Even though I still don't remember much of anything?" I asked with a knowing smirk.
"Even with that, I'd still like to know more about you. And once you do remember, I'd enjoy hearing about what you did before."
"Yeah. Once all of this is over, I'll be sure to tell you whatever it is you want to know." I told him. Yeah… imagining what will happen once we're free… when we're really free, not in the outside world or whatever. When we're finally out of this killing game, whether we're back in our old lives, or still stuck here, once all this killing and despair is over, I know for a fact I'd love to be open with them. Once it's all over, it would be a blast to tell them everything. It'll be a blast.
Ding dong, bing bong.
"Huh?" I mumbled as I turned to the nearest monitor. Once the monitor turned on, Monodam was there, sitting on his couch as usual. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes before he finally spoke.
"BEDTIME-URSINE." And with that, the monitors turned off.
"It's nighttime already!?" I shouted. "How long were we talking for?" I then paused as I realized something. "...How long was I playing that game…!?" I shook my head as I dismissed the thought. I don't want to think about my bad habits. "So I guess we should head back to the dorms."
"Before that, I was wondering if you were going to show up for training tonight. You haven't gone since before the student council."
"Oh right. Training…" I said as I thought about it for a bit. "...Nah. I think I need to turn in early today. It's been a nice day, but I think that it would be best if I take it easy until tomorrow." I got up from the bench and stretched before taking a deep breath. "I think by tomorrow, I'll be fine. I'll definitely try to come tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Definitely. I just want to rest a bit more." I said as I began heading towards the dorms. "I'll be heading off to bed now. Goodnight." And with that, I was gone. I headed to my room and closed the door behind me. I let out a deep breath as I took off my jacket and threw it onto my desk. This day went by so fast. It's hard to believe. I spent the day playing a game for who knows how long and then talking to Shuichi after getting over myself with Kaito's help. How could the day go by so fast? I didn't really do much of anything today. Is that really okay?
I shook my head again. It'll be fine. I needed a break from everything today, and time flying by just proves that I was enjoying myself so much that I lost all sense of time. I can't keep working myself into the dirt, and if I needed a single day to just 'catch them all' in that pocket watch game, that's fine. I sighed as I sat on my bed. Is it always this hard to just relax? Is this normal? I don't know…
I frowned as I looked down and
I layed down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling before closing my eyes. I won't worry about it now. I'll just sleep. Hopefully I won't have nightmares and wake up feeling better than I did today. And so, I just let go of things and let myself drift off. I'll think about everything when tomorrow comes. Tomorrow, everything will be better, I'm sure.
"His white half's whiter than freshly made rice! His black half's blacker than the darkest night! It's Mono-Mono-Mono-Monokuma!" Monokuma proclaimed as he entered the game room in the basement. It was the middle of the night, and no one else was awake. Well, everyone except two people. Monokuma, and…
"You actually came. Hmm, so I guess I'm allowed to do this, huh?" Kokichi asked as he gave an innocent smile while leaning against the wall. His expression then darkened, to the point where it almost seemed like he was a living shadow of evil. "Is it really okay for me to talk to you in private like this?"
"Technically, it's not a rule violation…" Monokuma giggled as he covered his mouth like a toddler. "Besides, I can't pass up an opportunity to make the killing game more exciting."
"Riiight? I was thinking the same thing!" Kokichi exclaimed happily. "This fun and vicious killing game is the only thing on my mind!"
"With that said, you're not even gonna try and use that motive? Even though Rin isn't gonna use it either?" Monokuma asked as he tilted his head.
"Ah-haha, you don't get it. Both you and Rinny…" Kokichi told him with a bored expression. "A crazy motive like this should be used in a more…dramatic way, no? That's what I've been thinking, so I tried coming up with ways to use it… And I finally came up with an idea. So, this is my proposal. Since Rinny's too much of a weakling to use it, I've come up with a plan, and if we use the motive there…" Kokichi then put on a cruel smile as he made an evil pose. "Then I think that would reeeeeeally spice up the game. So, are you in?"
