I had a long week, but I managed to get this done in time.
My original plan had this chapter connected with the next one, but I realized that that would be way too long, and having to remove some dialogue just to make it sort of fit would be disappointing. So, yeah, while in Another Hope a murder would've happened by this point, unfortunately DR2 is a bigger game, and I have a lot of things to work around such as Albert and friends, foreshadowing for Maki's past, and things like that.
Now that I think of it, I've kinda been assuming that this story would have as many chapters as AH, that is 30. But now, I'm starting to realize that I'll probably have to exceed that. Not by too much, maybe somewhere between 30 and 40. Still, this thing is going to be a much bigger project than the first one.
Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 4
Cooking Up A Storm
The next morning after the motive reveal, everyone's nerves were shaken. If that wasn't bad enough, the Imposter had found a note under his door which he presumed had been there since the previous night. Given the contents of the note, and the fact that he was the one to receive it, it seemed as though someone had snapped, and was giving him one final chance to stop them.
BE CAREFUL!
The first kill will happen tonight.
Someone will definitely kill someone.
After he panicked for a moment, he came up with a plan. And now, it was time to put it into action. "...Is everyone here?"
Chiaki looked around the table, performing a mental headcount. "...Huh? It seems Fuyuhiko is not here yet."
"Hehe, maybe he already got killed..." Hiyoko suggested.
"Gyaaah! Dead bodies already!?" Ibuki shouted.
Peko rolled her eyes. "Don't go killing people off... I saw him outside earlier... However, he told me he would not be joining us this morning."
"Why does he have to act like a lone wolf at a time like this...?" Mahiru sighed.
"C-Could he... Is he thinking up a plan to kill someone by himself...?" Kazuichi asked.
"Kazuichi! You should not doubt your friend!" Sonia scolded.
"Well, he's a yakuza, isn't he?" He said in defence. "Do you understand what that means? He's part of the Japanese mafia!"
Maki shrugged. "Honestly, I'm with Soda Pop on this one. Regardless of if he's planning anything, after his little speech last night, he's made it clear he's just a hindrance to our efforts, at best."
The Imposter nodded at everyone's commentary. "I presume he's the kind of person who would not come even if we summoned him... I guess it can't be helped... We should just talk among ourselves. Someone can fill him in later."
"Talk...?" Hajime repeated. "What are we going to talk about?"
"Rejoice... I have decided to throw a party tonight."
Everyone exchanged confused glances, as if their leader had finally gone mad.
"A p-party...?" Mikan asked.
He put on a smug grin. "That's right. A huge party that will last from sundown to sunrise."
"Party till the sun comes up!?" Ibuki shrieked.
"Just so we're clear, I will not allow any absences. Your attendance at this party is absolutely mandatory."
"H-Hey... Now's not the time to talk about stuff... like partying!" Kazuichi snapped.
"On the contrary... there is no better time than this..."
"But still... we really shouldn't be partying..." Mahiru said.
"...Um, hold on." Nagito interrupted. "I agree with Byakuya... It doesn't do us any good to stay bummed out like this... In fact, because of the situation we're in, it's probably best if we all strengthen our friendships with one another. That's what you thought too, right? That's why you want to throw a party."
"It doesn't matter why I'm doing it... Anyway... it is of vital importance that we all stay in one place tonight."
Gundham examined him. "...You say that with such significance."
"It's decided! We're having ourselves a party!" He insisted.
"E-Even so... I'm not sure it needs to last all night..." Mikan offered.
"...If I thought that, I would have made that clear from the beginning."
"I-I-I'm terribly sorry! I'm so, so sorry for trying to meddle with your plan!"
"It's important to be flexible in situations like this..." Nekomaru mused. "Perhaps a diversion from all this is just what we need."
"...Then let's party hard!" Akane decided.
Teruteru perked up. "Ah, in that case, I'll put my amazing cooking skills on display for you guys."
"Where is the party going to be held?" Chiaki asked. "Would this restaurant be okay?"