"..." Monokuma tilted his head as he thought about the offer. But then, he started to laugh. "Puhuhu. You really are an evil bastard."
"Of course… I am the Ultimate Supreme Leader, y'know?" Kokichi said. He then raised his arm up as his face twisted into something truly demonic. It was like he wasn't human anymore. He had thrown the rest of his humanity away as his eyes shrank to pinpoints and his face darkened into something one would see in the abyss. "I will drag this world into the pits of terror, using my villainous power to commit evil." Monokuma just stared at him before he turned away and began laughing, like it was the best thing he had ever heard. Monokuma's laughter rang out throughout the entire academy, and not a single soul heard it. The darkness has been planted. All anyone can do now is watch it sprout into a garden of thorns.
It was the next morning, and I woke up to the morning announcement. Maybe it's because Monodam's the only Monokub left, but the morning announcement has gotten really…empty. Literally. Monodam doesn't show up anymore. The bell rings out, the monitors turn on, and there's nothing but silence for a few seconds before the monitors turn off again. It's really weird, but also sort of relaxing. It's nice not having to deal with any of the antics of the kubs.
After the quiet announcement, I got up, and I felt…awful. I hardly got any rest. What I got was a mixture of nightmares and dreamless, restless sleep. It was like I ran an entire marathon. TWICE! And now my arms are burning like hell! Actually… they sort of hurt… Wait…
I looked down at myself and nearly gasped in shock. The bandages around my arm were scratched to hell and back. They were torn in places and I could see fresh scratch marks on my arms. Did I scratch myself in my sleep?! I groaned loudly as I stomped off to the bathroom to clean myself up. I cursed quietly as I began scrubbing the small bits of dried blood off my arms and out of my nails. I don't like to curse too often, but damn it all to hell! I skipped breakfast so I could get bandages without getting caught by anyone, and then I go and do this. Perfect. Now I have to get more. I'm such a screw up.
I paused before I dragged a wet hand down my face. Speaking of screwing up, what am I going to do today? I can't just…put off the motive again. That motive…is the most dangerous thing Monokuma has thrown at us. It completely destroyed me in one fell swoop. If it were for that talk with Kaito, I'd still be a useless depressed boy who's trying not to hurt himself. I need to do something. I took a day off yesterday, and I essentially wasted it doing that. Today, I got back to work.
But what do I do? I can't really doubt what I saw with my own eyes, can I? That motive is real as real can get… right? Actually, now that I think about it, aren't there a few things that are a bit strange with this motive? Sure, I saw the hell that was the outside world with my eyes, but there are a few things that are strange. Namely two things: Monokuma… and Tsumugi. Firstly, Monokuma. He's always focused on making the game more interesting, hasn't he? He prioritizes the game above all else. The rules are of the utmost importance to him. He threatens to kill us if we ever even consider breaking the rules, so the question is… why even bother? What's the point of rules if there's no point to the game? Why not just have us kill each other? Why the need for all the theatrics like the class trial, the academy, or the Exisals?
And that leads into the second contradiction. Tsumugi, who claimed to be the mastermind, told us there were people watching. Now, whether or not she was the real mastermind isn't the issue here. Whether she was or not, it creates a problem. If she was the real mastermind, why would she claim there were people watching us, since she would have known what the outside world was like. If she wasn't the real mastermind, then why would they make her think there were people watching? Are there people watching? Or not? Did Tsumugi really know anything? I don't think she was completely clueless about things. I mean, Monokuma clearly killed her to, in part, silence her. Besides, it doesn't really make sense for her to be clueless if she was a real mastermind or a fake one. A fake mastermind needs to at least know a few things about the situation.
If it weren't for those few things, the motive would have no contradictions. And while I did see it with my own eyes, and I know how real it looked, I can't just ignore how Monokuma has acted or what Tsumugi said before she died. But I can't even imagine what it means! Why would Monokuma care about the rules so much!? Why would Tsumugi say and believe that there are people watching us!? What's it all for!? Actually, with the hidden cameras, it would be easy for people to be watching us, but what people? The outside world is gone, so the only people who could be watching us would have to be in the academy, right? If not, then the outside world would have to be a lie, but that can't be right either.