"No, this won't do..." The Imposter decided as he scanned the room. "We need a location that's impervious to interference from outsiders. A place even Monokuma cannot enter... What we need is an enclosed space."
"...An enclosed space?"
"If the restaurant won't do, then neither will the lobby..." Gundham decided. "That's not nearly enclosed enough."
"Nor will the cottages..." Sonia said. "With so many people, we would all be pressed up against each other."
"But if you want to be pressed up against each other, then a cottage is clearly the best choice!" Teruteru offered. "Pressing up against ladies... without sneaking aboard the women-only train in drag... I feel so lucky."
Kazuichi shook his head. "I can't believe how comfortable you are with saying your perverted thoughts out loud..."
"Mmhmhm, I may be a pervert, but I'm the kind of pervert everybody likes!"
"Your confidence is seriously impressive..."
"Though not unfounded." Maki added. "He does have that... humourous charm that makes it hard to hate him."
Nagito raised his hand to make a suggestion. "Then... how about that old-looking building near this hotel?"
"...That run-down place?" Chiaki asked.
"Yeah, but if we do our best to clean it, I think it'd be perfect. Plus, it's basically the only place that meets our needs for an encloses space, right?"
"Indeed." Peko said. "However, Monomi has forbidden us from entering that old place. As I recall... it's in the middle of being renovated."
"I have heard your conversation!" Monomi cheered, suddenly showing up. "Heard it all with my very own ears! Ahem! I have good ears! Cuz I'm a rabbit!"
"Oh, so you use your ears." The Imposter realized. "That's strange..."
"Huh!?"
"Then what is the reason for those surveillance cameras? Are they for Monokuma's eyes only?"
Monomi turned away, unable to respond. Ibuki eyed her. "Ah, she looks so disappointed!"
"Well, it is of no concern... We can settle that issue another time... Regarding the old building! You came to tell us something about it, right!?"
"Yes, if it strengthens everyone's bonds with each other, then I will not hesitate to cooperate. So in that case, I will allow you to enter the old building! I'll cooperate so we can all party together!"
"Together?" Hiyoko repeated. "That's not gonna happen 'cause you're so disgusting. Do yourself a favor and stay away from mirrors. You'll be grossed out by what you see."
"Ugh... You're kind words make me wanna cry..." With a face that said she was not going to cry tears of joy, Monomi disappeared.
"Um... So we're all good with the old building?" Mahiru asked. "Then what about the preparations? If it's in the middle of a renovation, don't we need to clean it first?"
"I have never done the dirty work known as "cleaning" before." Sonia marveled. "I am excited to finally experience it!"
"No way!" Kazuichi cut in. "There's no way we can dirty our dear princess's hands!"
"Nyeeeh, I don't wanna do it either!" Hiyoko whined.
"What... Nobody's going to do it...?" Nekomaru asked.
"In that case, why don't we decide by a random drawing?" Nagito suggested.
"Random drawing...?" Hajime repeated.
"To be honest, I already prepared a drawing because I assumed something like this would happen." He held up seventeen chopsticks he was holding in a specific way as to hide the bottoms of them. "Whoever draws the chopstick with the red mark on it will be in charge of cleaning, okay? Does that sound fair?"
"Well then, let us entrust our destinies to the whims of this drawing!" Gundham agreed.
"Well, no hard feelings." Mahiru decided.
One by one, each student stepped forward to draw a chopstick. The tensity increased more and more as the number of chopsticks in Nagito's hands dwindled. Finally, the Imposter stepped forward. There were only two chopsticks left. 50/50. He made his choice, grabbed it, and pulled it out. It bared no red mark.
Nagito examined the last chopstick in his hands. "Huh? I'm left with the red mark!?"
"Haha... For someone called the Ultimate Lucky Student, you don't seem very lucky right now..." Hajime joked.
"Hmm, I guess it can't be helped... Well, if it's just cleaning, leave it to me. I'm actually pretty good at it."
"I thought so." Mahiru said. "You seem like you'd make a good stay-at-home dad."
"...I'll take that as a compliment."