"Ugh…! WHAT IS GOING ON!?" I shouted in anger as I slammed my hand against the bathroom sink. "I just need the truth! If I could get that, then… Then…" I trailed off as I realized what I said. 'The truth'. A clue to find the truth. That's it. That message…that clue can show me the truth of it all! It must! That must be it! But how do I find the truth? What was that hint again? "Within an unfamiliar world lies the key, hidden within a fractured chain of memories. Then, after gazing upon the stars, walk through the realm of demons and angels to find the way." I repeated before I paused. It hit me. I immediately threw on my jacket and began rushing to my destination. Everything else had left my mind. I needed to confirm this immediately. This was now priority number one.
I skipped breakfast once again as I stormed off to the 4th floor. I walked into the computer room and headed straight for one of the headsets. That's when I got a heavy headache that made me stop in my tracks. Wait… was something… supposed to happen in this place? Angie and Ryoma died here, of course, but… Why do I feel like… it should have been someone else? Why do I feel like there should be someone in that chair right now? But who? "...Miu?" I mumbled as I held my head and tried not to stumble. "Wait, no. Kokichi? Or…someone else?" I groaned as I held back what might have been vomit. After another minute, the nausea finally began to disappear and my vision started to clear up. That felt like it might have been Foresight…? Or something similar? I got that deja vu feeling from it, but I've never felt ill from it before. It has been a while since it's kicked in, so that might have to do with it. But why was it so… foggy? I didn't even get a proper vision of who was supposed to die, if that's what it was.
"...Forget it. I've got more important things to do than worry about a broken Foresight." I grumbled as I grabbed a headset and put it on. "So… 'Within an unfamiliar world lies the key', huh? The only thing that fits is the virtual world. Plus, I haven't checked that thing Tenko and Himiko found there yet. Haven't had the chance." I sighed as I recalled what happened. "A photo album of my past. That fits the 'fractured chain of memories' bit." I sat down in a chair and took a deep breath. "Only one thing to do. Link start." I quietly laughed at my stupid reference as I clicked the button on the headset. "Tsumugi would laugh at that." I muttered as I entered the virtual world.
Welcome to the Neo World Program…
And then, I opened my eyes, and I was once again in a familiar mansion. "Man, I haven't been in here since…before I almost died." I muttered as I looked down at my avatar. "Still the same chibi style." I was quiet for a few seconds after that as I continued to look down at myself. "...I wonder if I look weird with this avatar." I then sighed as I held my arms. "At least I don't have to worry about hurting myself with scratches while I'm here."
I shook my head as I walked out of the mansion and went outside. "Still snowing." I mumbled as I looked around. "It's weird that I'm the only one here." That's when a thought came to me that gave me a chill. The snow falling didn't make me shutter, but this thought did. "Is… Are Angie and Ryoma's…" I began before I frowned. I have to know. I didn't even get to see their bodies. I made my way to the forest. After trekking through the snowy forest for a bit, I found a very familiar clearing. "This is the spot where I… Where Angie…" I thought out loud as I absentmindedly touched the spot on the back of my head where I was hit with the shovel. "But… It's empty." I said as I looked around. All that was here were trees and snow. It was devoid of anything from the previous case. Just like in the real world, the scene gets cleaned up. I probably stared at the scene for longer than I probably should. That was the first case I wasn't a part of. The first case I couldn't even say goodbye to the bodies.