"I'll handle the cooking!" Teruteru decided happily. "All right, first I'll have to prepare my ingredients, then I'll start cooking at the old building. I, Teruteru Hanamura, will go all out! I will prepare the world's tastiest dishes for you all!"
"Then I just need to pass along the party details to Fuyuhiko." Peko said.
"Let's go about our business then." The Imposter announced. "After Monokuma's nightly announcement, we'll meet at the old building."
With that, everyone pushed their plates away and began to scatter. The Imposter himself made his way back to his cottage. He had to make some more detailed security plans for the party tonight. He was going to make sure no one became a victim. It was his promise as a leader.
Maki yawned as she stepped out of her cottage. After breakfast, she had spent the rest of the morning finishing up reading the first binder on her shelf. So many intriguing murders, so many complex motives. She needed to unwind her mind for a bit.
It was then she noticed Teruteru entering the hotel grounds, carrying with him all of the ingredients he would need for a party of seventeen. Well, she assumed it wasn't his first trip, since no man could carry that much food all at once, but the amount he had right now was quite staggering. In fact, she could see him staggering quite a bit.
"Hey, Fuckboyardee, need a hand?" She offered as she took a crate of onions from the top of the stack.
Once he slowed down and adjusted himself to be able to see her through the stack, he smiled up at her. "Ah, Maki. Thanks, I could use some help. Though I never would've guessed you were the kind of girl who liked getting her hands dirty..."
"Okay, a forewarning, you're barking up the wrong tree there. But if you understand that, I'll let you continue with the idle flirting, just because I think it's funny."
"Sure, sure. Besides, just because I can't afford anything, doesn't mean I can't look at the menu, right?"
"Uh, sure. I guess that analogy works."
As the two of them entered the old building, Maki let out a low whistle at the amount of progress Nagito had made. She was expecting a dusty shed with cobwebs in every corner, but the wooden walls and floorboards seemed to have been wiped clean.
The two of them ventured further inside, down the hall to the kitchen. On the way, they passed the dining hall that Nagito was in the middle of transforming. A large carpet sat on the middle of the floor, but wasn't big enough to reach the walls of the room. He was setting up some foldable tables near the back of the room.
"You work fast." Maki observed.
He jumped at her sudden appearance, causing the table to fall over and hit his foot. He yelped.
"Are you okay?"
He smiled at her concern. "I'm fine. It's just this luck of mine. It's always just... going back and forth between good and bad, you could say."
"Um... like a pendulum?" She offered.
"Yeah, that's a good way to put it." He nodded, moving to put the table back up. "I guess that's why I can stay so optimistic in this situation. No matter how much bad stuff happens, eventually some good luck will come from it."
"That's a good attitude to have!" Teruteru agreed. "Not that anything too bad has been happening..."
"Yeah, yeah, you don't believe it." Maki muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, I won't hold up any more of your time. C'mon, Teruteru."
"I'm right behind you~!" The shorter boy followed her to the kitchen.
As she entered, she could already smell some of the different dishes cooking. "Oh, you already started."
"Well, obviously." He said as the two of them set down their produce. "Some of the dishes take longer than others, so I started on those this morning before going out to get the ingredients for the rest."
"I'm guessing cooking requires a lot of multitasking, huh?"
"You know it. I can focus on a lot of different things, y'know?" He pulled some fish from a bag in the stack and brought it over to a prep counter.
"Right..." Maki went around to examine some of the pots and pans on the stove. "So, what are we having?"
"Well, it's supposed to be secret... but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give you an idea. I've prepared several different dishes. I've got western dishes like hamburgers, french fries, roast beef, chicken, corn, sausage..." He left a noticeable pause. "I've also got sweets like cakes, pancakes, strawberries, bananas... I have salad, baked potatos, meat on the bone... Of course, I also wanted to stick to a tropical theme, so I've got plenty of seafood, like lobster, sushi... Trust me, you won't be able to control yourself!"
"It sounds good. I can't wait. I'm just hoping you don't put any aphrodisiacs in there."
"I would never do that!" He snapped. "Aphrodisiacs would ruin the taste! Besides, I don't need them. My food tastes good enough on it's own to make your panties drop."