"Why am I assuming there might be more cases?" I grumbled as I kicked myself. I hurried away from the forest clearing. I need to get back to why I'm really here. I stomped over to the chapel and practically kicked the door open. I then stomped over to the piano that was at the back of the chapel and looked at what was lying on top of the lid. It's right where Kaede said they left it. I picked it up and stared at it for what felt like an eternity. Why does this little thing feel so heavy? Is it because it might house memories that I don't recall yet. It's intimidating. What memories are in here? Do I really want to know? The truth is mostly painful. That's what experience has taught me. But still…
"The truth is the most important thing." I swallowed my fear as I opened up the book, and when I saw the first page, I nearly cried. "This is…" I didn't know what to say in the face of what looked like middle school and high school pictures. "This picture is from when we went to the school festival. This is when we went to Asuka's first concert. And this is when Ryu and I got into that huge fight and Daisuke and Naomi had to literally pull us apart." I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that last picture. God, Ryu and I hated each other back when we first met. "Man, this is all so…familiar." I mumbled as I flipped through the pages. "But…why does it not…fully click?" It was true. These photos were real, but they didn't click into place like I would have thought they would. There were just some things that didn't add up completely. For example: "I could have sworn I met Asuka in highschool." I said as I looked at the photo that detailed a middle school graduation with me, Yuna, and Asuka.
"What does this mean? Am I remembering things wrong?" I put a hand on my chin as I thought about it, but it just didn't make any sense. "It's probably just a gap in my memory that hasn't been filled yet. I remember most of the important things, but the finer stuff was still a mystery. And that's when the other weird thing popped into my head. "What are these numbers?" In only a few photos, on the top right corner were numbers written in what looked like a black sharpie. The one with me and Asuka at our highschool entrance exam as number 1 on it. And skimming through the pages, I can see there are a few more for a total of 5 pictures, each one of different people. Number 1 had me and Asuka at our entrance exam, number 2 had Sora and Ayaka shopping, number 3 was of Nobu and Masuyo at a party, number 4 had Naomi and Ryu at one of Ryu's parkour competitions, and number 5 had Makoto and Yasu in the library.
What do all of these photos have in common? What purpose do the numbers have? Why are these specific people in these photos? How does any of this lead me to the truth? "I guess I've got to dig deeper." I said as I sat down. This is going to be a long day.
"I've got it!" I shouted as I tossed the headset off my head. "I've finally figured it all out! It took me probably half the day, but I've got it!" Excitement couldn't properly describe the euphoria I was feeling. After staring at the photos for so long, I finally cracked the code. It all has to do with the content of the photos and the next part of the hint. Now all I need to do is find the next set of clues. "Man, this is starting to feel like a scavenger hunt." Okay, so if I'm right about this, then I just need to head to-
Growl…
I stopped when I heard my stomach make a noise that was as loud as a dying cat. "...Maybe I should eat before I do anything." With that, I left the computer room and started heading down the 4th floor. I actually saw Rantaro and Tenko on my way down. They were on the 3rd floor in the large opening, and it looked like Tenko might have been attempting to teach Rantaro Neo Aikido, though that's just a guess based on the fact that Rantaro was on his back groaning in pain. I waved to them as I passed by.
When I got to the second floor, I stopped by the medical room and got some bandages for myself before heading to the first floor. When I got to the dining hall's entrance, I took out my Monopad to check the time. 1:30 pm, huh? I spent a long time in the virtual world, and I didn't even eat breakfast today. I guess that's typical for me. I always forget about other stuff when I'm hyper focused on something. Just like that pocket watch game yesterday. Guess I'll just grab something real quick and hurry to where I need to go. And so, I opened the door without a care in the world.
And that's when I saw something horrifically awful and despair inducing. There in the dining hall, with his head face-down on the table in a small puddle of blood, was Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Kokichi…was dea-
"It's a lie!" Kokichi shouted as his head shot up from the puddle of blood it was laying in. There was a beat of silence as I stared at the boy with a blank expression.
"...Kokichi." I growled as my eyebrows began to point downwards in fury. "What. The hell. Are you doing?"
"Nee-heehee… Did I surprise you? Were you gonna scream and cry in terror?" Kokichi asked me as he wiped the blood off his forehead. He then made a noise of pain as his arm shot to his other shoulder as he grasped it tightly. "Oh, sorry about that. My arm's just a little sore from an injury I got earlier today. Yeah, that's right. This is all real blood from my arm that I spread around to make it look like I was killed." Kokichi told me with a mischievous grin.
"So you're really hurt?" I asked. "What happened?"