"So you've mentioned. But, as you can see, unlike the other girls on this island, I'm wearing pants."
"Hehe, well, I love a good challenge, you know." Teruteru paused for a second, his mischievous grin dropping. "Did you hear that?"
"What...?" The two of them stood silent for a moment. Maki heard a quiet but creepy laughter coming from the dining hall.
"What is that?" Teruteru asked. "You don't think it's a ghost or something, do you?"
She thought for a moment. "Could be. But doesn't it sound almost like Nagito?"
"Actually... Now that you mention it, yeah, it does sound like him. What's he doing over there?"
"Let's go check it out."
The pair went over to the dining hall and peeked through the door, as quiet as they could. There, at the far end of the room, they saw Nagito under a table, messing with something. As she watched, it seemed as though he was taping it to the underside of the table.
"Is... that a knife?" Teruteru observed.
Her eyes widened. "Yeah, I think it is..."
Suddenly, he crawled out from underneath the table, and began to turn toward them. Maki jumped back and pulled Teruteru with her, dragging him back to the kitchen. Once there, she quietly closed the door behind them.
"Wh-What do you think he's doing with that?" Teruteru asked.
"I don't know... but I have a bad feeling about this." Maki admitted, messing with her cat-ear hairband. "The other day... Byakuya and I were talking, and he told me to keep an eye on anyone I thought might be driven to murder. One of the people on my list was Nagito..."
"Y-You think...!?"
"Well, I don't know Nagito very well. I only met him a couple days ago. So, maybe we should just, you know, keep an eye on him."
They heard footsteps outside the door, and for a second Maki froze, afraid that they had been caught. But the footsteps kept moving down the hall. She opened the door just a crack, and saw Nagito turning at the end of the corridor. "Hey, Teru, what's down there?"
"Um, if I recall... all that's down there is a storage room. I think that's where Nagito got the tables and tablecloths from."
"Hmm..." About a minute later, Nagito came back. Maki stepped away from the door, to make it seem as though she had not been spying. After Nagito passed the door, she peeked her head around the corner to follow him as he passed the dining hall and made his way to the office. She noted that he wasn't carrying anything new. She turned to Teruteru. "Watch the office door, let me know if he does anything else."
"Wh-What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to check out the storage room. I want to know what business he had in there." With that, she slid her way through the door and, swift as the wind, made her way down the hall.
It was dark inside. The sole light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered weakly, only allowing Maki to see right in front of her face. There was a couple of shelves with tablecloths on them, as Teruteru said. However, what quickly caught her attention were three clothing irons plugged into a nearby socket, and cranked to their highest settings. Did Nagito do this...?
As she stepped away, she bumped into a stack of cardboard boxes, sending them tumbling to the floor. There on the floor, behind the wall of cardboard, she noticed a trap door. Ah, for getting under the building's foundation. I'll keep that in mind.
With that, she quickly made her way back to the kitchen. There, Teruteru was peeling carrots at a nervous pace. "He just left the office... He's in the dining hall now. Did you notice his grin? He's just grinning to himself... Like he's gone crazy..."
Maki considered her options. Eventually, she said, "I'm going to go confront him. Maybe if I catch him in the act, he'll back down. At the very least, it'll discourage him from killing anyone."
"I-I'll come with you! If two people confront him, then it'll be more likely for him to be intimidated! Plus... My Mama wouldn't forgive me if I let a girl put herself in danger without going with her."
She stared at him for a moment before turning to the door. "...Alright, mama's boy, let's go."
They made their way to the dining hall, slowly. When they reached the door, Maki opened it just a crack, and they looked in. Nagito seemed to be messing with the air conditioning. She took a deep breath, psyching herself up. She knew how stubborn Nagito could be, so she'd have to push back just as hard. With that thought in mind, she reeled back and shoved her foot into the door, causing it to slam open. "Nagito! What are you doing?"
"Huh...?" Shocked, the boy turned toward them, stepping away from the air conditioner.
"Don't play dumb. We've been watching you. Why did you plant a knife under that table, and plug in those irons in the storage room? And why are you fiddling with the air conditioning?"
Once he recovered from the initial shock, Nagito smiled pleasantly. "...Oh, I've been caught?"
Teruteru entered, followed Maki's lead. "B-Been caught...? What are you doing? What are you scheming!?"
He spread his hands, as if it were obvious. "...I'm planning to kill someone, of course."
"Huh?" The Criminologist and the Cook both exchanged glances. That wasn't the reaction either of them were expected.
The Lucky Student looked between them. "Maki, Teruteru... just to let you know, it's pointless of you to stop me. If you stop me now, it doesn't matter. I will never give up. Whether it's tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or the days beyond that... I'll definitely start the killing."
"Wh-What?" Teruteru squealed. "No matter how much you want to leave this island, that's just...!"
"...I see... So that's what you think..." Nagito sighed. "But, that's not it at all. This isn't about my survival. I just... want the killing to start."
"Wh-What are you saying...?"
"I love everyone here. That's why I want to be of good use to them. I love all of the Ultimates... and I admire them for being symbols of hope. That's right... In the name of hope, I love everyone's talents from the bottom of my heart. That's why... I don't want them to lose against something like killing. I want them to prove to me that hope will never lose, no matter how daunting the despair they face may seem. I want everyone to prove to me that "hope will never lose to despair"!"
"Wh-What are you saying...? I don't understand at all!"
Maki, who had been listening to Nagito quietly until now, stepped forward. "Don't try to understand him. He's crazy; his mind works completely different than someone like you."
Nagito ignored her and tried to explain to Teruteru anyway. "See, isn't it typical that if you face a strong enemy, you will become even stronger yourself...? Which means... the stronger the despair you face, the stronger everyone's hope will become, right? I... want to see that brightness. And in order to see it, I'm going to become everybody's stepping stone. I want to make your hopes shine... It's as simple as that... That's right, I yearn for a powerful hope that can overcome any kind of despair!"
"A-Are you kidding...?" Teruteru asked. "Don't tell me... you're actually serious...?"
"So you don't understand... That's fine... I don't really mind... I'm just an obsessed fanboy so it's all right that this love of mine is unrequited. I suppose... I can be called the Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic!"
"You really are crazy." Maki muttered. "But that doesn't matter. I won't let you use your philosophy as an excuse to commit murder. I've worked with law enforcement before, and I've seen every excuse. But no matter what, needless killing is wrong!"
"Really? Do you really think so? Do you really think... there's something wrong with me? But... isn't that what love is?"
"...Huh?"
"I mean, if you have a favorite boxer, don't you want him to fight against a strong opponent and win? It's a given that trials are necessary to become strong, and the harsher the trial, the stronger you become, no? For mere humans, killings are simply a tragedy, but... for worthy humans, a trial such as this can elevate their status to an even higher level. It's amazing to me that someone as untalented as myself can become that trial! There's no point in someone like me surviving... It's far more significant for me to die as everyone's trial. There's no greater honor than becoming the foundation so that your values may ascend to brave new heights!"
"Okay, okay, I get it." She snapped. "You think you know what's best for us. But mark my words, Nagito Komaeda, I won't sit by and just let you do whatever you want."
With that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Teruteru quickly followed. "Wh-Where are you going?"
As they made there way to the kitchen, Maki was in the middle of her train of thought. "He made it clear that no matter what we do, he'll keep trying to kill someone. Even if we tie him up, he'll find a way to stir conflict. He wants killing him to be our only way to stop him. This will be a psychological battle, not a physical one."
"What do you need me to do!?" He asked. "I'll do whatever I can to help!"
She gave him a dismissive glance. "You're a chef, aren't you? Just focus on cooking the meals. Leave it to the professionals to prevent it from being someone's Last Supper."
Dejected, the Cook nodded and returned to preparing the food. Maki, however, was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice.