"I was just hanging out in Keeboy's lab, since he never uses it and it's full of awesome stuff. While I was there, I accidentally scrapped my arm against some metal and cut myself. I was gonna go and clean it up when I thought about pulling a prank on whoever found me first, and that just so happened to be you, Rinny!"
"Why was that the first thing on your mind?" I said as I put a hand on my forehead. "Come here."
"Huh?"
"I said come here." I pulled Kokichi onto a chair and looked at his arm. I found a gash on his arm and took out the bandages that I had and began treating his injury. Kokichi just gave me this confused look as I did, like he wasn't sure why I was helping him.
"...Why do you have bandages on you?" Kokichi then asked. That got me to stop what I was doing.
"Uh… Because I want to be prepared if I ever find someone injured. That way, I have a better chance at stopping a murder if I find someone about to die." I told him as I looked back at his injury.
"And simple bandages are the way to stop a murder?"
"Shut up. It'll help." I grumbled as I finished wrapping his arm. "There. You should be fine in a while." Kokichi moved his arm around a bit before smiling.
"Yeah, this will do for now. Thanks, Rinny! I guess even useless lackeys like you can be useful once in a while." Kokichi told me.
"Gee, thanks." I grumbled. We were silent for a while after that. It was like neither of us knew what to say. "Hey, so…how are you-"
Ding dong, dong ding!
"Huh?" I was confused as I turned to the monitor. It was the middle of the day. What announcement could there possibly… That's when I felt my heart sink. No… It can't be-!
"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma cut through my inner thoughts with a smile. "Everyone, please gather at the base of the spiral staircase!" And with that, the monitors turned off.
"...No." I muttered in disbelief. "No…this can't be… This can't be real!"
"Oh? So another person has died, huh?" Kokichi smirked as he got up from his seat. "Well, we might as well see who kicked the bucket this time, right Rinny?"
"..." I didn't respond as I just stared at the monitor. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. "We need to go to the spiral staircase!" I didn't even wait for Kokichi to respond as I ran out of the dining hall. I sprinted through the halls and made my way to the spiral staircase. I burst through the doors and froze at what I saw.
What I saw was something I would never forget. There at the base of the stairs, lying face-down on the ground in a large pool of blood, was Kaito Momota. Kaito was dead.
"This can't be real…" I said as I looked at the astronaut. He wasn't moving. He wasn't even making a sound. The loud, obnoxious, caring Kaito…was now quiet and silent.
"Oh, so the victim this time around is our dear old space idiot Kaito." Kokichi said as he entered the room. "Can't say I didn't see it coming. I mean, if anyone was gonna die, it was going to be him."
"You shut up!" I screamed at him.
"What? It was bound to happen. With how Kaito was, he was going to get himself killed eventually."
"You have no right to say that now! How dare you-!"
Ding dong, dong ding!
"...What?" I muttered as I turned to the monitor that had just turned on.
"What do you know! Another body has been discovered!" Monokuma cheered as he drank some of his campaign. "Everyone, please gather at the Ultimate Astronaut's Research Lab!" And with that, the monitor turned off. I'm pretty sure I turned paler than I ever had before.
"...Did he just say 'another body'?"
"Hmm… Yep! That's what it sounded like." Kokichi nodded innocently.
"Oh my god!" I screamed as I began to run up the stairs. I no longer heard anything except my own heartbeat. My heart was in my ears. My blood felt cold. My arms were burning worse than ever before. I just kept running and running, ignoring the pain I was now feeling in my chest and lungs as I ran up to the 6th floor. When I finally got up there, I pushed through my body's desire to throw up as I made my way to the lab door and pushed it open. "I'm here! Who's-" And then I stopped. Shuichi and Kaede were already there, and they were staring at what I was staring at.
In the middle of the lab, covered in wounds and lacerations, was Gonta. Gonta Gokuhara was dead. Gonta and Kaito were dead. Two of my friends were dead, and they were two of the best people here. I didn't know what to do anymore. Nothing felt like it mattered anymore. Everything…was falling apart…