Nagito Komaeda. I knew he would go far for his ideals, but this is another thing entirely. I'll have to be careful around him, he has a powerful mind, and great multitasking and planning abilities. However, he wouldn't be the first criminal that I've had to ensnare. He'll be a worthy opponent, to be sure, but I've dealt with the most ruthless and genius psychopaths. Compared to that, planning around him will be child's play, especially when I already know what his plan is. Mark my words, Nagito, you've sorely underestimated me if you think I have to become a murderer to stop you. I will stop you. I can't tolerate another failure like... last time.
Shaking the unpleasant memories from her mind, a plan formed in their place, and Maki left the old building. Her next destination was the supermarket. She would have to prepare for the ensuing battle.
Kazuichi sat in his cottage, and was in the process of reassembling his alarm clock. He had probably disassembled and reassembled it a dozen times since Monokuma's appearance. It reminded him of home, in a way. Mechanics, no matter how simple, were in his blood. Either way, it provided a small comfort against the killing game he found himself in. He just wished he didn't have to wait so long for the party tonight.
As that thought struck his mind, he heard his doorbell chime. Carefully setting aside the pieces of his clock, he slowly made his way to the door and opened it cautiously. "Yeah?"
"It's just me, Soda Pop. You busy?" Maki asked as she let herself in. From her left and right shoulders, a coil of rope and of cable were hanging, respectively.
"Is that a joke? I'm getting really restless, actually." He said, gesturing to his half-built clock.
"Good. I've got a project to distract you for a bit." With that, she took a piece of paper from her lab coat and unfolded it.
"Um... What is it?" He asked, staring at her crude artwork.
"It's... well, I guess "trap" would be the right word for it. Though the word I would use is trigger. It's like a trip wire, but I need it to automatically set after a certain amount of time, so it doesn't go off too early."
"So... you need an automatic trip wire with a timer? What for?"
"I'm trying to beef up security for the old building. We don't need anyone trying to sneak out to grab a weapon with everyone distracted, y'know? So, how quickly do you think you could make this?"
He examined the shoddy blueprints, then looked over to the pieces of his clock, then to the wire and rope she had with her. "Well, I am the Ultimate Mechanic. I bet I could get something like what you need before the party starts."
"Great. And, uh, try not to flash it all over the place. We can't have someone knowing what to look out for to avoid this thing, it'd be better if it catches them by surprise."
"Uh... right. What do you need the trigger to do, exactly?"
"Oh, I've got something ready for that already. An alarm. I just need to be able to plug these cables into it." She tossed him what she had with her. "And the rope is for, well, tying it to things."
"Okay..." He wanted to question her further, but he was out of questions. If all she needed was a siren, he could do that much easily. "So... what's in it for me?"
"Hm. I thought ensuring your safety would be enough, but if you still want something else..." She shrugged. "I don't know, I'll put in some good words for you to Sonia. Does that sound fair?"
His eyes widened. Help with Miss Sonia? With a wingman who understands girls? He cleared his throat and tried to play it cool. "Well... not that I need any help with that, but I guess it couldn't hurt."
"Just keep in mind, if you mess this up, I'll make sure she never sees you as anything other than a pig."
"Oh. In that case, I'll see you around. I better get started ASAP, y'know." He quickly began shooing her out of the room.
"Yeah, yeah. I still have some things to work on. I'm sure this party will be a bang, either way." She managed to get out that much before he closed the door on her.
He turned toward the parts he had to work with. He thought about the idea of someone trying something during the party, as Maki suggested. It wasn't likely, right? Who in their right mind would kill in front of everyone else, where they would be caught instantly? Still, he figured he had to at least do his best. For himself, for Miss Sonia, and for everyone else, he would ensure their safety.
Maki's planning something, and we all know what happens when one of my OCs plans something, right? It NEVER goes well! I mean, when you think about it, Albert could never save anyone, and Toshihide couldn't break his Groundhog Day time loop, so I guess my characters really are doomed to failure. But then again, I guess that's my fault for writing it that way.
Still, I have to say, at least she's showing more initiative than Albert did about his first murder.
In the next chapter, the party will start, and we'll see if Maki's plan can truly stop Nagito.
